Charles Walker (draughts player)
Encyclopedia
Charles Clendell Walker is a former Mississippi
state checkers
champion and minister. He founded the International Checker Hall of Fame
in Petal, Mississippi
in 1979.
Walker is also known in checkers history for his record-setting victories in simultaneous checkers matches. In a January 1992 match that lasted over eight hours, he played 229 checkers games simultaneously. He won 227 contests, lost one and tied one. In 1994, he set a Guinness World Record
while playing 306 checkers games simultaneously and losing only one.
Walker started playing checkers at a young age: "At age 7, his family was flooded out of its home. To pass time in the emergency shelter, he played checkers. Later he discovered his father-in-law was shy. He broke the ice by playing checkers with him on the front porch, and getting beaten." The game became his life-long passion that defined much of his life, both public and private.
In the 1990s, Charles Walker helped organize and publicize several World Man-Machine Checkers Championship matches of the checkers computer called Chinook
against several human players.
Walker was a long-term friend, admirer, and promoter of World Checkers champion Marion Tinsley
, whom Walker described as "the greatest checkers player who ever lived," and "probably the greatest who ever will live".
Walker served as a Secretary of The American Checker Federation, was the Editor of Checkers Magazine and also served as President of World Checker Draught Federation.
Walker ran a successful insurance business and was described in the media as "an insurance millionaire" and an "insurance tycoon".
Walker was arrested by ICE
agents on January 7, 2005 in an undercover sting operation and charged with attempted money laundering of "$6 million in represented drug smuggling proceeds". Charles Walker plead guilty on June 30, 2005. His sentencing had to be postponed twice, in particular because of Hurricane Katrina
, but he was sentenced to five years in prison in January 2006. In January 2005, after his arrest, Walker announced that the International Checkers Hall of Fame was to be closed, and that he would resign his post as President of the World Checker Draught Federation. The International Checkers Hall of Fame was kept open until Walker's sentencing, but the building was destroyed by fire on September 29, 2007.
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
state 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 and minister. He founded the International Checker Hall of Fame
International Checker Hall of Fame
The International Checker Hall of Fame, which operated from 1979 to 2007, was founded by Troy Førde and located in a Tudor style mansion in Petal, Mississippi and housed a large collection of checkers memorabilia...
in Petal, Mississippi
Petal, Mississippi
Petal is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States, along the Leaf River. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population is 10,617 per the US Census estimates performed in July 2007....
in 1979.
Walker is also known in checkers history for his record-setting victories in simultaneous checkers matches. In a January 1992 match that lasted over eight hours, he played 229 checkers games simultaneously. He won 227 contests, lost one and tied one. In 1994, he set a Guinness World Record
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
while playing 306 checkers games simultaneously and losing only one.
Walker started playing checkers at a young age: "At age 7, his family was flooded out of its home. To pass time in the emergency shelter, he played checkers. Later he discovered his father-in-law was shy. He broke the ice by playing checkers with him on the front porch, and getting beaten." The game became his life-long passion that defined much of his life, both public and private.
In the 1990s, Charles Walker helped organize and publicize several World Man-Machine Checkers Championship matches of the checkers computer called Chinook
Chinook (draughts player)
Chinook is a computer program that plays English draughts , developed around 1989 at the University of Alberta, led by Jonathan Schaeffer. Other developers are Rob Lake, Paul Lu, Martin Bryant, and Norman Treloar. In July 2007, Chinook's developers announced that the program has been improved to...
against several human players.
Walker was a long-term friend, admirer, and promoter of World Checkers champion 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...
, whom Walker described as "the greatest checkers player who ever lived," and "probably the greatest who ever will live".
Walker served as a Secretary of The American Checker Federation, was the Editor of Checkers Magazine and also served as President of World Checker Draught Federation.
Walker ran a successful insurance business and was described in the media as "an insurance millionaire" and an "insurance tycoon".
Walker was arrested by ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
agents on January 7, 2005 in an undercover sting operation and charged with attempted money laundering of "$6 million in represented drug smuggling proceeds". Charles Walker plead guilty on June 30, 2005. His sentencing had to be postponed twice, in particular because of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, but he was sentenced to five years in prison in January 2006. In January 2005, after his arrest, Walker announced that the International Checkers Hall of Fame was to be closed, and that he would resign his post as President of the World Checker Draught Federation. The International Checkers Hall of Fame was kept open until Walker's sentencing, but the building was destroyed by fire on September 29, 2007.