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Checkers
Game
Champion Richard Hallett
1929 to Present Day-
On December 2, 1929, Richard Hallett was
born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Richard’s
interest in the checkers game was developed
early in his life and he quickly displayed
a natural talent for the board play. Soon
America saw another checkers prodigy come
to life by the age of fifteen. Young Richard
Hallett defeated the veteran Maine checkers
master, Ray Gould, in the New England Tournaments
of 1946 and 1947. Richard Hallett’s
real achievement was in his successful win
over another young checkers game prodigy,
Leonard Rosenfield of Boston, in the finals.
Rosenfield was only sixteen.
Richard Hallett continued to practice his
checkers game and build on his board skills
and strategies, so that in 1950 he entered
the Paxton U.S. Open. He finished in tenth
place, but still his record was impressive
for a young checker game player in that he
only lost to Maurice Chamblee, but his games
ended in draws against Willie
Ryan, Leo Levitt and
Bruch.
Shortly thereafter, Richard Hallett made
a temporary move to Nashville, Tennessee.
There he entered and won the 1950 Southern
States Checkers Game Tournament. However,
this was the last time the checkers world
saw Richard Hallett play in any checkers
game for many years.
Around 1975, Richard Hallett reappeared on
the scene once more as a handicapper in a
Miami, Florida, dog track. It was here that
Hallett met master player and checkers game
expert, Joe Schwartz. This friendly, outgoing
businessman from New York convinced Hallett
that he should return to the checkers game
arena as he had a natural flair for the game
and there was always room for one more qualified
competitor.
Richard Hallett got back into the game. In
1978 and 1979, he entered the Florida Open
Checkers Tournaments and successfully won
both competitions. After the checkers matches
Hallett moved to Poughkeepsie, New York,
to work for Joe Schwartz’s real estate
company. However, Richard Hallett maintained
his checkers profile throughout the 1980’s.
He competed against notable checkers game
champions in the U.S. Open Tournament and
maintained a solid record in the game. In
1980 and 1982, Richard Hallett placed third
in the tourney, while in 1984 he moved up
to second place.
Outside of the U.S. Checkers Tournaments,
Richard Hallett also played two stake matches
with Derek Oldbury; one was a 20-game 3-Move
Match in 1985, which ended in a draw between
the two checkers masters with a score of
two wins, two losses, and sixteen draws each.
The other challenge was a 20-game 11-Man
Ballot match in 1986 where Hallett defeated
Oldbury with a close score of four wins,
three losses, and thirteen draws.
Also in 1986, Hallett took eighth place in the U.S. Tournament, and then he placed fourth in 1988, 1990, and 1992.
In 1991, after the resignation of the World
Checkers Champion, Marion
Tinsley, and the withdrawal of champion
player, Asa Long,
Richard was selected as the U.S. representative
to challenge Derek
Oldbury for the World 3-Move Match title.
The tournament match was played in Weston
Super-Mare, England, in October 1991. Derek
Oldbury defeated Walter Hallett to win the
title with a score of seven wins, four losses,
and twenty-seven draws. This was still an
amazing showing in the checkers arena when
one remembers that Richard Hallett had taken
a long hiatus of twenty-five plus years from
the mind sport, and also considering that
DEO was one of the strongest checkers game
masters in the world.
Three years later, at the 39th National 3-Move
Tournament in Garland, Texas, Richard Hallett
did not show as well but finished in eighth
place. However, two years later, in the 40th
3-Move Tournament held in Danville, Virginia,
Richard made a significant showing as the
U.S. 3-Move Champion in the Masters Division.
The Canadian computer checkers program, CHINOOK,
officially won the 1996 tournament, but Ron
King took first place as a human checkers
player, and Richard Hallett placed second.
As runner up to the world champion, Ron King,
Hallett was again eligible to challenge
for the World 3-Move Match title.
The following year, Richard Hallett was among
the forty checkers players who entered the
U.S. Open GAYP National Tournament held in
Greensboro, North Carolina. There was a fine
prize fund of almost $8,000.00 to be split
between the successful checkers games winners
in the three divisions of play: 13 masters,
10 majors, and 17 minors.
The results for the Masters division were as follows:
1 - Champion Richard Hallett, 28 points;
2 - John Webster 24 points & 178 Honor Points;
3 - Ron King 24 & 172;
4 & 5 tied - Jack Francis 22 & 176, Elbert Lowder 22 & 176;
6 - Ed Bruch 20 & 166;
7 - Malcolm Grimes 20 & 163;
8 - Jim Morrison 20 & 160;
9 - Les Balderson 18;
10 - Tim Laverty 16;
11 - Ron Bailey 16;
12 - Carl Reno 14;
13 - Robert Johnson 4.
Champion Richard Hallett
Checkers game champion Richard Hallett took
the title and became the U.S. GAYP Champion
of that year.
In 1998, champion Richard Hallett challenged
the champion, Ron King, in the GAYP World
Championship Match. The checkers match consisted
of 22 games, wherein champion Richard Hallett
had two successful wins, six losses, and
fourteen draws, thus allowing Ron King to
retain the World title for another year.
