Alexander Baljakin

Alexander Baljakin (born 8 April 1961) is a Dutch draughts player born in the Russian city of Arkhangelsk. He is also a writer of books about draughts.

Alexander Baljakin

Baljakin became junior World Champion when he was still performing as a member of the Soviet team.[1] In this period he became Soviet national champion in 1982, 1988 and 1989. He also won a gold medal at the Summer Olympiad in 1985 and as well as a silver at the World Championships in 1986. He won the Team World Cup in 1987.[1]

He moved to Minsk in 1986 and after the fall of the Soviet Union he gained Belarusian citizenship, becoming national champion six consecutive times.[2] He also won three bronze medals at the World Championships of 1992, 1994 and 1996 and was the Grandmasters Champion in 1995. In 1999 he won a silver medal at the rapid draughts World Championships.[1]

In 2001 he moved to the Netherlands, gained Dutch citizenship and reached the A status which secures top sporters in the Netherlands money to live and focus on their sport.[2] As a Dutchman he won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championship Draughts in Amsterdam, while in 2007 he won the Balt Cup in Vilnius.[3][4]

Baljakin has also written five books about draughts. Three of those together with Harm Wiersma in Dutch, one with Anatoli Gantvarg in English and one by himself in Dutch.[1]

Honours
  • 1980 - World Championships (1st - gold medal) - juniors
  • 1982 - Soviet Union Championships (1st - gold medal)
  • 1985 - Summer Olympiad (1st - gold medal) - team
  • 1986 - World Championships (2nd - silver medal)
  • 1987 - World Cup (1st - gold medal) - team
  • 1988 - Soviet Union Championships (1st - gold medal)
  • 1989 - Soviet Union Championships (1st - gold medal)
  • 1992 - World Championships (3rd - bronze medal)
  • 1994 - World Championships (3rd - bronze medal)
  • 1995 - Grandmasters 1995 (1st)
  • 1996 - World Championships (3rd - bronze medal)
  • 1999 - World Rapid Championships (2nd - silver medal)
  • ???? - Belarusian Championships (1st - gold medal) six consecutive years
  • 2000 - Open Dutch Championships (1st - gold medal)
  • 2007 - Balt Cup (1st)
  • 2009 - Dutch Championship (1st)
  • 2011 - Dutch Championship (1st)

Literature
  • 1992 - De nationale toptraining 1992 (the national top training) - with Harm Wiersma (in Dutch)
  • 1993 - De nationale toptraining 1993 (the national top training) - with Harm Wiersma (in Dutch)
  • 1994 - De nationale toptraining 1994/95 (the national top training) - with Harm Wiersma (in Dutch)
  • 1995 - Twelve Systems - with Anatoli Gantwarg (in English)
  • 1997 - Schwarzmanie - about World Champion Alexander Schwarzman (in Dutch)

References
  1. Over Alexander Baljakin Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, dvvbi.nl
  2. Goed of slecht dammen heeft niets met intelligentie te maken, gelderlander.nl
  3. Results, wkdammen2005.nl
  4. Alexander Baljakin wins Balt Cup 2007 Archived 2012-07-19 at Archive.today, baltcup.lt
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