General Ulysses S. Grant

Everyone knows about the great American general Ulysses S. Grant, who fought on the side of the Union in the American Civil War. However, we can find no record of a Confederate general named M'Guire or McGuire. The only reference our research department was able to uncover was of a physician, Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire, who served with the Confederate army and who was in fact present at the famed Battle of Gettysburg. However we can't find any indication that Dr. McGuire's unit ever faced any of General Grant's units in combat, and we're even more certain that they never met in person over the checkerboard. General Grant went on to be President of the United States, and Dr. McGuire went on to become a contributor to the first of the Geneva Conventions.

Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire

Today's Checker School position, which is taken from an actual game between someone named Grant and someone named M'Guire, certainly didn't involve the two Civil War personages mentioned above; and the game actually took place in 1893, some 28 years after the end of the War Between the States. It's a small "set piece" battle which is of considerable practical interest.

BLACK

WHITE
Black to Play, White to Draw

B:W22,24,28:B7,8,14.

Can you align the troops such that the Black and White armies fight to a draw? Sound the bugles and beat the drums, then work out the solution before clicking on Read More to charge over to the solution, a sample game, and notes.

We return to Willie Ryan's popular classic, Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard for today's column. In this installment, we find the Black forces in a real predicament, needing, it seems, to draw a pair of aces. But Willie shows us how to beat the odds, as he explains in his own words below.

"Another distinguished member in the checker Hall of Fame is William Strickland, who, with Willie Gardner, of Leeds, England, was among the first to introduce the art of playing checkers blindfolded. Like Dunne, Shearer, and other luminaries of his day, Strickland was a prolific analyst and scholar, discovering many of the standard positions that today are known to all advanced players. Here we present the important Strickland Draw, which can arise from almost every opening on the board.

arriving at the diagram.

WHITE

BLACK

Black to Play and Draw

B:W26,23,22,21,19,17,13:B14,12,10,9,6,2,1.

A---If 16-20 is played, proceed with 19-16, 12-19, 12-19, 23-16, 11-15, 26-23, 15-19, 30-26, 10-15, 17-10, 7-14, 16-11, 19-24, 13-9, 6-13; at this point 25-22 insures the draw, but if 32-28 is employed, black hits the jackpot with 15-18, 28-19, 14-17, 21-14, 5-9, 14-5, 3-7, 23-14, 7-30."

Can you turn up the card that saves the day? Don't be skunked; solve the problem and click on Read More to shuffle over to the solution.

Today's class in our monthly Checker School series is nearly a miniature, having but three men per side; and, as usual for a Checker School entry, it's eminently practical. Our title is taken from Thomas A. Hedges, who reportedly first solved the problem when it was published well over 100 years ago. Today, it remains a good position to know for the cross-board player.

T. A. HEDGES
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W25,28,30:B1,9,21.

White has an advantage that can't be easily described as very large, but still, it's enough to win. Can you find your way out of the thicket, or will you be scratched by brambles? Have no fear of monsters lurking in the maze; clicking on Read More will rescue you at once and bring you to the solution, a sample game, and detailed notes.

This week we return to our popular series taken from Willie Ryan's Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard, a true all-time classic of checker literature. We feature a setting called Shearer's Cleaver in which Willie shows us how, after a misstep by the Black side, White mercilessly chops him down. Let's let Willie narrate the tale.

"The masters often get into spirited controversies over who was first to show a particular line of play or shot. This Bristol Cross trap is a case in point. D. G. McKelvie, of London, England, claimed he was first to show it, but H. F. Shearer, of Scotland, published it first in 1892 and received credit for it. If an analyst has in mind a certain new play or analysis, but does not publish it, he has no legal claim of authorship or priority to it. It has been demonstrated time and again that champions often independently discover the same play and 'cooks,' but wishing to use these discoveries in future matches and tournaments, they keep their play under cover. More than one champion has yelled 'foul' when another has published a play or received credit for an analysis that he thought nobody else knew!

This is the way you start:

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W32,30,28,27,26,25,23,21,19,15:B20,14,12,11,10,8,6,4,2,1.

A---An alternate trap can be set here by 26-22. Now 5-9, 30-26, 2-7, 27-23, 7-11, 32-27, etc., will end in a draw; but if after 26-22 at A, black replies with 2-7, white explodes with: 19-16, 12-19, 27-24, 20-27, 32-16, 10-19, 17-10, 7-14, 22-17, 13-22, 25-2, and white wins. H. F. Shearer.

