World Draughts Federation
The World Draughts Federation, or FMJD, is the international governing body that unites national draughts federations and coordinates competitions across several draughts disciplines.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The World Draughts Federation, known in French as the Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames and commonly abbreviated FMJD, is the international federation for organized draughts. It brings together national associations that administer and promote draughts in their respective countries, while providing an international framework for rules, championships, rankings and cooperation among the sport’s regional bodies. The federation was established in 1947 by four founding national federations: France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Its creation provided a permanent international structure for a family of related board games that had previously developed through national and regional traditions. International draughts, played on a 100-square board, became the federation’s principal discipline, but the FMJD’s remit has also extended to other forms of draughts and checkers, including Russian and Brazilian 64-square draughts, English checkers, Turkish draughts and online play. A major part of the FMJD’s activity is the organization and recognition of international competitions. Its championship portfolio includes the World Draughts Championship in international draughts, the Women’s World Draughts Championship, the World Youth Draughts Championships, world championships in 64-square draughts and world competitions in English draughts or checkers. The federation also works through continental structures to support African, Asian, European and Pan-American championships. These events provide competitive pathways for elite players, women, youth and national teams. The organization has expanded considerably beyond its four-country founding base. Reference material records more than 70 national federation members, with 77 members reported in June 2021. Its membership spans Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Europe, although the exact total and composition can change as federations are admitted, upgraded or reorganized. Regional coordination is carried out through bodies including the African Draughts Confederation, the Asian Draughts Confederation, the European Draughts Confederation and the Pan American Draughts Confederation. The FMJD has also sought to position draughts within the wider international sports and mind-sports systems. It became associated with the General Association of International Sports Federations and the International Mind Sports Association, and has pursued broader recognition for draughts, including the long-term objective of Olympic recognition. This reflects a wider effort to have mind sports treated as organized competitive disciplines alongside more conventionally recognized sports. Leadership has changed several times over the federation’s history. Presidents have included representatives from the Netherlands, Italy, the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Russia and Estonia, among other countries. Janek Mäggi of Estonia was listed as president from 2017 and again from 2025, while Jacek Pawlicki of Poland was listed for the 2021 period. The available reference material does not establish a permanent headquarters, legal ownership structure or commercial parent. The FMJD is best understood as an international sports-governing federation rather than a consumer product brand.
History
The World Draughts Federation, or Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames (FMJD), was formed in 1947 by the national draughts federations of France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Its establishment created an international institutional framework for a group of board-game traditions that had developed in different countries under related but not identical rules and board formats. The federation’s central role has been to bring national organizations into a common system for international competition and governance. International draughts played on a 100-square board became the principal discipline associated with the federation. Over time, the FMJD also incorporated or recognized additional forms of draughts and checkers, including Russian and Brazilian 64-square draughts, English checkers, Turkish draughts and online draughts. This breadth reflects the sport’s regional diversity while allowing different national traditions to retain an organized place within the international federation. The FMJD developed a championship structure covering several competitive groups. The international-draughts world championship is one of its core events, complemented by a women’s world championship and youth world championships. World-level competitions also exist for 64-square draughts and English draughts or checkers. At continental level, the federation’s ecosystem includes African, Asian, European and Pan-American championships. These competitions provide recurring international programs for national teams and individual players and help connect the federation’s members across regions. Membership expanded substantially after the organization’s founding. The available reference material states that the FMJD had more than 70 national federation members in 2021 and records 77 members in June of that year. The membership distribution cited for that period included federations from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Europe. Regional coordination is supported by the African Draughts Confederation, Asian Draughts Confederation, European Draughts Confederation and Pan American Draughts Confederation. The Asian confederation was described as having 26 federations in 2018, including full and candidate members. The federation’s leadership has changed through a long succession of presidents. J. H. Willems was the first listed president in 1947. Later leaders came from the Netherlands, Italy, the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia and Poland. Piet Roozenburg appears in the historical record both as a regular president and as an interim officeholder, while Gaetano Mazzilli is listed as interim president in 1992. The succession recorded in the reference material names Harry Otten from 2009, Janek Mäggi from 2017, Jacek Pawlicki from 2021 and Janek Mäggi again from 2025. In the modern period, the FMJD has sought to place draughts within the broader international sports and mind-sports landscape. It became associated with the General Association of International Sports Federations and the International Mind Sports Association. The organization presents the integration of mind sports into mainstream sports structures as a positive development and has pursued Olympic recognition. These efforts form part of a strategic attempt to increase the visibility and institutional legitimacy of draughts beyond its traditional national and specialist communities. The federation is not described in the available material as a conventional commercial brand. It has no documented publicly traded status, ticker, corporate owner or parent company. Its practical identity is that of an international governing organization whose principal outputs are rules, membership structures, sanctioned events, championship programs and cooperation among national draughts federations. Its permanent headquarters and detailed current administrative structure are not established by the supplied sources.
