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From humble beginnings, Mr. Fortman rose to become a sixtime Illinois State Champion, and twice World Postal Champion. He learned checkers as a young man from his father, a telegraphist, who beat him regularly until Mr. Fortman discovered checker books at the age of 15. He started to win and his father quickly lost interest.

Within three years, young Richard was to place third in Illinois state competition, and his star just kept rising. After serving America in the European Theater in World War II, he began work at the Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company, eventually working as a warehouse foreman. Checkers is a game of the people and great checkerists come from all walks of life. Mr. Fortman married Faye Nichols in 1950 and they raised a family in Springfield.

While a successful and competitive over-the-board player, it was in postal checkers that he found great fame and success. In 1986, and again in 1990, Mr. Fortman was the winner of the World Champion title in postal checkers. He was known as a keen analyst and commentator, and his magnum opus is the work you hold in your hands now, Basic Checkers, the work for which he once said he would most wish to be remembered.

But Mr. Fortman was much more than a great checkerist. He was a gentleman, a teacher, and a great friend to many in the checkers world. He played and analyzed and published on checkers until the very end of life. Much more could be said about him, and indeed, much has been written elsewhere.

In conclusion, we'll simply quote Alan Millhone, President of the American Checker Federation, who reminisces about an afternoon spent with Mr. and Mrs. Fortman.

After the Illinois Tournament a few years ago I took an extra day and drove to Springfield and visited at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Fortman. I found their home on Parker Avenue and Mr. Fortman greeted me at his front door.

We sat and visited and he proceeded to show me his Web TV and his laptop keyboard that he used to play (enter his moves) on the It's Your Turn play site. I think he played under the name of DINO.

At noon I took him and his Mrs. to lunch down the street and had a great time over lunch discussing checkers.

At the house again, he left the room for a few moments, and Mrs. Fortman leaned over to me and said that Dick had a Mistress! She then told me it was his checkers!

Mrs. Fortman was a lovely lady confined to a wheelchair with a variety of health issues, but a big smile and wonderful attitude.

Mr. Fortman returned and took me upstairs and showed me a room in which Asa Long and Marion F. Tinsley both slept.

We then went into his checker room, full of books, etc. and his board set up for study. He ran up a few games of his from the past. I took along a hardbound copy of his Basic Checkers which he signed for me. It has a treasured spot in my library and made me glad I made the trip to his home.

Mr. Fortman has left all of us a rich heritage in our game and his passing has left a huge void. His title of “Dean of American Checkers” was well deserved. He was a premier annotator and he left us with Basic Checkers, which everyone from duffer to grandmaster must have in his or her library. He left us a legacy that will be long remembered and I am most pleased to have spent the day with the Fortmans.