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Northern Ireland Checkers Draughts
The summer of 2003 presented the Bajan
King with another challenge to his GAYP World
Title. Before the event took place, both
checkers masters appeared extremely confident
about individual checkerboard skills, however,
King commented that "Jack
will never be a world champion" in
the middle of his title match against Francis.
Confident or perhaps a little too confident
of playing techniques?!
Jack Francis, then 42, had finished ninth
in the 2002 3-Move Checkers Draughts Nationals and third in
the 2001 GAYP Nationals, whereas Ron King,
47, had won various International and National
checkers draughts tournaments and had previously held both
the World 3-Move and GAYP titles concurrently.
In fact, the Bajan King is the only person
to have held both titles at the same time,
and this could well be the reason for the
champion’s arrogance toward his compatriot
and worthy opponent.
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
World GAYP Title in Bridgetown, Barbados
Ronald "Suki" King defended his
World GAYP Title against checkers challenger
and fellow Barbadian, Jack Francis, by a
score of 1-0-22, though Ron has been known
to tell sources that he won the match with
a score of two wins, no losses, and twenty-one
draws. The match took place in Barbados and
was in some ways a historical even on the
checkers stage because it marked the first
time that two players from Barbados competed
against one another for a World Championship.
King has successfully defended his GAYP title
ever since obtaining it in 1991, but will
his good fortune stand or will he some day
meet his ‘checkers
match’, so to speak?
A couple of months later, the checkers GM
from Barbados was to face another challenger
across the world championship checkerboard.
This time Ron King would be defending his 3-Move
Checkers Draughts World Title against GM Alex Moiseyev from Dublin,
Ohio. Ron King's 2003 3-Move World Title Match
against Alex Moiseyev was his eleventh such
match, which was a record that exceeded the
achievements of any other player in the history
of the checkers game.
When negotiations for the match had just begun,
there was a consideration for part of the competition
to be played in Northern Ireland and the other half
in Barbados. Of course, at that time, this
was just speculation. The final decision was
to host this prestigious event in Cookstown,
County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, as part
of the Irish International Festival of Checkers Draughts
from October 13-31, 2003. The Northern Ireland Checkers Draughts festival
consisted of several events but the World Championship
Match was undoubtedly the most momentous Checkers Draughts
event of the year for the local community.
Checkers players traveled from various parts
of the world including USA, New Zealand, Barbados,
and Turkmenistan. Apart from notable players
like Ron King, Alex Moiseyev, and Hugh Devlin,
the Durdyev family from Turkmenistan also held
court as being very strong checkers contenders.
They presented themselves as a very talented
family of Checkers Draughts players where the youngest,
Bashim, was only 13 and his sister Amungul
was 15, the Olympic Junior Champion, was already
considered as a serious challenger for the
Women’s 3-Move title. Their older brother
Mustafa was the British and Northern Ireland Checkers Draughts freestyle
or GAYP champion and could also be seen as
a serious future contender for the World Title
in either 3-Move or GAYP. Perhaps even the
other brothers might develop into strong Grandmasters
ready to challenge the World Title holder at
any time.
Carlough Harbor, near Cookstown |
County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
Cookstown |
Surrounding Tyrone County Northern Ireland |
Surrounding Tyrone County Northern Ireland |
Surrounding Tyrone County Northern Ireland |
Ron King was the first checkers Challenger
for the World 3-Move Title to get the right
to face the then World Champion by winning
a qualifying tournament held by the WCDF.
At that time, Ron won the title, and had
held it since 1991. Now Alex and Ron competed
for this undisputed World Championship Checkers Draughts Title
at the festival in 2003, and it was the third
World Championship Match played between
the two checkers Grandmaster players. This
time, however, the Fates were on Moiseyev’s
side of the checkerboard as he won the coveted
World Checkers title from King. The checkers competition
proved to offer an exciting match with a
high caliber of checkers play. Alex’s
final score over Ron was eight wins, two
losses, and twenty-five draws.
The former World 3-Move checkers champion
did not let the loss of this match affect his
cross board techniques in the masters division
of the Ireland Open Draughts Tournament that
followed immediately after his games with Moiseyev.
Ron proceeded to show the local spectators
around the checkers stage his mastery of this
mind sport by winning the championship over
his compatriot, Jack Francis, and becoming
the Ireland Open Checkers Draughts Champion for 2003.
King’s final score was 29 points, Jack
Francis placed second with 27 points, and Mustafa
Durdyev finished in third with 25 points.
Irish Open Tournament Winners
Bashim Durdyev (Intermediate), Ron King
(Masters), and Mick O`Shaughnessey (Senior)
The Northern Ireland Checkers Draughts Open had attracted 88 top-level
entrants who were divided into four checkers
divisions: 21 in Masters, 22 in Seniors,
37 in Intermediates, and 8 in Novice. This
was a definite statement that the mind sport
was not a ‘dead’ game.
Another important event that took place during the Irish Festival
of Checkers and Draughts was the World Conference to create
the World Checkers & Draughts Federation for American Checkers
Federations and Associations.
Pictured from left to right: (Back
Row) George Miller (England), Jim
Summers (Ireland), Erskine Baine (Barbados),
John Morgan (Wales), and Hugh Devlin (Ireland);
(Front Row) Ian Caws (England),
Graham Young (Scotland), Lisle Cormier (USA), Charles Walker
(USA), Alan Millhone (USA), and Ron King (Barbados).
On October 26, 2003, a World Checkers and
Draughts Conference was held at the Greenvale
Hotel in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern
Ireland. The meeting was represented by organizations
and individuals from countries wherein the
American style of checkers, 164 square checkerboard,
was played. Selected members or players from
Barbados, England, the Netherlands, Ireland,
New Zealand, Turkmenistan, USA, Scotland,
and Wales were present. The purpose of the
conference was to bring together representatives
from various countries to discuss the formation
of a new World governing body for the Anglo-American
style of checkers and draughts.
Hugh Devlin of Northern Ireland Checkers Draughts chaired the meeting
and the discussion focused on the need to
find a progressive way to unite draughts/checkers
throughout the world. The meeting
was attended by Pieter Hildering (FMJD),
John Reade (FMJD), Alan Millhone (ACF), Erskine
Bayne (BDA), Ian Caws (EDA), Ron King (BDCF),
Charles Walker (ICHF), B. Murray (IDA), Francis
McNally (NFD), Graham Young (SDA), Hoja Durdevey
(Turkmenistan), Jan Mortimer (New Zealand),
and George Miller (EDA). Delegates were also
present from the IDA, NFD, NWDF, and the
SDA. It was felt that it was imperative to
bring unity to both Federations and Associations
that promoted checkers and draughts if progress
was to be made in the 21st century. In order
to accomplish this task, all members agreed
to form a new world governing body that would
be made up of representatives of Draughts
and Checkers organizations rather than of
individual countries.
A second part to the conference was held
on October 28, 2003, to further the specific
rules and by-laws that would represent this
new organization. The conference members
voted to change the name to the World Checkers
and Draughts Federation (WCDF), and an election
of officers was held as follows:
President |
Charles Walker |
ICHF |
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First Vice President |
Erskine Bayne |
BDA |
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Second Vice President |
Ron King |
BDCF |
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Treasurer |
Ian Caws |
EDA |
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Secretary |
George Miller |
EDA |
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First PRO |
Alan Millhone |
ACF |
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Second PRO |
Jan Mortimer |
ACF |
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A revised set of statutes was accepted
by all present and would become effective
immediately upon conclusion of the checkers draughts conference
assemblage.
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