However, Richard also challenged checkers
opponents in the 41st U.S. 3-Move Tournament
in Hattiesburg, Missouri, that same year
and won the championship title in 3-Move
Restriction play.
Now, at the age of 70, champion Richard Hallett
was going strong in the national checkers
arena. He scored a close second with twenty-four
points, just behind Alex Moiseyev with twenty-six
points, in the Master Division of the 1999
National GAYP Tourney held in Niagara Falls.
Then in the 2001 National GAYP Tourney,
named the Tom Wiswell Memorial Tourney held
in Las Vegas, Nevada, Richard Hallett once
again played against the regular checkers
notables and placed fifth with a score of
24 points; however, his opponents who were
just ahead of him in the final listing also
scored 24 points: Alex Moiseyev (U.S.), Jack
Francis (Barbados), and Jim Morrison (U.S.).
Ron King, from Barbados, won the tournament
but champion Alex Moiseyev held the U.S.
3-Move title.
The next year, Richard Hallett entered the
43rd National 3-Move Tourney, which was also
held in Las Vegas, and placed fourth with
a score of twenty points. Also with twenty
points were 3rd place, Ed Bruch, Tim Laverty
(5th), and Jim Morrison (6th). It is apparent
by these close scores that the Masters Division
displayed the skills of numerous talented
checkers players.
At the 2003 National GAYP Checkers Game Tourney
in Anderson, South Carolina, Richard Hallett
was now approaching the age of 74, and yet,
his checkers techniques were holding strong.
In this tournament, Hallett played against
an experienced field of checker game champions:
Alex Moiseyev, Jack Francis, Jim Morrison,
John Webster, Ed Bruch, and Elbert Lowder.
His game was certainly challenged by these
checkers notables, but Richard displayed
his game prowess by scoring a close second
to the winner and U.S. GAYP Champion, Alex
Moiseyev. Checkers champion Richard Hallett's
game score was 24 points to the champ’s
26, and Hallett also acquired 184 Honor Points
to win a total purse of $1760.
The following year, Richard Hallett was back
with his checkers game in the 2004 U.S. National
3-Move Open and GAYP Tournaments, both held
in Las Vegas. Richard defeated Elbert Lowder,
Ed Bruch, and Jim Morrison as well as others
in the checkers game field to place second
in the 3-Move tourney with 22 points, again
behind the U.S. Champion, Alex Moiseyev.
Champion Ron King won the GAYP tournament
with 26 points, while Jim Morrison placed
second with 24 points and 186 Honor Points,
and Richard Hallett placed third with 24
points and 132 Honor Points. Jim Morrison
became the U.S. GAYP Champion.
In 2005, the world checkers arena still saw
Richard Hallett on the scene during the GAYP
Nationals in Dublin, Ohio. Although he ranked
seventh in this tourney, it was still an
amazing achievement considering that this
great checkers game master is in his winter
years.
The Edward A. Bruch 2006 3-Move National
Tournament was held in Medina, Ohio. Once
again there were three divisions of checkers
game players. There was a total purse of
approximately $7300 for the main tourney.
All divisions played eight rounds. The Masters
Division used the traditional round scoring
by match, which meant four games limited
by eight hours and played through six days
including Saturday.
One of the checker champions to play in
this tourney was Richard Hallett. He brought
sound checkerboard techniques and skill to
the checkers game playing field. Champion
Ron King won the tournament with 24 points
and 142 Honor Points, while Alex M. placed
second with 24 points and 138 Honor Points;
however, Moiseyev became the U.S. 3-Move
Champion. Richard Hallett successfully claimed
third place with 24 points and 132 Honor
Points.
The 2007 Derek Oldbury Memorial and 51st
National GAYP Tournament held in Las Vegas
saw new faces emerge on the checkers scene.
Lubabalo Kondlo from Soweto, South Africa,
and Shane McCosker from Northern Ireland
joined the regular roster of checker masters
to play in this challenging mind game. Richard
Hallett was also back for yet another round
at the checkerboard. Although he ranked ninth
in this tournament, he was among six players
with a score of 28 points, but what set each
checker player apart from one another, were
the Honor Points that the masters acquired
during the match. Richard had 319 Honor Points,
ahead of Jack Francis and Ron King of Barbados,
but behind Joe Schwartz, Clayton Nash, and
Jim Morrison. The checkers game prize fund
for the Masters division was $7640.
Throughout his checkers career, champion
Richard Hallett has a consistent force at
the checkerboard. Had he stayed in the checkers
arena after his first checkers successes,
Hallett’s
champion record may have been staggering.
However, considering that he rejoined the
circuit after a prolonged absence, Richard
Hallett has certainly displayed to the checkers
world that his heart is still in the game.
Champion checkers master, Richard Hallett,
retired from the work force quite some time
ago and currently resides in St. Petersburg,
Florida. Undoubtedly, as long as his health
allows, checkers champion Richard Hallett
will remain a checker contender in the U.S.
3-Move and GAYP tournaments that will appear
on the checkers game scene in the future.
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