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Dark morning, sunny afternoon4 AprilDuring the morning games of today dark clouds slowly gathered above my head. I did not get to any advantage in my game against Michiel Kroesbergen and to my despair I saw Jeroen and Gérard getting better and better positions. Both of them could not win their games, so after the first round of the day I was still leading the field. Gérard and Jeroen got company from Alexander, who destroyed Auke. In the afternoon I wasn't really satisfied about my opening moves against Ron Heusdens. Ron made a strategical mistake at about the fifteenth move, after which I won the game relatively easily. Neither of the three guys in second place won, although Alexander was very unlucky against Leopold. He could have won twice in the end game. This way my day had a sunny finish. I am going into the last two rounds with two points ahead of the rest of the field. Of the followers only Gérard, under normal conditions, has a chance to win twice. But last rounds of tournaments can create crazy results, so I am not going to look too much ahead. First I need to concentrate on the game against Alexander, after that we will see what the ranking looks like. My house mate Hein is also in a good mood. He won a crazy game against Peter Schuitema and he hopes to get some good results in the last rounds as well. I really hope he makes it through, but we are both realistic enough to realise that his road to the World Championships is still filled with a few obstacles. Let's see if he can do it. Crazier things have happened in the final rounds of tournaments. Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. Important decisions3 AprilThe victory of Gérard over Jeroen was of course the sensation of the day. Jeroen chose for an ambitious attack. At a moment he did not have a worse position, he chose to sacrifice a piece in exchange for vague chances. In order to crown his piece to a king he needed to sacrifice another piece. In the meanwhile Gérard was ready to catch the king. Quickly it became clear that Jeroen battled a lost cause. An important victory for Gérard. Auke and Ron played an exciting game. After the game had simplified Auke had a small advantage because his position was a bit more forward than Ron's. Normally not enough to win, but time started to play its' role, Ron caved in under the pressure and lost. Boudewijn and I played a promising opening with mutual pieces on the edge of the board. I chose the wrong plan, because of which I had to simplify the game not much later. Because of this simplification the game ended in a draw. These were the most important decisions of the day. It still is very interesting at the top of the score board. I am taking the lead currently, but the extra rules which decide who wins when the number of points is equal makes me chanceless if I stay on my current +3 score. If Jeroen ends with the same number of points as I do, then he will have one lost game, but also one extra won game. And nobody wishes to end up with the same number of points as Auke because he has got a lost game and a number of "plus draws". So I will have to win at least once, maybe twice more ! Eventhough it is not my goal to be critical in this column, I have to say that the rules for ending up with the same number of points do not have my preference. The chosen rules are random. You could easily defend that whenever two players have the same number of points the one who ended up getting the most kings or whomever hit the most pieces during the tournament will be the winner. But enough about that. It is my task to make sure that those rules do not have to be applied ! Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. Tired but satisfied2 AprilToday I got to play the thirdly ranked and the firstly ranked player of the tournament. In the morning game against Gérard, the peace was kept and we ended up playing a draw. In the afternoon against Jeroen much was happening, as often in games against Jeroen. In an interesting opening I placed a piece on 24. After Jeroen had attacked it a few times the piece on 24 got exchanged. This resulted in a strong centre position for me. I could not get a winning advantage, but I got to a "plus-draw". Which is, at the moment, enough to take over the leading position on the scoreboard. In the other games much was happening as well, although this did not always lead to a decision. Bennie Provoost got good positions against both Ron Heusdens and Alexander Baljakin, but he only got one point in the whole day. Ron dismantled Ben's attack just in time and Alexander gave Bennie so many complications to deal with that it ended up being too much for him. A little sad for Bennie, who got less than he deserved for all his work. The game between Peter Schuitema and Ron Heusdens had an interesting start. Peter tried to get a very expensive break-through. But quickly it became clear that the break-through was much too expensive, because Ron's pieces were waiting to catch the upcoming king. To be able