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Checkers Game Women
Joan Caws
Women Can Play Checkers Games Too!
Families have enjoyed the game of checkers
and draughts throughout the ages, but it was
more the men who developed long term interests
in the mind sport, and it was not until the
latter part of the 20th century that the FMJD
actually acknowledged the contribution checkers
game women players.
Since the 19th century, women have become
more involved in the play at the checkerboard
and have grown in stature through a development
of game skills and techniques. The FMJD gradually
widened its scope of checkers/draughts activities
and finally introduced championships for
checkers game women players in 1973 and for
younger girls in 1989. The hosting of a separate World Women’s
Checkers Game Championship in recent decades
has certainly become a statement of the presence
of women within the mind sport today.
Since there also exist two distinct forms
of checkers and draughts by way of the 64-square
checkerboard and the International 100 square
game board, there are championship tournaments
for both factions in the sport. Players in
the checkers game primarily originate from
the US and Great Britain, whereas the International
draughts/checkers players come mainly from
the European and Pan-American federations.
Many famous checkers game women players like
Joan Caws have left their mark on the history
of draughts, but little is actually known
about their role on the checkers stage. Laird
and Lady Cather of Cambusnethan, Scotland,
were patrons of the game towards the end
of the 18th century and their fondness for
the opening sequence 11-15, 22-17, 8-11,
23-19, 9-13, 17-14 gave this position its
name, the “Laird & Lady”.
Another opening formation of 11-15, 22-17,
8-11, 17-13, 15-18, derived its name as the “Maid
Of the Mill,” from a miller’s
daughter who was extremely adept at playing
this checkers game opening and enjoyed the
sequence it allowed her to follow.
Towards the latter part of the 19th century,
checkers game women who were expert players
of checkers and English draughts began to
appear in the earliest publications on the
game. The following women made contributions
to checkers in its early history:
- Miss Barton in Tonar’s Draughts Board, England 1869.
- Checkers problems by Annie Lyons in Draughts World, Scotland 1897.
- A problem study and excellent skilled
solution by Ms Donnan of Rostrevor, County
Down, Ireland appeared in the publication
of Gould’s Book
of Problems, Critical Positions and Games
of 1894.
- Stearn’s Book
of Portraits of 1895 listed Mrs.
O’Kay as the finest lady checkers
game player in the United States.
- In New Zealand and Australia, checkers
women were also accomplishing feats in
the checkers realm by defeating male opponents
in 1894 during a team match.
- D. A. Brodie, NZ Champion, lost a game
to Jessie Hannah while entertained by Otautau
female players.
Of course, there were undoubtedly numerous
other situations where skilled female checkers
players defeated their male opponents across
the checkerboard, but these accounts were simply
never recorded other than in the family journals
and diaries. Checkers women have enjoyed the
challenge of a good cross board checkers game
and English draughts for a long
time, but not as many have had the interest
in actually the mind sport, though they've
enjoyed being spectators.
Early in the 20th century during the 1920’s,
Mrs. Lucy Smith of Salt Lake City was recognized
as the American Women’s Champion after she
won a 10 game match against Junius Smith with a final
score of one win, no losses and nine draws.
Then a decade later in the 1930’s, Miss Mervina
Rae of Waynesboro, North Carolina won the Women’s
World Checkers Title. Gertrude Huntley from Minnesota
held the checkers title from 1939 onwards. She became
the first woman player to enter an American National
Championship when she played at Paxton in 1950. During
the same year, Mrs. Curran Gadsden, Southend Pier
Draughts Club in Essex, won a game against English
Champion Checkers Player, Samuel Cohen.
Early in the 1980’s, female checkers players
in Britain displayed their game techniques in a series
of matches. Prominent players at the checkerboard
were Joan Caws from the Isle of Wight,
Sally Jones from Wales, Scottish native Ita Napier,
Brenda Davis and Anita Dore from Ireland. Soon the
idea of a separate and distinct Women’s World
Championship in checkers was formed, so that these
female checkerists could challenge opponents of equal
caliber and thus have an opportunity to develop their
own board skills.
In partnership with the American Checker
Federation, the British Draughts Federation,
which was in part both the English Draughts
Association and the Northwest Draughts Federation,
endorsed the idea. Together the checkers
federations organized the first Women’s
World Championship Checkers Games tournament
in 1986, which was held in Aberdeen, Scotland. Checkers
game women Joan Caws from the Isle
of Wight played against several checkers
opponents in a series of games and won the
championship competition without losing a
single game and became the first official
Women’s
World Champion in checkers and English draughts.
Caws first World Championship checkers game
title challenge was made by American women
checkers player, Faye Clardy, in 1987, but
Joan successfully defended the title in the
match with a score of six wins, five losses
and eight draws. Then in 1989, Joan Caws
once again defended her World checkers title
against Patricia Breen of Carlow, the newly
crowned 13 year old Irish Women’s Champion.
The stage of this checkers challenge produced
one of the games’ greatest matches
and ended in a tie score of 6-6-8, with the
World Champion having to return from five
wins down to retain her title by virtue of
being undefeated.
In 1993, Joan Caws and Patricia Breen played
in a checkers World title rematch that took
place at Weston-Super-Mare, England. This
time, Patricia won the coveted women's checkers
game title in a very convincing fashion by
the score of 8-1-5. The young checkers champion
displayed her keen sense of the game and
checkerboard technical skill during this
match against a seasoned and experienced
checkers master.
However, Joan Caws continued to play her
particular style of checkers games in various
local and national checker competitions,
and was rated as an Intermediate ‘A’ player
in Great Britain. In 1998, Joan Caws was
the first woman to be selected for the English
draughts/checkers team.
In 2002, she played in the Sam Cohen Memorial
checkers championship in Birmingham and tied
for 5th place with Angelo Goss. The following
year, Joan won 1st place in the Intermediate
division in the Scottish Open 3-Move Championship
in Stonehaven, Scotland.
Joan Caws and Patricia Breen were the only
female checkers players to be part of the Britain-Ireland
team to play against the US team in the 8th
International Match for the checkers World
Championship in 2005, which was hosted by Las
Vegas, Nevada. Though both teams played strong
games, the U.S. team defeated the British team
in the final score.
Great Britain ~ Ireland International Checkers
Team 2005
with Joan Caws (back row) & Patricia Breen
(front row).
Joan Caws vs Clayton Nash
In 2007, Joan participated in the Intermediate “A” division
of the All-Ireland Championship tournament
held in Buncrana, County Donegal and placed
4th with 20 points. She was also the only
female checkers participant in the 2nd Danish
Open checkers game tournament held in Copenhagen
and she finished with 9 points.
When not facing opponents over the checkerboard,
Joan Caws also plays scrabble and placed 3rd
in the 4th Mind Sports Olympiad. Also, Joan carries
the responsibility of treasurer for the English
Draughts Association, while her husband, Ian,
holds the position of Chairman. Joan Caws has
certainly become an inspiration for many novice
female players in the women's checkers game
arena in the British Isles.
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