“I try to think twenty moves ahead”
Women’s World Blitz Draughts Championship in Hoogeveen this August
Source: Dagblad van het Noorden, by Harald Buit
The Women’s World Blitz Draugths Championship in Hoogeveen is already casting its shadow ahead. About thirty women will compete for the title in August, but this Thursday there was already a press event – ending with a game against the sports alderman.
She is only twenty years old but already a three-time (youth) world champion. Lisa Scholtens form Slagharen, a member of Damclub Hoogeveen, ranks among the world’s best in women’s blitz draughts. This unique discipline has been part of her life since she was very young. “I started playing draughts at the age of six” she says. “My sister took part in school draughts and it looked like fun to me too.”
“Staying sharp”
Scholtens also tried a few other sports, but (blitz) draughts suits her perfectly. “In this discipline, things really happen on the board. You need to stay sharp and think quickly. Because of the speed, unexpected things can occur. There’s a lot of pressure in a match, which usually lasts no more than 10 to 15 minutes.”
Each player starts a game with five minutes on the clock and receives an extra three seconds with every move. Don’t call blitz draughts a ‘game’, as outsiders sometimes do. Scholtens sees it as a full-fledged sport that’s mentally demanding. “You need to be able to concentrate well, recognize patterns, and calculate. You definitely need to think at least three moves ahead, but preferably twenty. That’s what I try to do.”
That means lots of training: ten to twenty hours a week. The level gap between male and female blitz players is still quite large. According to Scholtens, this has historical roots. “In the past, it was mainly men who played draughts – women only started competing against each other much later. That kind of gap isn’t easy to close.”
“No intimidation”
Her goal is to become world champion in Hoogeveen, where the tournament will take place on August 17 and 18 at the Activum. In 2023, Scholtens already finished fourth at the World Championship in Curaçao, where she made her debut. According to opponents, her strength lies in surrounding pieces before striking. Psychology often plays a role too. “It’s not about intimidation, but about assessing your opponent’s playing style.”
Alderman Ronald Klok also had a style during Thursday’s friendly confrontation: survive as long as possible. “I’m quite competitive,” he said with a smile before the game against Lisa Scholtens. He managed to delay his defeat for nearly seven minutes.
Photo by: Gerrit Boer