Abbreviations & Definitions used by the ACF & Checker Books

Abbreviations used in ACF Bulletins and Checker Book & newsletters: (used by editors Lyman & Fortman, etc.)

A.B.C. America's Best Checkers, match book no longer in print by Tom Wiswell & Robert L. Shuffett "A Classic" published in 1957

AC  The American Checkerist - William F. "Willie" Ryan’s American Checkerist 6 vol. collected and bound in hardback. The American Checkerist Magazine - The Checker Player’s Monthly Journal.  It was published for 12 years, which was a continuation of Manson Teetzel’s "ACM," the American Checker Monthly Magazine that ran for 18 years prior to his death. Ryan and Fisk wanted to keep the same name but couldn’t get together with the heirs so they renamed it, 6 Volumes - January 1939 thru June 1950.  The magazine of Champions - Maybe the best checker magazine of all time.  It had 9 issues per year (monthly Oct - Mar & bimonthly April thur Sept) 

American Checker Monthly "Official Organ" of The American Checker Association, M.D. Teetzel Publisher. (Manson Teetzel's ACM) published it for 18 years until his death 1920-1939.

A.C.A or ACA. American Checker Association, which joined together with the National Checker Association, this merger form the present American Checker Federation.

A.C.A. N.T. One of the tourneys sponsored by the A.C.A.  Since 1947 all national tourneys in the U.S. have been A.C.F. tourneys.

A.C.F.  The American Checker Federation today is the only national checker organization in the U.S.  ACA (formed in 1906) and NCA merged on Sept 1st, 1947 using the NCA as a temporary name with 665 membership. The following year the new name of the American Checker Federation was chosen by full vote on May 1st 1948. 

ACF 100 Club, 200 Club, 300 Club (increased in amount over the years), but does allow the member an installment plan. ACF "300 Club" Life-Time Memberships boosted ACF membership and raised money. The incentive to persuaded member to contribute a $300 lump sum to a special gift fund, allows the member to be exempt of the yearly membership dues.  They would also get a copy of the Top 50 select games of the yearly National Ty and play these tournaments without an entry fee.  The gift fund was set up so the interest could be use to support checkers.  This enticement was mentioned at State Ty, especially Virginia.  Les Balderson was a big promoter of Life-Time Memberships.  There was 23 Life-Time ACF Members in NC alone; however, 11 have died leaving their gift money which leaves this fund intact to support checkers.  In 2009 the amount was increased to $500 which would make it the ACF "500 Club" and a great way to support checkers and enjoy a discount on your annual ACF membership dues assuming you plan to play checkers over your life time.

ACF GAYP Club is similar to above, and the incentive to persuade  Life-Time membership of $100 lump sum contribution to a special gift fund allows the member to receive a copy of the Top 50 select Master Go - As - You - Please  National Ty games.  

ACF Founding Fathers: 1st president, Rudy Munzinger immediately set up a committee, chaired by Maurice Chamblee, to carve out a new constitution (drawing on policies of the USCF and the US Table Tennis Association, besides the more obvious sources!), and a second committee, chaired by John Dale Heath in consultation with the leading players of the day, to revise it. The proposed constitution and by-laws weren't adopted until a third committee, chaired by George Kinser, produced yet more revisions in March, 1950.  Les Balderson of Richmond, VA served as President of ACF for 17 continuous years from 1986 - 2003, which President Homer Caulkins of Los Angeles, William Burke Grandjean - Secretary, and Treasurer, Howard Owen were the prior officers.   He also served 4 years prior to that as Vice-President of ACF relieving Ed Scheidt.  Alan Millhone of Belpre, OH won the 2003 election for ACF President, and continues to do an outstanding job. E.F. Greene was President from 1915 to 1924 he died 9/22/1931.

A.C.F.B. or ACFB. American Checker Federation Bulletin. Bimonthly organ of the A.C.F., and sent to all members. The price has increased over the years and Membership is now $25, which probably should be increased, since it has been years from increasing form $20 to $25.

ACR American Checker Review early 1800's publications out of print and later re-published in leather cover books Vols. I-VI with gold gilded lettering and gold gilded edges of pages. 

Am. Ty. aka A.T. aka AT American Tourney, any of the numerous Nationals Tournaments, National Tourneys sponsored by one of the National groups.

Al "Al Lyman" Alfred P. Lyman, Sr. past editor of ACFB, our current editor is Jim Loy of Bozeman, MT. 

