On June 2, a supermatch in Russian checkers (shashki) was held live on television in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The match featured Nikolai Struchkov from Yakutsk, the reigning world champion in 64-square checkers, and Aynur Shaibakov from Ufa, a two-time world champion in 100-square checkers.
The friendly match consisted of eight games played with a very short time control — just 2 minutes per game for each player, plus an additional 2 seconds per move.
The match ended with a convincing victory for the grandmaster from Bashkortostan — Aynur Shaibakov won 7:1.
As noted by Rustam Shayakhmetov, senior coach of the Russian national team, "the lack of time leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to defeat." While Struchkov was considered the favorite as a specialist in 64-square checkers, Shaibakov demonstrated superior skills in fast-paced play.
Thousands of fans around the world watched the intellectual duel — the event was broadcast live on Yakutian TV and across social media platforms.
It is worth noting that such supermatches have been held for several years. In 2022, a similar format saw a match between seven-time world champion Tamara Tansykkuzhina and reigning world champion Matrena Nogovitsyna.
Today marks the start of a series of international and all-Russian tournaments in both Russian (64-square) and 100-square checkers in Yakutia. Among the participants are grandmasters from Bashkortostan — 2025 world champions representing Russia’s national team: Tamara Tansykkuzhina, Aynur Shaibakov, Aigul Idrisova, Agata Parakhina, and Aliya Aminova.
