St Petersburg University student wins gold and bronze at draughts championships

Kirill Korobochkin was awarded the titles of Master of Sport of International Class, Master of Sport of Russia, and became a member of the Russian National Draughts Team.

"The main competition consisted of players from Russia and Belarus. During the championship, I also competed against participants from Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. Going into the last round, the standings were extremely close, and a draw would have placed me in fourth place. However, I managed to defeat the young international champion Ivan Iliasov and secure first place," shared Kirill Korobochkin, reflecting on the recent competition.

The champion continued the winning tradition of the University’s athletes. In 2023, Angelina Skriabina, now a third-year student of International Management, won a bronze medal in the rapid programme at the World Championship. Denis Filatov, a graduate of the bachelor’s programme in Economics, secured third place in the European Championship in the classic programme.

The International Draughts Federation (IDF) was established in 2012. The organisation aims to develop and promote draughts worldwide, organise international draughts competitions, and award world and continental titles. The IDF promotes various versions of the game on the 64-square board, including International, Russian, Brazilian draughts, Pool Checkers, Portuguese draughts, and many others. To support this diversity, the federation therefore organises world championships in this sport every year.

Before the establishment of the International Draughts Federation (IDF), there was Section 64 of the World Draughts Federation (FMJD), which had been in existence since 1992. This initiative helped draughts reach the international level, solidifying its status as a competitive sport. Since 2015, Section 64 has continued its work under the brand of the International Draughts Federation (IDF).