Monday, February 7, 2011 - Fox8 wghp Morning News with Bill McClintock, Larry Michael, and Fox8 anchor Brad Jones talking "Checkers"

Greensboro will soon host another country-wide event with a national checkers tournament, a game some of Roy's Folks know very well.
Larry Michael and JR Smith love to play each other in the game of checkers.
"There is no substitute like sitting down and playing someone like JR," Michael said. "Not only for the checkers part of it, but for the camaraderie that we have."
"It's just a mental game," Smith said. "I enjoy sitting across from somebody and just out-smarting them."
Casual players know the game for its simplicity, but there's a complex side to it as well.
"It is so simple that a child can play and yet computers have not mastered the game," Michael said.
That's because there is a seemingly infinite number of moves and counter-moves.
The grand masters will look 15 to 20 moves ahead," Michael said.
"You don't have to see but one move ahead of your opponent and you are better than he is," Smith said.
Playing checkers will probably never reach the level of other professional games, but it does have its own perks.
"We got bragging rights, for what it's worth," Smith said.
The National Checkers Tournament runs Thursday through Sunday and will be played in the banquet room of Libby Hill Seafood on Randleman Road. Competitors from all over the world will be in attendance. Copyright © 2011, WGHP-TV

Checkers Tournament Feb 7, 2011at 6:46 AM PST   Video