BCP  Badger Checker Player was a monthly checker newsletter started in September, 1946 by editor J.J. Lalor of Wisconsin Rapids, these later collected and bound in 19 volumes. 

BC   Basic Checkers a series of 7 parts or booklets for each 1st red opening move by Richard "Dick" Fortman  published in 1977-83 (all 144 3-moves).  It is considered "The Checker Bible" superseding Lee's Guide.  A classic covering all 144 of the 3-move restrictive deck with play and annotation, one of the few fully annotated checker books.  “Fortman’s 1st 20 moves on all openings... 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!" The annotation and commits about the moves are excellent, something you don't often find in checker books, and this makes it paramount for someone trying to learn checkers.  Later Richard Past authored Solid Checkers, Key Openings, and The Golden Dozen which covers these same openings with corrections on some of BC lines and includes all 156 openings.  Jim Loy has also published corrections to BC.

B.D.J.  never associated with the EDA -a private venture Editor W. G. Parker Volume 1 March-April 1952. This publication is commonly found as a 3 books set 1952-53, 1954-55, and 1956-58 (total 756 pages) but sold by EDA causing some to think it was the EDA former printed magazine of the British Draughts Assn. Today the group is known as the English Draughts. Assn. (EDA) and their printed organ is the English Draughts Journel. We spell it journal

BDA  Barbados Draughts Association (BDA). 

B.W. or BW Black Win 

CTTW Checkers The Tinsley Way "CTTW" (All Tinsley's Games) By Robert L. Shuffett, M.D. published 1982 "A Classic" The games of the greatest players of all time. "Master Players" dote over this book because it gives the Marion Tinsley's 10+ moves into all 144 restricted 3-Move Openings, these games are a study in excellence- mind boggling. 

CC  Churchill's Compilations

Cedar Point Tournaments:  August /8-15/1909 First Cedar Point Tournament at Cedar Point, OH.  Charles C. Clark was the 1st winner of a silver loving cup donated by the Cedar Point Resort Company. This tournament was usually played 1st week in August and referred to as "Cedar Point Ohio Outing Week," also many game matches and exhibition matches stage there.  8/8/1911 second American Checker Association organized at Cedar Point, Oh President Frank Fitzpatrick, Secretary Manson Teetzel.  In 1947 merged with National Checker Association to form American Checker Federation. See Lakeside below.

Col. Rev, or C.R. or cr. Colors reversed a position which has been published from a different series of moves. 
Upon finding this position in a book, the student must mentally reverse the Red and White moves. This isn't the same as turning board around or changing sides?  The red pieces become white and vise-versa.  Same position but on other side of board.  Does this happen in real play?  You bet-cha!

Deck -  3-Move Deck now has 156 openings, but originally compiled in the early 30's as "2 moves" which was 1st used in Tournaments play in 1934.  These opening grew over the year and later expanded to 3-moves.  The last 12 new openings were add and voted on in 2002 at the Anderson, SC Nationals.  EDA and most of Europe had already accept these openings at least a year prior to ACF. 

DEO   Derek E. Oldbury World Champion Checker Player from England and Checker Book Author... "Move Over" "Encyclopaeda of Draughts/Checkers" who died in 1994. 

Don Deweber Checkers21@hotmail.com use to sell checker books.  Don once owned one of the largest private Checker Libraries from acquiring the John Caldwell and Irving Windy Libraries and combining them, plus his own collection over 60 years.  In 2010 he gave away, sold, and bequeathed most of his book to Loras College, a Catholic Liberal Arts College in Dubuque, IA and the larger balance of his collection went to Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, OH.  He continues to collect checker trivia and memorabilia World of Checkers Museum, he also remains trustee of the Keystone Checkers Trust Fund, under the care and ownership of his The John Caldwell-Irving Windt Library of Checkers Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, with an IRS "determination letter."

DWM  Draughts World Magazines which ran from 1892 till 1913.

EDJ  English Draughts Journel their printed Newsletters/Bulletins by the English Draughts Association (EDA) 

ECB  Elam's Checker Board (25 vols in large blue or red hardbacks 1-8300 pgs) all Elam’s Advocate Vol 1-11,  1936-1946 + "CB" published by Emin Elam, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky (Volume 1. Number 1. January,1947 to Vol 25. No 7. July 1971) 

Elmira Ch.Bd Old Checker published in 1885-87.

