The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1916-01-29
LORE OF CHECKERS
a Game That Has Been Played
For twenty Centuries.
LONG KNOWN AS ~DRAUGHTS."
Plato and Homer Mentioned the Cana
In Their Writings, and Many Relies
Of II Have Been unearthed From the
Tombs Of Ancient Egypt


Of II Have Been unearthed From the
Tombs Of Ancient Egypt. A.
dnstrial plant two boys lowered medi-
tatively over a checkerboard OF red and
black squares and moved their "men"
from square TO square with much pre-
meditation. An old man CHANGED that
way and. lured by the contest, stopped
and looked on. Taking the liberties or
the rights that his years warranted, he
suggested a move and was soon alb
sorbed In the game. Another man
came by and stopped. and soon there
was group around the silent and In
tent contestants. The lure OF check
ers was upon them.
This game in slightly modified forms
has exercised its fascination upon the
human race for centuries that cannot
be counted. Checkers" Is a new name
for an ancient game. To English
speaking people It was long known as
"draughts," aad In all the languages
or civilized men It has a name. There
are variations in the way OF playing
II, but 1t Is the familiar checkers OF our
time Just the same.
So many things come 10 light out OF
the ancient tombs OF Egypt that Il
strikes the modern man as remarka-
bic how many articles they buried
with men in those dim, long gone ages,
but out OF tombs at least twenty cen.
turtles old explorers, excavators and
tomb breakers have brought forth
pieces Of checkerboards and the disks
which FOR some reason are called
men And as such things have been
ss5nnd IN tombs that were scaled TWEEN.
~ centuries ago Il Il possible that
some time Ia very much older tomhs |
explorers tnay tnd relics Of checkers.
In the British museum one Of the
exhibits In the Egyptian collection Is
a board and men OF the ancient game (
which came out OF one OF those ancient
tombs. Some OF the oldest OF the mu-
raj decorations OF ancient Egypt de-
pict players engaged at draughts, or
whatever the ancient Egyptians may
have called the game,
Classic references may be found TO
draughts. Plato mentioned It and |
writes that It was the invention OF an
Egyptian whom he called Hermes Iris
megistus, but where and how Plato got !
the information are not clear. IL Is |
very easy TO say that such and such |
n man invented such and such q game, |
but close investigation usually proves
that he hit on some adaptation or vari-
alton OF very much older game.
Tracing the genesis OF a game OF |
skill or chance usually leads the in
vestigator too far back in the mIsts OF
the past TO be sure that he has found
the correct answer.
This game is also mentioned by
Homer and he records the observa-
tion that IL was played during the pc.
riod with which the odyssey" deals. !
There Is little doubt that the Greeks |
played the game ana that nj n later |
period the Romans played variant |
OF Il, which they called 'lalrunculL"
IL was early played through north. /
ern Europe ana was played there nj |
such remote period that II was said
20 have been one of the few things !
which were MOI introduced In that re
glon by tile Romams
IL was one Of the most popular games
In Europe during the sixteenth cen
fury In the Library OF Congress are
several old books treating OF the game
Samuel Johnson once wrote a preface |
10 a book ON the game OF draughts !
which one William Payne had com
posed az the expense OF much time ami /
effort
Students OF checkers and very old /
players OF the game recall the names |
OF Anderson, an Englishman and Wyl. /,
lie. the herd laddie," who were Ia |
nous checker players about half
century ago. Wyllle Travelled all over
the world playing contests with local !
checker experts and enthusiasts. Mar.
tens, an English player. and two Amer.
leans. Yates and Barker. succeeded TO 1
the fame OF Anderson and Wylle
Washington Star