Favourite Checkers Books

[Danny_Alvarez]

Thanks George....

i have been given Mr. Hopper's book as a xmas present since i added it and many others to my amazon wishlist
And i am acquainted with the Checker Maven website... a fine example of a checkers website indeed. Whenever i can i will download that book.

cheers from a once again sunny queensland

Danny Alvarez

[Eric Strange]

If anyone would like to take the time to pdn/pgn these books I would be happy to add them to my website

[Danny_Alvarez]

for people that arent as computer savvy maybe you should teach us how to PDN and we might give it a go ... i would love to make a contribution to your website, albeit a small one.

cheers
Danny Alvarez

[Eric Strange]

[Event ""]
[Date ""]
[Black ""]
[White ""]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
1. 11-15 23-19 2. 8-11 22-17 3. 4-8 17-13 4. 15-18 24-20 5. 9-14 28-24 6. 11-15 26-23 7.
6-9 13x6 8. 2x9 31-26 9. 8-11 26-22 10. 1-6 22-17 11. 18-22 25x18 12. 15x22 23-18 13. 14x23
27x18 14. 9-13 17-14 15. 10x17 21x14 16. 6-10 30-25 17. 10x17 25-21 18. 22-26 21x14 19.
26-30 19-15 20. 30-26 15x8 21. 26-22 32-28 22. 22x15 24-19 23. 15x24 28x19 24. 13-17 8-4
25. 17-22 19-15 26. 22-26 4-8 27. 26-31 15-10 28. 31-26 29-25 29. 5-9 14x5 30. 7x14 8-11
31. 14-17 25-21 32. 17-22 21-17 33. 22-25 11-15 34. 26-22 17-13 35. 22-17 15-10 36. 25-30
13-9 37. 3-8 9-6 38. 8-11 6-2 39. 17-22 5-1 40. 30-26 2-6 41. 26-23 6-9 42. 23-19 9-14 43.
19-23 1-6 44. 22-18 6-9 45. 18-22 9-13 46. 22-18 14-9 47. 18-22 9-6 48. 23-19 6-9 49. 19-23
9-14 50. 22-18 13-9 51. 18-22 9-6 *

Here an example pdn of a standard game. For my websites concerns the most important thing I need is the results section.

[Event ""]
[Date ""]
[Black ""]
[White ""]
[Result "0-1"]
[Setup "1"]
[FEN "B:W27,K22,K14:B21,20,K5."]
1. 5-1 14-10 2. 1-5 10-15 3. 5-9 15-19 4. 9-14 27-23 5. 14-10 23-18 6. 10-6 18-14 7. 6-1
14-10 8. 1-5 10-7 9. 5-9 7-2 10. 9-5 2-6 11. 5-1 6-10 12. 1-5 10-14 13. 5-1 14-18 14. 1-6
18-23 15. 6-9 23-27 16. 9-6 19-15 17. 6-9 15-10 18. 9-5 10-14 19. 5-1 14-9 20. 1-5 22-17
21. 5x14 17x10 22. 21-25 10-15 23. 25-30 15-19 24. 30-25 27-32 25. 25-21 19-24 26. 20x27
32x23 27. 21-17 23-18 28. 17-13 18-14 29. 13-9 14x5 *

This is an example of a FEN game or endgame game. By showing B: first... it is saying black to move.... W27,K22,K14 = White man on 27, king on 22 and king on 14. B21,20,K5 = Black man on 21 and 20, black king on 5....

Most books already have the game in pdn format in their book. I just need it typed from book into a notepad file and I can put it on my website. Don't bother putting the comments by the author because these are many times copyrighted and I don't feel like dealing with that. Just the game is the most imoprtant thing.

Thank you,

Eric Strange

[Danny_Alvarez]

Thanks Eric, b4 i get started on any particular book i'll let you know and once i finish i will pass it on to you.

Danny

[George Hay]

Here is a link to a book review of Millard Hopper's Win At Checkers by "fightingbob" at Amazon.com.
What is amazing is that he compares the above book to other beginner's books and rates them
in two different lists.
--George Hay
http://www.amazon.com/review/R27841R7I9 ... 41R7I96RGH

[Chexhero]

1. Basic Checkers
2. Checkers in Depth
3. Familiar Themes
4. Horsfalls
5. Starting Out In Checkers
6. Lees' Guide- can't leave it out

[jimloy]

Checkers the Tinsley Way, by R. Shuffett and is rare
Complete Checkers, by R. Pask
other educational books by R. Pask
Basic Checkers, by R. Fortman
Various endings books by B. Boland
Lees' Guide, by J. Lees
Anderson's 2nd Edition, by A. Anderson
Any book by T. Wiswell

[Richard Pask]

Dear Ingo,

For me, the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter (by no means the hardest - that was the chapter on Bridges) to write in Complete Checkers: Insights was Chapter 6. This provided a move-for-move guide to the openings as it related to a recommended freestyle repertoire. Is this the kind of openings guide that you are seeking? (Incidentally, Checkers in 10 Lessons has a superb openings chapter, with many valuable insights from Dr Tinsley.)

As a home-grown project - not to be published in the fantastic form to which Bob Newell has devoted so many hundreds of hours - I might be tempted to publish an opening guide to the 46 2-move ballots (no more!), consisting of 100 games along the lines of CC: IH Chapter 6. The opening 20 moves (approximately) to be explained in detail; the remaining moves featuring a classic continuation.

I have to say in advance however, that I couldn't personally better the Chapter 6 approach, so I'd need to know if it would be valued.

[Richard Pask]

My favourite 5 books are the 12 (!) I list in Complete Checkers; Insights, Page 271-272, together with the order in which I feel they should be studied to the best advantage:

1) Checkers Made Easy (Reisman)
2) Clapham Common Draughts Book (Trott)
3) Familiar Themes (Boland) - his best
4) Principles of Strategy (Ginsberg)
5) Wonderful World of Checkers & Draughts (Wiswell & Leopold)
6) Standard Positions (Duffy)
7) Checkers & the Experts (Chamblee)
Tricks, Traps & Shots (Ryan)
9) Checkers in 10 Lessons (Wiswell)
10) Let's Play Checkers (Grover & Wiswell)
11) Move Over (Oldbury)
12) Basic Checkers (Fortman)

This small and relatively inexpensive library would be invaluable to an inspiring student. I might also mention two brilliant articles in different editions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica - the first by Reisman and the second by Wiswell. In the proper format, these would represent excellent books in their own right.

[chipschap]

I have a slightly differing view, as I am very much still a learner at an early stage.

Anyone and everyone will benefit from Checkers Made Easy (CME) and this is probably the first book to get your feet wet with. Even if you have little ambition to become a good player, this is a book for you, and who knows; it might inspire you to go further.

If you want to be good at checkers but are only somewhat serious, or are just exploring your interests, Checkers For The Novice (CFTN) is the book for you.

Beyond this--- and if you are only going to have one checker book in your entire life--- it's hands down Complete Checkers: Insights (CC:IH).

If you pursue CC:IH supplement it with Familar Themes (get the errata sheet if you can, or use your computer).

And of course if you get into serious expert and master territory you'll want Complete Checkers: Repertoire and a few other books.

On the fun side, one book almost never mentioned is Robert Pike's Little Giant Encyclopedia of Checker Puzzles.

Of course most forum members know that CME, CFTN, and the CC books are free downloads on my website.