JDA hosts Link-Up Festival in Trelawny

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Falmouth Square in Trelawny came alive recently as the Jamaica Draughts Association (JDA) hosted its Link-Up Festival. The event, done in partnership with the Trelawny Massive Draughts Club, brought together players, administrators, families, women, juniors/children and supporters. The square was transformed into an open arena of strategy, friendly rivalry, mentorship and national pride.

Draughts/checkers have long occupied a special place in Jamaican communities, but there are several forms. The popular/familiar 8x8 differs in rules and playing styles but shares that common battlefield. It is this connection between Jamaica's traditional game and the wider international draughts family that the JDA has increasingly sought to develop.

Rather than abandoning the version Jamaicans have played for generations, the association is using that foundation to expose players to additional disciplines and create pathways from community competition to international participation. The association is also continuing its expansion into 10x10 draughts, a discipline widely played internationally. Both the traditional Jamaican 8x8 game and the 10x10 were therefore featured at the Link-Up Festival, allowing spectators and players to see the evolution of the sport.

The event formed part of the JDA's official programme of activities and received sponsorship support from Karnack Hardware of Runaway Bay, St Ann. Importantly, however, the day belonged in large measure to the Trelawny Massive Draughts Club, whose members helped create an atmosphere in which established champions and draughts enthusiasts could sit across the board from developing players and competition blended naturally with fellowship. That community-club partnership is becoming an important part of the JDA's strategy for growing the sport islandwide.

Supporting the host club was a strong representation from the JDA administration, including President Jermaine Delattibudiere, First Vice President Mikoyan Robinson, Treasurer and Trelawny Massive Draughts Club President Oraine Thompson, Public Relations Officer Lennox Lewis, and Assistant Public Relations Officer Everette ‘Donavan’ Kavanaugh. Their presence reflected an administration that has increasingly sought to take the association beyond simply organising championships, placing greater emphasis on community link-ups, youth development, inte…