History & Famous Players
Three centuries of draughts, the schools that shaped the game, and the legends who defined modern play.
From alquerque to 10×10 draughts
Modern draughts descends from alquerque, the medieval capture game that was eventually combined with the chessboard in Europe. The exact birth of the 10×10 form is still debated, but traditional accounts place the rise of jeu de dames polonais ("Polish draughts") in France around 1723. By the 18th century, the 10×10 game was firmly established in France and the Low Countries and had become the prestige form of continental draughts.
International competition and the first title era
According to the FMJD, the first major international tournament was played in Amiens, France, in 1885. Formal world-championship play followed in the late 19th century, and for decades the title history was dominated by France and the Netherlands.
Isidore Weiss was the great early champion of this period. Later pre-FMJD titleholders recognised by draughts tradition include figures such as Herman Hoogland, Bénédict Springer, and Pierre Ghestem. The FMJD itself was founded in Paris on September 13, 1947 to unify rules and regulate world championships.
The Dutch golden age
The Netherlands has been one of the central powers of International Draughts for more than a century. Piet Roozenburg gave his name to one of the game's signature opening systems and became a symbol of deep strategic play.
The Dutch school's crown jewel is Ton Sijbrands, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Sijbrands combined world-class tournament results with legendary blindfold simultaneous exhibitions, and his analytical writing shaped generations of players.
Other major Dutch names include Harm Wiersma and Jannes van der Wal, both world champions and both hugely influential in opening and middlegame theory.
The Soviet and Russian school
The Soviet Union entered top-level international draughts with enormous force in the mid-20th century and helped push the game toward more dynamic, concrete play. Iser Kuperman and Vyacheslav Shchyogolev were among the players who established Soviet authority in the post-war era.
The modern era is strongly associated with three extraordinary multiple world champions:
- Alexei Tsjizjov — one of the defining champions of the late 20th century, known for exact calculation and match toughness.
- Alexander Georgiev — a complete player whose opening preparation, tactics, and endgames made him one of the hardest opponents in the world.
- Alexander Schwarzman — a long-serving elite player and multiple world champion with an exceptionally deep positional style.
Other national schools
While the Netherlands and the former Soviet states have dominated, several other countries have produced world-class players. Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and other West African nations have a deep tradition in International Draughts; Baba Sy of Senegal remains one of the emblematic figures of that tradition. France, Belgium, Latvia, Ukraine, and several other countries have also produced top world-class players and theoreticians.
The computer era
International Draughts has not been "solved" the way English checkers was in 2007. The 10×10 game's state space is several orders of magnitude larger, and no existing endgame database or engine has proven a forced result from the starting position. However, engines like Kingsrow and Scan now play at a level stronger than any human. Since roughly 2015, top human players have routinely studied with engines, and the style of elite play has shifted: more tactical exchanges, sharper openings, and higher-precision endgame technique.
The World Championship remains a human event. The computer-versus-human era has elevated, rather than replaced, serious play — much as it has in chess.
The game today
International Draughts is actively played in dozens of countries. The FMJD organises the World Championship, European and continental championships, and numerous open tournaments. Youth draughts programmes in the Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine, and many African countries continue to produce new generations of strong players. Online play has expanded the game's reach dramatically; it is now possible to find a rated opponent within seconds regardless of time zone, and that has accelerated improvement for club-level players worldwide.
The game is more accessible than ever, and yet — at the very top — it remains as deep, rich, and beautiful as it was when Roozenburg and Sijbrands first mapped out its modern strategic territory.