B---Starts the stroke. Black's only draw move is: 1-5*, 25-22, 20-24*, 27-20, 7-11, 22-17 (not 22-18, 6-9, 15-6, 11-16, 20-11, 8-31, black wins), 11-27, 32-23, 6-9, 17-13, 10-15, 19-10, 14-17, 13-6, 2-9, 21-14, 9-27. D. G. McKelvie vs. James Searight."

Can you find the winning method, or will this problem take a slice out of you? Take a cut at it, and when you've hacked out the answer, click on Read More for the sharp and incisive solution.

The primary offices of The Checker Maven are, as we've noted from time to time, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the American Southwest. Santa Fe can be described as "high desert" as it lies over 7,000 feet above sea level and the climate is rather dry. It's a place where the altitude and the dryness combine to make dehydration a real issue. Tourists often complain of headaches, not realizing that they need to drink a lot of water to replace water loss silently taking place at a rate to which they are not accustomed.

Today, in our monthly Checker School column, we are asking you to "drink water" in a different manner. The topic of our lesson is Drinkwater's Draw, attributed unsurprisingly to old-time checkerist F. W. Drinkwater. It's another of those eminently practical maneuvers that will save you many a game--- if you know how. Here's the basic position.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W14,16,28:B4,K18,21.

Black is clearly in the lead here, having a King and two men to White's three men, and one of the White men is under attack. Would you be able to save this one?

Give it a try, but if it's too much to swallow, click on Read More to drink in the solution, a sample game, and copious notes.

It was a Saturday morning in the Florida fall, and as was usually the case, Tommy had rushed over to Uncle Ben's porch for his weekly checker lesson. Of course as you know by now, Uncle Ben wasn't really his uncle, but calling the kindly old gentleman "Uncle Ben" just seemed like the right sort of thing to do.

"So, Tommy, you must tell me all about it!" exclaimed Uncle Ben from his comfortable seat on the porch's outdoor sofa.

Tommy Wagner

Tommy couldn't wait to tell Uncle Ben his news--- Tommy had met professional checker star Marvin J. Mavin in person, and had played against him in a simultaneous exhibition at Tommy's grade school!

Marvin J. Mavin, as our regular readers are aware, is the team captain of the Detroit Doublejumpers, in the American Conference of the National Checker League. Marvin is well-known for his work in schools with the up-and-coming checkerists of the next generation. Marvin is also known as being, shall we say, somewhat of a character.

"Yes, Uncle Ben, I got to play in the simul against Marvin!" said Tommy excitedly. "First he gave a lecture to all the students and then workshops for our teams and ..."

"Whoa, slow down a bit, Tommy!" asked Uncle Ben. "That's rather a lot at once! Tell me first, what kind of impression did Marvin make on you?"

Marvin J. Mavin

"Well," replied Tommy, "he knew everything about checkers and there wasn't any question he couldn't answer! I'd sure like to be a great checker player like Marvin some day, although...." Here Tommy hesitated a little.

"Go on, Tommy," urged Uncle Ben.

"It's just that his hair looked like he ought to maybe, you know, wash it? And he did kind of smell a little like beer..."

"Ah yes," said Uncle Ben, "in my own professional playing days, we took a little more care with our image and the impression we made. Marvin is a fine checker player, but you'd be best advised not to imitate some of his, shall we say, less desirable characteristics. But enough of that; it's great that you got to play in the simul, so tell me about it."

"I got to play because I'm Captain of the Junior Varsity this year," said Tommy, "and that gave me a table at the simul. Would you care to go over the game with me?"

"Of course, Tommy," said Uncle Ben. "I imagine Marvin won? It would be tough even to get a draw against a seasoned professional."

"He did win," said Tommy, "and I don't feel bad about that at all. I was just happy to have a chance to play. Still, at one point I thought I might have gotten a draw. Here's how the game went."

11-15, 22-18, 15-22, 25-18, 12-16, 29-25, 9-13, 26-22, 16-20, 24-19, 5-9, 21-17, 8-12, 25-21, 4-8, 30-26, 1-5, 28-24, 8-11, 32-28, 11-16, 19-15, 10-19, 24-15, 16-19, 23-16, 12-19, 27-24, 20-27, 31-24, 7-10, 17-14, 10-17, 21-14, 2-7, 15-11, 7-16, 24-15, 3-7, 26-23, 16-20, 23-19, 20-24, 15-10, 6-15, 19-3, 24-27, 14-10, 9-14, 18-9, 5-14 (diagram)

"Look at this, Uncle Ben!" Tommy went on. "I had lost a man, but I thought that it still wasn't so easy for Mr. Mavin to win. But he played this great series of moves..."

