Kooistra strikes in historic Workum and takes the lead in the World Championship Match in Frisian draughts
WORKUM – Just over two hundred years after the first recorded game of Frisian draughts was played in the Veerhuis in Workum, the town was once again in the grip of the Frisian draughts game. On Thursday, in Workum’s historic town hall, challenger Taeke Kooistra won the second game of the World Championship Match in Frisian draughts against reigning world champion Marten Walinga. Thanks to this victory, Kooistra has taken the lead in the best-of-eleven series.
Workum holds a special place in the history of Frisian draughts. As early as 1824, a draughts tournament was organised in the Veerhuis, and since then the town has remained closely linked to the development of the game. The historic town hall also provides a fitting backdrop for this world title contest. The building, the oldest parts of which date back to 1535, is one of the oldest town halls in the Netherlands and is managed by Warkums Erfskip, an organisation dedicated to preserving the town’s cultural heritage.
The second game was ceremonially opened by Gerrit Twijnstra, a board member of Warkums Erfskip. What followed was a strategic battle in which neither grandmaster gave the other an inch.
A classic edge game developed on the board, in which both players were virtually forced to mount an attack on the notorious double-edged corner. It resulted in an extremely positional game, in which every move was carefully calculated and new traps were constantly being set. For a long time, reigning world champion Walinga appeared to hold the initiative. With a few sophisticated manoeuvres, he put Kooistra under pressure and seemed to be creating the most dangerous opportunities.
However, the outcome was not decided until deep into the endgame. Walinga had calculated a different sequence to the one that ultimately appeared on the board and, as a result, missed a crucial combination. The experienced Kooistra did not hesitate for a moment, took full advantage of the mistake and decisively won the game. After a few final moves, Walinga had no choice but to congratulate his opponent on the victory.
After two games, Taeke Kooistra leads the world title match 1½–½. The challenger has thus secured an excellent starting position, although the battle for the world title is far from decided. The match consists of eleven games and promises plenty of excitement in the coming days. The next three games will also be played in Workum’s historic town hall. From 4 August, the World Championship Match will move to Harlingen, where the final six games will be played in the historic town hall, and it will finally be decided who will be crowned the 2026 World Champion in Frisian draughts.
The games can be followed live every day via www.frisiandraughts.com, where expert live commentary is also provided. This means that the world title contest can be followed live not only by visitors to Fryslân, but also by draughts enthusiasts all over the world.
Photo 1: Taeke Kooistra (left) and Marten Walinga (right) during the second match of the World Championship in Frisian draughts. In the background is the challenge trophy: the silver draughts board awarded to the world champion.
Photo 2: Gerrit Twijnstra, board member of Warkums Erfskip, makes the ceremonial first move of the second World Championship match in Frisian draughts in the historic town hall of Workum.
