Alex Schwartzman, 56, an international checkers player who was crowned world champion 10 times, did not imagine that a week after coming to Israel he would already represent the country in the World Checkers Championship. For some time, since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Alex has been planning to make an aliyah and reach the Galilee landscape, a city where he has many friends, among them a member of the city council and the international checkers player, Alex Gentman (ranked 7th in the world).

When Gentman learned of his friend's decision to immigrate to Israel, he decided to surprise him and register him for the World Checkers Competition being hosted in the city "I wasn't sure he would come to Israel before the competition, but it was clear to me that with his resume and the titles he holds, he would certainly be happy to participate in the competition that is being held for the first time in the Galilee landscape Indeed, the timing turned out to be perfect."

Schwarzman arrived in Israel last Sunday happy and excited. Being Jewish, he immediately received citizenship and began the process of absorption. When he met with his friend Gentman was excited to hear about the World Checkers Championship being held in the city "I couldn't have imagined a more royal welcome than this" he said excitedly.

Schwartzman is one of the 11 Israeli checkers players who represented Israel in the competition that opened yesterday in the qualifying phase and today the playoff phase will take place at the end of which the 2023 World Checkers Champion will be crowned. The competition is attended by checkers players from 14 countries who reached the finals: Japan, Poland, USA, France, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Moldova, Lithuania, Germany, USA, Italy, Ukraine, Canada and Israel.