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Homan Square Pool Checkers & Chess Club of Chicago

 

Pool Checkers & Chess History

 

Hi, Welcome to the World of American Pool Checkers and American Chess!!

 

Pool Checkers History

To acquaint you with some history of the game, allow me to introduce you to a document we prepared for our interested observers at a Pool Checkers Tournament held at the Center, by the Club, on April 15th and 16th 2005.

What!! one might ask, is American Pool Checkers? 

 

Pool Checkers is really a hybrid form of regular (straight) checkers

 

American Pool Checkers differ from regular checkers in basically two  ways, ‘The Backwards Jump’ and the ‘Flying King.’  First, whereas in regular checkers, you can only jump (and eliminate) your opponent’s pieces by jumping forward (never backwards),  in pool checkers, you can jump (and eliminate) your opponent’s pieces by jumping forwards or backwards.

 

Secondly, in regular checkers, kings can only move or jump one piece at a time (unless there is, one and only one, square separating the pieces being jumped).  In pool checkers, it doesn’t matter.  As long as there is, at least, one square separating the pieces, the king can jump as many pieces in its ‘legal path‘.  For those two reasons, the adherents of pool checkers say their game is much more exciting.  Even non-playing onlookers are aghast when they observe one player eliminating as many as six pieces from his opponent’s side in just one ‘swoosh.’

 

Allow us to elaborate a bit about the game of CHECKERS first.  We all have, perhaps, played checkers at some point and time in our lives.

 

But the checkers we have been accustomed to playing, in this country,  was ‘regular checkers.  It has been played by children, the elderly, and the in between since antiquity.  One author described checkers adherents as kids from 8 to 80.

 

Some History

 

I will offer you a statement from the American pool Checkers Association Handbook of 1982.  (This Associations has been the primary ruling body for American Pool Checker since the mid 1960s).  “Checkers,  like chess, is one of the world’s oldest games.  Many enthusiasts hesitate to call it a sport because it does not stir or charge the emotions like a basketball game or a boxing match.  The partisan excitement is missing even though two mental giants are slugging it out.  Yet, this game has fascinated men since the 5th century Before Christ.”

 

It is an established fact that checkers is one of the oldest board games in existence.  The origin of checkers has been debated by historians for centuries.  Some say its origin was in India, others claim it originated in China, still others claim it had its origin in Egypt, Constantinople, Israel, and other countries as claims go on and on.

 

Whatever the facts are about its origin, it has been documented that some of the great men/women of the ages had, at one time or another, played this ancient game. 

 

Just to name a few - it is said that Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French general carried a checkers board around with him for amusement when he grew tired of warring.  Several of the mighty Emperors of Rome is reported to have played it, and one,  The mighty Roman Emperor, Caligula is said to have been and avid fan of the game

 

Additionally, it’s reported that pictures of checker players were posted on the walls of  the Tomb of King Tut,’ the Boy King.  Homer spoke of checkers in the Odyssey.  And also, Peter the Great of Russia, is said to have been an avid player himself.

 

And so, when you play at this game, just be aware, that it has stirred the minds and imaginations of some of the great persons of the ages. 

 

With that bit of history in mind, let’s return to our original subject-American Pool Checkers.  It’s called ‘American’ Pool Checkers’ to distinguish it from ‘Polish Pool  Checkers.’ 

 

Why make the distinction? One might ask.  Well the game of Pool Checkers is said to have originated in Poland.  The term ‘Pool’ is said to have been a corruption of the word ‘Poland.’  In fact, it’s recorded that only two countries play the game of Pool (Polish) checkers - America (U.S.) and Poland.  While many countries, notable Brazil. Canada, Italy, Russia, the U.S., just to name a few, play the game of checkers with very slight variations,  only the U.S. and Poland are said to play the game with practically the same rules

 

Since the game is unique to perhaps only Poland and America,

the game as it is played in America, is curiously enough,  dominated by African Americans and some Eastern European men.  It is clear why Eastern European men dominate in this kind of game.  As I have talked to and played against many of these players, I am told that the game is so popular in those countries that it is taught in the schools. Consequently, a high degree of skill is learned at an early age by these foreign players.

 

Conversely, the reverse seems to have been the case in American.  Not only is the game not taught in the schools, many if not most in this country do not even get “seriously” interested until well past middle age.

 

Interestingly, there is not complete agreement as to why older African American dominate this form of checkers.  One author dates the interest back to the days of the French colonial rule in Louisiana.  It might have grown popular among the black slaves during that time. Perhaps this is because of idle time that might have been a way of life during those troubled times.

 

If that, in fact, is the origin, we do know that the great impetus of the game grew most popular in America during the great Northern and Western migration during and after the great depression.  We are convinced that this enthusiasm came as a result of idleness due to a scarcity of jobs during that period. As a result, the game became popular in practically all the great cities of this country, and many of the smaller ones as well (especially in the South).  From that exodus, the game developed some of its greatest players. 

 

For a look at some of these players, one can log onto the web site Pecan's File Archives and read, “Pecan’s” All time Greatest American Pool Checkers players.  It will give you some prospective about some of the all time great players of the past and present. 

 

Many of these great players, did not have the benefit of learning this game in the classroom as their foreign competitors did, yet they were able to compete, and at time excel, against their foreign counterparts in some of the great documented matches of the past..

 

One such person was Chicago’s own Carl “Buster” Smith .  Mr. Smith ruled the world of American Pool Checkers for nearly fifty years and was ranked the 3rd best American Pool Checkers player of All Time.  Only two Russian Grand Masters were ranked ahead of him.  Again by logging on the above mentioned website, one can read about the deeds and exploits of Mr. Smith by observing my, Legends of Buster.

 

And finally, this tournament the 2005 Chicago Open, a Pool Checkers Tournament, was hosted here at the center on April 15, and 16, 2005 to determine a champion for the city. The winner of that tournament was Al Lambert.

 

We, here at the Homan Square Community Center, offer our heartfelt thanks to Staff (the Center’s Directors) for giving us the opportunity to host this tournament. For additional information on American Pool Checkers, please e-mail me at: chas8171@sbcglobal.net. 

 

Chess History

 

For a look at a brief history of chess, I refer you to the following link, The Chess Page. Open this result in new window  Specifically, point to the Contents, A Brief History of Chess, and also view the topic, Chess on the Internet.

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Stoney Burke

President

 

 

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