World Draughts Federation facts for kids
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| Sport | Draughts |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | International |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Headquarters |  Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| President |  Jacek Pawlicki |
| Vice president(s) |  Richard Przewozniak |
| Director |  Clifton Agata,  Alexei Domchev |
| Secretary |  Roberts Misans |
| Official website | |
The World Draughts Federation, also known as FMJD (which stands for Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames), is the main international group that brings together national draughts federations from all over the world. It was started in 1947 by four countries: France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Contents
What is the FMJD?
The FMJD is like the global headquarters for the game of draughts (also known as checkers). Its main job is to organize and promote the game around the world. As of 2021, more than 70 national federations are members of the FMJD.
The FMJD is working hard to get draughts recognized as an Olympic sport. This is part of a bigger effort to include "mind sports" – games that use a lot of thinking – in major sports events. The FMJD believes this is a great step forward for games like draughts.
The FMJD is also a member of these important sports organizations:
- General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF)
- International Mind Sports Association (IMSA)
Who Leads the FMJD?
The FMJD has had many presidents over the years, guiding the organization and the sport of draughts. Here is a list of the people who have served as president:
- 1947: J. H. Willems,
Netherlands - 1968: Beppino Rizzi,
Italy - 1975: Huib van de Vreugde, Netherlands
- 1978: Piet Roozenburg, Netherlands
- 1980: Wim Jurg, Netherlands
- 1984: Vadim Bairamov,
Soviet Union - 1985: Piet Roozenburg, Netherlands (interim)
- 1986: Piet Roozenburg, Netherlands
- 1990: Vadim Bairamov, Soviet Union
- 1991: Chr. H. ten Haaf, Netherlands
- 1992: Gaetano Mazzilli, Italy (interim)
- 1992: Wouter van Beek, Netherlands
- 2003: Ivan Shovkoplias,
Ukraine - 2005: Vladimir Ptitsyn,
Russia - 2009: Harry Otten, Netherlands
- 2017: Janek Mäggi,
Estonia - 2021: Jacek Pawlicki,
Poland
Different Ways to Play Draughts
Draughts is played in many different ways around the world. The FMJD supports several of these versions, including:
- International draughts (played on a 100-square board)
- 64-square versions like Russian Draughts and Brazilian Draughts
- Checkers (often called English draughts)
- Turkish Draughts
- You can even play Online Checkers and Online Draughts!
World Championships in Draughts
The FMJD helps organize many important tournaments where the best players compete for world titles. Some of these include:
- World Checkers/Draughts Championship (for English draughts, since 1840)
- Draughts World Championship (for international draughts, since 1885)
- Women's World Draughts Championship (for international draughts, since 1973)
- Draughts-64 World Championships (since 1985)
- World Youth Draughts Championships (for young players, since 1972)
Regional Draughts Championships
Besides world championships, there are also big tournaments for different regions of the world:
- African Draughts Championships (since 1980)
- Asian Draughts Championships (since 1999)
- European Draughts Championships (since 1965)
- Panamerican Draughts Championship (for North and South America, since 1980)
Draughts Confederations by Region
The FMJD works with smaller groups called confederations, which manage draughts in specific parts of the world. These include:
- African Draughts Confederation (CAJD)
- Asian Draughts Confederation (as of 2018, it had 26 member federations)
- European Draughts Confederation
- Pan American Draughts Confederation
See also
- International draughts
- Draughts
- World Mind Sports Games
- SportAccord World Mind Games
