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Checkers Game
3 Move Title
The millennium brought a greater awareness
of the computer age, and also began to bring
the checkers styles closer together on the
competitive stage. Ron King branched out
from the checkers style he loved and tried
his hand at the 10 x 10 International checkerboard.
In 2000, King participated in the American
checkers arena and also the International
draughts/checkers circuit in the Caribbean.
Ron entered the 2nd International Open Tournament
in St. Andrews, Grenada, and did not have
to travel so far from home. The competition
field consisted of International draughts
players who would engage in a nine game Round
Robin tournament playing on the 10 x 10 checkerboard.
Here he played against Dickson Maughn from
Trinidad & Tobago, and Adam Kelvin Andall
from Grenada as well as other strong master
checkers opponents. ‘Suki’ placed
seventh in the top ten players, and did well
considering his favored style of checkers
play is GAYP on an 8 x 8 checkerboard.
Also in 2000, King made a sojourn to Toledo,
Ohio, for the ‘Asa Long Millennium
Checkers Tournament’ that was the 42nd
National 3-Move competition. Ron faced a
roster of familiar faces across the checker
board, but only succeeded in placing 3rd
behind Elbert Lowder and Alex Moiseyev.
Alex, although he was tied with Elbert at
26 points, won the Checkers Game World 3
move title by Honor Points and
became the U.S. 3-Move National Champion
and the 3-Move World Champ under the auspices
of the WCDF.
The International style of draughts must
have intrigued his checkers spirit, for the
following year the King traveled to Willemstad,
Curaçao, for the 1st open checkers
world 3 move title Championship of Curaçao.
This time the checkers game stage hosted
the challenge of thirty-one other checkers
masters from the Netherlands and the Caribbean.
Ron had the opportunity to play against a
field of strong West Indian masters and Grandmasters,
other than those who frequented the American
checkers circuit. Such checkers notables
that graced the checkerboards were Kees Thijssen
(Netherlands), Stanley Moertoer (Suriname),
Adam Kelvin Andall (Grenada), Nelsen Angela
(Curaçao), and Dickson Maughn (Trinidad).
The skill and expertise within the checkers
game were certainly represented well in this
International tournament, and gave Ron King
a chance to develop a different mind set
for the International 3 move version of the
checkers mind sport. King ranked 17th out
of thirty-two master players.
This International checkers scene offered
opportunities to play in several competitions
such as the Open International Tournament
in Guadeloupe, the Open International Tournament
in Grenada, and the Open International Checkers
tournament in Curaçao, and presented
the GM with a different style of checkers
to conquer. In the photo above, Ron King
is seated at the checkerboard in a game in
Willemstad, and behind him is his opponent,
Leonardo Moreno from the Dominican Republic.
Perhaps the game is going in King’s
favor, as he is smiling broadly, which is
not something one sees that often as he is
usually so intense about his checkers game.
Also in 2001, the Bajan Grandmaster crossed
the Atlantic yet again to attend the English
Open Draughts Tournament in Morecambe, England.
The winner of this checkers competition was
Tom Watson from Scotland, but Ron settled
for second place as he had prior commitments,
which caused him to miss the last two rounds
of play. King also won the Irish Open Checkers
Championship tournament and 3 move title
that same year.
King was back on the American checkers stage
challenging master players in the Tom Wiswell
Memorial Tournament in the fall of 2001.
The National GAYP masters competition held
a field of twenty expert checkers players
and Ron defeated all his opponents with a
total score of twenty-eight points to become
the World GAYP Champion. There was a 4-way
tie for second place between Alex Moiseyev,
Jack Francis (Barbados), Jim Morrison, and
Richard Hallett; however, Moiseyev was favored
as the U.S. National GAYP Champion due to
Honor Points acquired in the checkers game
3 move title tournament.
Ron was back in the International checkers
circuit the following February to play the
board game in a field of twenty master checkerists
at the 11th Pan-American Senior Draughts
Championships held in St. Andrews, Grenada.
Checkerboard challengers came from twelve
countries in Europe, USA, and the West Indies:
Antigua, Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, Curaçao,
Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe,
St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago,
and USA. Twenty Masters and Grandmasters
appeared on the checkers stage to participate
in a Round-Robin tournament competition.
One unfortunate situation developed during
the checkers match where the tournament committee
disqualified Dickson Maughn of Trinidad and
Tobago after giving Adam Andall of Grenada
a draw by pointing out in front of the spectators
how he could win the game. Therefore, all
games of Maughn were declared invalid and
he was suspended from tournament checkers
play for one year. Vladimir Veytsman from
the U.S. won the competition. Ron King scored
seventeen points and placed twelfth in this
checkers game title tournament.
A View of Grenada
Shortly after the checkers competition in
St. Andrews, the Bajan King faced a circumstance
of his own. Ron defended his 3-Move Restriction
Title against challenger Alex Moiseyev in
the December 2000 match held at ICHF in Petal,
Mississippi. The checkers match ended in
a tie with a score of 3-3-18, and King retained
his title. Moiseyev challenged the GM again
for a re-match, but King ‘played
hideaway’ and after timely negotiations
where his demands were finally met, the ACF
scheduled this rematch for September 2001.
Unfortunately, the rematch was never played
between the two Grandmaster checkers opponents,
so the ACF stripped King of his World 3-Move
Title for failing to sign a bona fide contract
to defend it, and allowed other contenders
to play for the vacant checkers game 3 move
title, and this match was eventually given
to Alex Moiseyev and Elbert Lowder.
The EDA listed the following commentary
on their site:
“ March 11, 2002. ICHF. World 3-Move Title match Moiseyev vs Lowder
Moiseyev becomes ACF World 3-Move Champion
2002. World Freestyle and 3-Move champion,
Ron King from Barbados, has been sensationally
stripped of his World 3-Move Title by
the ACF for failing to abide by ACF by-laws
re title match. A match for the vacant
3-Move Title was played between the No
1 challenger A. Moiseyev and E. Lowder.
This controversial match started on Monday
March 11th at the Checker Hall of Fame,
Petal Mississippi. Alex Moiseyev defeated
Elbert Lowder by the score of 12-0-17
to become the ACF World 3 move Champion.”
There does not appear to be any comment from
Ron King about the ACF action or the title
match, but it certainly didn't prevent him
from pursuing the game he loved as he continued
to play checkers on the International circuit
later that year. In the summer of 2002, King
entered the 2nd International Open Draughts
Tournament in Willemstad, Curaçao,
in the Dutch Caribbean to participate in a
Round-Robin 3 move checkers competition in
a field of twenty-eight expert opponents from
Europe and the West Indies checkers circuit.
In this match he challenged opponents on the
10 x 10 International checkerboard and placed
11th with a final score of 48 points.
Ron King
Analyzing his options |
Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles |
He then traveled to the quaint village of
Stonehaven, Scotland, which is approximately
fifteen miles south of Aberdeen to participate
in the British Open Draughts Tournament. Here
Ron played against various seasoned checkers
game masters, but his game was strong and his
checkerboard skills declared themselves as
he won the tournament to take 1st place and
the championship 3-move title. The spectators
witnessed a very tight checkers match between
the top players as Ron King scored 29 points,
Alex Moiseyev, USA, placed 2nd with 27 points,
and Hugh Devlin, Ireland, placed 3rd in the
checkers competition with 25 points.
Stonehaven Harbor |
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire |
Not only did the checkers game 3-move tournament
players benefit from the challenge of pitting
checkers wits against quality competition,
but they could also enjoy the scenic landscape
of a beautiful countryside and the local
Scottish culture.
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