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:B13,14,27:W28,22,10,K3.

"That's what makes him a top player," said Uncle Ben, "not missing an opportunity to bring home the win. But this is a familiar theme that is worthy of further study. Do you know where you went wrong, and do you understand now how Marvin was able to win?"

"Yes, sir, I do," said Tommy. "I know which was my losing move, and here's how Mr. Mavin got the win."

Are you as good as Marvin J. Mavin, and can you find the winning moves in the position shown below? Can you find and correct Tommy's losing move?

Give it some study, and when you've come up with your answer, click on Read More for the solution, a large selection of additional examples of this theme, and the conclusion to this week's story.

The workman shown above has a real whizzbang of a job ahead of him in restoring what's left of that automobile; but in this month's installment from Wille Ryan's Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard, we'll look at a whizzbang of a much different kind, attributed to a checker workman eponymously named Workman. Willie will tell us all about it.

"Take a really good look at this classic crossboard skirmish between Champion Herman L. Rudolph, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and E. E. Workman (former champion of Virginia), of Washington, D. C. It was played at the 1948 Cedar Point (Ohio) Master's Tourney, and shows how the benign gentleman from Virginia unexpectedly floored hard-hitting Herman with a bristling double-action flourish. Play:

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W13,16,22,23,25,26,28,31:B2,4,6,10,12,15,17,19.

A---A distinctive departure from all orthodox play---1, but quite sound.

B---Splendidly played by black to here. The following is much stronger, but results in a draw only: 11-16, 20-11, 8-15, 29-25, 4-8, 27-24*, 1-5---C, 25-21, 14-18, 22-17, 18-22, 17-14*, 6-9, 13-6, 2-18, 21-17, 19-23, 24-19, 15-24, 28-19, etc. Wm. F. Ryan.

C---If 8-11 is moved, 22-18 will produce a draw at once; if 6-10 is used, then 25-21, 2-6, 22-17, 8-12, 30-25, will do it easily---3.

D---Against 14-17, white replies 27-24, 6-10* (17-21, 16-11, 21-25---5, 11-8, 4-11, 22-18, and white wins) and 13-9 catches the draw easily. If instead of 13-9 white takes the shot by 22-18, black scores this brilliant win based on a problem gem by Dr. Brown: 22-18, 15-22, 24-6, 12-19, 31-27!, 22-31, 27-24, 1-10, 24-6, 2-9, 13-6, 17-21*, 28-24, 4-8*, 24-20, 8-12*, 6-2, 31-26, 2-6, 26-22, 6-10, 22-18, 10-6, 18-15, 6-9, 15-11, 9-14, 12-16, 14-18, 16-19, 18-22, 19-23*, 22-18, 23-27, 18-23, 27-32, 23-19, 32-28*, 19-16, 11-15*, 16-12, 28-24, 12-16, 15-18*, 16-12, 24-19, 20-16, 18-14, 16-11, 14-10, 11-8, 10-7, 8-4, 7-3, 4-8, 19-15. The play in this note proves that there are losing shots as well as winning ones.

E---Against 14-17, white must play carefully to draw: 14-17, 23-18, 17-21,18-11, 21-25, 31-27*, 25-30 (nothing better)---6, 26-23, 19-26, 27-24, etc.

F---Asleep at the switch! Seemingly deceived by the blase appearance of the situation, Rudolph innocently walks into Workman's deadly trap. Of course, 14-18---7, 23-7, 2-20, 25-21, 6-10, would have nailed a draw."

1---32-27 is a good move here; with the text move, Black starts to get a small edge---Ed.

2---At this point, KingsRow thinks Black has a recognizable advantage, though certainly short of winning---Ed.

3---KingsRow actually prefers a move Willie didn't give, 8-12, in this position, for instance 8-12 25-21 14-18 22-17 19-23 24-20 18-22 17-14 22-25 21-17 25-29 and Black probably should be able to win---Ed.

4---16-11 would have been a likely draw here according to KingsRow---Ed.

5---Here 16-11 would be better but still is a probable loss----Ed.

