UG to host draughts World Championships

On Friday 2 December, the University of Groningen will host the official start of the draughts world championship battle between Jan Groenendijk (18) and UG physics student Roel Boomstra (23). After a festive opening in the Academy Building on Friday, Boomstra and Groenendijk will play their first four matches in the Van Swinderen Huys between 3 and 6 December.

One of the opening events is a game of draughts between Prof. Sibrand Poppema, President of the Board of the University, and Peter den Oudsten, Mayor of Groningen. They will each be assisted by one of the title candidates. The championship is decided in 12 matches and will continue in Wageningen on 8 December, with a final match in The Hague on Sunday 18 December.

The Smart-Moving Mind

Under the heading ‘ The Smart-Moving Mind ’, Groningen will demonstrate how draughts can contribute to an active, healthy lifestyle. After the festive opening in the Academy Building, the Groningen Sport Science Institute, a cooperation between the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the UG, the UMCG and the City, will host a symposium of academics and prominent people from the Northern Netherlands, who will analyse the game of draughts from different perspectives. Sports scientist Marije Elferink-Gemser, sociologist René Veenstra, psychologist and UG Lecturer of the Year Niels Taatgen, neurologist Jos Snoek, movement scientist Chris Visscher, draughts expert Johan Krajenbrink and organizational scientist Hans Slender will explore the route to the top and show how this board game, which can be played by people of all ages, can contribute to an active and healthy lifestyle. The programme is supported by the City of Groningen and the Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands (HANNN).