New England Checker Championship Held In Dover Over Weekend

"There are some characters," said host Catherine Wright.

Dover residents Richard and Catherine Wright hosted the New England Checker Championship for the American Checker Federation at their home on Saturday.

“It was a good turnout,” said Richard of the eight people that showed up for the tournament.

At the end of the afternoon Richard lost to Westwood resident Joe Margolin, who won with a perfect score.

Wright, who is also the director of the American Checker Federation, said he lost to Margolin in the last round. “That is not the first time,” he noted. “Joe’s a very hard guy to beat,” Wright added.

“There is no prize,” he said, but they do get their names on a plaque.

Of the people who come to the tournament, Catherine Wright said, “They are really smart, nice men,” and, “there really are some characters.”

Richard Wright said that people in this tournament don’t usually move on to other tournaments, but if Margolin so chose, he could find a sponsor, qualify for other regional tournaments and at some point move on to the world championships.

Wright said that a world champion would also have to be familiar with the types of checkers that are played in other parts of the world.

This year’s world champions are being held in Cleveland, Ohio, Wright said, and will be played between U.S. champion Alex Moiseyev and Italian champion Michele Borghetti.