Baljakin joins followers
Hein Meijer, 19-05-2011.
For the playing of the eleventh round and the rest of the World championship draughts everyone has moved to the idyllic fishing port of Urk. The players (once again) showed great honour to the location with a round to feast on.
For the chauvinists, there was the game Mogiljanski - Baljakin, in which the black playing Baljakin served the audience with a fine victory. Mogiljanski also put honour in the battle because he tried to out struggle Baljakin’s merchant of wood, but failed to do so. After this disadvantage, the American let a move happen, that the Dutchman appearinly had thought out deeply. Mogiljanski took the wrong jump, because he, like the audience thought little of his chances in the scorned game. Now there was a six to six score that offered black considerable winning opportunities. The pressure was too much for the American and Baljakin decided the game with an elegant variant.
Mogiljanski - Baljakin
This victory adds the Dutch champion to the immediate pursuers of Georgiev: Boomstra and Amrillaew. Boomstra got no further than a draw against Silva, who proved very tough. Unlike other games the Brazilian took enough time to solve problems and was patient. Amrillaew got a gift from the local hero Wiebe van der Wijk. The Emmeloorder obtained a fine game with black and the Russian was very quick to offer a draw at a time when this is not allowed, long before the fortieth move. Van der Wijk pointed this out to him, chose to fight and declined (so he told us) four unisonous proposals. This activity, however, hit a crack in the much needed concentration, because Van der Wijk committed a grave error in the late middle game, after which a mean Amrillaew offered a temporary sacrifice. And although this was not fatal, the Dutchman was totally confused by it. A staggering defeat was the result.
Valneris and Tsjizjow booked their first victory in this tournament. In particular Valneris had to work hard for his victory, as showed after the game in the smoking area. Slightly upset, he pointed out the gifts that had fallen to the other participants and explained explicitly how his opponent Artykow kept on finding the best defence, illustrating this with deep thought out variants. His well-earned victory was one to be seen.
Tsjizjow also recorded a deserved victory against Seck. The African simply did not have any defence against the violence that the tenfold ex-world champion fired at him.
A prolongation of Schwarzman’s title now seems off. Ndjofang did not let the struggle get out of hand and scored an equal draw.
Although it would not be good for the Dutch the audience still hoped that Georgiev would take the Domchev wall down today. Yet again the Lithuanian achieved a success with his evasive style and played a draw for the eleventh time.
Now we only hope that Baljakin or Boomstra will get on fire. Or will it be Amrillaew? No, Alexander Georgiev will not allow that.
