include("/usr/brazeau/misc/chinook/web_docs/php/people.php");
include("/usr/brazeau/misc/chinook/web_docs/php/breadcrumb.php");
printHeader("Don Lafferty", "Lafferty.jpg");
printBreadCrumbTrail("Don Lafferty");
?>
A biography by Richard Fortman
Don Morgan Lafferty, Grandmaster (1996 ACF Rating 2586), was born
August 5th, 1933 in Barren County, Kentucky.
First became interested in the game at an early age by playing with his
uncle and grandfather.
Later coached by Horace Steen, who was also young Walter Hellman's coach
in Gary, Indiana in the early 1930s.
Received a bachelor's degree in math and physics from Western Kentucky
University at Bowling Green, Kentucky.
With later graduate studies at both Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee and
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, he earned a master's degree
in Math and Physics plus 30 hours for Rank One Teacher's Degree.
He taught high school math and physics in Kentucky prior to retiring in 1988.
Many thanks to Richard Fortman for researching and writing my biography and
the records given below.
I have made a few minor changes for conciseness and further clarification.
There were many tournaments I did not attend.
However, because of lack of records, some events may not be given.
We have been very careful to try to give accurate records, but if the reader
finds an error, please send to me so I can correct this account.
Also, please overlook my grammatical and typo errors.
I have indeed been very fortunate for many years to have had as close
friends and mentors the great players;
Walter Hellman,
Marion Tinsley,
Edwin Hunt
and
Asa Long.
Also, my good friend, Richard Fortman, has supplied me with wonderful play
and much help for a long time.
Whatever I have accomplished in our grand old game of checkers in a positive
way is mainly due to their kindness and endless help - many thanks old dear
friends.
- Don Lafferty - September 23, 1997
TOURNAMENT PLAY (Southern States)
-
1951 - Nashville, Tennessee.
4th in Masters, behind W.Q.Gresham, Sanders, Fields.
(First major tournament at age 18)
-
1953 - Asheville, North Carolina.
In DKO play, lost to Sanders, and later to Maurice Chamblee in 7th rd; 1-2-1
draw. Chamblee's only loss in this tournament which he won with Geo. Vidlak
2nd and Sanders 3rd. Chamblee's final Southern tournament.
-
1960 - Birmingham, Alabama.
2nd to M. Loew, ahead of Lowder, Taylor, Bruch.
-
1961 - Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
5th, behind: EF Hunt, LW Taylor, H. Anderson, Scheidt.
-
1963 - Marietta, Georgia.
Tie for Ist & 2nd with Cravens; ahead of Scheidt, Sam Bingham, and Lowder.
-
1964 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Tie for Ist & 2nd with Cravens; ahead of Lowder.
-
1969 - Houston, Texas.
1st, ahead of: Fuller, Lowder, Scheidt, Crawford, Cravens.
-
1970 - Memphis, Tennessee.
6th, behind: Tinsley, Scheidt, Lowder, Fuller, Cravens.
-
1971 - Atlanta, Georgia.
1st, ahead of: Cravens, Fuller, Lowder, Burton, Albrecht.
-
1972 - Asheville, North Carolina.
Drew World Champion Walter Hellman 1-1-2 in an early round, but finished
out of the prizes due to illness.
Hellman's only loss in this tournament.
-
1975 - Paris, Tennessee.
Tie for 3rd and 4th with Burton; behind Tinsley, Lowder.
-
1977 - Longview, Texas.
4th, behind: Lowder, Caldwell, Fuller, ahead of both Cravens and LW Taylor.
-
1979 - Longview, Texas.
1st, ahead of: Fuller, Lowder, Burton, Cravens, Caldwell
-
1981 - Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
1st, ahead of: Oldbury, Cravens, Lowder, Fuller, Taylor.
-
1985 - Ken Bar.
1st, ahead of Lowder, Cravens (tie) Laverty, Davis.
-
1988 - Ken Bar.
1st, ahead of: Lowder, Fuller, Laverty, Nelson.
-
1992 - Ken Bar.
1st (human) behind Chinook, ahead of Bruch, Lowder.
In round 8, Don beat Chinook a marathon 6 hour game to even the
score with Chinook 1-1-6.
-
1995 - Ken Bar.
4th, behind: Lowder, J.Morrison, Bruch - ahead of Laverty
OTHER TOURNAMENTS
-
1954 - Won his first Kentucky State Tournament; the first of 12 through 1975.
-
1960 and 1961 - Winner of the Tennessee State Tournaments over M. Loew
who won the US Open 3-move Tournament in 1960.
Don was attending graduate school at Vanderbilt and could not attend this.
-
1973 - Won 6th District Open at Benton, Illinois over Wm. Leatherwood,
Massey, Langdon.
-
Winner of many other state, district and various Tournaments.
US OPEN 3-MOVE TOURNAMENTS
-
1962 - Peoria, Illinois.
4th in Masters, behind EF Hunt, Basil Case, and Eugene Frazier.
-
1964 - Rockford, Illinois.
2nd, behind Walter Hellman, ahead of Oldbury, Frazier, Cornell.
-
1970 - Houston, Texas.
2nd, behind Marion Tinsley.
-
1974 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tie for 4 with A.Long, Fuller, Lowder; behind Tinsley, Oldbury, Levitt.
-
1976 - Sanford, North Carolina.
5th, behind: Oldbury, Albrecht, Bruch, and Lowder.
-
1978 - Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
4th, behind: Tinsley, Lowder, Burton.
-
1982 - Tupelo, Mississippi.
