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Checkers Player Lindus Edwards
Plays Jan Mortimer
Shortly after the GAYP qualifier in Prague,
Jan Mortimer traveled to Limerick, Ireland
in a challenge for the 3-Move World Title with
Patricia Breen. The match consisted of fifteen
games and became an experience in concentration
for Jan. According to Jan’s
account of the match, she won the first game
rather easily, but then Patricia won the second
and somehow Jan could not manage to head her
off after that. Mortimer said that this time
the checkers games were more difficult to assess
because Patricia played a slow and cautious
game, which made it hard to focus on the checkerboard.
Jan felt that this very slowness was hard to
deal with psychologically and for this reason
some male opponents have a hard time playing
against Breen. The final score of the match
was five wins, one loss and nine draws for
Patricia.
However, the organizers of the Irish Masters
competition invited Jan back for 2006 and
guaranteed her as much quality competition
as possible and who could turn down an offer like that?
Also in 2006, Jan was scheduled to play
Amangul Durdyev for the 1st GAYP Women’s
World Championship Match, but she withdrew
from the competition for the vacant World
GAYP title because of pressing family commitments.
The WCDF General Assembly thus awarded the
World Title to Amangul.
However, during the following year, Jan was
back facing opponents across the checkerboard
in a national and International competition.
March 2007 New Zealand National competitors.
L-R : Ivan Narbey, Jan Mortimer, Jack VanNieuwkerk,
Dave Eades, & Ralph Dixon
In March 2007, Jan participated in the New
Zealand 3-Move Nationals held in Christchurch
and played a solid series of checkers games
to come close to the win. She finished in
2nd place, just behind the National Champion,
Ivan Narbie, with a score of 14 points to
his 15 points.
She was on the road again to other checkers appointments
across the waters as she first traveled to Las Vegas
in September to participate in the qualifying tournament
for the Women’s World 3-Move Championship Title.
Jan won the event and earned the right to challenge
WC Amangul Durdyev for the title in 2008.
Following this successful tournament, Jan
flew to Wales to contest in the Welsh Open,
also held in September 2007. In the pictures
below, Jan is deep in thought over the next
move on the checkerboard at the Welsh Open.
The next checker move? |
Checkers Champions
Jan & Perry Haydn from
Wales, the game ended
in a draw. |
Checkers Champions,
Decisions, Decisions... |
Checkers Champion Jan
and Lindus Edwards. |
Checkers Champion Jan
and Lindus Edwards playing checkers. |
Checkers Champion Jan
and Lindus Edwards, who will win the game? |
Champion Lindus Edwards Plays
In the Welsh Open in 2007, Jan displayed her checkers
skills across the checkerboard against a host of male
opponents and was in the lead after four rounds of
game play, but unfortunately, Jan Mortimer then
lost to checkers player Lindus Edwards. Her final
score resulted in a 4th place finish behind Terry
Thomas in 1st place, player Lindus Edwards taking
2nd and Liam Stephens finishing 3rd. However, Jan
Mortimer was the only checkers player to win against
the tournament champion and that alone makes quite
a statement about her checkerboard ability.
Since there was no bid for hosting the Women’s
World GAYP Match between Amangul Durdyev and Jan
Mortimer, it now becomes the responsibility of the
challenger from New Zealand to make a bid for the
match, according to WCDF by-laws and if she fails
to do so, then Jan will forfeit her right as challenger.
However, considering her depth of interest in the
checkers mind sport, it is doubtful that the checkers
game master would allow that to happen, so enthusiasts
in the checkers arena will eagerly be waiting for
the announcement in 2008.
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