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All the United States Washington, D.C. Capital Pool Checkers
Capital Pool Checkers is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Capital Pool Checkers

The former home of elite checkers battles of the Capital Pool Checkers Club.

Washington, D.C.

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Ian Hall
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Original location at 813 S St., NW.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
New home at 1750 Columbia Avenue.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Original location at 813 S St., NW.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Founded in 1982 by a group of players looking to build community, the Capital Pool Checkers Club expanded from a nearby barbershop into the space it called home near the corner of 9th and S streets in Northwest Washington D.C.

Initially, club members played anyone they wished in a casual format. However, over time the club evolved and players were separated into divisions based on their skill level. Competition was friendly, yet fierce.

The club now boasts some of the most formidable players on the circuit with a full panoply of colorful nicknames, such as "The Shark," "The Hawk," "Butt Kicker," "Champion," and "The Razor," club president Talmadge Roberts. According to Roberts, players are often better known by their handles than their actual names.

The club lost its home in March 2021 when the landlord decided to sell the property but the organization was taken in by an educational non-profit. The group allowed the club to rent space in a vacant storefront on the ground floor of the building it owns on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan.

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As of October 2021, the original location at 813 S St. NW is still standing and features a black and white checkers mural that is worth a look.

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November 9, 2021

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  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-news/dc-checkers-club-new-home/2021/05/14/1aaf596c-b424-11eb-9059-d8176b9e3798_story.html

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Capital Pool Checkers
813 S St NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
United States
38.914221, -77.023512
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