<s>
Video	B-Application
Checkers	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1980	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
(	O
later	O
renamed	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shaw	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
female	O
programmers	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
,	O
Video	B-Application
Checkers	I-Application
(	O
together	O
with	O
3D	O
Tic-Tac-Toe	O
)	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
commercially-released	O
games	O
written	O
by	O
a	O
woman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
decided	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
because	O
Bob	O
Whitehead	O
was	O
working	O
on	O
Video	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Working	O
with	O
4	O
kilobytes	O
of	O
ROM	B-Device
and	O
128	O
bytes	B-Application
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
her	O
algorithm	O
used	O
alpha	B-Algorithm
–	I-Algorithm
beta	I-Algorithm
pruning	I-Algorithm
–	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
than	O
the	O
algorithm	O
developed	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
by	O
Activision	O
co-founder	O
Alan	O
Miller	O
for	O
his	O
game	O
Checkers	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
2	O
kilobytes	O
of	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
would	O
later	O
call	O
Shaw	O
to	O
offer	O
her	O
a	O
job	O
at	O
Activision	O
,	O
impressed	O
with	O
her	O
work	O
on	O
Video	B-Application
Checkers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
in	O
The	O
Player	O
's	O
Strategy	B-Application
Guide	O
to	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
Home	O
Video	O
Games	O
in	O
1982	O
,	O
Electronic	O
Games	O
editors	O
Arnie	O
Katz	O
and	O
Bill	O
Kunkel	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
moderately	O
challenging	O
"	O
,	O
remarking	O
that	O
the	O
AI	O
,	O
"	O
is	O
usually	O
capable	O
of	O
matching	O
the	O
skill	O
level	O
of	O
just	O
about	O
any	O
player.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
June	O
1983	O
review	O
of	O
Video	B-Application
Checkers	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
rather	O
limited	O
in	O
its	O
interest	O
"	O
"	O
unless	O
you	O
are	O
an	O
addict	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
book	O
The	O
A-Z	O
of	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
Games	O
:	O
Volume	O
2	O
,	O
Kieren	O
Hawken	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
negative	O
review	O
,	O
criticising	O
the	O
"	O
sluggish	O
"	O
controls	O
,	O
the	O
slow	O
speed	O
at	O
which	O
the	O
AI	O
takes	O
its	O
turns	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
basic	O
graphics	O
,	O
giving	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
3/10	O
overall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-Application
Checkers	I-Application
was	O
re-released	O
in	O
2003	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
in	O
the	O
collection	O
Atari	O
:	O
80	O
Classic	O
Games	O
in	O
One	O
!	O
</s>