4th, behind: Tinsley, Lowder, Hallett, ahead of Long, Oldbury, Levitt.
-
1984 - Tupelo, Mississippi.
3rd; behind: Asa Long and Richard Hallett.
-
1986 - Tupelo, Mississippi.
Champion ahead of J Morrison, Long, King, Albrecht, Cravens, Lowder.
-
1988 - Danville, Virginia.
2nd, behind Paul Davis, ahead of Lowder, Cravens, Levitt.
-
1990 - Tupelo, Mississippi.
5th, behind Tinsley, Chinook, Long, Hallett.
-
1992 - Hot Springs, Arkansas.
5th, behind: R.King, Lowder, Checkers 3.0, and Hallett, ahead of
Chinook, Bruch and Cravens.
-
1994 - Garland, Texas.
Champion - Tie for 1,2,3rd with Chinook and Tinsley - 1st on honors.
US OPEN GAYP TOURNAMENTS
-
1981 - Sanford, North Carolina.
1st, ahead of Oldbury, Lowder, Paul Davis.
-
1983 - Lexington, Virginia.
1st ahead of Davis, Balderson, Webster, Schwartz, Lowder.
-
1985 - Nashville, Tennessee.
1st ahead of: J.Morrison, Lowder, Balderson, Davis.
-
1993 - Danville, Virginia.
5th, behind: Lowder, R King, J Morrison, Hallett.
-
1995 - Ken Bar:
5th, behind: J Morrison, R King, Lowder, J Francis.
INTERNATIONAL MATCHES (USA vs Great Britian)
-
1983 - 4th IM.
ICHF - Board 2 with 3 wins - 0 losses - 11 draws in 7 Rds.
-
1995 - 6th IM.
ICHF- Board 1 with 5 wins - 0 losses - 9 draws in 7 Rds.
In both of these events, since the USA had a large lead, Don graciously
retired in order to give the alternates a chance to play the last three rounds.
MATCH PLAY (WORLD - GAYP)
-
1982 - Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Lafferty 1, Oldbury, 0, 23 Draws (Wins the Title)
-
1984 - Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Lafferty 5, Paul Davis 0, 15 Draws
-
1986 - Cave City, Kentucky.
Lafferty 0, J Morrison 0, 24 Draws
-
1989 - ICHF, Mississippi.
Lafferty 4, Lowder 3, 16 Draws
Lafferty retired undefeated due to illness.
He was World GAYP Champion 1982-1991.
MATCH PLAY(WORLD 3-MOVE)
-
1987 - ICHF, Mississippi.
Tinsley 2, Lafferty 0, 38 Draws
-
1996 - Barbados.
R King 5, Lafferty 5, 30 Draws
-
1994 - Boston, Massachusetts.
(Man vs Machine) Chinook 1, Lafferty 1, 18 Draws
-
1995 - ICHF, Mississippi.
(Man vs Machine) Chinook 1, Lafferty 0, 31 Draws.
During this match, 30 draws were played until Chinook won the 31st game!
MATCH PLAY (3 MOVE EXHIBITIONS)
-
1982 - Carrollton, Illinois.
At the home of Louis Van Deven, a friendly practice match with
Asa Long resulted in 2 wins - 2 losses - 8 draws.
-
1991 - St. Petersburg, Florida.
Lafferty 3, Chinook 2, 11 Draws.
-
1993 - Edmonton, Canada.
Lafferty 3, Chinook 1, 14 Draws,
-
1994 - Edmonton, Canada.
Lafferty 0, Chinook 0, 18 Draws.
It is of note Don leads Chinook in total games of match and
tournament play by the close score of 8 wins, 7 losses and 109 draws!
This is over the period of time from the summer of 1990 to January 1995.
As far as we know, Don is the only living man to have the score on
Chinook!
TOURNAMENT PLAY
-
1962 - St. Petersburg, Florida.
Florida Open - 1st ahead of N Wexler, Burton, Lober, Lowder.
NORTHERN STATES (Lakeside, Ohio thru 1973)
-
1955 - 9th behind Loew, Ebert, Rudolph, Langdon, Munger, Shuffett, White etc.
-
1964 - 3rd behind Bruch and Cowie, ahead of Lowder, and Caldwell.
-
1969 - 2nd behind Scheidt, ahead of Cowie, Lowder, Albrecht and Bruch.
-
1970 - 1st ahead of Lowder, Martin, Cowie, Cravens, Davis, Bruch, Caldwell.
-
1971 - 3rd behind Hellman and Lowder, ahead of Freyer, Scheidt, Caldwell.
-
1972 - Tie with Hellman, 2nd on honors (20 draws in 5 rounds!) ahead of
Cravens, Lowder.
-
1973 - 1st ahead of R Jonson, Cowie, Hanson, Lowder, Bruch, Caldwell, Albrecht.
-
1984 - Wauseon, Ohio.
Tie with Lowder for 1st & 2nd, ahead of Zuber, A Long, Bruch.
-
1990 - Ken Bar.
2nd behind Lowder; ahead of Laverty, Scheidt, A Smith.
-
1991 - ditto - 1st, ahead of P.Davis, Lowder, J Morrison, Laverty, Balderson.
-
1992 - ditto - 1st ahead of Lowder, Laverty, Smith, Nelson, Johnson.
-
1993 - ditto - 3rd behind Lowder, Bruch (tie); ahead of Laverty, E Morrison.
It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Don Lafferty on June 7,
1998.
As a man, Don was exceedingly kind, a great friend of the Chinook team,
and a fine gentleman.
include("/usr/brazeau/misc/chinook/web_docs/php/trailer.php"); ?>