|
|
Checkers Champion James Searight
(1869-1939)
Yet another Scottish checkers star by the
name of James Searight shone in the late 19th
century. He was born in Glasgow in July 1869
but didn't turn to the checkers game until
he was about eighteen years of age. Searight
studied the board game and learned to play
checkers at the Hutcheson Conservatives Draughts
Club during 1887-1888.
During his sojourn with the checkers club,
Champion James Searight worked very hard
at his cross-board play and used Anderson's
book as a reference for checker theory. In
1889, he joined the Glasgow South Side Draughts
Club wherein this new checkers player won
their tournament that year and the following
year.
In the 1890 season, James Searight served
as opposition to several very strong checker
players, with a very successful result for
his strategy and game play as he beat A.
B. Scott with two wins, one loss, and three
draws, and W Campbell with three wins, two
losses, and three draws. Searight's match
with R
Martins ended in a draw with one game
each and three games in a draw as did his
match with W. Bryden, wherein each player
won one game but succumbed to three draws
as well. Unfortunately, Searight lost his
match against Robert Martins with no wins,
two losses, and two draws, and he lost against
W. Campbell with no win, one loss, and three
draws.
However, despite his draws and losses on
the checkerboard, Searight remained undaunted
and continued to practice his game. In May
1891, checker master, James
Ferrie, engaged young James Searight
as a trainer for his thirty game match for
the Championship of Scotland.
However, in the spring of 1892, James Searight
also enjoyed his own ambitious exploit in
a match of thirty games with D. G. McKelvie
as his checker opponent. The purse for this
match was £50 and the title was for
the checker Championship of Glasgow. Checkers
champion James Searight play was brilliant
and resulted in a defeat for McKelvie. Champion
James Searight won the championship
with eleven wins, one loss, and nine draws.
Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the
second of the Scottish Tourney in 1893. Champion
Searight was beaten by the redoubtable master,
A. B. Scott, with no wins, two losses, and
three draws. After the tournament, James
Searight played against W. Beattie in a small
match but lost with one game to Beattie’s
two wins, and four draws. But Searight had
his revenge on A. B. Scott in the next Scottish
Tourney, for James beat Scott’s checker
play by winning with 3-0-2. In the second
round of the checker game tournament, James
met W. Bryden and the two opponents battled
for the match win throughout eighteen games
that stretched from Tuesday until Saturday.
At the end of the match, checkers champion
James Searight came out the victor with
two wins, one loss, and fifteen draws, but
as he now had to leave the tournament for
his work, he and McKelvie divided the third
and fourth prizes.
Champion James Searight was chosen for the
international checker teams against England
in 1899, 1903 and 1910, although he was unable
to play in the last match. He also played
as part of the Scottish "big
five" contingent against the
USA in 1905 and performed exceedingly well
against his opponents scoring 9-1-26.
Even after his major successes in various
tournaments and against the USA, champion James
Searight continued to play checkers locally
as a respected and gifted player.
|
|