- 2025
Janek Mäggi returns as listed president
[1]The recorded leadership succession lists Janek Mäggi of Estonia as president from 2025.
- 2021
Membership reported at 77 federations
[1]The reference material reported 77 member federations across five world regions in June 2021.
- 1999
Asian championship structure recorded
[1]The Asian Draughts Championship is recorded as beginning in 1999.
- 1985
Draughts-64 world championships begin
[1]World championships for 64-square draughts are recorded as beginning in 1985.
- 1980
African and Pan-American championships recorded
[1]The African Draughts Championship and Panamerican Draughts Championship are both recorded as beginning in 1980.
- 1973
Women’s world championship begins
[1]The Women’s World Draughts Championship is recorded as beginning in 1973.
- 1972
World youth championships begin
[1]The World Youth Draughts Championships are recorded as beginning in 1972.
- 1965
European championship structure recorded
[1]The European Draughts Championship is recorded as beginning in 1965.
- 1947
International federation established
[1]France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland founded the organization that became the World Draughts Federation.
Products and positioning
An international governing and coordinating federation for draughts and related checkers disciplines, with an emphasis on standardized competition, national-federation membership, world championships and the recognition of draughts as a global mind sport.
100-square draughts
International draughts
The FMJD’s principal international discipline is draughts played on a 100-square board. The federation provides the international structure for national participation, elite competition and the world championship in this format. It also supports the surrounding rules, rankings and tournament framework through its member organizations.
64-square draughts · 1985
Draughts-64
Draughts-64 covers 64-square traditions, including Russian and Brazilian draughts. The FMJD recognizes world-level competition in this family of games, allowing regional rule traditions to participate within an international federation structure while retaining their distinctive formats.
English draughts
Checkers
English draughts, commonly called checkers, is among the disciplines included in the FMJD’s international scope. The federation’s reference material identifies a World Checkers/Draughts Championship tradition, linking English-speaking checkers organizations with the wider global draughts community.
regional draughts discipline
Turkish draughts
Turkish draughts is listed among the disciplines associated with the FMJD. The available sources do not provide a separate product history or detailed competition description, but its inclusion demonstrates the federation’s broad remit across national forms of draughts.
digital competition
Online draughts
Online draughts and online checkers are listed within the federation’s field of activity. The supplied material does not specify a particular platform, service architecture or launch date, so this entry refers generally to the federation’s recognition of digital play rather than to a separately identified commercial product.
Brand decisions
- Pursuit of broader recognition for draughtsStrategy
Background
The FMJD has sought to strengthen the position of draughts within the international sports and mind-sports system.
Action taken
It became associated with the General Association of International Sports Federations and the International Mind Sports Association and pursued Olympic recognition.
Aftermath
The move aligned the federation with broader efforts to integrate mind sports into regular sports structures, although the supplied sources do not establish an Olympic inclusion outcome.
Sources2 sources
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