Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup 2021/2022

Fireworks in last round WinterCup. Jan van de Veen winner!
 

In the last round of the Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup yesterday evening, Jan van de Veen and Wiel Maertzdorf showed that they were in this tournament the best players. They created exciting kingshots against Moreno Manzana and Hendrik Veenstra. With this victories they ended both at twelve out of seven, so the opponents rating was decisive as a tiebreak. 
Jan van de Veen had the better one, and he is the virtual winner of the WinterCup. Congratulations!
 

In third place, three points behind, ended also a player from the province of Limburg: Tom Swelsen. He forced significant advantage (Scan had already + 2.5) but in the midgame a mistake gave Piet Bouma the opportunity to an escape as Houdini with a combination, which split the points. 
Four Frisian players finished in 4th to7th place, just outside the medals. Bouma became fourth, while Hans van Dijk with a draw against Rommy Moerlie (they copied an opening from Shvartsman – Boomstra, but I don’t think that they got any improvement) ended on fifth place. Hendrik Veenstra fell from three to six after his defeat. Sietse Nagel jumped to seventh place with a win in a classical game against Luitzen van der Heide where, according to the graphics of Kingsrow and Sjende Blyn, a lot of strange things happened.
And maybe the most surprising player  is Rommy Moerlie on eight, who played a really good tournament. He ended just before the first foreign player, topseed Moreno Manzana from Italy, who disappointed this time a little bit. Peter Litjens finished tenth after a very quick win with an easy kingshot against Arie Koedoot.
So, that is the top of the rankings. 
Still one game has to be played this evening between Gepke Koopman and Dieter van Gortel. Gepke is already the winner of the women rankings because her closest competitor Nel Lindhout lost against Jorn Kruit, who did also win with a nice kingshot. 
And  a little bit lower in the rankings: Porter Richardson lost his game, but his brother Parker did take the two points against Joseph Jans. And – again in the longest game(!) – Menno Kamminga got a draw against Herman Pijnenburg, so the whole family scored five out of seven.
 

Well, at last I want to thank all the players for their participation. I hope they had a bit of fun by playing this online draughts competition in this uncertain times. And also a big thanks to the whizzkids of Lidraughts (Stefan and Fedde) and Hendrik who make this online possible with their computer skills! 
And….it seems that the government of the Netherlands is going to open the society, so we can play draughts also physical again. An online follow-up therefore does not seem necessary in my view. 
If there are new measures, then I might organize a new online tournament with Toernooibase and Lidraughts.
But for now, stay healthy and keep enjoying our draughts game!
 

Piet Bouma, Harlingen, 15th January 2022.

Paringen ronde 7 online/Pairings seventh round online
Final round 7 will be played on 14th January 19.30 hrs.
Please contact me if you agree with your opponent to play the game ahead.
Then I can adjust the program.

Only three favourites left in the WinterCup
 

After the sixth round yesterday evening in the Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup only three players have still chances for the first place and  get the virtual Cup with the great ears.
Surprisingly the two players with a rating above 2100 have to play second fiddle. In the confrontation between this players, Tom Swelsen and Moreno Manzana, it looked as the Italian had a clear win, but he got tricked in the endgame with a draw as result. And that means they will not get the overall victory.
Also a draw  between the leaders Wiel Maertzdorf and Jan van de Veen. Both played like grandmasters and the Kingsrow-line stayed around zero.
Hendrik Veenstra is now the runner up in the rankings with a convincing win in an attacking game against Hans van Dijk He is the only player who can threaten the leaders in the struggle for the victory in the WinterCup. Piet Bouma and Henk Kamminga  either could not convince the computer programs to show a peak and they split the two points in the endgame.

