This page culls old tiddlywinks news from early editions of the Tiddlywinks.org website.
Note: many of the links in the news clips below are no longer working, though they may be available at archive.org.
February 1999. Welcome to the VFW and other winkers at Schwai’s Tavern in West Bend, Wisconsin and in nearby Sussex, Wisconsin! (see article in Newswink 29). They’ve been playing their own style of tiddlywinks for over 20 years. Sussex hosted their annual tournament on 13-14 February 1999. Schwai’s held theirs on 23-24 January 1999.
21-22 November 1998. Larry Kahn sweeps the English National Singles, without a loss, in Cambridge, England.
20 November 1998. Andy Purvis (UK) beats challenger Larry Kahn in World Singles 49, Silwood Park, England. The final score: 30-19 points, 4 wins for Andy to Larry’s 3.
7-8 November 1998. The NATwA Singles at Ashburn VA USA. Unsurprisingly, Larry Kahn coasts into 1st with 83 points in 14 games. Held to less than a 6.0 ppg. Dave Lockwood slides unfettered into 2nd at 69½. In an upset, Rick Tucker takes 3rd at 60. Thereafter is Bob Henninge at 57½, Jim Marlin at 54, and Mac McAvoy at 41.
July 1998. American winker Fred Shapiro’s book, Stumpers : Answers to Hundreds of Questions That Stumped the Experts, hits the streets.
12 July 1998. The US pair of Larry Kahn and Dave Lockwood (alphabetically speaking) win the World Pairs in a match against Patrick Barrie and Christine Wiggins of England. Scores were: 6-1, 6-1, 4-3, 3-4, 6-1.
11 July 1998. The NATwA “Unstacked” Pairs, won by the visiting British pair of Patrick Barrie and Christine Wiggins, despite the valiant efforts of the Lockwood clan. In Ashburn VA USA, chez Marlin.
4 April 1998. Larry Kahn takes 1st in the NATwA Individual Pairs with 37 points in 7 games. Then there’s Bob in 2nd with 33½, Sunsch with 27½, Ferd with 26½, Rick Tucker with 18½, Mac McAvoy with 18, and Marg Henninge with 12.
26 February 1998. Radio station 97X (WOXY, 97.7 FM) in Cincinnati explores the world of tiddlywinks with Rick Tucker.
5 February 1998. Microsoft Bookshelf 99, appearing in the Fall of 1998, will include a link to tiddlywinks.org.
17 December 1997. The Britannica Internet Guide from Encyclopædia Britannica selects tiddlywinks.org as a recommended site, placing it in the top 15% of the 65,000 sites reviewed by EB’s experts at www.ebig.com.
8 December 1997. Tattered and battered, Newswink 29, NATwA’s premier publication, emerges from destitution after three four five years in the gutter. Buddy, can you spare a dime?
1997 North American Singles: Another for Kahn
25-26 October 1997, Vienna VA USA. The 1997 North American Singles championships were hosted by Larry Kahn in Vienna VA. Larry led the field after the first day, taking advantage of an ignominious failure-to-free by Rick Tucker who had Larry squopped out within 10 minutes but mentally miscounted by 1 the free shots allowed after a squop-out and had to pay the failure-to-free piper to the desperate Larry, who took advantage of the UK-originated rule to shoot any designated wink on the large pile, and turned a 6-1 for Rick into a 6-1 for Larry. This 5-point difference turned out to be the ultimate difference between 1st and 2nd places at the end of the tournament. Max Lockwood, youngest winker in any NATwA tournament at age 8, weathered the wizened veterans unfettered on the first day of winking. Dave Lockwood was undefeated (well, except for a 0 against Larry) in taking 2nd place with 48 match points to Larry’s 53 (5.3 ppg).
[To be provided: links] Details on the 1997 NATwA Singles. NATwA Singles through the years.
Larry Kahn takes World Singles from Dave Lockwood
12 October 1997, Alexandria VA USA: Larry Kahn regains the title of World Singles champion from current title-holder Dave Lockwood, achieving the best score in 7 games. This was the (perhaps) 45th World Singles championship and the first to take place in the residence of Rick Tucker, who was also the umpire for the match. Intriguingly, 3 of the 6 games ended in a score of 5½, with Larry the victor of each of these games.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | TOTAL | |
| Larry Kahn | 5 | 5½ | 5½ | 3 | 1 | 5½ | 25½ |
| Dave Lockwood | 2 | 1½ | 1½ | 4 | 6 | 1½ | 16½ |
[To be provided: links] Details on World Singles 45. World Singles through the years.
Individual Pairs in Ohio
12-13 April 1997. Individual Pairs and Quad Squads of novices and veterans at the Toad House compound at Currents in southeastern Ohio.
Winker Fred Shapiro Featured in Wall Street Journal
22 January 1997. Fred Shapiro, NATwA member since 1970, is the subject of a front-page Wall Street Journal story, “A Librarian’s Footnote Feitsh Is Sweeping the Law Schools”.
Kahn Takes 1996 NATwA Singles
18-19 January 1997. Larry Kahn wins the 1996 NATwA Singles (yes, not 1996!) in Vienna VA. [To be provided: links]
Harvard Winks Club Formed
14 January 1997. Frank Pacheco is reviving winks interest at Harvard by forming a club, the first there since 1980.
Winks in the Guinness Book of World Records
January 1997. The Guinness Book of World Records, 1997 fortieth anniversary edition (US), reinstates some winking records.
Antique Tiddlywinks Featured in AGCA’s Game Researchers’ Notes
December 1996. Rick Tucker’s article on antique and modern tiddlywinks sets appears in the American Game Collectors Association‘s Game Researchers’ Notes, October 1996
Kahn Weds Furlong with a Whole Lotta Dancin’ Goin’ On
11 May 1996. Larry Kahn, American winker since 1971, married Cathy Furlong in Vienna, Virginia, USA. Dozens of American winkers were in appearance.