At 104, board game inventor seizing last chance to see King Check succeed

Kristen Inbody | Great Falls Tribune

While his sons were serving in Vietnam, Ed Bucko invented a three-person checkers game he dubbed "King Check."

He sent copies to Vietnam, and it sold as far away as South Africa and other countries, as well as in the United States.

But then one son came home in a wheelchair and lived in a nursing home until his death last year, and the other son died within a decade of the end of the war.

"It discouraged me from taking the game onto the market because my future was gone," Bucko said.

But at age 104, Bucko has another chance to see his board game succeed.

His great-grandchildren and another family member have reprinted the game and are putting it back on the market.

"He lit up when I said I wanted to try the game again," said Sharon Schock, who is grandmother to one of his great-grandsons. "He's really excited about getting the game going."

Whenever she or his great-grandchildren Loren and Keely see him, he's excited to talk about the game. He showed them how to put the boxes together, which Keely and her friends did.

King Check has red, black and yellow pieces and is suitable for two or three players. There are seven ways to play it.

As he started a game with Schock and Keely Dirkson, Bucko played the yellow pieces.

"The middle player moves after each end player. The rhythm is 1-2-3-2," he said.

He quickly conceded to Keely.

"It's a cinch; I can't beat you," he said.

Keely said in this age of electronic games, a board game might seem like a hard sell but her siblings and cousins play King Check and she and her friends play a lot of board games, too.

While Bucko invented the game, he doesn't always win. These days it's a struggle to play with his failing eyesight.

"Some of those kids as young as 10 could beat me," he said. "The rule sheets are very easy to understand. Young students caught on very easily."

His favorite fan was U.S. Sen. Mike Mansfield of Great Falls who "was very appreciative of that game. He thought there was something there."

"I've made many contacts with people, and we've played the game with all ages," he said. "It's been requested by individuals wondering when it was going to be back on the market."

The game is made in Montana, except for the plastic game pieces. Bucko has been helping package the games to mail.

Bucko said he's happy if he can get a smile from someone these days, and he hopes the game provides happiness to others.

"Maybe that's the reason I'm here at 104," he said.

To play...

King Check is $12.95 and may be ordered by calling 406-236-5344 or 217-1200. The game also will be for sale at the Lewistown Chokecherry Festival on Saturday, Sept. 8.