Two grandmasters from Ukraine and the two most recent world champions meet in Tallinn:
the 2025 champion Viktoriya Motrichko and the 2024 champion Darya Tkachenko.
Viktoriya Motrichko
GMIFWorld Champion 2023, 2025
- Born
- 10 March 1989, Odesa
- Country
- Ukraine
- Title
- Women's International Grandmaster
Viktoriya Motrichko took up draughts at the age of ten in Odesa and grew up on the 64-square board.
In 2002 she became World and European mini-cadet champion, the first of many junior titles in Russian
and Brazilian draughts, and in 2005, still a teenager, she earned the grandmaster title.
Among the seniors she was soon at the top in the small-board games: silver at the 2005 World Championship
in Russian draughts, the first women's world title in Brazilian draughts in 2007 (Nidzica, Poland) and
gold in Russian draughts at the 2008 World Mind Sports Games in Beijing.
In international draughts on the 100-square board she won the Ukrainian championship in 2006 and was
world junior vice-champion in 2008. After bronze at the 2021 Women's World Championship in Tallinn she
won the title in Willemstad in 2023. She lost it in the 2024 match against Darya Tkachenko only in the
rapid tie-break after a 12–12 draw, and took it back in Couva in 2025.
Highlights
- 2025 Women's World Champion, Couva
- 2024 World title match, Wageningen: 12–12, lost in the tie-break
- 2023 Women's World Champion, Willemstad
- 2021 Women's World Championship, Tallinn: bronze
- 2008 World Mind Sports Games, Beijing: gold (Russian draughts)
- 2007 Women's World Champion in Brazilian draughts
Darya Tkachenko
GMIFWorld Champion 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2024
- Born
- 21 December 1983, Torez (Donetsk region)
- Country
- Netherlands · born in Ukraine
- Title
- Women's International Grandmaster
Darya Tkachenko also started playing at ten. She was European under-19 champion in 1999 and 2000 and
world under-19 champion in 2001, the year she also won the Ukrainian senior championship. Alongside the
board she studied biology at Kyiv University.
Her senior career is one of the most successful in women's draughts: European champion in 2004 and 2006
and world champion five times. She won the title first in a tournament in Latronico in 2005, then in matches
against Tamara Tansykkuzhina in 2006 and 2008 and against Zoja Golubeva in 2011. In 2016 she also became
women's world champion in Turkish draughts.
After second places at the 2023 World Championship and the 2024 European Championship she regained the
world title in 2024, beating Viktoriya Motrichko in a match in Wageningen in the rapid tie-break after
12–12. Today she lives in the Netherlands, plays for Dutch clubs and represents the Netherlands.
Highlights
- 2024 Women's World Champion, match against Motrichko, Wageningen
- 2016 Women's World Champion in Turkish draughts
- 2011 Women's World Champion, match against Golubeva
- 2008 Women's World Champion, match against Tansykkuzhina
- 2006 Women's World and European Champion
- 2005 Women's World Champion, Latronico
- 2004 Women's European Champion, Mława