to make his piece a king Peter had to keep on giving pieces away and this resulted in a loss. Due to these latest developments Gérard, Alexander and Ron are sharing the third place with nine points, two points behind Jeroen and me. It's going to be suspenseful the next few days, because no less than five players have eight points. So the battle for the World Championships-ticket is fully open. We are going to see some interesting games, especially if players will try to force their way to a win, which often has a boomerang effect. After ten hours of playing draughts I am pretty much done for today. Tired but satisfied with the "plusdraw" and the rocky first position in the tournament, I am going to bed early tonight. Maybe I'll go for a nature walk tomorrow morning. Auke has looked up some walking courses. Or maybe I'll just stay in bed a little bit longer. Tomorrow we only have one game and that is a good thing. We need to get a chance to reload the batteries after the amount of thinking of today. Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. Clearance on the battle field1 AprilYesterday was a tough day. In the morning I took on Peter Schuitema. I got an advantegous position. When we got into time problems, he could have kept it to a draw, but made a big mistake. A welcome gift. In the afternoon I got under big pressure from Auke Scholma. Auke played a strong game and my tank was empty. I could only clench my teeth and try to get a draw. I succeeded, but not without Auke getting a "plus-draw". Today I won against Leopold Sekongo. It is nerve-wrecking to play him. He tries to set up many combinations. You go through a whole range of emotions, because of the constant fear that he is going to trick you. Looking back it seemed like an easy win, but it was tougher than you would think when seeing the game at first sight. Peter Schuitema got another win as well. His opponent Boudewijn Derkx wanted to win, but forced himself into a very bad position and lost. The game of Jeroen and Auke was exciting to watch. Auke tries his best to get a World Championships-ticket. Auke tried the Keller opening with White. Very ambitious indeed ! It turned out to be a good battle in which balances were maintained throughout the game. The opening in the game of Heijn Meijer and Alexander Baljaking was very strange. Alexander wrote a book about the 32-28 19-23 opening ("12 Systems"). You would expect that he knows the book from heart, but he made a clear mistake, which could have led to him losing the game. Hein did not profit from this mistake and the game ended in a draw. We are getting some clearance on the battlefield now. Jeroen van den Akker and I are both at nine points. Two points more than the next competitor, Gérard Jansen. Although Gérard has the capability to obtain more victories, it is clear that Jeroen is the most important competitor at this point in time. He is a strong player. And despite of us both having nine points, he is currently leading, because I allowed Auke a "plus-draw". Tomorrow we play eachother. In the morning I "warm up" against Gérard and in the afternoon I play Jeroen. I have won a few times against Jeroen and he has won a few games against me as well. Our games often end in a decision. So, it's going to be another interesting day tomorrow. Who knows what the score board will look like tomorrow night ! Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. Much to enjoy30 MarchThe third round was filled with excitement. It was a satisfying day for me, because I was the only one who won his game. In my game against Bennie I locked him up using the formation 26,27,31,36. There were two pieces behind this formation, which caused an undefined game in the early stages. It was hard to see who had the better position. I followed a thematical approach and this eventually led to victory. Important, because not everybody will be victorious against Bennie. In the other games there was plenty to enjoy as well. Especially the game of Auke versus Gérard was beautiful. Auke had to gain back ground after his loss of yesterday and tried very hard to win. His half open classical play led to an enormuous advantage. However, Gérard is a strong and cold blooded player and he managed to find the way to a draw. The game of Hein en Boudewijn showed us a compelling battle between defense and attack. Hein made a costly mistake and got into a bad end game. He might have had a losing position at some point, but it did not lead to a loss. After the games we walked back to the bungalows. It is quite a distance, but that gives us some exercise and a possibility to relax. Then, while enjoying a cup of coffee, we analysed the games and now we are off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day with two games waiting for us. In the second game of the day exhaustion will play an important part. After eight hours of intensive thinking and calculations, you can have a blackout and make miscalculations. So, we can expect some accidents along the way. For the visitor it is going to be a very interesting day with two times seven games to come watch and enjoy. Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. Promises in front of the open woodfire29 MarchThe second round produced another two victories. Anton van Berkel has made a terrible start to the tournament. After a very mediocre opening he quickly got into a bad position in the early middle of the game. Boudewijn Derkx made no mistakes and went straight for the victory. Auke Scholma played one of his all-or-nothing games. His opponent, Peter Schuitema, used up a lot of time again. But at the moment Auke should have had his mind on a draw, he only thought about one thing, like all men : scoring, the victory, conquering. Blind for reality he made a big mistake and lost. Sven Winkel and I started our game with sharp play. I miscalculated the sacrifice of a piece. Sven sacrificed a piece back and with only one minute left on the clock I was lucky enough that the left over position was not a losing one. I have yet to start this tournament properly. In the other games, the balances were more or less maintained. Striking to see that Alexander Baljakin has not impressed yet. Hein got the great idea of getting some charcoal. Now we are sitting in front of the open woodfire. A good opportunity to look back, look at what's ahead and to promise yourself to do it much better the next day ! Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. We have started28 MarchThe first games have been played. A good start for Gérard Jansen en Jeroen van den Akker who won their games. Peter Schuitema used a lot of time in his game against Gérard. At a certain moment he had three minutes left for 25 moves. Not something you need to try against Gérard. Jeroen played a strong game against Anton van Berkel. Anton got himself in a locked-up position and Jeroen outplayed him completely. I played against my team mate Hein Meijer. Hein played a solid game. At the end I think I had an advantage, but Hein consolidated the game, and it ended in a logical draw. Eventhough I would have preferred to have won, this at least keeps the peace in our bungalow ! After the games we had a good buffet with all players together. Our bungalows are also fine; spacy and enough to eat and drink. I am satisfied about that. I am less satisfied about how the Dutch national soccer team played against Slovenia. I think I share that feeling with more Dutch people. Not a game to say much about. But, sometimes, just like in draughts, it is more important you get the result you wanted, and the way you achieve that is less important. Tomorrow I am playing Sven Winkel. A good player, but I intend to give him a hard time. I am behind, so I will have to score soon ! Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. Only a few more days...26 MarchOnly a few more days and then it starts again. The Dutch Championship Tournament is of course one of the main tournaments of the year for me. Next to the Championship the players will battle to qualify for the World Championships. Form will decide who will get the title and qualify for the World Championships. I am hoping for a good start in order to grow into the tournament. An early win would be ideal ! On a few days we are playing two games on one day. That's tough on the players, mentally as well as physically. Such remarks are being frowned upon by non-draughts players ("it is only a game of draughts"), but everybody who has taken part in a summer tournament like Nijmegen knows just how tough it is. So next to studying the games of my opponents and other draughts training, I try to incorporate lots of physical sports as well in my standard fitness regime (running, bike riding, swimming, etc.), a necessity for draughts at this level. During the Dutch Championships I am staying in a bungalow in a holiday park with my club mate Hein Meijer. Hein and I are good buddies, so it will be fun sharing the accomodation. I hope we get a bit of a chance to explore our surroundings, because apparently we are going to be in a lovely environment. A prognosis on the coming Dutch Championships... I have confidence in myself, but the differences are small at the top. Strong, productive players like Alexander Baljakin and Gérard Jansen are of course important candidates for a top position. And don't forget about Ron Heusdens and Auke Scholma. Both quirky and surprising players, but if they peak at the right moment, then they can end up in the top spots. Other good players of whom I expect something are Jeroen van den Akker and Hein Meijer. Without wanting to short change the other players, I think I have named the most important candidates for the Championship and the World Championship-qualification. So, it's going to be an exciting Championship. I expect we will be in suspense uptil the last day to find out who ends up in those first two, three spots. Enough reason to come have a look in Soest during the tournament ! Stay up to date of everything on 10x10special.com. Subscribe to the 10x10Alert. |
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