Damkunst

Podolski-Domchev

Mark Podolski (most left person with cup in hand) and Aleksey Domchev receive the beauty prize for their game in the 2007 World Championship. Photo: Geb Kos

Bord omdraaien

Bord kleur

A complete game of draughts

Author: Mark Podolski

17-07-2024

In 2007, the world championship featured an incredible lineup of top players. The 20-player round-robin tournament included the "big 4" —Georgiev, Schwarzman, Chizhov, and Valneris—who had dominated the draughts scene since 1988. There was also a strong contingent of Dutch players (Scholma, Thijssen, and Van den Akker), African players (Kouogueu, Ndjofang, and Samb), and numerous European top players like Amrillaev, Anikeev, Domchev, Lagoda, and Misans.
Personally, the 2007 world championship was a big deal for me as it was my first time making it to the final round after not qualifying in 2005. I was keen to compete against such strong opponents and ready to show what I could do. Winning the championship was my clear goal, and I was prepared to give it all.
The tournament kicked off with some surprising results. Chizhov beat Valneris in Round 1 and then took down Schwarzman in Round 4 (you should definitely check out those games!). This made Chizhov the early favorite. But world championships are long and unpredictable—Georgiev defeated Chizhov in a complex game in Round 7, shaking things up again.
After 16 rounds and several twists and turns, Chizhov, Schwarzman, and I were at the top of the leaderboard, each with a score of +4. I had a slightly easier schedule for the last three rounds, facing Domchev, Otgonbayar, and Valneris. To have a good shot at the overall victory, I needed to win two out of three. As history showed, that wasn’t enough, as Schwarzman managed to defeat both Van den Akker and Thijssen in consecutive rounds.
In this context, the game against Domchev in Round 17 was crucial. Known for being tough to beat, I had to approach the game very carefully. While this game won the beauty prize in the World Championship 2007, I want to focus on the psychological aspects and how they influenced my decisions. 1.32-2818-222.34-29...I wasn't interested in a quiet position after 2.37-3212-183.41-37and so on and kept the option to play the Keller system if necessary. 2....12-183.40-347-124.45-401-75.37-32...At the last moment, I decided against the Keller system and opted for a different, soon-to-be very complex variation. By this point, I had already anticipated Domchev's next moves and prepared a surprise for him. 5....19-236.28x1914x237.32-2823x328.38x27...To understand this move, we need some history. In the 80s and 90s, there was one essential Russian book by V. Agafonov ("Курс дебютов: международные шашки" or, in English, "Opening courses: international draughts") that covered contemporary draughts theory in depth. Every serious player, who grew up in the Soviet Union, knew this book and its main variations.
The move 7. 32-28?! was discussed in this book along with the potential black responses, so I knew Domchev was familiar with it. What he didn't know was an extremely sharp sideline I analyzed in detail in the early 2000s. 8....13-199.42-3818-23As expected, Domchev followed Agafonov's recommendation. According to old theory, the best option for white is a simple exchange with 10. 29x18 22x13, leading to a simplified position. But I had different plans...

10.27x18!?19-24Agafonov's book shows black threatening both 11...24-30 and 11...23-28, making it seem like white has no choice but to play the passive 11. 18-13 09x18 12. 50-45. But... 11.35-30!?24x3512.38-32!...What an unusual sharp position! Exactly what the doctor ordered in such a tournament situation. Strictly speaking, this position had appeared in literature and was even played in the Ukrainian championship, but it was neither widely known nor well-studied.
I recall the shock on my opponent’s face when he encountered this position. He had to spend a lot of time figuring out what was going on.

12....10-14A logical choice but not the best one.
Let’s highlight the obvious: 8-13?13.47-42!13x2214.29x27wins a piece. 17-21?13.32-28!23x3214.31-2612x2315.26x1711x2216.29x38+-16-21?!13.31-2621-27?14.32x2111-1615.41-3716x2716.29-24!20x3817.43x21and white wins. It takes almost superhuman draughts skill to find the best move 9-14!over the board. Now black is threatening to play 13...20-25, and the only way to prevent it is 13.33-284-914.28x1914x2315.47-429-14!forcing white to simplify into a slightly worse position via 16.29-2420x2917.34-3035x2418.40-3429x4019.18x93x1420.44x3513.47-42!...Now the difference between 12...09-14! and 12...10-14 becomes clear. White
plans to play 14. 32-28 and 15. 42-37 with a better position. To prevent this, black plays: 13....14-1914.33-28!...What a position! This must have been another shock for my opponent. At first glance, it looks like black should be able to win the white piece on 18, but it’s not possible. Even worse, black's position isn't even better, and now it's up to black to find a reasonable move.

14....20-25After spending an hour on the first fourteen moves, Domchev decided to go for simplifications.
Let's highlight some variations: 5-10?15.29-2420x2916.32-2723x2117.34x512x23+-17-2115.43-3812-17??21-26?16.29-24!20x2917.39-3326x3718.33x138x1919.18x29+-11-1716.31-2620-25Black can't play 21-27?due to 17.32x2123x4318.49x3816x2719.29-23!19x2820.42-3712x2321.37-3228x3722.41x1+-Now 17.29-24!19x3018.18x2921-2719.32x2116x2720.29-23!and while the black's position is not losing, it seems difficult to defend the piece 27. 16.41-37!23x1217.28-2217x2818.32x25+-4-10?!15.39-33!and now the safest option for black is to simplify 20-25as the position after 10-1416.42-38!5-10(the move 17. 29-24 was a serious threat) 17.43-39is better for white. 16.29-2419x3917.18x2915.29-2419x3016.18x29...The first stage of the game is over, and it’s time for a summary. Black has spent a lot of time, and white has emerged with a better position. Psychologically, I need to maintain the tension in the position to bring my opponent into time trouble when the last and most important stage of the game arrives.

