The month of April was packed with sporting events, including the Russian Draughts Championship, held from 1 to 14 April at the “Record” sports complex in Zelenograd.

A total of 35 athletes (23 men and 12 women) from 13 regions of the Russian Federation competed in the championship, including: Moscow; Republics of Mordovia, Tatarstan, and Chuvashia; Belgorod, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, Moscow, Penza, Tula, and Yaroslavl regions.

Participants battled in a multi-day intellectual competition under the Swiss system, across several disciplines: Russian draughts (64-square, 30 min + 30 sec time control), Rapid Russian draughts (64-square, 7 min + 5 sec time control), Classical draughts (100-square, 80 min + 15 sec time control), Rapid draughts (100-square, 15 min + 15 sec time control), and Team competitions.

In Russian and international draughts, Alexander Efimov (Republic of Sakha-Yakutia) delivered an exceptionally stable performance, securing two gold medals. His compatriot, Saaskylaana Pavlova, also demonstrated her skill, taking first place in Russian draughts and second place in international draughts.

In rapid Russian draughts, the standout winners were Semyon Ozerov (a playing coach from Crimea) and Tatiana Tsiruleva (Republic of Mordovia). Meanwhile, in rapid international draughts, Vladimir Gaisinsky (Moscow Region) dominated the men’s category, while Saaskylaana Pavlova—the young talent from Yakutia—proved strongest among the women.

The championship concluded on 13 April after nearly two weeks of intense competition, leaving participants with a wealth of vivid emotions and memories. The variety of disciplines (four individual events plus team competitions) allowed athletes to showcase their skills across different formats.

Team Competition Results

International Draughts:

Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Moscow Region

Republic of Crimea

Russian Draughts:

Moscow Region

Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Republic of Crimea

RESULTS

Semyon Ozerov, senior coach of the Russian national draughts team, shared his impressions: “The championship was exceptionally well-organized. The refereeing panel, led by chief referee Nikitenko S.V. (Yaroslavl), performed flawlessly. The strongest performances came from draughts players representing Moscow Region and Yakutia. Notably, Saaskylaana Pavlova of Yakutia earned the Master of Sports standard. Another highlight was the success of Crimean players, who secured two bronze medals in team competitions—a first for them in both Russian and international draughts.”

PHOTO ALBUM

Text: Olga Troinikova, Nurlan Tazhigulov

Photo: Stanislav Kostikov

Translation: Daria Kudelina