Our second game was played in the Belarus-Netherlands match held in Minsk. The Dutch team was then on par with the Belarusian team. We had played a match in Rotterdam in 1994, and this was the return match. In the final round, I had to face Wiersma, and it turned into a very special game.
Actually, everything Wiersma did seemed strategically completely correct. I would say positionally flawless. Whereas what I did was absolutely not. But at the crucial moment, it seemed to work in my favor.
There was also a moment in the game where I had prepared a very nice draw combination for Wiersma’s most logical move. He didn’t see it and thought I would simply exchange two for two. But he didn’t see the beautiful combination.
Afterward, I felt that my victory was deserved. If you can calculate the position not once, but twice as well as perhaps the greatest calculation wizard in the draughts world, then you deserve the win.