In other games we saw sometimes extreme differences in the graphics of the computer programs, which showed remarkable on-line bloopers. 
A rising star in the top ten is Rommy Moerlie. His opponent Giovanni Fava saw maybe something beautiful, but the stick move of the player from CTD Arnhem was decisive. Another rising star is Sietse Nagel in tenth place. My fellow clubmate (three players of Huizum are in the top ten!) got the two points with much luck from Jeremy Pauwels. And what about another clubmate Gauke Dirk Nijholt! His opponent had the win in his hands but forced a capture of his king by himself….
Best women player is now Gepke Koopman. Although Herman Pijnenburg had a winning classical position. But with timetrouble of Pijnenburg everything changed and Gepke got the points. Her nearest competitor Nel Lindhout played a draw, so she is now one point ahead.
Youth player Porter Richardson is getting better every round. Yesterday evening he could win against Gerda van der Meijden and get an average score, but he missed 49…23-29! (instead of 49.. 24-29) with a walk to king. After that they agreed for a draw very rapidly.
Curious was also the longest game between Joseph Jans and Menno Kamminga. Jans could break through with 44..27-21 etc. but played 44.26-21? And then Kamminga forced suddenly a winning position, which resulted in a four to one theoretical winning endgame.
 

Tomorrow the pairings of the seventh and last round will be published on Toernooibase. Very important for the opponent rating to achieve when players finish tied in points. So we will see tomorrow…..
Meanwhile I am thinking about a sequel. Infections of covid-19 are still rising in the Netherlands and I don't think the new government will relax the measures soon. A new tournament – to substitute the National KNDB Cup for teams for example- can be a possibility. Playing a sort of knock-out competition with four players in a team. Maybe some help with organizing (when a lot of teams will join) is then necessary. (Hendrik Veenstra?). I will wait till the next press conference.
But first of course the final round on 14 January of the WinterCup will be played on 19.30 hrs. Exciting who will be the winner after seven rounds! See you next Friday!
 

Piet Bouma, Harlingen 8 January 2022

Paringen ronde 6 online/Pairings sixth round online
Round 6 will be played on 7th January 19.30 hrs.
Please contact me if you agree with your opponent to play the game ahead.
Then I can adjust the program.

A lot of tension in Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup
 

After the fifth round yesterday evening there is a lot of tension between players in the rankings of the Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup. It is unpredictable how things are going to explode in the next two rounds.

But let’s this time first go to the bottom of the rankings of the tournament.
The youth players (and brothers) Richardson did play very well. Parker got a kingshot against Joke van der Meijden and had to win, but his king was unnecessary captured for a piece, and then things changed, so a disappointing draw at the ending. Porter had a little bit of luck, when his Belgian opponent got a king at the wrong field. It could be captured easily and then the two points where in the pocket.
The game between Menno Kamminga and Wynton Meijer is postponed till Sunday, so still some changes in the cellar of the WinterCup are possible.
Also the game between Adrie Koedoot and Jorn Kruit was not played, although they were at some time both on-line. Maybe both computers where locked down at that moment. I decided here a virtual draw – unless the game will be played on another date this week before Friday. I hope that they will play after I had some e-mail correspondence with them.
Gepke Koopman tried against Piet Roozenboom (who missed in the opening an easy win of a piece) to win a three to one endgame to get on first place on women rankings. But she did not succeed, although Nel Lindhout lost for the first time her game against John Folkers.
Sietse Nagel does not perform according his rating. This time he had a lot of advantage but Raymond Vandecaetsbeek escaped in a very difficult five to two endgame.
Surprising are the results of the very last minute player Ron de Vaal. He has (after two points against Gauke Dirk Nijholt) now three wins in a row, and is the only player with the perfect score.


Well let’s go to the top. 
Jan van de Veen stays on first place with a win with very fast play in an attacking game against Italian player Giovanni Fava. Fava could get a draw with the very nasty move 54…27-32! 
Wiel Maertzdorf  won the topgame against Piet Bouma. Although Bouma got a booster yesterday, in the evening this not gave any profit. He made a blooper in a half-open classical game and then it was easy for the veteran of Limburg to get the two points. Van de Veen is now 0.2 points in opponents rating ahead of Maertzdorf. At this time thus a photo finish.
Third place is for a very surprising Hans van Dijk with one point after the leaders. He made a spectacular jump by winning his postponed game against Roy Verveer and then also played ahead (win with a hidden Coupe Royal) against Gerrit Terpstra. Top seed Italian player Moreno Monzana (defeated Peter Litjens) now leads a group of four players with seven out of five. It shall be very difficult for him to get at the top of the rankings in the last two rounds.
The (maybe) most exciting (and longest) game this round was played between Hendrik Veenstra and Tom Swelsen. The program Scan did give some advantage (1.1) for Veenstra, but the endgame was a draw, so they are both on seven points.


