Walter F. Hellman was the longest reigning world American checkers

English draughts

English draughts or checkers , also called American checkers or straight checkers or in Israel damka, is a form of draughts board game. Unlike international draughts, it is played on an eight by eight squared board with twelve pieces on each side...

 champion.

Background

Hellman was born in Gamla Nordsjö, Nordmaling

Nordmaling Municipality

Nordmaling Municipality is a municipality in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Nordmaling.-History:The municipal system in Sweden was introduced in 1863 and Nordmaling Municipality was one of the entities created out of a parish. In 1914 a part of the municipality was...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. His family moved to Gary, Indiana

Gary, Indiana

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in 1926.

Career

Hellman first entered at the age of fifteen and won a Gary City chess tournament. He won his first Indiana State Tournament in 1933 at the age of seventeen. Hellman placed 10th in the masters’ level at a young age of 18. Three years later, in the 9th American tournament of 1937 held at Martins Ferry, Ohio, Hellman placed third in the checkers. In 1946, Hellman entered and won the eleventh ACA American tournament held at Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, and also the third NCA American tournament played in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

. In 1948, Walter defeated Asa Long to become the new World Checkers Champion.

Hellman held the title the American Checker Federation World Championship from 1948 until 1955 and from 1958 until 1975. Hellman lost only one World Title match, in 1955 to Marion Tinsley

Marion Tinsley

Marion Tinsley is considered the greatest checkers player who ever lived. He was world champion from 1955–1958 and 1975–1991. Tinsley never lost a World Championship match, and lost only seven games in his entire 45 year career...

. Winning the 8 other occasions in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1967. His final appearance in the checkers arena was when Hellman played on the U.S. checkers team in the third International Match between the U.S. and Great Britain at Bournemouth, England.

External links

• The American Checker Federation World Championship