JohnAcker, that is a good question! First and foremost, let me wish Richard Pask a continued recovery and good health!
Pask's latest work (copyright 2013) is a powerful primer that is part of a Parragan Checkers Box Set. This is a bargain,
a nice set of checkers and How To Play Checkers by Richard Pask!
--George Hay
Funny you should ask, John; Jim Loy and I were recently discussing the material and resources we have (Jim has far more than I), and how best to use them. I don't think he will mind my mentioning that he suggested two projects that he would like to see (and I concur):
1) "Boland Simplified"
2) "Encyclopedia of Strokes" (from Games), one that is more complete and better organized than Denvir's and Ryan's popular books on the subject
Why did you ask, John? Are you getting ready to write one?
Maybe a new edition of Boland`s Familiar Themes and Duffy`s Standard Positions would be useful. If possible, with new examples taken from the US nationals, WC matches and WCDF`s Qualifiers since 2000, but that wold take a few month of hard work to provide that extra. A simple new edition would be of extreme value anyway. I think they are not copyrighted anymore, so why not simply start a series of "old classics" with these books?
In general, the literature of our game lacks good endgame books and these are the best I can recommend for an average player to start with. In the 30`s they had to restrict the number of diagrams. A new edition (maybe in pdf) could be at least much more graphic so to speak.
Also a book about the swindles and trix of Ron King in his games would be something I personally would like to see. Like Elbert Lowder, his games are full of risk and amazingly he gets away with it most of the time. Plus he is a ledgend and deserves a literary monument about his career.
The literature of our game also lacks good game collections of strong players. Alex "sixth" is outstanding, and Jim Loy recently began to write about Elbert Lowder, James Ferrie, Richard Jordan and Harry Freedman. CTTW is also reknown, but looks a bit dry to me as does the free available book about Robert Yates:
Personally - I would like to see books about history of checkers, memorable literature, statistics.
I am very interesting anything related to fight for the world title, controversy , personal stories, travel notes. So - anything "around" checkers.
I don't need a learning book. The one which I need - about strategy, were not written yet. Maybe I'll do it some day on my own, when feel comfortable that I have something valuable to say to readers.
Jim Loy's book on Lowder has already been published, and perhaps the other Jim Loy books that you mention as well.
Thanks for the link to the Yates book. I thought his biography was fascinating. Apparently, Yates never played in a tournament. Matches were the order of the day in the 1870's. It's the other way around nowadays. Alex M., have you studied Yates history as world champion?
Yates got his first checkerboard when he was 3 years old, but didn't enter serious competition until he was 15, and became world champion at 22. What is Alex H's take on a life like that?
Bill Salot wrote:Alex M., have you studied Yates history as world champion?
My knowledge's about Yates are very light. I know years when he won title, his age, opponent and score. But I don't know much about him personally and what happened with him after he lost title. These are kind of things I am interesting.
Howdy. I'm currently working on a book that I think everyone wants to see: The Checker Games of Sam Gonotsky. Unfortunately, my computer broke down, and so this project is going very slowly. I got some games from Gerry Lopez who sent me papers of the late Bob Podoff. These are the games that I have (I forget what some of my sources were and there are certainly other games that I have not yet found):
W. Ryan - S. Gonotsky, NY 1923 (11-16 24-19 16-20)
S. Gonotsky - A. Mantell 1923 (11-16 24-19 8-11) Boland's Bridges, p. 155
A. Mantell - S. Gonotsky (12-16 24-20 8-12) Kear's Ency., p.65, v.49
W. Ryan - S. Gonotsky, Brooklyn 1924 (9-13 21-17 11-15)
H. Newcomb - S. Gonotsky, NY 1924 (11-15 22-17 15-19)
S. Gonotsky - S. Hershkowitz, NY c. 1924 (11-15 22-17 15-19)
Irving Chernev - Sam Gonotsky, ACF Forum (9-14 24-20 5-9)
American National 1924 (about 48 games)
W. Ryan - S. Gonotsky 1925 (11-16 24-19 8-11) Boland's Masterpieces, p.136
S. Gonotsky - L. Ginsberg Match 1925 (30 games)
1927 International Match (40 games)
S. Gonotsky - M. Lieber Match 1928 (40 games)
M. Lieber - S. Gonotsky, 1928 Flint Ty. (9-13 22-17 13-22)
American National (Chicago) 1929 (about 39 games)
J. Bradford - S. Gonotsky (12-16 24-20 8-12) Kear's Ency. p.56S and Denvir's Guide g.58o
C. Jolly - S. Gonotsky (12-16 24-20 8-12) Kear's Ency., p.65K
S. Gonotsky - W. Ryan (9-13 23-18 12-16) Kear's Ency., p.429B
S. Gonotsky - W. Ryan (9-13 24-19 11-16) Basic Checkers, pt1, p.55J3
E. Waterhouse - S. Gonotsky a Boston ty. (11-16 22-17 8-11) BC, pt.6, p.20F2
S. Gonotsky - W. Ryan (11-16 23-18 16-20) BC, pt.6, p.54E and AC p.172
J. Bradford - S. Gonotsky (11-15 24-19 15x24) Denvir's Guide, g.4A
H. Brown - S. Gonotsky (12-16 24-20 8-12) Wood's Checker Studies, #87, v.1.5, Flint Review
and 4 Gonotsky - Ryan games from Scientific Checkers Made Easy
on icheckers.net, if you look under "Game Search Options" Check the radio box for "Player" and type in Gonotsky, then click "Submit"
There are 328 results, which means 328 games of his.
Some are in the tournament database, some in Kears, some in Basic Checkers, and some in 21st century checkers. Of those 328 I am sure there are a few duplicates but that should give you a lot more games than you have now.
Jim Loy........... I got some games from Gerry Lopez who sent me papers of the late Bob Podoff.
It is with greatest of sadness that i hear of Bobs demise [my good ol friend] When did this happen [was i in hospital then myself??/?]a great studier of the game and i say a prayer for his soul.R.I.P Bob Podoff.
Always read "Cannings Compilation 2nd Edition" every day.
Bob Podoff died January 26, 2013. The NC Checkers (http://www.nccheckers.org/) obituary can be reached from that home page, about halfway down the page. It seems that I have not yet published it in the ACF Bulletin.
And it looks like the http://www.icheckers.net site has one game that I didn't list (Gonotsky - Dossett, mail in BC7). I'll check it again, but I think that is the only one that I missed.
Thank you. I happen to have the Morris System Checkerist. I didn't remember that it was of the right era for Gonotsky. I'll skim the pages for more Gonotsky games. I can't find many of my W. Ryan books, I suppose there are more Ryan-Gonotsky games in those books.
Got those 12 games typed, and a couple of other Ryan - Gonotsky games. I can't find my copy of the American Checkerist, vol. 1. I started typing all of the games of that, but then lost the book, somewhere in this apartment. Very mysterious. I wasn't too concerned, because I was also typing Tescheleit's Master Play, so I had plenty to do. Working on vol. 4 of that one. But I digress.
, personal stories, travel notes. So - anything "around" checkers. 
