Barrymore, who was howling in the marshes at night?
What is the world champion and one of the strongest players on the planet doing at the championship of a proud and useless federation? We find it difficult to answer. Who needs it and why? The level shown by local draughts players is rapidly declining. All the potential of draughts in the championships of the proud federation has been turned into an ugly parody, where even in the finals they cannot find 10 draughts players who are more or less average. Watching these horrors (game fragments) is sometimes simply unbearable.
The level will inevitably drop, along with the desire of local “half-pokes” to write various letters in small handwriting. And the rest will agree with them. Anyway, let’s start with anecdotes, and then fragments of games.
“Barrymore, who was howling in the marshes last night?”
“I’m sorry, sir, it’s been building up.”
“Watson, why do you think the marsh smells so bad?”
“It’s all the Hound of the Baskervilles, shitting and shitting.”
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Example 1
Round 1, R. Vipulis – P. Kripans The Whites decided to strengthen their position
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Example 2
Round 7, G. Zalītis – R. Pegle Black’s move. The idea of the etude ending is well known and requires a simple move 1….. 33-39 with a win. But…in the game, the following ensued:
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Example 3
Round 1, M. Zinevi;cs – I. Trubko White failed to find defensive mechanisms in a very poor position and quickly lost.
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Example 4
Round 3, R. Paegle – N. Vorotnikovs The white players decided to make an exchange. The black players decided to prevent the exchange from happening and fell for the combination.
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Example 5
Round 3, R. Vipulis – I. Trubko Black’s move. Black missed a simple three-move checkmate.
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Example 6
Round 5, G. Valneris – I. Trubko Here, for reasons unknown to us, Black decided to lose in one move.
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Example 7
Round 5, R. Paegle – R. Klimavičs The black team couldn’t manage a simple draw and rashly forced a loss.
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Example 8
Round 6, R. Klimavičs – I. Trubko The Whites decided to lose in one move, as is traditional in this championship.
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Example 9
Round 6, A. Tabunovs – G. Valneris An example of an answer to the question of what one of the strongest players on the planet does. Here’s what: he plays with young players, pupils of the three-letter club, winning positions with an extra checker. And he has to put up with the disrespect of these young players, who play such positions to the very end (literally). Black’s move |
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Example 10
Round 7, R. Vipulis – K. Norenbergs Black’s move. Do you see a draw here? Strangely enough, Black found it. A simple move would have won: 1……. 22-27. But in the game, it was:
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