An incredible achievement by the Latvian women’s team. A three-member team consisting of MIF Elena Cenokova (24yo, 10/16 points), CMFF Malvine Misane (14yo, 10/16 points), and CMFF Alise Misane (10yo, 8/16 points) secured the gold medal at the Women’s Team World Championship in international draughts.
Foto: photos.fmjd.org
With an average age of just 16 years old, the Latvian team decisively clinched victory by earning 12 match points, surpassing teams from Poland (GMIF Natalia Sadowska, GMIF Marta Bańkowska, MIF Katarzyna Stańczuk – 10 match points, silver medal), the Netherlands (MIF Lisa Scholtens, MFF Fleur Kruysmulder, MFF Yulia Bintsarovska – 9 match points, bronze medal), as well as those from China, Lithuania, and Ukraine, where the current women’s world champion GMIF Viktoriya Motrichko also competes.
Women’s Team World Championship – Standings
The victory of such a young team against seasoned opponents is a highly inspiring and motivating story, especially for the youngest players. The Latvian women have demonstrated that hard work, combined with intelligence, can lead to great success, even in senior-level sports. While Elena Cesnokova is already a seasoned player (having won in important international tournaments), the performance of Malvine and Alise is truly remarkable. Their parents, once outstanding players themselves – Olesja Misane (Abdoulina) and Roberts Misans, instilled their passion in their children and have been guiding them in a way that far surpasses their peers.
Youth plays a significant role in the development and future of draughts worldwide. Unfortunately, only a few national federations are actively engaged in this aspect. The Latvian Draughts Federation, led by Vladislavs Vesperis, stands out prominently in this regard. Latvia is a proven organizer of numerous national youth tournaments in various draughts disciplines, as well as international tournaments. Last year, Baltic Open tournaments were held there, and this year, including the European Championships Youth.
Foto: facebook.com/teamnldammen
In the men’s division, the title of Team World Champions 2024 was claimed by the Netherlands team, composed of GMI Jan Groenendijk (8/10 points), GMI Alexander Baliakin (6/10 points), and GMI Jitse Slump (7/10 points). The Dutch team was the favorite in the competition, boasting the highest average player rating. Throughout the tournament, they demonstrated their dominance by winning 3 matches and drawing 2, accumulating a total of 8 match points. The silver medal went to Team Latvia (GMI Guntis Valneris, GMI Raimonds Vipulis, MI Roberts Misans – 7 match points), while Lithuania secured the bronze (GMI Edvard Buzinskij, GMI Aleksej Domchev, MF Valentin Golubajev, MF Artur Tunkevic [reserve] – 6 match points).
Team World Championship – Standings
The Team World Championships in Albufeira, Portugal, are not over yet. After determining the champions in the most prestigious classic format (May 1-6), it’s time for the Rapid (May 7) and Blitz (May 8) competitions. You can follow the results on the FMJD website.
