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Checkers Champion
John (Jack) Francis
1961 ~
Bajan Grandmaster, Jack Francis, from St.
James, Barbados, has been part of the International
American checkers arena for many seasons.
For years, Jack has been recognized in
Barbados as a checkers champion and in 1991,
he was officially ranked locally as the second
best player across the checkerboard, next
to Ron ‘Suki’ King.
John Francis is an aggressive cross board
player who relies on his skills of reading
the board to conquer his opponents’ play,
and is considered to be one of the most exciting
players to burst onto the International checkers
scene in recent times. Sources say that Jack
possesses quite a dynamic personality and
is not intimidated by the checkers champion
and compatriot in the mind sport, Ron King.
In fact, it’s safe to say that the
two checkerists enjoy sparring across the
board to see which player can outmaneuver
the other by how many wins.
Over the past few years, checkers champion
Jack Francis has traveled the checkers circuit
to participate in numerous local and national
checkers game tournaments in both GAYP and
the 3-Move style of play. The Grandmaster
enjoys the challenge of both checkers game
styles and displays a certain finesse and
skill at the checkerboard.
In 1995, Jack placed 3rd with 22 points
but ranked 4th at the U.S. National GAYP
tournament in Gilbertville, Kentucky. The
following year in June 1996, Jack Francis
tied with Cornell Checkers a four-game match
in the inaugural TOYOTA-ACER computer vs
human 3-Move checkers tournament held in
Bridgetown, Barbados.
Since the U.S. National 3-Move tournament that was
hosted in Danville, Virginia, in November 1996 was
won by the Canadian computer program Chinook,
Francis finished a joint second in human standing
with Richard Hallett and Jim Morrison, but ranked
fourth in the checkers competition in terms of honor points.
Jack Francis continued to display his checkers
skill and cross-board techniques in the ending
years of the 20th century through competition
play in GAYP and 3-Move National tournaments
held in the United States. During the 1997
GAYP Nationals held in Greensboro, North
Carolina, Jack finished in fourth place in
a tie with Grandmaster Elbert Lowder, accumulating
22 points and 176 honor points. Then in the
1999 GAYP tournament hosted in Niagara Falls,
New York, Francis scored 24 points to place
him in a three way tie with Richard Hallett
and Malcolm Grimes, but he ranked in third
place, again assuming that this was due to
honor points, though not listed in the records.
The 21st century brought forth the 42nd
National 3-Move ‘Asa Long Millennium
Checker Tournament’ in August 2000,
held in Toledo, Ohio. This competition saw
a unique range of scores, as there were several ‘shared’ placements
due to points scored during the match. Jack
tied with Gene Lindsay, Earl Morrison (Canada),
John Walcott (Barbados), and Richard Beckwith
for sixteen points each, but was officially
ranked in the tournament roster as taking
11th place. However, if all the tie positions
had held, then he could have placed in a
shared 5th ranking.
The following year, Francis entered the
Tom Wiswell Memorial GAYP Tourney held in
Las Vegas, Nevada. During this match, Jack
Francis tied with Alex Moiseyev, Richard
Hallett, and Jim Morrison for second with
a score of 24 points, but he ranked 3rd in
the tournament standings.
A similar situation happened in the 2002
Marion Tinsley Memorial 3-Move National Tournament,
also hosted in Las Vegas. Although Jack Francis
ranked 9th overall, he could have been placed
in 5th since there was a four-way tie in
points for third to sixth place.
These tie situations appeared to have been
a common occurrence in the National tournaments
between the Grandmasters who played in the
tournaments. Each year it was the same familiar
faces bringing a level of checkers game skill
and ingenuity to the game. It would
also seem that because these same checkerboard
experts knew each other’s game so well,
that it would be rather difficult to score
a highly differentiated point system.
In 2003, a maturing Jack Francis, who was
now 42, traveled from Barbados to Anderson,
South Carolina, for the GAYP National tournament
held there. Again the Grandmaster checkers
player displayed a solid set of board techniques
and succeeded by finishing in a tie for second
with Richard Hallett based on match points
of 24; however, Jack Francis had a final
ranking in the checkers game competition
was 3rd, where he took home total winnings
of $1343. Of course, this mind sport is not
competitive in terms of financial rewards;
in fact, as some Grandmasters have clearly
stated, the player barely makes enough to
cover travel expenses, if even that. So what
is it that keeps checkers players like Jack
Francis coming back, especially considering
that he has to travel from the Caribbean
to attend these National matches?
2003 GAYP Nationals in Anderson, South Carolina
Jack Francis and Alex Moiseyev
Studying the checkerboard
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Jack Francis vs John Ferrell
Jim Morrison vs Richard Hallett |
Jack Francis & Alan Millhone Presentation
of his award and prize money. |
Jack Francis & Alan Millhone with Bobby Joe Redd |
Jack Francis signing the tournament
checkerboard. |
Many have commented that it’s simply
the sheer challenge of the checkers game,
never knowing where even the best-laid moves
will take the player, and the simple fact
that they enjoy the competition and camaraderie
across the checkerboard. Most of these tournaments
bring out the same checkers Masters and Grandmasters
year after year, and eventually strong bonds
of friendship have formed. Of course, the
good old competitive spirit raises its head
and leads these great checkers players to
face off at the tournament checkerboard again
and again.
