|
Champions of the
20th Century
Don Morgan Lafferty
Edwin Hunt
Willie Ryan
Asa Long
Walter Hellman
William Edwards
Sam Levy
Sam Gonotsky
Dr. Marion Tinsley
Derek Oldbury
Elbert Lowder
Leo Levitt
Richard Hallett
African
Checker Champions
1st International Match
In Barbados
Checkers in The
West Indies
The International
Checkers Stage
“Men Only”
Checkers in The News
Checkers Pool
Checkers Champions
Of The Netherlands
Jannes van der Wal
Ton ‘Teunis’ Sijbrands
Checkers Champion
Harm Wiersma
|
The Bajan Invasion
Barbados is also the home of checkers enthusiasts and game masters; however, these players face opponents across an 8 x 8 checkerboard, instead of the 10 x 10 International board that the PanAmerican draughts players are familiar with, and the rules are those that belong to American checkers.
The Bajan players who have graced the checkers stage in both GAYP and 3-Move style are Ron ‘Suki’ King, Jack Francis, the late John Walcott, Nathanial Grosvenor, Malcolm Grimes, and Darwin Lorde.
Darwin Lorde only appeared in the American checkers circuit in the GAYP tournament in Las Vegas in 2001 and placed thirteenth, whereas Malcolm Grimes played in three GAYP competitions: 6th in 1995, 7th in 1997, and 4th in 1999. On the other hand, Nathanial Grosvenor participated in three GAYP and two 3-Move tournaments, though he did not rank that high in the checkers competition: 17th in 1999, 18th in 2000, 11th in 2001, 15th in 2002, and 14th in 2005.
John Walcott
1936-2007
John Wesley Dacosta Walcott was a solid GAYP player who had developed his checkers skills across the checkerboard in Barbados. Prior to the arrival of Ron King in the late 1980’s, Walcott dominated the checkers scene in a five-year rein prior.
John was a former national champion, who participated in an invitational event featuring the great master Marion Tinsley between 1988-89. This checkers competition was held at the International Checker Hall of Fame in Petal, Mississippi. However, his game did not make a major impression in comparison to Ron and Jack Francis.
Walcott played in checkers matches in six national tournaments, but remained in the back of the ranks. He played in the 1993 GAYP and ranked 8th in the 1996 3-Move Restriction tourneys due to a three-way tie between the checkers masters ahead of him in the ranking. Then he tied for 5th in the 1999 GAYP National tourney but ranked 10th, and in the 2000 3-Move checkers competition played to a five-way of 16 points with Gene Lindsay, Earl Morrison (Canada), Richard Beckwith, and Jack Francis, though again he ranked 12th. In the 2001 GAYP tournament, John Walcott came in third since there was a four-way tie at 24 points ahead of him, but he ranked 6th officially in the tournament. Finally, in the 2002 National 3-Move tournament in Las Vegas, John placed 7th, though he ranked 12th overall.
In 2004, John Walcott was a member of a Bajan checkers team, spearheaded by Ron King, who was joined by other Bajan players. The team played in an International match against the U.S. checkers team of Alex Moiseyev, Richard Beckwith, and Jim Morrison and others. The tournament was a hard fought match, but Team USA ended defeating Team Barbados.
After this International tournament, John appeared to have faded off the National checkers stage. He passed away on August 3, 2007, but he will still be remembered in the checkers arena as a checkers masters from Barbados, who dominated the game with solid skills and reigned in the checkers circuit for a number of years before the Ron King era.
John Walcott was an ex-Deputy Post Master General in the small island of Barbados and remained a top local player in an arena where GAYP was still the dominant style of checkers.
NationNews.com
Barbados’ Leading Newspaper
“John Walcott of 38 Violet Circle Oxnards, St. James, Barbados, West Indies, died August 3, 2007. He was an IM rated 2449 on WCDF and 2314 by ACF.”
|
|
CHECKERS CHEST
Two Player