In the autumn, the leaves can fall quickly. In the photo above, Junior is having a great time with the autumn leaves. Dad may have somewhat less fun when it comes time to bundle them up and dispose of them.

Quickly falling leaves inspire one of the easiest speed problems we've published in a while. Of course, you know the catch; you'd better be quick because we're only giving you five seconds.

Click on the link below to display the position and start the clock. Then, quick as can be, come back and rake your mouse on Read More to check your solution.

October Speed Problem (very easy, 5 seconds)

"There's more than one way to do it" is a common enough phrase, and it seems to have gotten attached to the scripting language Perl, due to Perl's extreme (some say excessive) flexibility. At The Checker Maven Perl scripts figure prominently in our computer work, and, even though the modern trend is more towards the Python language, we persist. But that discussion is even further off-topic.

Today's problem, submitted by regular contributors Lloyd and Josh Gordon of Toronto has two main solutions, hence "more than one way to do it." One of the solutions occurred in over the board play, while the other, which is quite different, is due to KingsRow computer analysis.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W30,23,22,19,16:B14,12,10,7,6.

Which solution will you find? Can you see them both? To find out, there's only one way to do it: click on Read More.

Labor Day; it's a welcome day off work, a last hurrah for summer in North America, a time to see a parade, or squeeze in one more barbecue or picnic or camping trip before the leaves fall and the nights become chill.

And, as we point out each year, it's a time to show our respect for the average Jane and Joe that make up America's workforce, those honest, decent, hard-working people who show up every day, do their jobs, and help make America what it is. There was a time when checkers was their game, and although that's less of a truism today, checkers remains democratic, accessible, and suitable for everyone.

On holidays like these, we like to feature great American players and problemists. Today we have one of the few problems authored by one of the greatest American checkerists of all time, Samuel Gonotsky. It is based on actual over the board play.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W32,31,26,23,K14,13:BK30,28,24,20,19,16,15.

White is a man down but has mobility advantages. Can the situation be turned into a draw? Labor away at this one; but seeing the solution is hardly laborious and requires only a mouse click on Read More.

"Don't be a square" is probably an expression you haven't heard much lately, as it's long out of date. It actually originated with jazz musicians but by the 1980s, it was starting to sound old-fashioned.

Our use of this phrase to title our column is for two reasons. The first is the shape seen in the problem diagram.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W23,K22,5,K1:B25,K15,K14,9.

The second meaning derives from the solution itself. You might see what we're getting at when you solve it. It's not overly difficult. Don't be a square--- try to work it out. When you're finished, click your mouse squarely on Read More to see the solution and an explanation.

Your editor, many years ago, went hiking and climbing in southern Mindanao in the Philippines. Locals referred to the area where we went as "delicado" --- delicate --- due to the sometime presence of rebel militia. Being young and foolish, we were not deterred from what turned out to be a dangerous undertaking. Fortunately, nothing went wrong.

Today's checker problem is "delicado" in a different way, and there's nothing foolish or dangerous about it at all. Your solution may go wrong, but if you work at it, you'll get it, and you may learn some technique in the process.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W22,20,18,K13:BK21,K12,10,8.

There's no need to carry arms or keep a lookout, and checking your solution is as easy as clicking on Read More.

August in the Northern Hemisphere can be pretty darn hot. Sometimes extraordinary measures are required, as shown in the photo above.

Your editor is scheduled to be visiting in far off New York City on the date this column is due to be published, and August in New York is just about always hot and humid.

So we picked out a rather hot stroke problem (please, no heat stroke jokes) for this month. It looks complex but it's actually one of the easier ones, and it's filled with action.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W31,19,14,11,K10,8,6,K3:BK25,24,K23,22,K21,5,1.

Don't overheat your brain; you'll see the solution if you can visualize well (just keep the sweat out of your eyes). When you've solved it, click on Read More to see the solution.

We came across this personalized postcard evidently made for checker great Tommie Wiswell. Mr. Wiswell is playing a simultaneous exhibition, as he often did. Note that the postcard lists what was apparently his home address, 355 45th Street in Brooklyn, a building that is still standing. Our research tells us it's in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, was built in 1910 (interestingly, the year Mr. Wiswell was born); it's listed as a multiple family dwelling; the size is about 2,500 square feet on a 2,000 square foot lot; and it's valued at around $800,000 or so.

We'll use any excuse to feature a Tommie Wiswell problem, of course. This one is based on a Louis Ginsberg game played at an unspecified club in New York City. Mr. Ginsberg was also a Brooklynite, and hence comes the title of the problem.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W30,22,K11:B14,12,9,6.

The problem isn't all that easy in that there are some nice ways to get it wrong. It would be a lot of fun to work on it at a nearby Brooklyn park, but in this internet age, you can solve it from just about anywhere in the world. Give it a try and then click on Read More to see the solution, notes, and an interesting photo.

"Man in the middle" can have several meanings. In the computer security world, it refers to a cyberattack based on intercepting--- getting in the middle of--- a network path. In the baseball example shown above, the baserunner is caught between bases. In general, being "the man in the middle" isn't a very good thing.

Not so in today's checker problem, which is credited to old-time checkerist D. Robinson of Glasgow. Let's have a look.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Draw

B:WK29,24,12:BK23,K7.

Black has two men in the middle (actually, two kings). But the title of our problem is "man" in the middle, not "men." That's a bit of a hint toward finding a somewhat surprising draw for Black.

Can you solve it, or will you get caught in the middle? Click your mouse (the left button, not the middle one) on Read More when you're ready to check your solution.

Every year we say that we love celebrating America's birthday, the Fourth of July, and this year is no different. At The Checker Maven we're proud to be patriots and with today's problem, we salute everyone who serves our nation, whether past, present, or future.

As we always do on this date, we turn to Tommie Wiswell, master checker problemist, champion player, and World War II veteran. He calls this problem "The Sentinel" and we think that title is an appropriate tribute to those serving us today as sentinels of freedom.

Here's the position.

BLACK

White to Play and Draw

W:W32,28,K7,K3:BK29,19,14,9,5.

The title gives a clue to the solution. Can you work it out, perhaps between hot dogs at the 4th of July picnic? Don't get cole slaw on your checkerboard! When you're ready, click on Read More to reveal the carefully guarded solution.

We've heard more than enough over the years about the "People's Republic of XXX" and the "Democratic People's Republic of YYY" and all the rest. These countries are seldom a republic and virtually never democratic.

So our latest finds, "The People's Journal" and "The People's Checker Book" might at first sound more than a little suspicious, until we point out that these publications date back to about 1898, long before the first appearance of a "People's Republic" and even before the Bolshevik revolution.

In fact, "The People's Journal" published some interesting checker problems, one of which is presented below.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:B14,K11,K22:W12,24,K19.

This problem has a surprisingly clever solution, and it might in fact fool some of the people some of the time, but we suspect it will please all of the people all the time. When you're ready to check your answer, it's your democratic privilege to click your mouse on Read More.