January 15, 2005

After my initial three selections, I will offer an additional two that are perhaps worthy of recognition.  They are:

 

The Great Gilliam, (We never knew his full name) of Chicago, Illinois.  In the late sixties, when I became really interested in the game of American Pool Checkers, much of the talk around the city, in the Pool Checkers world, was about Mr. Gilliam.  Many say he was the original great player in the city.  Long before Major McGill, who was the champion previous to "Buster," Mr. Gilliam ‘ran the show.’

 

Never mind that he never appeared in any championship tournaments; never mind that there are no official records that document his exploits, those who knew him well, and I was one, recognized his talents when they saw the game being played at a level that was way beyond what they could comprehend.

 

I am personally making this recommendation because I can truthfully say: "I learned more from Mr. Gilliam than I did from any other player. " There were innumerable times that I would play him simply because I knew he was the best, and my opportunity to learn was infinite.

 

It didn't matter that we were playing for small stakes, (ten cent a game-king row I win). I lost a many dimes trying to get that king. But eventually, I would see some light, and the odds would be dropped to (draw, I win), and eventually to (5-1). Finally, the odds would disappear altogether.  I then knew, I was making progress.

 

But only after I had recorded and studied, perhaps hundreds of our games, was I able to narrow this gap. For me, more importantly, the ‘die had been cast’ and, I thought, ‘A monster had been created.‘  Only later, would I learn that it was not to be the case.

 

Bobby Kennedy, of New York, New York,  The suggestion of Mr. Kennedy came from LenaSugar33@aol.com.  While I do not know Lenasugar33, (nor do I know Mr. Kennedy), I was struck by his passionate selection of Mr. Kennedy. It was convincing enough for me, to at least, give him some consideration here.

 

As is the case with practically all of my Honorable Mention selections, there are no official recordings of their exploits-that I am aware of. Consequently, one has to depend, to a large extent, on what is being said by the advocate.  According to LenaSugar33, Mr. Kennedy was New York's finest.  Additionally, he says that Mr. Kennedy was a better player than Tony Rivers, our #18 selection.  Furthermore, he also says he had twelve straight draw games with grandmaster Vladimir Kaplan. If that's true, it's enough evidence in itself to give Mr. Kennedy this richly deserved recognition.

 

One final note on Mr. Kennedy.  I had noticed in Mr. Kaplan’s book, Tournament Checkers, Mr. Kennedy's name and the games they played each other were mentioned, no less than six times.  If the grand master thought that much of him, then there is little else that can be added.  I can categorically say, after viewing the games he played with Mr. Kaplan (all quality games even the ones he lost), gave me cause to believe that his talents were enormous.

 

MY HONORABLE MENTION LIST

 

Igor Rybakov - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Maynard "Hamtramck" Pines - Hamtramck. Michigan
George Sykes - Detroit, Michigan
The Great Gilliam - Chicago, Illinois
Bobby Kennedy - New York, New York