You want checkers to explode

robertmaxwell · Post by **robertmaxwell** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:02 pm

Checkers is a joke as far as how many players there actually are. You want growth ACF should build there own website host online tournaments run a forum on it have individual profiles and if they win a tournament reward that profile by putting a trophy on there page. Maybe have a ladder system with a playoff at the end as well.... these are suggestions people like competition not just sitting around playing checkers online people need a reason to play it; the love of the game sometimes is just not good enough love you guys.

Website been up for idk how long and theirs only 208 members yes checkers is indeed declining....

This is just a suggestion do not get upset if you don't agree...

Robert Maxwell -

Eric Strange · Post by **Eric Strange** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:03 am

I completely agree!!!!

Danny_Alvarez · Post by **Danny_Alvarez** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:19 am

Robert i think that it is a fact that ACF has nothing to do with online checkers (whether that is a good or bad decision that is another topic altogether).

Cheers,
Danny Alvarez

Post by **Jason Solan** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:22 am

I've often thought about hosting a ladder, but it just seems like so much hassle without much payoff. The last couple ladders I remember all ended up in chaos after a while.

Still a good idea only takes a few good people to nurture it.
If enough people were interested, it's not a hard thing to set up.

ae_ted · Post by **ae_ted** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:05 am

Great idea. I think it has been suggested before. Maybe the idea will take off soon. Would be nice if ACF stepped into the future and used some of that mysterious $500,000 i hear about from time to time. Oh well, that is a good idea in my humble opinion.

BillyBoy · Post by **BillyBoy** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:58 pm

It's a horrible ridiculous idea to have a ACF tournament online. It shows that people are getting to lazy to go out and travel and takes away from the curious point of view of a ACF tournament. And as stated before in the past by several players you got the aspect of programs that can be used. Billy

Phil Bauer · Post by **Phil Bauer** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:06 pm

Checkers needs a rich guy to promote tournaments and donate prize money. That will bring in a lot of new members. As soon as I win the lottery I will let you guys know.

Eric Strange · Post by **Eric Strange** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:32 pm

Billy... the online ladder or anything like it does not have to be "Official" just for fun and will bring new players who decide they want to travel to a tournament. Use your head

robertmaxwell · Post by **robertmaxwell** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 9:23 pm

billy do you own a cellphone a computer any piece of technology and use it for your advantage? Nuff said

jaguar72 · Post by **jaguar72** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:10 am

Phil Bauer wrote:Checkers needs a rich guy to promote tournaments and donate prize money. That will bring in a lot of new members. As soon as I win the lottery I will let you guys know.

That would certainly help, but checkers also needs an author to do for our game what Stefan Fatsis did for Scrabble with Word Freak (2001), what J.C. Hallman did for chess with The Chess Artist (2003) and what Paul Hoffman also did for chess with his King's Gambit (2007). These were all terrific, brilliant, widely-read books.

All three of these books were aimed at a general audience (not just players; you don't even have to know how to play either game to enjoy the books) and were all excellent book-length studies of the games they described and the fascination and quirkiness of the worlds the games have created; they also took a long look at the ordinary and extraordinary people who play the games at all levels. All three books were extremely well written, hugely entertaining and did a lot to promote better understanding of both chess and Scrabble by a general population which would normally not care less.

Of the three, I felt (my opinion only, you understand; they were all excellent) that the Fatsis Scrabble book was the best. A gifted writer (Wall Street Journal) and athlete, Fatsis became so obsessed with the game he began to play competitively at the higher levels. The experiences he recounts are both fascinating and very funny. What's more important, after reading the book, you want to go out and play Scrabble...it has that effect.

There is certainly reason to believe that a similar book might do the same thing for checkers...all we gotta do is find a brilliant author who would devote a couple of years to the task... . It might cause the "explosion" we are talking about or, at least, help to achieve some sort of critical mass.

Maybe we should send Stefan Fatsis an email... .

Also, while I'm running on, a checkers column in the daily newspaper certainly wouldn't be a bad thing either...I don't know if any newspapers (a dying breed, admittedly...) have checkers columns anymore (I've not seen one) but a letter (or, better yet, a couple of hundred letters...) to an editor asking for a daily or weekly checkers column couldn't do any harm. I'm sure we have any number of talented people in the ACF who could write both an excellent letter and an excellent column.

Anyhow, just a little light food for thought.

Very Respectfully,

Gary Jenkins/jaguar72

PS: Incidentally, there have been similiar books about bridge, crossword puzzles and, ah, Lego blocks (!)...yeah, that's right, those plastic bricks from Denmark. Don't think building with Lego blocks is competitive? Think again. It's an adult hobby with many fans and particpants worldwide. Who knew??

V/R,

GJ/j72

Phil Bauer · Post by **Phil Bauer** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 2:05 am

Why don't you write it?

liam stephens · Post by **liam stephens** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:06 am

How about:

Henry M. BLOSSOM - CHECKERS : A Hard-Luck Story

Danny_Alvarez · Post by **Danny_Alvarez** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:40 am

robertmaxwell wrote:billy do you own a cellphone a computer any piece of technology and use it for your advantage? Nuff said

Mr Maxwell, does your above statement mean you condone the use of programs for online checker playing??? or am i merely misinterpreting what you said???
Just because technology exists it doesn't mean it has to be used... and i do hope we all know what is cheating and morally wrong (computer programs while playing online is cheating IMHO)

Phil I agree with you, but checkers needs a lot more than a cashed up benefactor or benefactress .... we need to find ways to connect to people and to make them want to attend our events .

Gary your idea is fantastic and thank you for sharing those titles with us, i am reading one of them already cause you mentioned one of them b4, so your reading suggestions are always spot on and appreciated.

Cheers
Danny

jaguar72 · Post by **jaguar72** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:29 am

Phil Bauer wrote:Why don't you write it?

No talent, Mr. Bauer. Alas.

It would require a really skilled author. Read the Fatsis book and you'll see what I mean.

Thanks for the thought, though.

V/R,

Gary Jenkins/jaguar72

robertmaxwell · Post by **robertmaxwell** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 12:48 pm

No danny...What I am saying is you dont go to your house to use a phone anymore you use a cellphone you dont have to go pick up a dictionary when you can just use google when you dont know a word. same thing with checkers. Billy states that playing online makes us lazy when this is not the case it is just more convenient and a bigger base of players getting more people to a live event starts online...

The American Checker Federation

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