Encircling Trap

Artem Alyoshin

Which organized crime group are you from?
-Central Federal District. What about you?
-I’m from the Northwestern Federal District.
-Do you remember when we served ten years together in Yaroslavl?
-Yeah, those were the days.

In sports, everything follows a cycle. Every year, it’s the same competitions and the same preparation for them. If you qualify, you move on. If you don’t, it means you didn’t train hard enough.

I walk through the hallways of my sports department and often hear conversations about how important it is to win the district or regional tournament, because then you can go to the national championship, and if you succeed there, a trip abroad looms on the horizon. It’s a nice, simple formula that works in chess, tennis, soccer, track and field, and shooting—but not in checkers! After all, we’re a special intellectual breed and love to stand out from the crowd.

So what exactly is a district championship in checkers? How do you participate, why, and most importantly, when?

Let’s start with the strangest part—the timing. The Ural Federal District competes in January. Then the Central, Siberian, and Far Eastern Federal Districts take over in February. The North Caucasus, Southern, and Northwestern Federal Districts compete in June. The Volga Federal District settles the score in August. Let me remind you that all the major Russian draughts tournaments, such as the national championship, take place from February to March. And while the competitions at the start of the year still fit into the overall schedule, the summer regional battles are something like the WINLANE Winter Cup in soccer in Dubai. And the most interesting thing is that the district draughts champion is such an honorable title that, in principle, you might not even qualify for the national championship on a budget—and, well, it happens, you might have played poorly in the regionals. On the other hand, when the IDF European Championship takes place in May and you’re playing in the North-West Federal District Championship in Arkhangelsk that summer, you might not even have any questions at all.

I’ve been figuring out the schedule for these tournaments for years, talking to organizers, gathering information, and I’ve realized the main thing: no one is to blame for anything!

Now let’s find out why people go to regional tournaments. The game “One Hundred to One” will help us with this.
The most popular answer: Tttt-tradition. Well, of course, no one knows when these tournaments first started or what their original purpose was, but why change something if it works just fine?
The second most popular answer: Making friends. Regional competitions are a place where you can find a friend, finally dive into the world of draughts, and get to know these people better. After all, it’s with them that you’ll have to move forward. Sleeping in the same bed, eating from the same plate, never feeling alone on the train or at the station.
The third most popular answer: Tourism. These are the most seasoned players in draughts. They know it all: where to go, what to see—and they have no tournament goals. These people have it absolutely made, and everyone envies them.
In fourth place is the economic factor: “It’s cheap.” I hope no further explanation is needed here—I think everyone understands.
The next answer, perhaps also related to money, goes like this: the coach needs it. And it’s great that some people need medals, some need bonuses, and some just decided to make the coach happy and beat everyone.
Since our survey covers all segments of the population, I talked to a lot of kids, and naturally, in sixth place: skipping school.

The Russian Ministry of Sport added fuel to the fire last year and has now banned the Master of Sports qualification from being awarded at the district level. Well, that’s only fair… If you’re already having a good time, these perks are unnecessary. The level of play at the regional tournaments is quite high. Before you know it, smart teenagers with low ratings will surround you in a flash. If you’re a grandmaster or master who values your 2600+ rating, you’re better off staying home and skipping this “session.”

It’s interesting that just a few years ago, the Central Federal District and the Northwestern Federal District played together, but now they’re two separate tournaments. You can’t merge the districts, but the country is big, and some people still follow the old traditions. A participant from one district isn’t allowed to play in another, but there are exceptions to this rule. And residents of Moscow and the Northern Capital aren’t included in any district at all. But in the Central Federal District, Muscovites are loved and always welcomed with open arms. I belong to this same district myself. I’ve probably only missed this tournament once in the last ten years. It might seem paradoxical, but the number of participants in the districts grows every year. People skip Russian championships and tournaments, yet participate in these district tournaments as if they were the holiest of events. It is noteworthy that there are no district draughts committees in the country, and everything somehow runs on its own, following its own rules and concepts.

If you’re thinking about participating in a district tournament, here’s my advice.

You have to come, and you have to fight—the rest is up to you.