When people are young and just learning to play a games or ancient games, more play checkers than chess. It is known that chess players tend to be more serious about their gaming than checkers players are. Still, there are some people who take chechers very seriously and become offended by the elitist attitudes of “chess snobs” and will take them to task on it at the first opportunity.
In Great Britain, checkers is referred to as draughts, in much the same way as cookies are called biscuits. Checkers are played on an 8×8 board in Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and a limited number of other countries around the world, but he most popular version of checkers takes place on a 10×10 board, typically in Eastern Europe. That version is usually called Polish Checkers by people in the US, while elsewhere it is called International Draughts.
One very popular misconception about checkers is that it is a dead game. Some believe this to be true, since the game is “solved,”(meaning that a super-computer can play perfect checkers without issue, in much the same way that the ship’s computer plays chess in Star Trek. While it is true and can be proven that chess is impossible for any computer smaller than the entire universe to solve, basically the same is true of checkers, despite its evident limitations when compared with chess.
People have loved playing various versions of checkers throughout the whole world in varying times. With celebrated World Championship Matches in both styles, there is plenty for serious fans be enthusiastic about. Of all the championships, one called the 3-move World Championship is the most prestigious. Enthusiasts also participate in local tournaments, district wide and state wide ones, and even national tourneys.
The U.S. National Tournament is the current largest and most sought after tournament in the whole world.
To learn so much more about checkers competitions in your area of the US, visit the American Checker Federation and sign up. Membership fees are not very costly for an annual expense, and will allow you to network with others who share your passion for this venerable and entertaining game.
