Draughts player Ton Sijbrands scored his biggest triumphs in the 1970s; in 1972, he became the world champion and in 1973 he successfully defended his title against challenger Andris Andreiko. Subsequently, the striking prodigy retired until the late 1980s, coming back in 1989 to battle for the world title one last time. In this varied portrait, the draughts player's career and personality are unravelled. Since discovering the draughtboard when he was nine, he never considered doing anything else again. At home in Muiden or while travelling to Livorno, New York and Riga, Sijbrands talks about his fear of growing old, his motives for writing and about the consequences of the eventful 1973 match against Andris Andreiko, his prematurely deceased opponent and friend. Other people involved in the world of draughts talk about the Grandmaster, who is still greatly admired. The stories, divided by theme, are amply illustrated by archive footage.
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VPRO TV
Distributor NL
VPRO TV
NFF Archive
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