Valentine's Day is the traditional day of romance, yet we are certain that our game of checkers and romance are seldom associated. More's the pity, as we can see in the photo of the young folks just above, and the wonderful picture of the older folks just below.

We like to think that checkers can be an important part of a romantic relationship. Consider: checkers is good clean fun; it's sociable; and it's an inexpensive activity. It's one of the overlooked simple things that can add a lot to a couple's time together.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, here's a checker problem that is of moderate difficulty; we propose that it's just the right thing for you and your Significant Other to work on during a pleasant hour together, perhaps over a soda or a pot of tea. And who knows where it all might lead?

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W25,22,21,20,K3:BK31,14,13,10,2.

Put your heart into finding the answer, then click on Read More for the charming solution.

Here in much of North America we're mired in the depths of winter, but that doesn't seem to faze our speed skater in the picture above. He's having a great time out on the ice, making the most of the season.

At home, there's nothing like a checker problem to help us make the most of the season too, and this month we bring you an easy speed problem that will cheer you, even if it won't quite last through a whole cup of tea. In fact, it's easy enough that we think 10 seconds is plenty of time.

When you're ready, click on the link below and speed to your solution. After you're done, click on Read More to check your answer.

February Speed Problem (easy)

Marvin J. Mavin was back in St. Louis on a good-will tour, working in the inner-city schools with disadvantaged children. It was one of his favorite charitable activities and Marvin took every opportunity to further this cause.

But there were other items on Marvin's agenda for this visit. Marvin was scheduled to play an exhibition game at the St. Louis Civic Society Auditorium against the countywide amateur champion, Hinkley B. Dinkley. It was rumored that a number of major league scouts would be in attendance, with their eyes on Mr. Dinkley, who had made such a showing in amateur play that a professional contract was a real possibility. Mr. Dinkley, however, was also considering becoming a tennis pro; tennis seemed to be his real love, even though a major league checker career would be far more lucrative.

It seems, however, that prior to the game, Marvin made an unscheduled and rather prolonged stop--- at St. Louis' landmark Mudvisor Brewery. The press was not allowed to follow Marvin while he took a tour of the brewery, a tour that normally lasts about 30 minutes, though Marvin was not seen to exit the grounds until more than two hours had elapsed. Just what was Marvin doing during all of that time?

But now, Marvin and Hinkley were seated before the checkerboard, shaking hands and exchanging pre-game greetings.

"Ever been to the Mudvisor Brewery, Hink?" asked Marvin.

"Um, the name's Hinkley, and yes, I've been there once or twice. Nothing really special," replied Hinkley.

"Aw, c'mon Hink," Marvin continued, rather oblivious to Hinkley's reply, "they got that Mud Light in there and they give ya samples. Lotsa samples!"

Hinkley declined to reply, as the referee had signaled the start of play. Marvin had Black, and made his opening move.

Marvin leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands on the back of his neck, and chuckled, "Hey, Hink, thought I'd sorta give you a break, being as how you're an amateur and all!"

Hinkley did not reply but simply moved

"Ah, now we're gettin' serious," said Marvin, and the game continued as follows.

Hinkley suddenly sat up straight, staring intently at the board, with an astonished look on his face. He blinked his eyes, blinked again, and continued to stare at the pieces.

"Whaddya lookin....." Marvin started to say, but he abruptly cut off his sentence, and then muttered, "Uh-oh...."

The forced exchanges took place, and then it was again Hinkley's turn.

Hinkley thought for a few more minutes, and then looked Marvin straight in the eye and said, "Marvin, I think your visit to Mudvisor was ill advised," whereupon, Hinkley made his move.

Can you figure out what's going on here? Did Marvin make an error? What move had Hinkley been expecting Marvin to make? How did Hinkley respond?

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play, What Result?
W:W32,31,30,29,28,27,26,22,21,20,18:B19,13,11,10,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.

Put yourself in Hinkley's shoes and work this all out, then click on Read More for the rest of the story.

We certainly don't recommend that you consume the entire triple burger shown above in a single sitting, unless you're hungry beyond belief and health considerations are of no consequence. Instead, we recommend you try out today's triple checker problem, in which you can truly have it your way.

The first setting is this.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W26,23,K4:B24,K20,1.

If you don't like the first setting, then move the Black piece on square 1 over to square 2.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W26,23,K4:B24,K20,2.

And if even that doesn't please you, move the piece to square 3 instead.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W26,23,K4:B24,K20,3.

Have it your way--- move the Black piece to any one of the three squares as shown--- and Black will still win. Can you find the correct play in all of the positions?

Try to solve them; they're really not so difficult (well, mostly). Then after you've had it your way, have it our way by clicking on Read More to check your answers.

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.

Did you stay up to see the clock strike twelve this past New Year's Eve? If you're like most of the Checker Maven staff, who are, after all, a little older than they once were, ten o'clock is already a late hour and waiting up for the stroke of midnight is a difficult task.

So instead, let's deal with not a clock stroke, but a checker stroke; that intriguing specimen of a checker problem that, like yogurt and opera, you either love or hate. And, since by now you've surely recovered from possible New Year's Eve revelry, we're setting out a position that is especially bewildering. Just take a look below.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:WK2,8,K9,13,14,20,23,24,25,27:B1,4,6,7,K11,12,17,18,26,K32.

Of course, we expect you to solve this one completely from the diagram --- no setting up the board and moving the pieces! When you've clocked your solution, take the time to click on Read More to check your answer.

During the winter holiday period, The Checker Maven closes its offices for a week or two, and staff spend time with their families. But that doesn't mean that checkers go off the agenda. Not at all! It's our wont to publish an interesting and entertaining checker problem or two, so our loyal readers can have a little extra checker enjoyment during this festive time of year. And when we look for a special checker problem, we inevitably turn to the master himself, Tom Wiswell; and what better choice than a problem he calls New Year's Resolution. Here's the position.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play, What Result?

B:B9,12,13,16,17,20:W10,18,19,23,27,31.

The position comes from a game in a New Year's Day tournament played in New York some decades back. As a holiday present, we'll give you a large hint: Mr. Wiswell, playing Black, won this game.

We would not say that this position is particularly easy, and in fact, it may use up a certain number of your holiday leisure hours. So please enjoy, but don't neglect your family time! When you've found your solution, click on Read More to see the full game, Mr. Wiswell's winning play, and KingsRow's computer analysis.

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.