FMJD Federation Mondiale Du Jeu De Dames The French World Federation which has 3 sections: 100 sq - International Checkers, 64 sq - Russian/Brazilian (known in US as "pool checkers") and Straight Checkers (USA-England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, & Barbados Checkers)  This would establish a clearing house/court of appeal for discussion between checker organizations of a section that are members.  ACF, EDA etc. would keep individual independence, operating as they do now except they would have establish statutes and by-laws on: World Championship Title, Rating System, an umbrella and international forum promoting and establishing checkers as sport/hobby. http://fmjd.org   We have WCDF (World Checker Draughts Federation) that does this now.

Folding Checker Boards Some earlier one made by Hawkins or Langdon in years past. 

Giveaway Checkers "giveaway checkers" or "Losing Draughts" The MOS Giveaway Championship - losing draughts tournament held at the Loughborough MSO in August 2002 was the first ever losing draughts tournament to be played in England. It is stated in Hoyle that no "losing draughts" game can ever end in a draw, like single kings in the double corner, who has the opposition will lose.  "Suiy"- Suicide Checkers or Anti-Checkers is drawish as Straight Checkers, however 1 vs 1 isn't a draw.  There is a section on losing draughts in Petrov's book on Russian draughts dated 1827. This is the only known literature on losing draughts. Russian equivalent (Poddavki) & lot of Russian books. Frank Dunne's "Draught Player's Guide" of 1911 also has a section.  There seems to be a re-birth and lots of interest recently among young player, especially on the internet at IYT, and several computer programs dedicated to this style of checkers.

ICHF International Checkers Hall of Fame in Petal, MS. - A beautiful and lasting memorial to the game.  A complex that has a checker museum, library, hall of flags, gift shop & store, meeting place, tournament rooms,  for local & national ty, and condominiums/efficiency apartments for retired checker players who want to move to Petal, Mississippi where plenty of good checker plays live.  The founder/director Charles C. Walker opened it in May 1979.  A Checkers'  jewel: so much support, promotion, interest, and perseveration has been generated from ICHF.  After Walker closed it in 2005, Petal Mayor Tony Phillips said, "The International Checker Hall of Fame has brought international recognition to the city, a global hotspot for checkers and a checkers shrine."  "I've toured the Checker Hall of Fame and it is a source of pride for our city,"  Phillips said . "It should be established as a historic landmark."  ICHF re-open this one of a kind Hall of Fame and was back promoting checkers, holding tournaments.  The Mississippi State Open Ty is scheduled for March 11-12th, 2006, and Morrison vs King WTM was held in December 4-9, 2006.  On September 29, 2007 an unexplainable fire started in the tower and quickly engulfed the hall and the rest of the checker complex, destroying all of ICHF.  

King - Ronald ‘Suki’ King World Champion Checker Player from Barbados both GAYP & 3-move for some time.  King won the 2005 US National GAYP in Dublin, Ohio, but was defeated in August 2005 by Alex Moiseyev in Anderson, SC in their 3-Move WCM. This match was suppose to have been played in 2002 but finally happened after King was satisfied with money and conditions, apparently it worked out for the best since they played for over twice the prize money, but Moiseyev won.  Their GAYP WCM was scheduled for 2006, but Jim Morrison challenged instead of Moiseyev and King defeated Morrison.  King continues to defend his GAYP World Title, but could not regain the 3-Move in October, 2009 against Moiseyev.  

Kear's Ency. Kear's Encyclopedia has been published in four editions, but is today difficult to find. A very large book, it is known for the quality of play it contains and for the simple format.

KCR The Keystone Checker Review by James E. Reed (1990/Volume 1 -thru- 1995/Volume 6) 36 issues a bimonthly membership magazine... discontinued December 1995 he died a few years after he stopped his KCR publication.