Roy Verveer (one of the players who got six points) decided after his win against Dieter van Gortel to quit from the tournament. I will respect his decision. The results of Roy will still count in the tournament. A big advantage of a tournament on rating is that a redrawing does not affect the rankings extremely. This in contrast of a tournament on resistance points (Wpl or Wlh). This means that the Dummy will return in the tournament from the Tribune…
The pairings of the next round  will be published on Toernooibase on 2th January 2022 (around 12.00 hrs.).With some virtual draws on not played games at that time.
I wish everyone a Happy New Year, and see you on Friday 7th January for the sixth round. Stay safe and healthy! 
 

Piet Bouma, Harlingen 31 December 2021

Paringen ronde 5 online/Pairings 5th round online

The round is planned on Thursday 30th December.
Please contact me if you agree with your opponent to play on another day or time.
Then I can adjust the program.

Jan van de Veen still on top of Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup
 

After the fourth round of the Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup Jan van de Veen has still got the pole position. In the game yesterday  on Christmas Eve he created with good centre play better chances, but Piet Bouma managed to get a draw in the endgame. Runner up is Wiel Maertzdorf on second place, who beat Moreno Monzana in a difficult endgame (it looked like a draw) with a nasty combination where both kings of the Italian player disappeared from the board. Two other players from the province Limburg did also good business, because Tom Swelsen (win against Henk Kamminga) and Dieter van Gortel (draw against Jeremy Pauwels) are in the top ten. They played their games ahead (in total seven games where played on Thursday).

Giovanni Fava is now the best Italian player (sixth place) after a win against my club mate Gauke Dirk Nijholt.
The ladies Nel Lindhout (draw against Sietse Nagel) and Gerda van der Meijden (two points from Wynton Meijer) got this time the blue markings for special achievements.
The Belgian derby between Raymond Vandecaetsbeek and Joseph Jans ended in a victory for Raymond, so he now jumps in the rankings after a poor start in the tournament.
One game is because of circumstances postponed till Monday (Roy Verveer – Hans van Dijk), so the rankings can still change a little.

For the pairings of the fifth round (will be visible tomorrow in Toernooibase), this game will be virtual a draw. 
This fifth round is planned on Thursday 30th December, because on New Year’s Eve we all will have of course other activities.
From this place I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And stay healthy!

Piet Bouma, Harlingen 25th December

Paringen 4e ronde online/Pairings 4th round online.
The round is planned on Christmas Eve. Some players may want to play the game ahead.
For a manual how to contact your opponent with the inbox of lidraughts, see under Mededelingen toernooi/Announcement(s) tournament or use this link:
https://toernooibase.kndb.nl/invoer/uploaddu/2195Contact%20met%20tegenstander.pdf

Please also contact me if you agree to play on another day or time, so I can adjust program!

Two leaders in the Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup
 

After the third round in the online Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup yesterday evening there are two players with a “golden score”. Jan van de Veen took the lead on opponents rating by winning the top game with some surprising play against Hendrik Veenstra. Also Piet Bouma scored two points. He won in the midgame a piece from Peter Litjens. Almost on the next move however he missed a shot to king, but  the advantage was enough for the victory. 
Moreno Manzana jumped to the third place (in a group of three players with five points) when Sietse Nagel missed a king shot from the Italian top player. Nagel had a chance to a draw in the endgame but lowered the flag after more inaccurate play. 
Dieter van Gortel showed the golden oldie from Lochtenberg in the opening to the second Italian player Loris Cichirillo. And a king shot (also already known from fifteen games in the database) ended the game finally. His fellow provincial player Herman Pijnenburg did not have that success (just the opposite) against the third Italian, Giovanni Fava. Although he missed mate in one with the stick move 41.27-22! in the game.
Quite remarkable was the win of Jeremy Pauwels. He was fully lost, but Jan Hiemstra missed the finishing touch after which the game turned completely.
Raymond Vandecaetsbeek got his first two points, undoubtedly with the help from a “Belgian devil”. And we got a new participant, who also scored a winning game. Ron de Vaal signed up as a very last minute player, so we continue the tournament with 36 players and the Dummy is now banned to the tribune.

