National draughts players make first move on Sunday

National champion Dickson Maughn will defend his title when the TT Draughts and Checkers Association (TTDCA) host the national draughts championships from January 14-February 4 in Waterloo.

In 2023, Maughn manoeuvred his way past the field and beat the pair of Anderson Charles and Nicholas Ramsundar into second and third spots respectively.

Charles is TT's reigning three-time online draughts champion. He is one of the players eager to upstage Maughn at the 2024 national championships, and advance to the Pan American championships, which are scheduled to take place in Costa Rica in April.

Roughly 24 male and 12 female players have registered to participate in this year's national championships, which will be contested on four consecutive Sundays, starting with this weekend's action at the Waterloo Police Youth Club.

The remainder of the competition will be held at the Waterloo High School.

The top three male and top two female players will qualify for the Pan American championships. Last year, Anita Ramsundar emerged the national female champion, with Elena Panchoo and Beulah Gueverra finishing second and third respectively.

The playing format will include seven rounds, which mirrors the rules outlined by the World Draughts Federation.

The TTDCA is also promising a "new vision for TT draughts in 2024," with this country set to host the inaugural Caribbean Youth Draughts Championships in March. The tournament will cater for players in the under-12 and under-16 age groups.

The TTDCA said, "The primary objective of the (Caribbean Youth Championships) is to enhance the Caribbean draughts standard and foster concentration skills among our youth players."

The top three players at March's Caribbean Youth Championships will qualify for the World Youth Championships, which will be held in Poland in October.

Shiva Boys' Hindu College were crowned TT's junior draughts champions in 2023.