Capital Pool Checkers – Washington, D.C. - Atlas Obscura
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Capital Pool Checkers is permanently closed.

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Capital Pool Checkers

Washington, D.C.

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

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Original location at 813 S St., NW. blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
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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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.

Know Before You Go

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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