16....5-1017.41-37...Against many other opponents and in different tournament situations, I would have gone for the obvious option: 17.39-3330x3918.43x3415-2019.44-3935x4420.49x4020-2421.29x2025x14gaining a huge lead in development. However, Domchev is a master at equalizing worse but simpler positions. So, I decided to keep the structure complicated. Draughts is a sport, and sometimes it makes sense not to go for the mathematically optimal solution. 17....10-1418.43-389-13We’ve entered the build-up phase of the game. To build an efficient position, I move pieces from the right flank to the left flank. Domchev takes a similar approach. 19.38-3317-21My opponent decides to break the tension in the center. This gives me the opportunity to develop my pieces on 36 and 46. 20.31-264-921.26x1711x2222.28x1712x2123.49-438-1224.43-383-825.36-3113-18An important decision by black. The presence of the black piece on field 18 activates my formation at 38, 33, 29, 34, and 40. 26.31-279-1327.46-417-1128.41-3611-1729.33-2814-20My opponent chose a safer route in what could have been an explosive position. Fireworks on the board would have emerged after: 21-2630.27-2116x2731.32x21

18-22?14-20?32.39-33!30x3933.29-2318x2934.33x2420x2935.44x2435x4436.50x39and now black loses after 13-19?Draw is still possible after the sacrifice 17-22!37.28x1713-1938.24x138x1939.17x82x1340.21-1725-3041.37-3126x3742.42x3113-18!

and now for instance 43.31-2715-2044.27-2218x2745.17-1220-2446.12-830-3447.39x3024x3548.8-335-4049.3-819-2350.8-1240-4551.12x2945-5052.29-1827-31!53.36x2750-22Truly not an easy path to a draw. 37.24x138x1938.28-22!17x2839.38-3226x1740.32x14+-6-1132.38-32!11-16is better than 14-2033.42-38!20-2434.29x2015x2435.32-27!11-1636.48-42!with a combination 37. 28-22 following on the next move. Now 33.42-3816x2734.32x2118-2235.38-33and black's position remains dangerous. 32.37-31!!22x2433.39-3330x2834.44-3935x3335.38x72x1136.21x326x3737.42x31+-
In the position after 29...14-20, the first move that comes to mind is 30.39-33 30x39 31.29-23 18x29 32.33x24 20x29 33.44x24 35x44 34.50x39 13-19 35.24x13 8x19, but white's position isn't better due to a weak right flank and no option of playing 36.28-22. How to solve this problem? After some time, I came up with the unexpected: 30.36-31!...What a move in a must-win game!

The silicon engine prefers 30.29-2318x2931.34x23where it turns out the piece on 23 is untouchable. Another extremely interesting variation is the counterintuitive 30.37-31?!21-2631.42-3717-21

In this position white has a pleasant choice between 32.38-33 20-24! 33.29x20 25x14 34.34x25 14-20 25.25x14 14-20 26.25x14 13-19 27. 14x23 18x38 28.32x43 21x23 and the more favorable variation 32.48-43!20-2433.29x2015x2434.38-3324-2935.33x2430x1936.34-2919-2437.29x2025x1438.39-3314-2039.40-3412-1740.43-3817-2241.28x1721x1242.34-29with a very unpleasant position for black.
But at this stage, my brain was busy with emerging variations after 30. 36-31.

30....21-2631.39-3330x3932.29-2318x2933.33x2420x2934.44x2435x4435.50x3917-2136.28-23...And yet again, we get another unusual position!

36....6-11?The decisive mistake in time trouble. Having calculated this variation in advance, I knew that after 13-18!37.23-192-7!38.19-1418-2339.14-9

23-2840.32x2321x3441.9-38-1342.3x177-1143.17-2213-1944.24x1311-17we end up in an equal endgame. But during my opponent's calculation, I walked over and looked at the emerging position from black's perspective (do this during your own games!). The moves 36...13-18! and 37...2-7! were not obvious at all from his point of view. We should also remember that Domchev had to spend a lot of time and energy in the earlier stages of the game (this was my goal!), and under these circumstances, it’s hard to find the right solution. 37.38-33!11-1738.42-3813-18

39.24-19...Our silicon friend gives the faster route to victory after 39.33-29!8-1317-2240.32-28!+-40.39-3417-2241.34-3025x3442.29x4018x2043.27x9+-But I have already calculated the winning variation starting after 39. 24-19. 39....18x2940.33x2412-1841.39-33...

41....17-22Continuing with 8-1342.19x82x13loses as well: 43.33-2925-3044.24x35

and now either 13-19or 15-2045.35-3013-1946.30-2419x3047.29-2318x2948.27-2217x2849.32x14+-45.29-2419x3046.35x2418-2347.27-2217x2848.48-43+-42.33-29...

42....22-28Other moves are quickly losing. 43.32x321x4144.31-2741-4645.19-1346-10

46.38-3210x4647.29-2346x3548.48-4235x849.3x1225-3050.12-4516-2151.27x16...and Domchev gave up.

This is what I call a complete game of draughts, filled with twists and turns, precise calculations, and perfect execution of the game plan.

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