Richard Fortman
Encyclopedia
Richard Lee Fortman was a champion checkers player and authority on the game.
Richard Lee Fortman was born on February 8, 1915 in Springfield, Illinois
, which was his home throughout his life. His father was a telegraph operator for a railroad, and he would play checkers over the telegraph with other operators during quiet times, playing the games in their heads to avoid detection.
He started playing checkers at home with his father. He started winning these games after he started reading checkers books at the library. He entered the Illinois state checkers championship in 1933 at age 18 and finished in third place. He would go on to win the Illinois state title on six occasions between 1950 and 1978.
Fortman graduated from Springfield High School
in 1933. He served in the United States Army
during World War II
in North Africa
and Italy
. After the war, he became a warehouse foreman for the Panhandle Eastern
Pipe Line Company.
He published the seven-volume guide to the game, Basic Checkers, considered essential reading for those interested in the game.
Fortman's specialty was correspondence checkers, in which players could take as much as two to three days to consider the board and return the next move to his opponent by postcard, with games taking as long as months or even a year. Fortman won the world postal championship in both 1986 and 1990.
He adapted to the technological changes in the game and would spend hours each day playing checkers over the internet. The first signs that he was in declining health came when he failed to respond to moves in the allotted time.
Fortman died at age 93 on November 8, 2008 in Springfield, Illinois. He was survived briefly by his wife, the former Faye Nichols, who died at age 83 on January 4, 2009. The two married on October 14, 1950 and had celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.
Richard Lee Fortman was born on February 8, 1915 in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, which was his home throughout his life. His father was a telegraph operator for a railroad, and he would play checkers over the telegraph with other operators during quiet times, playing the games in their heads to avoid detection.
He started playing checkers at home with his father. He started winning these games after he started reading checkers books at the library. He entered the Illinois state checkers championship in 1933 at age 18 and finished in third place. He would go on to win the Illinois state title on six occasions between 1950 and 1978.
Fortman graduated from Springfield High School
Springfield High School (Illinois)
Springfield High School is a public secondary school located in Springfield, Illinois. It is the oldest of the three high schools in Springfield Public Schools District 186 . The school draws mainly from the west side of Springfield.While the school opened in 1857, the current building was...
in 1933. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. After the war, he became a warehouse foreman for the Panhandle Eastern
Panhandle Eastern
Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company, LP is a natural gas pipeline which brings natural gas from the panhandle region of Oklahoma east through the Midwest to supply Indiana and Ohio. It is owned by Panhandle Energy - Southern Union Gas Company. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas, United...
Pipe Line Company.
He published the seven-volume guide to the game, Basic Checkers, considered essential reading for those interested in the game.
Fortman's specialty was correspondence checkers, in which players could take as much as two to three days to consider the board and return the next move to his opponent by postcard, with games taking as long as months or even a year. Fortman won the world postal championship in both 1986 and 1990.
He adapted to the technological changes in the game and would spend hours each day playing checkers over the internet. The first signs that he was in declining health came when he failed to respond to moves in the allotted time.
Fortman died at age 93 on November 8, 2008 in Springfield, Illinois. He was survived briefly by his wife, the former Faye Nichols, who died at age 83 on January 4, 2009. The two married on October 14, 1950 and had celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.