Checkers (Cont..)

Checkers in the Modern Era

Those of us who don't play in Checkers tournaments usually begin a game by just beginning. Whatever we like to play, we play. This style is called Go-As-You-Please, and on the professional level it results in numerous draws, due to the great knowledge these players bring to the game. The first world championship, held in 1847 (between two Scotsmen, of course), was a Go-As-You-Please affair. In the 1890s, the Two-Move Restriction was introduced, in which the first two moves of a game were chosen by lot from certain pre-approved combinations.

The Two-Move Restriction eliminated many draws, though not enough. The Three-Move Restriction was introduced at the 1934 world championship (between two Americans). The participants chose moves by lot from a list of officially sanctioned "three-move openings." This system is still used today (though there's also a separate tournament track for Go-As-You-Please games). A third system, in which one man from each army is removed by lot before the first move, is less popular.

An Odd Sociological Footnote

We all know the stereotype of Chess masters: they eventually go insane. Checkers masters keep their marbles, so to speak, but they seem to die tragically. Some examples:
The first American world champion, Robert Yates, took the crown from the Scots in 1874. He died not long after in an accident at sea. He was 24.
The 1902 world champion, Scotland's Richard Jordan, was killed in a train accident.
In 1927, the United States walloped Great Britain in the Second International Checkers Match (Great Britain had done the same to the US in the first match, played in 1905). Sam Gonotsky, top scorer for the US team, died a few years later. He was in his twenties.

In 1949, Willie Ryan tied defending champ Walter Hellman (both Americans). Ryan wasn't particularly young at the time, but he died not long after, just weeks before he was scheduled to play Hellman in a rematch.
In 1951, Hellman defeated Maurice Chamblee (American) in a title match. Chamblee soon died, of course. He was in his twenties.

-- Enough for stories of Checkers. ---

Coming up next, "How to play Checkers?".