The second day of play in the African Open, the first official Frisian Draughts championships in Africa, had a thrilling ending. In the sixth and final preliminary round, it quickly became clear that experienced players Aleksej Domchev, Jan van Dijk and Jean Marc Ndjofang had secured their places in the Grand Masters Finals. They finished with 6, 4½ and 4½ points respectively. The last place in this group was claimed by Guy Tatou from Yaoundé.
There were also four places up for grabs in the Masters Finals. During the last preliminary round, Yves Constang Molemb and Stéphane Nkodo quickly secured a place in this group. Both managed to score 4 points. However, by the end of the round, there were still 9 players with 3 points, with two places still available in the Masters Finals. Two of them, Latvian player Raimonds Vipulis and Simon Eyock from Yaoundé, still had to play each other. Eyock managed to win and thus secured third place in the finals. For Vipulis and the seven others, a decision still had to be forced. This took place in a three-round knockout tournament, with Cédric Djoke (black) defeating Boris Kamdem in the final round.
The Grandmasters and Masters Finals will be played on Thursday and Friday, 19 and 20 June. On Friday afternoon, there will be an extra FRYSK! tournament (Frisian draughts with 5 pieces per player) for anyone interested.
It is striking that of the non-finalists in the World Draughts Championship, only the players with extensive experience in the Frisian game have reached the finals. All other final places have been won by local players.
It is also striking that of the total of 73 games, only 1 ended in a draw.
The finalists in the Grandmasters Finals: Aleksej Domchev, Guy Tatou, Jan van Dijk, Jean Marc Ndjofang
The finalists in the Masters Finals: Simon Eyock, Yves Constang Molemb, Stéphane Nkodo, Cédric Djoko
Photo 1: Aleksej Domchev (l) against Jean Marc Ndjofang in the last preliminary round
Photo 2: First round of the play-offs with eight players
Photo 3: Second round of the play-offs with four players
Photo 4: Third round of the play-offs with two players
