Jamaica makes strides in draughts 100-square board

Jamaica recently participated in the Tobago 10×10 International Draughts-100 Open World Cup 2026, gaining valuable competitive experience, new international relationships and study material. President of the Jamaica Draughts Association (JDA), Jermaine Delattibudiere, Jamaica’s sole participant at the event, said the group now has a deeper appreciation of how many of the world’s leading players develop together. Delattibudiere entered the tournament as a relative newcomer to the 100-square discipline, having built most of his competitive experience in Jamaican Draughts, Pool Checkers, Russian Shashki and other forms of Draughts-64.

His participation forms part of the JDA’s wider effort to establish a stronger Jamaican pathway into international draughts while preserving and strengthening the country’s traditional 8×8 draughts-64 game. The tournament attracted a strong international field featuring international grandmasters (gmi), international masters (mi), federation masters (mf) and candidate masters (CMF) from Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. Among the leading names was the Netherlands’ International Grandmaster Jan Groenendijk, the reigning world champion, who retained his title after finishing level on points with compatriot Jitse Slump and prevailing on the applicable tie-break.

Groenendijk won the men’s classic, with former world champion International Grandmaster Alexander Shvartsman of Israel taking second and International Grandmaster Martijn van IJzendoorn of the Netherlands placing third. Dutch International Grandmaster Jitse Slump took the Blitz title with 16 points. Fellow Dutch players - International Grandmasters Wouter Sipma and Simon Harmsma followed in second and third with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The women’s competition also featured high-level international talent. International Master Viktoriya Motrichko of Ukraine captured first place in the women’s classic, followed by International Master Natalia Sadowska of Poland. Candidate Master Galina Petukhova of the United States was third.

The Caribbean’s emerging generation was also on display, with Zelena Mohammed of Trinidad and Tobago winning the female youth category, while Prince Mauricio of Curaçao captured the male youth title. Delattibudiere’s participation represented another important step for Jamaica in gaining practical exposure to this higher international level…