Walinga wins marathon game and heads into final game with a lead
Harlingen – Marten Walinga has won the tenth game of the World Championship match in Frisian draughts. In what has been the longest game of the match so far, both players were pushed to their limits. Ultimately, the outcome was only decided in the endgame, when time on the clock was running out for both players. Walinga therefore takes a 5½–4½ lead into the decisive final match.
In his opening speech, Ids Hellinga, chairman of the PC, addressed the players and those present. Hellinga spoke about his own introduction to Frisian draughts. He had played several games on Lidraughts prior to the match and had consequently come to a clear conclusion: Frisian draughts is a truly Frisian sport. “Frisians don’t like draws. When you start a match, you go for the win.” According to Hellinga, this attitude applies not only at the draughts board, but is characteristic of Frisian sports.
That fighting spirit was immediately evident on the board too. After a few exchanges in a gambit opening, both players had to make an important decision early on regarding the further course of the game. A sharp, attacking game developed on the double corner – a style of play known among connoisseurs as a choice in which both players are explicitly aiming for victory.
Walinga opted for a difficult defensive setup, and his attack was repelled early on. In the late middlegame, Kooistra looked set to capitalise on this. There was a promising line of play in the position, but the long sequence of moves required to reach it proved almost impossible to calculate. Meanwhile, Kooistra continued to weave new threats into the position, which Walinga consistently recognised and parried in time.
After several exchanges, a thin endgame eventually emerged. In this, the advantage seemed to shift in Walinga’s favour. Kooistra was the first to have to sacrifice a piece to force a breakthrough. Even then, Walinga faced a difficult choice: which piece should move towards the king’s row and in what position? The remaining pieces proved difficult to defend.
Thanks to strong counterplay from Kooistra, an endgame eventually emerged in which Walinga did indeed have an extra piece, but in which a draw was still theoretically possible. With only a few minutes left on the clock for both players, however, finding that draw was an almost impossible task. Eventually, a piece broke through and the match was decided.
As a result, Walinga goes into the final game of the match with a one-point lead. The tension could hardly be higher: Kooistra must win to level the world title match and force a play-off, whilst Walinga only needs a draw to claim the world title in Frisian draughts.
Photo 1: PC chairman Ids Hellinga makes the first move against Marten Walinga.
Photo 2: Multiple world champion in international draughts, Darya Tkatchenko, watches with interest.
