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Checkers Game
in the West Indies
Throughout history, many giants in the
mind sport of checkers have made their appearance
on the local, national, and International
stage, which gave them a venue to display
their unique checkers game ‘tricks’ and
talents. Some of the checkers game masters
have played and still play International
draughts, while others engage in the challenges
of American checkers games.
In the past, the style was GAYP (Go-As-You-Please)
and 2-Move Restriction, but the 2-Move gave
way to the 3-Move game. GAYP and the 3-Move
checker game style of play are more prevalent
in the U.S.; however, the 8 x 8 checkerboard
game is also enjoyed in the countries of
Great Britain ~ England, Scotland, Wales,
and Northern Ireland. History has witnessed
numerous International Matches between the
U.S. checkers team and that of Great Britain
checkers game.
With time, the interest in this great sport
has spread beyond the borders of Europe to
Africa, and beyond the boundaries of the
U.S. into the West Indies, Central, South
America, and to a more limited extent into
Asia. The Checkers Game
in the West Indies countries of Barbados
and Bermuda have joined their sister members within
the American Checker Federation (ACF), which is a non-profit
organization and the central governing body for checkers
games in the United States.
Currently, the ACF also
has members in Australia, Canada, England, Ireland,
Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland,
South Africa, Wales, smaller islands in the West Indies,
and the U.S. The ACF holds many checker tournaments
across the United States and sponsors an annual National
Checkers Tournament in GAYP and 3-Move, wherein the
each winner earns the right to compete in the World
Checkers Games Title match.
Aruba, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Grenada, St. Vincent, and Trinidad-Tobago
hold members who have joined the FMJD to
play International checkers, primarily in
Pan-American checkers competition, which
has been hosted in Curacao and Sao Paulo,
Brazil, in recent years. The most regular
Pan-American entrants in the checkers game
tournaments have been Bonaire, Costa Rica,
Curacao, Guadeloupe, Suriname, and Brazil.
There are thirty-four countries in the Americas,
as well as a few islands. The Pan-American
and Draughts Checkers Federation (PADCF)
has contacts with eighteen of them: Antigua,
Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Brazil, Canada,
Costa Rica, Curacao, the United States, Grenada,
Guadeloupe, Haiti, Panama, the Dominican
Republic, St. Martin, St. Vincent, Suriname,
and Trinidad-Tobago.
The Pan-American Championship is used to qualify the
representatives of the American zone at the checkers
games World Championships. This competition is held
every two years, and brings together the best two players
from each country, while the host country reserves
the right to submit three representative checkers players.
The following International draughts players have
successfully recorded a place in Pan-American
checkers history as Champions of the Pan-American
Draughts Championships since the first match in 1980:
- 1980-Bernard ROBILLARD (Haiti) Paramaribo, Suriname
- 1981-Vladimir KAPLAN (USA) Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- 1983-Iser KUPERMAN USA) Philadelphia, USA
- 1985-Iser KUPERMAN USA) Ituiutaba, Brasil
- 1987-Iser KUPERMAN USA) Amparo, Brasil
- 1992-Alexander MOGUILYANSKY (USA) Willemstad, Curacao
- 1993-Guno BURLESON Suriname) Goiania, Brasil
- 1995-Iser KUPERMAN USA) Aguas de Lindoia, Brasil
- 1997-Guno BURLESON Suriname) Paramaribo, Suriname
- 1999-Johan KOSTER Curacao) Willemstad, Curacao
- 2001-02 Vladimir VEYTSMAN (USA) St. Andrew, Grenada
- 2003-04 Anthony ALEXANDRE (Haiti) Cap Haitien, Haiti
- 2005-Alexander MOGUILYANSKY (USA) Montreal, Canada
- 2007-Ricardo PIERRE (Haiti) Sao Paolo, Brasil
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In the same way that many European
and African Masters and Grandmasters
in checkers travel great distances
to attend national tournaments and
World championships, the experienced
International checkers players travel
within the West Indies, Central America,
and Brazil to attend world qualifying
competitions. They, too, face many
different situations within the checkers
game environment, and over the years
many new friendships have been forged.
As a result of the instability within many
countries around the world, there is certainly
the potential for problems sometimes cropping
up. However, it would seem that the Pan-American
checkers players have been fortunate in that
regard.
During 2003-4, the 12th Pan-American Draughts Championship was held in Cap Haitien, Haiti, and some concerns certainly surrounded the event because Haiti has had its share of political and economic problems in the past. However, all went well for the checkers entourage. The president of the PADCF made these comments after the event:
“In spite
of all of the negative news about security
and so on in Port-au-Prince, we managed to
play this championship with 12 players proceeding
from Brazil, Canada, Curaçao, Guadeloupe,
Trinidad & Tobago
and Haiti. During our stay of some days in
Port-au-Prince on our arrival and departure
we just could not take notice of any insecure
situation either by day or by night. The
organizing committee really did a great job
to host this Championship in Cap Haitien
and also host Checkers Game
players from the West Indies. The Haitian players
from the West Indies were very well prepared for the
checkers game battle. Of course, with the absence of
the "Russian" American
and Surinam players, the Haitian players remained as
the first favorite to win the championship. The Haitian
players and their coaches were hosted in Hotel Brise
du Mer just around the corner where the games were
played while all players from abroad, officials and
also authorities from Port-au-Prince were hosted in
the Rival Hotel, a two-years old hotel built on the
edge of a mountain next to the beach and with an excellent
view on the Atlantic Ocean and the north of Haiti.
The championship was played in a very good ambiance
with every day about approximately 200 spectators
visiting the games. The game of draughts is extremely
popular in Haiti and especially in Cap Haitien...
(everyone) was very peaceful, polite, sincere, and
with a respectful behavior towards strangers (and
the checkers players)...The closing ceremonies of
this championship started at 7 p.m. and was a big
party like never seen before on a Pan-American or
a World Championship. There were about 350 to 400
guests and after the official presentation, there
was a show of cultural music, Haitian jazz, and dancing
that lasted until after 1 o'clock a.m.
We all know by now the good performance of the Haitian players in the championship. Also against each other they played good games. We want to thanks them for this and also we do congratulate them with this achievement and wish them all the best in the coming world championship...”
Group photo of Checkers Masters during 2007
Pan-American Draughts Championships
in Sao Paulo, Brazil
The following checkers players took part
in the 14th Pan-American Championships to
play matches in International draughts in
Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the 2007 competition.
- Aruba 1 participant (Henry Kennepa)
- Brazil 3 participants (José Maria Silva Filho; Miguel Cavalcante; Francisco Marcelo)
- Curaçao 2 participants (Nelsen Angela; Raoul Alias)
- Haïti 1 participant (Ricardo Pierre)
- Suriname 2 participants (Stanley Moetoer; Sharief Rodjan)
- Trinidad-Tobago 2 participants (Dickson Maughn; Timothy Dennis)
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