Darya Tkachenko

Darya Aleksandrovna Tkachenko (; born 21 December 1983) is a Ukrainian draughts player holding the FMJD titles of FMJD Master (MF) and Women's International Grandmaster (GMIF). She is five-time women's world champion (2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2024) and twice women's European champion (2004, 2006) in international draughts. In 2016, she also won the women's world championship of Turkish draughts.

Biography and career

Darya Tkachenko was born in Torez, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. She has finished high school in Snizhne, Donetsk Oblast, and then started her biology studies in Kyiv University. She graduated in 2004 and proceeded to post-graduate studies in the same university which she successfully finished in 2007. In 2008 she started working on her Doctoral thesis.

Darya started playing draughts when she was 10 years old. In November 1996, being less than 13 years old, she won a bronze medal at the Ukrainian Under 19 championships. In 1999 she became a European Under 19 champion. The next year she won this tournament again and also won a bronze medal at the World Under 19 championships. In 2001 she became a World Under 19 champion and won a seniors Ukrainian championship.

In 2003 she once again won the Ukrainian championships, in 2004 the senior European championships and in 2005 the World championships in Latronico. The next year she once again became a European and World champion, having won the World championship match again the Russian competitor Tamara Tansykkuzhina. She also won the European team cup with the "Pleso" team.

In 2007 Tkachenko lost her World title, letting Tansykkuzhina to the first place in the tournament held in Jakutsk, Russia, but the next year she was able to regain the championship after winning the match again her Russian counterpart. In 2007 and 2008, she won the European team cup twice more with the "Motor Sich" Zaporizhzhia. In 2010 Tkachenko lost both European and World championships, placing as low as 19th in Europe and 4th out of 6 participants in the World championship but in the next year returned the world title after defeating Zoja Golubeva in a three-set match.

World and European seniors championships record Year Compe-tition Place Competition type Result Placed 2004 EC Mława Tournament 4+ 5= 0- 1 2005 WC Latronico Tournament 6+ 5= 0- 1 2006 EC Bovec Tournament 4+ 5= 0- 1 2006 WC Yakutsk / Kyiv Match against Tamara Tansykkuzhina 2:1 by sets 1 2007 WC Yakutsk Tournament 6+ 8= 1- 2 2008 WC Ufa / Dniprodzerzhynsk Match against Tamara Tansykkuzhina 3:0 by sets 1 2008 EC Tallinn Tournament 3+ 6= 0- 2 2010 EC Sępólno Krajeńskie Tournament 2+ 4= 3- 19 2010 WC Ufa Tournament 0+ 9= 1- 4 2011 WC Dniprodzerzhynsk Match against Zoja Golubeva 2:1 by sets 1 2011 WC Rivne Tournament 3+ 9= 1- 6 2012 EC Emmen Tournament 3+ 5= 1- 5 2013 WC Ulaanbaatar Tournament 7+ 7= 1- 2 2014 EC Tallinn Tournament 4+ 3= 2- 7 2016 EC İzmir Tournament 2+ 6= 1- 11 2021 WC Tallinn Tournament 4+ 7= 4- 10 2023 WC Willemstad Tournament 7+ 7= 1- 2 2024 EC Chianciano Terme Tournament 2+ 7= 0- 2 2024 WC Wageningen Match against Viktoriya Motrichko rapid round win after 12-12 draw 1