Richard Fortman is dead

[Bob Murr]

I am deeply saddened as is the entire Checker community. I will certainly miss his very interesting articles and games analysis and annotations.

Rest in peace Richard, we will miss you.

[whitefork]

Bummer. I believe he was the last surviving contributor to Checkers and the Experts too. Maybe America's Best Checkers as well.

93. That's really beating the odds.

[Bob Murr]

Interesting interview with Richard Fortman by Brian Hinkle

http://www.checkerworld.com/interview.html

[JR Smith]

The Checker Community is saddened about Mr. Fortman's death. He was one of the giants of our mind sport and gave so much over his 93 years. He will be dearly missed. We offer our sympathy and prayers to the Fortman family. “Fortman’s 1st 20 moves on all openings... (1983) the basic checker foundation book” which Marion Tinsley said, "Checker players might forget some of the many championship titles "Dick" Fortman won, but they'll never forget Fortman's "BC," a great contribution to checkers!"

[Jay H]

One of the saddest days ever for this game.
My sincerest condolences to the entire Fortman family.....a true giant in the game's history, and a class act all the way around.
RIP Dick Fortman......the name will reverberate throughout any future this game has.

Jay H

[chipschap]

I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Fortman in person, though we did correspond by email a little, and he once honored my online column by allowing me to print some of his Switcher analysis. I knew him to be a gentleman whose inherent modesty understated his incredible skill and knowledge.

But we ought to pause and reflect, for as I just this afternoon wrote in the Checker Maven, we have witnessed the passing of perhaps the last of the great legends from the great days of the game of checkers. It is truly the end of an era; a page has turned in checker history and will never be turned back. Ryan and Long and Wiswell and Boland and Grover and Oldbury and so many more .... and now, at 93, Richard Fortman.

[jimloy]

I wanted to inform you that we are having a small, family ceremony for my father this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Mechanicsburg Cemetery in Mechanicsburg, Illinois, where my parents had previously purchased their burial plots. My dad had requested that he be cremated, so we are having a graveside service with military honors and we will be burying his ashes there. You may pass this information onto others who might be interested and thank everyone for their kind words and wonderful memories of my father.
Best Regards,
Cindy Ponder

[Hugh Devlin]

It is with great sadness that I heard of Richard’s death. The world of checkers owes him immeasurable gratitude for all that he has done for the game during a period of 60+ years. As an annotator he was supreme, having developed a personal style that weaved historical data amongst the moves played, illuminating the game and its participants in a way than none had done before him. As an organiser and promoter of the game he strived for the highest standards achievable. His “Basic Checkers” still remains a bible to checkers players some thirty years after its publication. Indeed he has been associated with every checker book and publication of note over the past fifty years. His contributions were immense.

Personally, I had the pleasure of meeting Richard on two occasions, affording me the opportunity to get to know him as a person, where we spoke about life, family, and of course checkers. As a friend Richard was always there, sharing, encouraging, and supporting. We corresponded often during the twenty years I knew him. He was always asking about fellow enthusiasts, unselfishly supplying analysis on obscure lines of play, and sharing new unpublished lines in almost all letters received. When my mother passed away around six months ago, Richard was one of the first to contact me and express his condolences. He maintained a keen interest in everything to the end.

On behalf of the World Checkers Draughts Federation (WCDF) I wish to express our sincerest condolences to his family and friends on their great loss. “Dick” was a man that touched all of our lives. Hugh Devlin, President, WCDF.