Bajan player, Jack Francis, is no different
from the rest of the National and International
checkers players, as is clearly in evidence
from the miles that he travels to attend
competitions and National tournaments. Jack
joined his Bajan compatriot in Cookstown,
Northern Ireland, for the All-Ireland Open
Draughts Festival in October 2003. Once again,
however, Ron King just edged out the Grandmaster
to win the tournament and become the Irish
Open Champion. Ron walked away with a total
of 29 game points, while Francis acquired
a total of 27 points. The competitive edge
was still there.
Jack did not appear to play in any National
U.S. tournament in 2004, nor did he play
in the Barbados Open of that year during
the Festival of Draughts. However, Jack Francis
was only one point away from tying with Richard
Beckwith in the 2005 GAYP competition held
in Dublin, Ohio. Both Jack and Richard scored
36 game points, but Richard beat Jack by
one in the Honor Points at 257. Alex Moiseyev
came just behind also with 36 points and
248 Honor Points. These three players won
$722 each, and Richard Beckwith became the
U.S. GAYP checkers game champion that year.
Jack has been close to that coveted #1 place
on the checkers stage in the U.S. National
tournaments, but has not yet succeeded in
becoming GAYP or 3-Move Champion. Ron King
and Alex Moiseyev are the two Grandmasters
to beat.
A roster of checkers masters came together
in Las Vegas in July 2007 to compete for
the GAYP National title in the ‘Derek
Oldbury’ memorial tournament.
Outside of the regular players from checkers
clubs across the U.S., Jack Francis was joined
by Lubabalo Kondlo from Soweto, South Africa,
and Shane McCosker from Northern Ireland.
Ron King arrived late and began playing in
the fifth round. This tournament saw plays
across the checkerboard of a high caliber,
and the final scores were quite close; in
fact, Kondlo and Webster were tied at 31
points but Lubabalo edged out John Webster,
IM from Stoneville, North Carolina, by a
mere two Honor Points. Lubabalo’s final
score was a total of 31 points and 346 Honor
Points, while Webster acquired 31 points
and 344 Honor Points.
Newcomer Shane McCosker finished in 3rd
place with 30 points and 347 Honor Points.
Although Lubabalo Kondlo won the tournament,
John Webster took the title of U.S.
National
GAYP Checkers Champion
Checkers champion Jack Francis commented
that the national competition had been highly
contested by a checkers playing field of
high ranking, quality checkerists. Francis
suffered one of his two defeats at the hands
of the tournament winner, Lubabalo Kondlo,
and the other the American checkers player,
Paul Bryan, from Morengo, Ohio.
The Bajan GM admitted that he lost the two
matches in the early rounds of the event
because he underestimated them both as experienced
and skilled opponents, and that he took chances
against them, trying to dominate the tournament
in the early stages. Unfortunately, checkers
champion Jack Francis' strategy backfired
on him and certainly cost him a place or
two.
Champion Francis shared fourth place with
six other checkers players, including current
World GAYP Champion Ron King, with a final
score of 28 points. King, who entered late,
missed the first two rounds of the competition.
Jack Francis ranked 10th on the score sheets
but this was due to the accumulated Honor
Points that separated their individual positions:
GM Jim Morrison had 349 HP, IM Clayton Nash
ended the tourney with 330 HP, IM Joe Schwartz
had 319 HP, and GM Jack Francis finished
with 315 HP. Ron King also had 28 points
but only 190 HP.
Although Francis did not place as well as
he would have liked in the GAYP National,
this did not deter his desire from reaching
for first place in the 2007 World Championship
GAYP Qualifier, also to be held in Las Vegas.
The Bajan player fared credibly well at the
US National GAYP Checkers Championships in
Las Vegas and was all fired-up to take on
the challengers of the World GAYP Qualifier,
scheduled for September 17 through to 21,
2007. Although Francis lost two games at
the championships, he told the Barbados Advocate
Sports after the event that he was pleased
with his overall performance. According to
Francis, who is rated fourth in the overall
World Checkers standings by the WCDF, the
tournament certainly provided him with the
perfect build-up, peak preparation, and confidence
boost to come away as champion of the World
GAYP Qualifier.
According to Francis, the recent event has
given him an opportunity to judge his competition
and develop the winning strategy for the
World GAYP Qualifier. “The
way to win the qualifier is to play all-out
attacking draughts and once I do that no
one will stop me from winning. I am ready,” Grandmaster
Francis emphasized. Jack’s ultimate
goal is to win the qualifier to be able to
challenge compatriot, Ron King, once more
for the GAYP World Championship title. Let
the checkers game match begin!
The GAYP World Championship Qualifier was
hosted in Las Vegas in September 2007, but
the Bajan Grandmaster checkers player did
not manage to pull off the ultimate win to
become the World Championship challenger.
Jack Francis tied for second and third place
with Richard Beckwith at 15 points each.
The winner of the qualifier was the newcomer
on the checkers stage from Soweto, South
Africa, Lubabalo Kondlo, who will now face
World GAYP Champion, Ron ‘Suki’ King,
across the checkerboard some time in 2008.
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