Единый шашечный сайт

MIAMI OPEN 2027: A New Stage in the Development of International Draughts in the USA

The Board of The National Draughts Federation of the USA (NDF-USA) is pleased to inform draughts players around the world that preparations for the international tournament MIAMI OPEN 2027 are progressing at full speed. More than one year remains before the start of the tournament; however, a significant portion of the organizational work has already been completed.

MIAMI OPEN 2027 will take place from September 4 to September 12, 2027, in Sunny Isles Beach (Greater Miami, Florida, USA), one of the most beautiful and prestigious resort areas on the Atlantic coast of the United States.

The organizers have already signed an official contract with the Marriott Residence Inn Sunny Isles Beach hotel, located on the first line from the ocean. Thanks to extensive preparatory work, special discounted accommodation rates have been secured for tournament participants. All hotel rooms are equipped with full kitchens, which is particularly important for participants traveling for an extended period of time. Numerous shops, cafés, and restaurants featuring cuisines from around the world are located within walking distance. The accommodation rate includes a full buffet breakfast for two persons.

We consider the organization of MIAMI OPEN 2027 to be an important event not only for the tournament participants but also for the development of draughts in the United States of America as a whole. One of the goals of this project is to attract the attention of the international draughts community to the United States as a country capable of hosting prestigious international competitions of the highest level.

Today, the United States is one of the largest countries in the world, and holding only one U.S. Championship per year is clearly not sufficient. We are convinced that expanding the FMJD international competition calendar, including through events held in the United States, serves the interests of both American players and the entire world draughts community.

The Board of NDF-USA expresses its sincere gratitude to the world's leading international grandmasters who support the development of draughts in the United States. A special role in promoting the activities of NDF-USA is played by international grandmasters Ivan Trofimov and Anatoly Zagulyaev, who regularly cover the Federation's activities in their publications. 

We would particularly like to acknowledge the contribution of International Grandmaster Ivan Trofimov who, as a member of NDF-USA, devotes an enormous amount of personal time to promoting projects aimed at developing draughts in the United States. One of his priority areas is the expansion of coaching activities among American youth.

The Board of NDF-USA would also like to express special gratitude to International Grandmaster and 22-time World Champion Alexander Shvartsman. It is a great honor for us that Alexander Shvartsman has agreed to become the official representative of NDF-USA projects and actively supports the ideas of developing draughts in the United States. Thanks to his authority and attention to American draughts, many players have received new motivation for training and sporting growth. Even today, many draughts players view participation in MIAMI OPEN 2027 as a unique opportunity to meet one of the greatest players in the history of draughts across the board.

A special role in the development of NDF-USA and the preparation of MIAMI OPEN 2027 is played by the Board of our Federation.

We are proud that the Board consists of individuals who, for many years, have not only achieved outstanding sporting results but have also devoted a significant part of their lives to the development of draughts, the organization of competitions, and public service activities.

The President of NDF-USA, Andriy Shcherbatyuk, is an FMJD International Arbiter and one of the most experienced organizers of draughts competitions. He has served as Chief Arbiter at World Championships, World Championship Matches, and many other major international competitions. His experience, professionalism, and organizational abilities are among the most important components of the success of the Federation’s projects.

The First Vice President of NDF-USA, Alexander Rudnitsky, is one of the Federation’s sponsors, a long-time organizer of international competitions, and a five-time U.S. Champion. During the past two decades, he has taken a direct part in organizing eight U.S. Championships in Miami.

The Vice President for Technical Affairs, Alexander Akselrud, is also one of the Federation’s sponsors and provides substantial support in organizational and technical matters. His experience includes serving as Chief Arbiter at major competitions, including one of the U.S. Championships.

The Federation’s Treasurer, Tigran Harutyunyan, is a reliable partner and sponsor of NDF-USA. Thanks to his responsible approach to his duties and attention to financial matters, the Federation is able to confidently implement its projects and build long-term development plans.