6---Actually KingsRows finds 1-6 to be substantially better and likely winning! For instance, one continuation is 1-6 17-22 25-30 26-22 30-25 22-18 25-22 18-14 19-23 14-7 23-32 7-3 12-19 17-14 22-18 14-9 18-14 9-5 14-10 29-25 6-9 13-6 10-1 25-22 19-23 3-7 23-26 7-10 32-27 10-14 27-23 28-24 26-31 22-17 31-27 24-20 23-19 14-10 27-23 and the man on 11 can't be saved; Black Wins---Ed.

7---2-7 also draws according to KingsRow---Ed.

Can you, in a workman-like fashion, reproduce the win that Mr. Workman found here? Do your work, and then make easy work of it by clicking on Read More to see how a real crafstman does it.

Music teachers point out the classic wisdom that one's technique in playing a musical instrument either improves or falls back; it never stays constant. We know this to be true as well of our skills in many human endeavors, be it business, the arts, or our game of checkers. Constant practice and study are required if we are to maintain our technique, let alone move it forward.

Today's lesson in our Checker School series provides us with an important opportunity to review our work. The position shown below should be familiar to most checkerists, and certainly so to regular readers of our weekly columns. We've seen this before, and more than once.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W14,15,32:B6,7,12.

If you don't recall how to win this one, now's the time to brush up and review the method, as it's an eminently practical example, sure to arise in your own play. Think back and see if you can solve it; then click on Read More for the solution, notes, and sample games.

As we continue our regular columns taken from Willie Ryan's Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard, this month we come to a situation that's a bit different. This time, Black plays a move that is good enough to draw, but only if he can find a spectacular shot--- of the checker variety, that is!

Here's Willie once again to tell us how it all takes place.

"Scotland has given birth to many of the World's great draughts players. Among them was Hugh Henderson of Muirkirk, who emigrated to America in 1910, settling down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He won the American Championship tournaments of 1912 and 1915, and for many years edited a widely read checker column in the Pittsburgh Leader, in which he revealed an immeasurable amount of original scientific play. The Henderson Shot, which we reproduce here, is one of his best-known examples of superscientific play.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Draw

B:W31,28,27,26,25,23,22,18,17:B20,19,16,13,12,10,9,6,5,4.

A---Black has a well-known one-move knockout if white tries 23-19 here, since 13-17! wins at once---1.

B---After this move, black's only out is via the Henderson Shot. Instead of 2-7, black has an easier road to a draw by 9-14!---4, 18-9, 5-14, 22-17, 13-22, 26-1, 19-26, 31-22, 16-19, 1-5, 12-16, 5-9, 4-8, 9-14, 8-12. L. C. Ginsberg."

1---Either 19-10 17-21 24-19 (other moves are possible but also lose) 21-30 26-23 11-15 18-11 9-25 29-22 7-14 Black Wins, or else 22-6? 1-17 19-10 7-30 Black Wins---Ed.

2---2-6 is preferred by the computer, who now thinks White has a tangible, though certainly not decisive, edge.---Ed.

3---Instead, 18-15 looks quite strong for White. The text move allows Black to get back in the game on the next move---Ed.

4---The computer finds that 4-8, among others, also draw. Of course, some draws are much easier to find over the board than others---Ed.

Black has made life difficult for himself. Can you help him out by finding the shot that leads to a draw? The play is not easy, but it can be done. Take a "shot" at it and then aim your mouse at Read More to see Willie's solution.

The concept of negative numbers is said to be due to the Hindu mathematician Brahmagupta, who defined them around the year 600 A.D; but the idea is even older, dating back at least to the Greek mathematician Diophantus, around 250 A.D., who wrote about "forthcomings" and "wantings" to represent the modern idea of positive and negative numbers.

An ancient idea indeed, although most historians believe the foundations of our game of checkers go back even further!

And this brings us to the point of today's Checker School session: a situation which as been referred to as Negative Second Position. No doubt you're familiar with the basics of the Second Position ending (it's been covered in a previous Checker School lesson); today's position changes, or perhaps negates, the value of a few of the pieces, changing White to Black, King to man, and vice-versa. If that's confusing, a look at the diagrammed position, attributed to W. Strickland, will clear it all up.

W. Strickland
WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:WK28,13,12:BK15,5,3.

Can you negate the difficulty of this problem and find the win? A negative attitude will never do! Think positively, find the answer, and then be certain to click on Read More to see the solution, a sample game, and detailed notes.