Customer Reviews

Win at Checkers

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hopper's book is one of-if not the-best available for the player who wants to become" a pretty good" player. It contains basic information about the the game that will take you a step above the average player. For example ,there are several common techniques for pulling off two for one and two for three jumps. After finishing the book--and practicing a little-- you will be a better player and have a better understanding of this much misunderstood game. It's a rare book: good and cheap

I began playing checkers at YAHOO a few months ago. Got killed. When I was a young boy (48 now) I remember getting beat at checkers by my older sisters to the point where I would get so angry that I'd throw the board across the room during the game. And so, once again I was getting stomped by 15 year old Austrailians. I read this book. And re-read it. And studied it. Now I WIN most of the time. It's a very fast way to become a good intermediate player. Buy it!

If you know little about "real" checkers this is the book to get you started. It is entertaining and witty and helps you learn conceptual thinking about the game. It covers tactics ("pitches" and "shots") and important endgame positions. I didn't rate it 5 stars because it is really light on opening play; you'll need another book such as Reinfeld's for that. The book is inexpensive yet contains hours of useful instruction. If you've played on-line, stared at the board and wondered "what next" or if you're losing because of blunders, this is THE book to read first.

Millard Hopper's "Win at Checkers" is a good book if not a great one. There are far more useful books for the rank beginner. As one of those rank beginners I consulted an excellent resource, Mr. Bob Newell of Checker Maven, who suggested the other books listed here. I have since devoured the four books and rank them in order from most to least useful and also in the order they should be read.

Best to least:

"Starting Out in Checkers" by Richard Pask
"Checkers Made Easy" by Arthur Reisman
"How to Win at Checkers" by Fred Reinfeld
"Win at Checkers" by Millard Hopper

Order to be read:

"Checkers Made Easy" by Arthur Reisman
"Starting Out in Checkers" by Richard Pask
"How to Win at Checkers" by Fred Reinfeld
"Win at Checkers" by Millard Hopper


This is not to say that "Win at Checkers" is without merit, but for the beginner Mr. Hopper's approach is neither as methodical nor as comprehensive as the others. In these respects, Richard Pask's book excels and that's why I rank it first. Good work, Mr. Pask! Unfortunately, you may have a difficult time finding a new copy at a reasonable price. It originally sold for $12.95 and now even used copies are going for around $15 minimum, plus shipping. That said, get it; you won't be sorry.

For the fundamental patterns of the game it is best to start with Arthur Reisman's "Checkers Made Easy." I enjoyed Mr. Reisman's writing style and his clever names for the various strategic maneuvers and tactical shots that comprise the elements of the game. This can also be said of names given in Mr. Pask's book. It makes learning enjoyable as well as memorable. Good news! Mr. Reisman's book is available as a free download at Mr. Newell's Checker Maven.

Of course, not all is peaches and cream with these two works. "Checkers Made Easy" only tangentially touches upon the opening phase of the game in covering the Dyke formation and the Bridge. Mr. Pask's book is no better. There is so little about the opening in "Starting Out in Checkers" that this chapter could have been left out without too much notice. This is where Fred Reinfeld's "How to Win at Checkers" comes into its own.

"How to Win at Checkers" is a useful if not error free overview of what was covered in Mr. Reisman's and Mr. Pask's books, but the heart of this work is its introduction to the major openings in Chapter 4 and traps to be found in those openings for the unwary in Chapter 3. The beginner familiar with the previously mentioned works will find these two chapters the most useful.

Lastly, there is Mr. Hopper's "Win at Checkers" containing a little bit of this and a little bit of that: general principles, shots and traps, standard openings, opening traps (called Blitzkriegs here), exercises and very little on the endgame. It also includes a brief list of match and tournament scores from 1948 to 1955. Written in a question and answer format, it is a good refresher after the other three books have been digested.

Where to go from here?

I'd suggest Mr. Pask's advanced treatise titled "Play Better Checkers and Draughts." It is available for purchase as a PDF from Bob Newell for a mere $10.

Collections and matches are great for understanding a game's progress from opening to endgame. Just two are "Checker Kings in Action" by Wiswell and Hopper and Alex Moiseyev's "Sixth," the latter being available for purchase from The American Checker Federation's online store.

Lastly, "Basic Checkers: The First Twenty Moves" is a comprehensive opening guide and an invaluable resource for the serious player. Comparable to the "Encyclopedia of Chess Openings" for those familiar with chess, it is far from basic and not really for beginners. Originally self-published in seven parts from 1978 to 1983 by Richard L. Fortman, the book required hundreds of hours of work by editor-in-chief Bob Newell and co-editor Jim Loy to bring it up to date for the 2010 edition. You can purchased it from Amazon or from CreateSpace.

Okay, now go play and keep those shots coming.

Here's my story:
My brother is a chess Master...but he also is an accomplished checker player. It was checkers that helped us become, what I consider, "best friends". He used to beat me all the time at checkers, but it didn't bother me, because I was learning. Then I found this book. The tables turned.

Now, as a lifetime member of the American Checkers Federation, I look at the 100+ books and can honestly say that this one is the best.

The strategies and tactics in this book are great; however, the writing style of the author is a little stiff and makes it a bit more difficult to follow through parts of the book.

It should be noted that there are actually few good checkers book published at all. Chess is more complex, and therefore tomes upon tomes have been published about it. However, the relative simpleness of the game of checkers should then draw many more people to learn how to play this game.

Becoming skilled at checkers, then, is one of the objectives the author has achieved (the book was first published in 1956 and is a revision of the work originally published by A.S. Barnes in 1941).

This book, truly, is a classic.

This is a great book for the "serious" checker player. You can really show off with the moves in this book.

As a child growing up, I always thought about ordering this book, because it was offered as a small paperback booklet edition for only a quarter (and I quote): ". . . twenty-five cents in coin to cover cost, mailing, and handling. DO NOT SEND STAMPS." from HALSAM PRODUCTS CO., Box C, 4114 Ravenswood Ave., Chicago 13, ILL. This booklet offer was a small flyer enclosed with my brand new HALSAM Checkers Set purchased by my grandfather, circa 1952.

I regret not having ordered the full-blown edition of this fine book sooner. Now my own grandkids will someday enjoy reading and learning Checkers from this "World Checker King," Millard Hopper, a classic that should be in every family's table top game library.

This is pretty interesting to study, and actually help to improve a beginner's game. Some of the checkers strategy actually begins to sink in if you keep reviewing it and following the advice.

I actually think that practice is the best way to become better a checkers. The book was very informational and that was all it was.