Baba Sy

Baba Sy (1962)

Baba Sy (1935-1978) was a Senegalese international draughts player and the first world champion from Africa.

He is said to have been "discovered" by a French player visiting Dakar. In 1959 Baba Sy won the French championship in Châtellerault. A dispute in 1963-64 World Championship was undecided by his death in a car accident in 1978, but he was posthumously declared victor in 1986. The matter caused some debate over the years.

He is sometimes seen as a pioneer who paved the way for other African players.

Publications

• Ton Sijbrands: Le grand livre de Baba Sy = Het groot Baba Sy boek. Voorst, 1989. ISBN 90-71811-03-4

External links

• Official site for Baba Sy on a French language checkers site
• The Chess Drum

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