To prepare, Sipma played practice matches in Groningen (26 opponents) and Hijken (29 opponents), both under high time pressure. He also trains online. “I play a lot of fast games, where I have to make decisions based on intuition,” he says. “Because there is no time to think for long on Sunday.”
Physically, Sipma leaves nothing to chance. “I have a personal trainer, because I am a professional checkers player and on Sunday I make sure I eat well and have enough energy. Maybe I will relax in the city for a while. But I make sure I am on time and ready.”
The event takes place in the atrium of RTV Drenthe in Assen and can be followed live on TV and online all day long, with images of the game and a scoreboard on which you can see live how Sipma is doing. There is also an arbitrator present, with two assistants, to ensure that the proceedings are fair and official.
“It’s strange that an entire TV broadcast revolves around you,” Sipma admits. “But I’ll probably be so focused on Sunday that I won’t even notice.”
According to De Groot, it will be especially exciting in the afternoon. “The real pressure will come around three o’clock. Then it will be exciting and we will see if he can set the world record.”