LUTTEN — Ton Sijbrands is going to attack on December 21 in the city of Lutten ( Holland ) his own world record for blind simultaneous games.
52 years old Grandmaster will fight 22 draughts players. His actual record is 20 boards and achieved in 1999 in Gouda.
The result of 70 percent is requested for recognition of the World record. In Gouda he won 17 games and played three games draw. «I expect I will succeed», said Sijbrands during his pers-conference last Saturday in Lutten. «Still by the approaching of thiss big day I become more and more under the fear to fail. I have no quiet night anymore due to it. Sometimes I’m awaken in sweat from the tension»
The simultaneous in Lutten is his step to the seventh world record. In 1982 in the Hague he took over the record from Wim Huisman who played in 1955 in Leiden on 8 boards. Sijbrands raised in 1982 to 10 boards (9 victories , 1 draw). The match in Gouda, three years ago took 15 hours. In Lutten Sijbrands presume about 16 hours.
In the location of the sponsor Wildkamp Sijbrands will play against 22 carefully selected players with national rating between 1254 and 866. From 9 possible first moves he will play 8. «The problem is to keep games separated from each other.», knows he from his experiance. «I have to vary games to keep it recognizable.»
He suppose that 22 games isn’t maximum possible for the blind simultaneous. «I don’t know where is the ceil. But I have an impression that a couple of boards extra is still possible.»
«De Telegraaf», 7 December 2002, (article is taken from FMJD site)