Layne on top of his game
Barbadian draughts player Kent Layne says that he played some of the best draughts of his career at the recent World Three-Move Restriction Qualifiers in Germany.
Layne collected three wins, three losses and two draws, which left him with 16 points at the end of the qualifiers and joint 13th in the standings alongside fellow Barbadian Colin Price.
His most notable victory was against grandmaster Dr Richard Beckwith of the United Stated (3-1), with Layne using the black pieces and Beckworth the white. Beckwith won the played Ronald Suki King for his world title match in 2007 after winning the world tournament the year prior.
Layne also defeated Germany’s Jan Ziotkowski 3-1 and Scotsman Donald Oliphant 3-1. His two draws came against Thomas Wien of the Germany and Anthony Bishop of the United States, with both games ending 2-2.
His three defeats were against Filip Kareta of Czechoslovakia (3-1), Ukrainian Vadym (1-0) and world champion Lubabalo Kondlo of South Africa (3-1).
Layne told Sun Sport his victory over Beckwith as a crowning achievement as it was the best game of draughts he had ever played.
“The tournament was a Three-Move Restriction tournament and that means that you have to draw a card and then you get the first three moves on the board thereafter, whereas in Go As You Please, you play however you like,” he said.
“My best performance was against the grandmaster and man who is rated No. 17 in the world. He played Suki for a world title in 2007 and that makes him the highest-ranked player I’ve ever defeated.”
Layne noted that the Three-Move Restriction game also allows players to be more calculating when making plays as one can use any perceived mistakes to one’s advantage or it is possible to see what’s coming ahead.
He cited an instance in one of his drawn games when he was aiming for the victory but realised it was best to settle for a draw instead of throwing away games foolishly. He attributed this situational awareness to years of experience, which also plays a critical role in decision-making in pressure situations.
Layne was thankful to those who afforded him the opportunity to travel and he also said that he intended to keep travelling abroad to continually improve.
“I’d like to thank my sponsor Melvin Inc., without whom I would not have been able to reach the games in Germany, and the plan is to compete in more championships overseas next year as it helps improve your game and this was my biggest accomplishment thus far.” ( SW)
