Jannes van der Wal

Jannes van der Wal (November 12, 1956 in Driezum – September 24, 1996 in Groningen) was a Dutch/Frisian draughts player and world champion in the game.

His interviews on Dutch TV were unusual involving a full minute where he did not talk or others where he reacted oddly on being asked how old he was.

After this he became a minor celebrity appearing in a few programs on Dutch television.

He won against 93% of the 225 opponents with 14 games being draws and 4 losses.

In 1996 Jannes van der Wal died of leukemia.