Wouter Sipma from Hijken is the new world record holder for simultaneous checkers. De Hijkenaar managed to beat 25 of the 52 participants in a blood-curdling world record attempt, just enough for the record.
A checkers player sprinting from checkerboard to checkerboard. It is not the image you have of a standard checkers match. But in the atrium of RTV Drenthe, which was briefly transformed into the dam mecca of the Netherlands, nothing was standard this afternoon. 52 drafts players in a large square, with Wouter Sipma from Hijken in the middle competing against them all. And for that he only has two hours per checkerboard. In short, this is the world record attempt for simultaneous checkers.
The goal? Sipma has to score 72 points. Two points for a win, one point for a draw. And at the end of the record attempt, the Hijkenaar must have won at least seventy percent of his matches.
The first moves are quick, they are standard openings. Disks are exchanged back and forth. After almost two hours of play, the first opponent is defeated. Hiltjo Haze falls into a trap set up by Sipma. After that it goes quickly. More drafts players are defeated, and a single draw follows. But also the first defeat for the Hijkenaar, a surprise that led to murmurs among the dozens of spectators. None other than Gerrit Misker, sponsor of drafts club Hijken DTC, wins and puts his hands over his mouth in disbelief.
Misker seems to be in a beaten position when Sipma makes a big mistake. “He overlooked something, it was really a stroke of luck,” says Misker, who is known in the Drenthe sports world as a sponsor of various associations with his car company. “I was asked by the club if I wanted to participate. In my opinion, that was a simple victory for Wouter. But this is very special.”
“I had come up with a little tactic in advance. If Wouter took a shot at me and I had to hit back, I waited until he was three boards away,” said the crafty enthusiast. “In the end I saved a lot of time. But actually I feel very bad. Winning against Wouter gives me a bit of mixed feelings. Because I would really like it if he successfully completed the record attempt.”
While Misker tells his story, Sipma continues at a high pace. A victory follows on one board, a draw on another board. One of the draws is against Eric Sanders. “I’m satisfied, for sure. I was in a good position and winning was nice, but a draw is a great result.”
“You hope that Sipma will take that world record, but not at my expense. That’s why I did my utmost to win,” Sanders looks back as he continues to follow the match.
Sipma occasionally does sprints in the hall. He runs out of time on some boards. Opponents have ensured that the drafts player only has a few minutes left to score points. The Hijkenaar makes furious moves and then runs to the next table. If he can then quickly add a few wins and draws, peace will return.
Peace may have returned, but the tension is no less. Sipma’s profit percentage is just above the required seventy percent. After more than four and a half hours, ten checkers are still sitting at the table and there are still a few checkers on the boards. At least four games still need to be won.
Sipma walks past boards, stares at the checkers, occasionally clutches his head. The grandmaster’s brain cracks almost audibly. One moment the world record seems to be coming, the next moment it seems to be slipping out of his hands. Hands are shaken, opponents disappear from the table. The number of wins required decreases.
With the last three remaining opponents, Sipma knows exactly what to do. Win at least twice. A draw follows, making the task even more difficult. But Sipma manages to keep a cool head after almost six hours and eliminates his opponents one by one. A final handshake and Hijken has a world record holder. A world record holder who made it much more exciting than it needed to be, but above all a world record holder who did not know how to give up.