Tomorrow the pairings of the fourth round will be visible in Toernooibase. It is planned on Christmas Eve, 24th December, 19.30 hrs. So maybe some players (I have heard from two of them) will like to play ahead. To all players: please check the inbox of your account in Lidraughts regularly. At the announcement(s) at the tournament you can find a link how it works to contact your opponent in Lidraughts. And of course as director of the tournament I like to know when you agree to play on another day or time, so that I can adjust that in the program.
 

Piet Bouma, Harlingen 18 December

Paring 3e ronde online.
Handleidingen en verdere spelregels, zie Mededelingen.

Pairings third round online.
For manuals and further rules, zie Announcement(s).

Designers of Toernooibase/Oerterp-applet on the lead in WinterCup
 

The second round of the Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup yesterday evening (most games) showed a lot of decisions. Only three games ended in a draw. It seems that playing online draughts is still very difficult. A lot of games ended with combinations.
The most spectacular combination was made by my club mate Sietse Nagel. He managed to get eight pieces in one move which is very rare.
It is remarkable that two developers of Toernooibase and Oerterp-applet (both programs used in this tournament) are in the top of the rankings .The three Italian players did not manage to stay at the top.  Moreno Manzana (player with the highest rating) could not win today in a postponed match against Hans van Dijk.

We have now six leaders with four points with the most surprising player Peter Litjens (according to his own rating). The ladies Gepke Koopman (recorded her first victory) and Nel Lindhout are in the middle of the rankings.
In the lower regions youth player Porter Richardson missed a nice win against Jeremy Pauwels who had some last minute problems. Rommy Moerlie overlooked the latest trick of his opponent Tom Swelsen and stranded in the face of the harbor. On facebook circulate some photo’s where both players are enjoying the game with a glass of beer. That shows that playing online can be a nice activity in this uncertain times. With some chatting during the game you also can have more contact with your opponent.

Tomorrow the pairings of the third round will be online. Third round is planned on 17 December 19.30 hrs. 
And to start game easily (maybe unnecessary): login at Lidraughts. Then go to Toernooibase and click on Speel partij/Play game. When both players have clicked on this link the game starts automatically.
See you next Friday!
 

Piet Bouma, Harlingen 11 December.

Paring 2e ronde online.
Handleidingen en verdere spelregels, zie Mededelingen.

Pairings second round online.
For manuals and further rules, zie Announcement(s).

Italians at top positions in the WinterCup and mistake of the referee!
 

Finally 35 players were yesterday evening on the start at the first round of the online Toernooibase Lidraughts WinterCup. After the deadline still nine last minute entries were noted and the special “Dummy/Excempt” is now also on the participants list. Jan (Jon) Hiemstra got the first “paper” victory.
Most surprising is the first place of Loris Cicchirillo from Italy. In a theoretical endgame against Piet Rozenboom he got – with some mistakes – the winning position and a “blue marking” in Toernooibase.
Top seed Moreno Manzana did win also his first game (two points from Belgian draughts lover Raymond Vandecaetsbeek) and is now second while countrymen Giovanni Fava is on fourth place. Of course a lot of “Frisian” players on the list, which we see  in the top ten of the classification. Remarkable were the draws of Herman Pijnenburg, Dieter van Gortel and Nel Lindhout, with nice performances against – on paper – stronger opponents.

A big mistake was made by tournament director Piet Bouma. The time rate was wrong set in the tournament on 45 min/60 sec.-move while the time rate had to be 45 min/30 sec.-move. And although most games were finished at the clock of ten (one game started late at 22.00 hrs.) next rounds the time rate will be 45 min/30 sec.-move, so not extreme long games will occur when players strength is closer between the opponents.
The pairings of next round will be published tomorrow. To all participants: please use – when you are logged in at lidraughts - the easy start of the game with the link “Speel partij” in Toernooibase. And: when you offer a draw, you have to double click on the hand. Then the draw offer will be visible for you opponent.
A lot of fun at the next round on December 10 at 19.30 hrs.!
 

Piet Bouma, Harlingen 4 December.

Paring 1e ronde online.
Handleidingen en verdere spelregels, zie Mededelingen.

Pairings first round online.
For manuals and further rules, zie Announcement(s).