Alexander Dybman Athlete
Alexander Borisovich Dybman (Russian: Александр Борисович Дыбман; born in 1962) was a Soviet International draughts player, two-times World champion in 1986 and 1987 and four-times Soviet champion in International draughts. At the age of 17, in 1979, Dybman won a bronze medal at the Soviet championship, and in 1980 he shared a second place at the Soviet championship with the former World champion, Vyacheslav Shchyogolev. In 1980 and 1981 Dybman won silver medals at the World junior championships, first in a tournament (with Alexander Baljakin taking the first place) and then after losing in the final barrage to another young Soviet player, Vadim Virny. Since 1983 the best period in Dybman's playing career started. He won four Soviet championships in a row (in 1985 he took part in the Fall championships and skipped the ones in the Spring). Then in 1986 he won the World championship in Groningen and was awarded a Grandmaster title. The next year he played a World championship match against Anatoly Gantvarg drawing all 20 games which meant that he retained the World crown for one more year. In the late 1980s Alexander Dybman fell seriously ill. The Soviet medicine was not able to help him, and he moved to Germany. Since then he almost does not play in rating-related tournaments.