2026 Virginia Commonwealth & District 4 Open 3-Move Checker Tournament  
"The  109th Annual Old Dominion Checker Association's Tournament for The Commonwealth of Virginia"
and Our "80th ACF District 4 Tournament"

Buck Smith Memorial Checker Tournament
We commemorate Buck Smith for his 21 years of dedicated service as President of Old Dominion Checker Association (2005 - 2026)
We also acknowledge and honor Buck Smith for his lifetime commitment and support of checkers, and his pursuit of checker excellence.

Friday & Saturday - September 18th & 19th 2026  
Ryan Pronk email: Ryan.Rronk@gmail.com 480-262-0037 | Buck Smith, ODCA President:  BuckandBJ@AOL.com  540-290-3566 or 540-997-0332 | JR Smith 336-209-5656 JRSmithnccheckersgmail.com


  Dutch Inn - Collinsville, VA 24078  |  2360 Virginia Ave, Collinsville VA 24078 (map) | 276-647-3721

 Quality Inn Photo Link      VA Open & D4 Postcard Invitation       2026 VA Vertical Banner      2026 & D4 Open Schedule 

   VA Championships List         District 4 Championships List         Collinsville Eateries & Restaurants   

   Call - Teal Stanley (336)-215-7066, JR Smith (336)-209-5656, Buck Smith (540)-290-3566, or Ryan Pronk (480)-262-0037

We have a block of 12 rooms reserved under "Checker Tournament" -2026 Dutch Inn Group Contract of $69 + 11.3% tax = $76.80 for king or double, non-smoking, first floor available September 17th through 20th; however, most players will book the 17th & 18th. Same venue we have used in the past years under the Quality / Dutch Inn hotel chain. You must let desk receptionist, know you are a checker player to get discount and please make your reservation by phoning 276-647-3721. Please reserve your room early since you may cancel anytime prior to check-in, until 4:00 PM on the date of your arrival without charge or penalty. We have the "Hague" a large banquet / conference (32 capacity) playing room for our tournament on the 18th & 19th for $100 per day. We combined our ACF District 4 tournament with the Virginia Open. There are prize funds for each division. The Hotel Restaurant / Dinning Room is closed. The Bar & Grill "Rosie's 777 Game Room" on 2nd floor is open for club sandwiches, burgers, etc. Hotel also provides hot coffee in the lobby. There are also various eateries close by so click above, on “Collinsville Eateries & Restaurants.”  Get directions by: click “map” above. Registration begins at 8:00 AM and VA & D4 Business Meeting: 8:30 - 9:00 AM, Tournament Starts at 9:00 AM. The public is welcome and our tournament players are invited to renew old friendships and play some excellent checker games. hotel venues.  2026 NC Hotel Venue Contacts.


Results:

  • Congratulations! To MS Michael Holmes from Woodbridge, Virginia as our 2026 VA Commonwealth Tournament Winner and also our 2026 District 4 champion.
  • Congratulations! To MS Tim Laverty from Graham, NC who placed second, MS Teal Stanley Greensboro, NC placed third, and MS Dr. John Webster from Stoneville, NC as our forth place winner.
  • We welcomed 7 players from 3 different states: 4 from North Carolina, 2 from Ohio, and 1 from Nebraska.
  • Dutch Inn provided us a room with four 8' X 30" white linen cloth covered tables and 6 padded chairs per table. We had a ice chest with bottle water and plenty of hot fresh coffee in the lobby. There was also tea and chocolate packets available.
  • With only seven players, the players decided to play a round robin, while keeping the 3-Move Restriction format, at 2½ hours per round (1¼ hours) per game. We played 5 rounds Friday and two more on Saturday.
  • Teal Stanley delivered our opening tournament invocation.
  • We held this Virginia Checker Tournament in honor of Buck Smith, past President of Old Dominion Checker Association for 21 years. Buck passed away 6/20/2026 at age 95.
  • Jim Albin from Omaha, Nebraska was recognized as traveling the furthest distance to the tournament as 1,000 miles one-way from Omaha to Collinsville, VA. Jim and Debbie flew into Norfolk, VA to visit their daughter and then drove to Collinsville for the tournament.
  • All players paid a $20 entry fee for a total of $140.
  • The tournament budget was $627 is a combination of $403 prize fund, $200 playing room, $24 other, $140 entry fees, $30 contributions from Alan Millhone, $20 from Michael Holmes, $137 from JR & Gayle, and $300 withdrawal from the NCCA trust account.
  • The tournament ran smoothly and on time.
  • Kevin Smith, the youngest of Buck's three sons visited the tournament Saturday. All of us shared memories and many stories.
  • Most players enjoyed a nice buffet breakfast and lunch at the Pacific Bay Steak & Seafood, just a few blocks South from Dutch Inn toward Martinsville.
  • Alan Millhone brought several checker books with him and gave them to Teal Stanly so he could deliver them to Luther Ross.
  • We offer a big Thank You to all who help make this tournament a success, especially Gayle, our referee and score-keeper.
  • JR & Gayle celebrated their 58th anniversary September 15.
  • 2026 VA + D4 budget: Contributors/Expenses
  • Some tournament 2026 VA-D4 photos:

2026 Tournament Dates