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African Checkers Championship
The International checkers arena was once
dominated by the Russians and Dutch masters
in national and World competitions; however,
since the arrival of Baba Sy on the scene,
African checkers players have been offering
skilled challenges in numerous championship
tournaments as evidenced by the Masters and
Grandmasters from West Africa, in particular.
The games roster now repeatedly depicts Cameroun, Sénégal,
Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire as the African
checkers championship countries that are represented by experienced
GMI and MI checkers players. The African checkers masters
have placed well in the Tournoi de Douai (Douai Open),
Cannes International Open, European Confederation Cup,
the Delft Checkers Festival, Open International Tournament
at Brunssum, the Hiltex Zeeland Tournament at Goes,
Netherlands Championship, and the International Bijlmer
Checkers Tournament in Amsterdam.
These exuberant African checkerists have also been
contenders in the World Championship Match in Yakutsk,
Siberia. Other checkers championship tournament arenas
that appeal to the skills and competitive spirit are
national competitions such as the Championnat de France
(Championship of France). Numerous checkers titles
have been won in the Blitz de Wattrelos, France, the
Coupe de France, Normandy Open, and the Grand Prix
de Montrouge.
The International game of checkers has grown tremendously
with the advent of new talent on the European circuit
and the African checkers champion players have certainly
added a new flair to this mind sport. They possess
the same dedication and commitment to checkers as many
seasoned checkers champions and they now reign side
by side. These Masters and Grandmasters are respected
at the checkerboard and many lifelong friendships have
developed over the years through tournament play after
tournament play.
MI Fidele Nimbi, Congo, and GMI Flaubert Ndonzi, Cameroun,
now reside and play in France; however, they also participate
in the Championnat d’Afrique (African Checkers
Championship), which has recently been hosted by Dakar,
Sénégal,
and Yaounde, Cameroun.
The checkers legacy left behind upon the death of Baba
Sy, has not stagnated but blossomed tenfold as a result
of the tactical skills and great game play displayed
by the current African checkers players on the International
scene. Furthermore, it won’t stop here
because many of the African countries are witnessing
a surge of interest in the mind sport at the local
village level, at the regional level, and also at the
national level. From here, hopefully new talent will
emerge and gain a stronghold, just as their predecessors
have managed to accomplish.
Checkerboards Across the African Continent
Ivory Coast Checkers Game 1991 |
Dakar, Senegal, 1999 |
Angola 2000 Checkers game |
Beyin, Ghana Checkers 2002 |
Quarter Final, Dakar 2007 Tournament |
Ghanese checkers players in
Den Haag (The Hague) |
African Checkers Championship Players |
Africa Checkers Championship Game |
Moors Playing Checkers in Algiers |
Village children involved in a game of
checkers in Kenya |
Locals play checkers in Mauritania |
A friendly village game of checkers
(draughts) in Mozambique |
Checker players in Louga, Senegal
Checkers Players in Africa. |
Street checkers in Stonetown, Zanzibar
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Sierra Leone teens enjoy a quiet, private game of checkers
From the quiet game between two friends
to the village square where the checkers
assemblage gathers, the atmosphere is usually
one of contemplation, daring, and analysis.
The checker pieces move slowly across the
checkerboard to welcome a winner or to sympathize
with the gamer’s sad defeat. This simple,
or rather, not so simple mind sport has gained
popularity across the wastelands, through
the jungles, and over the seas to touch the
interest of a multitude of new checker faces.
Moreover, this great ancient game has grown
new roots, and touched deep in the hearts
and spirits of young and old alike, whether
novice or checkers champion, and the
colored disks will continue to move across
the checkerboard for generations to come.
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