LCF  - Learn Checkers Fast by Tommy Wiswell

LDA Lancashire Draughts Association was founded in 1894 spoken by Dr John Reade

Lakeside Open Ty. at Lakeside, 0hio which is on the North side of the tip of Marblehead peninsula. Same area as Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH. (by ferry service maybe 8 miles, or by road 23 miles to get off the island by causeway to Sandusky then across Sandusky Bay to Danbury to Lakeside. The Tourneys were held or run at the pavilion inside the grounds, overlooking the lake..." The Cedar Point tourney was no longer played at Cedar Point from 1951 forward, as a result of the management of Cedar Point no longer providing suitable playing accommodations for the players. The tourney was moved to Lakeside as of this time, and was no longer called the "Cedar Point" tourney after this year, but was called the "Lakeside" and also called the "Northern Open" at times, and sometimes in later years it is called the "Lakeside Northern Open."  There were three big "annual tourneys" held each year that attract the better players. The Florida Open was usually held the week after Easter. The Southern Open or Southern States Open was held in a southern state in late July and The Lakeside Open was usually held the first week in August at Lakeside, 0hio.  Before Lakeside there was the annual Cedar Point Tys. named for its location at Cedar Point Island Resort, across from Sandusky, OH.  The 1st Cedar Point Tourney was August 8-15, 1909 with C. Clark winning that championship.  Many annual Cedar Pt. Tys and a number of American Tourneys (ACA) were held here.  Lakeside ceased in 1983, and from its demise grew the Northern States Tournament beginning in 1985. See Nat. Tys. & Cedar Point Tys. and the above Tys, which have reduced to only The Southern, and The Northern States which eventually died in 2005, being absorbed into the Ohio State Tournament.  The Southern is still played on 2nd Friday - Sunday in July at Americas Best Value Inn & Suites in Lebanon and directed by Frank Davis. The Tennessee Open which is usually scheduled on 1^st Friday thru Sunday weekend in July is the largest tournament currently with the exception of our Nationals.  The Illinois Open, West TN Strawberry Festival in Humboldt, Alabama Open, and the NC State Open are now the larger tournaments drawing the better players, although Southern, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and 101 are close to those attendance.

Lee Lee's Lees' Guide To The Game of Draughts or Checkers New Edition Revised and Enlarged (best) 267 pgs. published in 1947 by David McKay Co, Philadelphia by John W. Dawson It was first published in 1892. The book has been revised and reprinted many times, it even has Hall's Corrections of Lees Guide By L.L. Hall, Improvements and corrections of Lees' Guide 1953. 62 pages. Al Lyman said if Lees’ Guide was "yesteryears bible" then BC must be "today’s checker bible." 

LPC  - Let's Play Checkers by Tommy Wiswell

MTC Move to conversion information, or MTC for short. A "conversion" happens when a capture is taken, or a man crowns, or the leading man of either side moves forward. The MTC databases do not always play the shortest route to victory when in a won position, but they always guarantee a clear route to victory unlike "perfect play" 8 piece databases get win/draw in least number of moves.

MCA Missouri Checker Association publishes monthly checker bulletin, best $10 you can spend on your checker hobby/interest.

MEC Willie Ryan's book Modern Encyclopedia of Checkers

MP  Master-Play. A total of seven books were published by M. Francis Tescheleit bearing this title, each covering one opening move. Play in M.P. is difficult to follow and many of the moves given in it are not considered as very good today.

Moiseyev -  A Russia immigrant who become US citizen and World 3-Move Champion in 2002. The 2000 World GAYP Title Match between Champion, Ron King & Challenger, Alex Moiseyev was a draw match of 3 wins each & 18 draws.   Alexander "Alex" Moiseyev playing Russian draughts, the Russian equivalent of checkers, when he was 7 years old and reached a Master level before he was 15. He won the Moscow Championship in international draughts in 1979. He immigrated to the United States in 1991 with his family to work as a computer programmer. After switching to the Anglo-American game of checkers/draughts, he began to excel in America.  He continued to challenge champions until he earned the top U.S. titles in Go-As-You-Please Checkers and Three-Move Checkers.  He held both GAYP & 3-Move World Champion until Ron King defeated him in GAYP.  He says his mission is to erase the concept of checkers as a children’s game.  Alex Grandmaster & World Checker Champion authored "The Sixth" in 2006.  Alex Moiseyev is still the undisputed World 3-Move Champion and continues to defend his title.  He is also the 11-Man World Champion which has not been challenged.

MOS Mind Sports Olympiad in Cambridge, England UK 

ms mss manuscript pl mss ex: Stiles mss - John B. Stiles Expert Manuscript 7-parts all 7 openings moves (GAYP & 2-Move)

M.S.A. Mount Sterling Advocate. Former weekly (later monthly) checker publication printed in Mt. Sterling, Ky, the editor later changed the name to Elam's Checker Board. (ECB) No longer printed.

Nat. Ty. or N.T. Any of the various National Tourneys sponsored by the ACA, NCA or ACF.  The annual National Tournaments usually play GAYP on odd and 3-Move on even years.

N.C.A. National Checker Assn. This group merged with the A.C.A. in 1946 to form the A.C.F

(NCCA)  North Carolina Checker Association is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promotes and preserve the game of checkers in North Carolina.    

North Carolina State Open is the annual state tournament that has recognized a state champion since 1890.  You can view a continuous record of our NC State Tournament Winners. The (NCCA) North Carolina Checker Association began in 1918.