Checkers Champion Of The Netherlands Harm Wiersma

The Netherlands has been the home of many strong and talented Dutch checkers players who became part of the checkers arena for many years, especially during the 20th century.

Checkers champion of the Netherlands Harm Wiersma was born in 1953 in Leeuwarden, in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. His father, Chris Wiersma, was a Netherlands checkers player, who introduced his son to the world of the checkerboard when Harm was 8. In 1961 when Harm was nine years old taking him to play with the youth in the Leeuwarden Checkers Club during 1963-64. Then in 1964, when the Leeuwarden Club joined with Gezellig Samenzijn to form a new club, De Oldehove Checkers Club, the Wiersmas moved to the Huizum Checkers Club.

The young Netherlands Harm Wiersma contested the checkers youth championship of Friesland in 1963 when he was 10 years old and concluded the tournament with an excellent placement for his inexperience and age, which was 4th place behind Sjoerd Visser, Henk Bos and Gerrit Ybema. Then in 1965, checkers champion of the Netherlands Harm Wiersma placed 1st and 2nd in 1966. It quickly became obvious that the young Netherlands checker player had an innate sense and intuition when playing at the checkerboard. Wiersma also won the Netherlands Youth Championship in checkers around the same time.

In 1965, 1966 and 1968, Chris Wiersma and Anton Schotanus organized the International Turkstra tournaments in the Tivoli Hall. Checkers champion of the Netherlands Harm Wiersma placed first in the youth division in 1965, but in 1966, Anton Schotanus won the youth and Ton Sijbrands placed 2nd in the seniors division; however, Harm did not finish well and was disappointed in his 8th place.

The young Dutch checkers novice was developing skills and individual techniques in the checkers game and soon began to display a greater mastery at the checkerboard. In 1967, Harm participated in the Netherlands National Championship in the Seniors Division, along with experienced checkerists like Piet Roozenburg, and another young developing checker player, Ton Sijbrands, who was only seventeen at the time. At thirteen, Wiersma displayed his inherent talent at the checkerboard against his opponents and where he lacked experience, Harm made up for it in tenacity and concentration.

1967 Netherlands National Checkers Championship
Utrecht/Apeldoorn

Wim de Jong vs Harm Wiersma

Harm & Ton Sijbrands

Concentration

Harm vs D van der Staay

The final result for the Seniors Championship of the Netherlands in 1967 listed Ton Sijbrands in 1st place, Piet Roozenburg ranked 2nd and Harm Wiersma took 3rd. This was quite an achievement for a thirteen-year old checkers player contesting against mature masters at the checkerboard. The contender closest to his age was Ton Sijbrands, with whom Harm would later develop a kinship in the mind sport as well as a friendship through the years.

In 1968, Harm was not allowed to participate in the National Championship of the Netherlands because he had broken some rules during the World Championship in Bolzano, Italy, earlier on and exclusion from the checkers national tournament was his father’s ‘punishment’ for his actions. The newspaper reports stated that Chris Wiersma’s actions or decision to keep his son out of the checkers play was perhaps a little ‘rash’ or even presumptuous on his part. Harm was not yet 15 at the time. He did, however, contest in the Turkstra competition and placed first.

Iser K & Harm
USSR vs Netherlands
Amstelveen 1968

‘Slawa’ Sjtzjogolev vs Harm Wiersma
Turkstra Tournament 1968

Willy Heeringa vs Harm Wiersma
Friesland-Groningen
Championship 1969

That same year in 1968, Wiersma earned the title of International master or MI and then in 1970 Harm became the youngest in the world to achieve the title of national Grandmaster in checkers, GMN and later, GMI, International Grandmaster.

The following year, the Dutch Grandmaster participated in the 1971 National checkers tournament, but placed fifth based on point accumulation. Ton Sijbrands won first place and the Netherlands Championship title; however, in 1972 Harm Wiersma won the national checkers tournament and became Champion of the Netherlands in International draughts. Checkers champion of the Netherlands Harm Wiersma would repeat his winning performance in 1974 through to 1977 and then again in 1992, 1998 and 2001. Wiersma also held the checkers game title of Student Champion in the Netherlands in 1972.

Harm was a member of the Huizum Checkers Club and played the mind sport through this club for nine years. After the National Championship in Apeldoorn in 1974 where he placed 1st, Harm moved to a checkers club in Tilburg (DAVO).

During his early checkers career, Harm participated in numerous checkers competitions at the local, National and International levels.

Vignettes from 1972 to 1978

1	2	3	4	5
6	7			8

(1)1972, Netherlands Championship in Amsterdam/Apeldoorn, Checkers Champion Of The Netherlands Harm Wiersma took 1st place.
(2) 1973, National competition, deep in thought on the next checkers move.
(3) 1973, Harm & Ton Sijbrands at Schizpol Airport, leaving for Russian competition.
(4) 1975, The humorous side of checkerboard play ~ “What magic can I create?”
(5) 1977, Netherlands Championship, Zevenaar, Harm was the checkers tourney winner.
(6) 1976, European checkers tournament ~ “Will my opponent like to lose?”
(7) 1978, Zevenaar, Harm vs Rob Clerc in Netherlands Checkers Championship game.
(8) 1977, Suikertoernooi, Hans Jansen vs Harm Wiersma, Amsterdam.

Netherlands Harm Wiersma
Checkers Game Simultaneous Record	World Champion Harm Wiersma	Harm Wiersma European Champion
Representative Wiersma	Dutch checkers Harm Wiersma	Players Harm Wiersma and Ton Sijbrands

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Checkers Champion Of The Netherlands Harm Wiersma

1967 Netherlands National Checkers Championship Utrecht/Apeldoorn

Vignettes from 1972 to 1978

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1967 Netherlands National Checkers Championship
Utrecht/Apeldoorn