The Vice President for Development, Leonard Voronov, is a sponsor, the author of many Federation initiatives, and one of the principal generators of new ideas. A special place among his projects is occupied by the social program “Draughts in Prisons,” aimed at using draughts as a tool for education, social adaptation, and personal development. Given his extensive experience as the director of a major medical institute in obtaining grants, we have no doubt that a stable financial future lies ahead of us.

It is precisely the combination of experience, professionalism, enthusiasm, and a sincere love for draughts that makes the Board of NDF-USA a strong and effective team. We are convinced that it is people like these who are capable of successfully implementing large-scale projects and making a real contribution to the development of draughts in the United States of America.

The preparation of MIAMI OPEN 2027 is the result of the collective work of our entire team, as well as numerous friends, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters of draughts, to all of whom we express our sincere gratitude. The prize fund of MIAMI OPEN 2027 is USD 15,000. Even by world standards, this is one of the most significant prize funds among open international tournaments. It is especially important to note that the entire prize fund is provided exclusively by private sponsors and supporters of the development of draughts in the United States.

From the very beginning, the MIAMI OPEN project was conceived as an international tournament within the FMJD system. We are proud that, after years of work, we have been given the opportunity to make our own contribution to the development of the international draughts movement and to the expansion of the geography of prestigious international competitions. Taking into account the FMJD program for the development of international competitions and the expansion of the calendar of high-level tournaments, NDF-USA would be prepared to consider the possibility of holding MIAMI OPEN 2027 as an FMJD World Cup event in the “5-star” category. We are convinced that holding such a tournament in the United States would be an important event both for American players and for the entire international draughts community.

Unfortunately, as of today, MIAMI OPEN 2027 has still not been included in the official FMJD Calendar.

The application for inclusion of the tournament was submitted as early as May 26, 2026. Since that time, the project has received support from both the previous and current FMJD leadership, a number of national federations, including the federations of Turkey and Israel, as well as many leading international grandmasters. Nine international grandmasters from different countries, including three World Champions, submitted an official appeal to FMJD requesting that MIAMI OPEN 2027 be included in the competition calendar as soon as possible (Appendix No. 1).

Official appeal to FMJD (p1, p2)

We sincerely thank all athletes and federations that have supported this project.

This situation appears especially surprising because the issue of including MIAMI OPEN 2027 in the FMJD Calendar has already been discussed repeatedly with the FMJD leadership. FMJD President Janek Mäggi and FMJD General Secretary Jan van Dijk previously confirmed to representatives of NDF-USA that there were no obstacles to holding the tournament and placing it in the FMJD Calendar. Moreover, after the application was submitted, the FMJD leadership once again expressed support for the project and made attempts to resolve the issue of including the tournament in the official calendar.

However, despite support from both the previous and current FMJD leadership, appeals from national federations, and the official letter from the world’s leading international grandmasters, the tournament remains absent from the FMJD Calendar.

According to the available correspondence, the only FMJD official upon whom the implementation of this decision actually depends is FMJD Tournament Director Lyublyana Turiy. As a result, many players are asking a legitimate question: why has an international tournament that meets FMJD requirements, is supported by the FMJD leadership, national federations, and the world’s leading grandmasters, not been included in the official calendar for such a long period of time?

We do not wish to draw conclusions on behalf of the FMJD leadership. However, we believe that the international draughts community has the right to receive a clear and official answer to this question.

For the world’s leading players, it is critically important to plan their competition schedules well in advance. This is why NDF-USA follows the principle of publishing information about international tournaments more than one year before their commencement.

In this regard, the Board of NDF-USA appeals to the Chairman of the FMJD Players’ Committee with a request to consider the issue of the prompt inclusion of MIAMI OPEN 2027 in the official FMJD Calendar.
We also appeal to the FMJD leadership to place the international tournament MIAMI OPEN 2027 in the FMJD Calendar without further delay.

We continue to hope for a constructive resolution of this issue and will continue our work for the development of draughts in the United States in the interests of players, coaches, organizers, and the entire international draughts community.

Board of NDF-USA