Jan Groenendijk has won the national drafts title for the third time in succession. He did this, just like the previous two years, by beating Alexander Baljakin in a decisive tiebreak.
This was necessary because Groenendijk overtook eight-time champion Baljakin in the final round with a hard-fought victory over last-place Luuk Terweijden, who failed to get past the fifth-placed Groningen Wouter Sipma in a beautiful duel.
Denouement of NK checkers
Saturday, December 23 around 2 p.m. It is once again very busy at Van der Valk in Drachten, where the National Drafts Championships are culminating. For Jan Groenendijk it is a year in which, with the exception of the World Cup silver behind the Ukrainian fighter Anikeëv, all that glitters is gold.
In this National Championship too, things initially go to a crescendo for the defending champion.
A red lantern also provides light
“I started the tournament very well and also played very well. But after some draws against tough Frisians, I suddenly saw Alexander lose another point in the final phase. I absolutely had to beat Luuk Terweijden in the last round to have a chance,” said Groenendijk, who faced unprecedented fierce opposition from the 21-year-old debutant. Which reminds your reporter of his brother Evert Dollekamp, who in 1984 under the light of the red lantern in a hectic duel stole the point from Rob Clerc that brought our own Jannes van der Wal the title.
Terweijden also does not shy away from battle and has a strong center halfway through. After the blunder he commits, the agile Groenendijk transforms the black position into wrecked firewood and sweeps up the remainder with his dam. And then takes a seat in the waiting room awaiting the outcome at Sipma – Baljakin.
‘Not too frivolous Wouter’
Groenendijk hopes that Groningen player Wouter Sipma, who is playing well this National Championship but also makes mistakes, does not act too frivolously against Alexander Baljakin. Because if anyone knows what to do with this, it is the eight-time champion, who has been a full-time trainer at the association since 2019 and who only plays for premier league club Huissen and in the final of the National Championship. At the age of 62, he still reaches a phenomenal level among the world top players of TeamNL.
Former world champion Alexander Schwarzman knows his game like no other. “Baljakin is very patient and knows better than anyone else how to make the right move at the right time. His sober strategic style earns a lot of points in this field.” Baljakin may benefit from a salon draw to rest until the eventual tiebreak. But that can also be counterproductive and Sipma always wants to play. “I am currently very busy with my playing style. Productivity is good in this National Championship with four wins. But I have to better guard the boundaries of what is playable and switch to defense if necessary. That didn’t work against the top three, but I was on my toes against Baljakin, after I wrongly switched to the wing and ended up in a slightly disadvantageous position.”
While Groenendijk watches worriedly, Sipma smoothly switches to active defense and the endgame moves flawlessly to a draw. Only to hear from his opponent afterwards that he was just taking a bite out of his sandwich when he relinquished the initiative. Learned something again for Sipma, who finished fifth, who will look back on an eventful drafts year with DvhN next week.
A wonderful learning experience
While Baljakin and Groenendijk prepare for the tiebreak, Matheo Boxum from Emmeloord is showered with compliments after a strong debut, which he concludes with a nice draw against the third-placed Jitse Slump. The 14-year-old Boxum, who plays in the competition for premier league club Hijken DTC, is very satisfied. He has already mastered the skill of self-reflection. “I had estimated in advance that an average score would be a very challenging goal. To be honest, I didn’t expect this to work out exactly. My main aim was to have an interesting, fun match against everyone.” Remarkably, he does not mention the draws with the grandmasters Heijn Meijer, Martijn van IJzendoorn and Jitse Slump as the best match, but his win over the Frisian crack Gerlof Kolk.
After a mediocre start, he came back strongly in the tournament, but lost against Boxum. “I look back on that match with a very positive feeling. Gerlof initially played quite passively. I then found a way to apply pressure, create opportunities and still win the game.” But above all, the tournament was a wonderful learning experience for Boxum. “Perhaps the most important lesson is to remain calm enough in the event of a disadvantageous draw endgame, such as against Baljakin and Groenendijk, to actually play towards a draw.
I hope to learn many lessons from this tournament and develop myself further.”
A flashy tiebreak
Groenendijk and Baljakin have now started their third jump-off in three consecutive title tournaments. While Baljakin was beaten without a chance in previous editions by probably the best speed drafts player on the planet, the battle has now been level for a long time. The spectacle is easy to follow for the spectators present on site. In Drenthe, the organizers of the European Championships in rapid checkers are watching with curled toes on the internet. The images of RT Drenthe, the supporting animations and especially the adequate interpretation of Roel Boomstra are sorely missed. But you can’t have everything at once, organizer Jan van Dijk and his team will think.
In the first of two rapid duels, Baljakin misses a golden opportunity to strike immediately. It will turn out to be his only one. After another draw, blitz games follow with a five-minute plus three-second bonus per game. They always have the same progression. Baljakin has about three minutes left for the final phase, while Groenendijk only has about ten seconds left. Yet the vice world champion apparently maintains complete control over his calculations, nerves and motor skills. Then in the fifth game he suddenly works at pace towards a complex middle game. Now Baljakin is running out of time early on.
His age is now starting to bother him against an opponent who is 27 years younger. If both dive under ten seconds, Groenendijk has a bite. With a little forcing he forces a combination sacrifice, after which his right winger has a free passage to king. Balkakin still wants to but can no longer and is already in a lost position because of his flag. What a denouement! The grandmasters shake hands with each other with respect. Jan Groenendijk is happy with his third title and has his analysis ready immediately. “The jump-off was grueling and I went to the edge of the abyss a few times, but in the end I think it was even more grueling for Alexander.”
Final score NK Checkers
1. Jan Groenendijk 12-19, 2. Alexander Baljakin 12-19, 3. Jitse Slump 13-16, 4. Martijn van IJzendoorn 13-16 (after jump-off), 5. Wouter Sipma, Ben Provoost and Wouter Ludwig 13-14 , 8. Matheo Boxum and Heijn Meijer 13-13, 10. Jan van der Star, Anton van Berkel and Gabriël Heerema 13-10, 13. Gerlof Kolk 13-9, 14. Luuk Terweijden 13-5.