Late July in Bismarck, North Dakota, can serve up some very hot weather, and in 1955, no one to speak of had air conditioning.

During the summer, Sal's Coffee and Cake Checker Club didn't meet, so most of Sal's checker related activity took place on his own in his basement study, where the air tended to be a little cooler and where he had his collection of checker magazines and books. But if there was an extended run of hot weather, even the basement got really warm, even with fans running.

This Saturday marked the 3rd day in a row of 100F high temperatures, and Sal couldn't get comfortable no matter what he did. His wife, Sylvia, had made up a few trays of ice cubes but the Westermans only had a small freezer compartment in their fridge, and the ice cubes didn't provide for more than a couple of cold drinks.

Ordinarily Sal and Sylvia went on vacation in July, but their usual lake cottage wasn't available this year and they decided to postpone until closer to Labor Day. But that's a story that we'll relate in next month's installment.

Sylvia had gone to the movie theater (one of the few air-conditioned places in town) with a couple of her girlfriends. Sal had no interest in going to see The Lady and the Tramp, let alone be the only guy in a group of ladies, so he stayed at home.

But it was just too hot.

Maybe I could go to Lions Park, Sal thought; it's just a short drive, and I might find a shady bench to sit at and read the latest All Checkers Digest. There would at least be a breeze and I can bring along a thermos of water with the last few ice cubes in it.

So that's exactly what Sal did. Sal drove to Lions Park, parked his car and walked into the park. It wasn't all that crowded. A lot of people were probably away camping for the weekend, or on vacation.

There were indeed some shaded picnic tables and Sal was about to choose one and sit down, when he noticed someone sitting a couple of tables away. It was a young lady who of all things had a checkerboard in front of her. She was smoking a cigarette and looked, well, on the rough and tough side.

Sal couldn't resist walking over. As he approached, the girl gave him a rather unfriendly glare and then pointed to a hand-lettered sign taped to the table.

WILL BEAT YOU AT CHECKERS $10 A LESSON

Sal was a bit taken aback. Gambling was of course illegal and especially so in a setting such as a public park, and the "lesson fee" wording wouldn't fool a judge. Ten dollars also seemed like quite a lot of money.

"Have you had many takers?" Sal asked.

"What's it to you, pops?" the girl said. "But since you ask, no, it's a slow day. You want a lesson? Pay up if you wanna play, otherwise twenty-three skidoo. You're scaring off my customers."

Sal didn't see anyone around that might remotely be a customer, but he didn't reply to the comment. Instead he said, "You need to put out that cigarette first."

"I ain't gonna. I do things my way. Now I ain't got no more time to yak with an old coot, so you got like five seconds to pull out a ten spot or beat it."

"What if I win?" Sal asked.

The girl laughed. "You ain't gonna. But here's the rules. You lose, I keep the tenner. You draw, you get five back. You win, you get ten back. That way it ain't gambling, see? 'Cause you can't win nothing."

"No wonder you don't have customers, young lady. You need to find a new way of doing business and you need to clean up your act."

The girl stood, her fists balled at her sides. "I heard enough from you, gramps. Now you got a choice. Take a hike or when I'm done with you take an ambulance to the hospital."

Sal thought about finding a pay phone and calling the police. The girl could be charged with all sorts of things and would likely end up spending a couple of weeks in the city jail. But Sal reflected a moment. There's a better way, he realized.

A $10 bill came out of Sal's wallet and was placed on the table. "Here you are, miss," he said, "let's play checkers."

The girl picked up the money and put it in a jeans pocket. "Okay, geezer, get ready to be thrashed."

The game began and both players seemed to forget the hot weather, focusing on the hot game. Sal quickly realized that the young girl was pretty good, though a bit shy of championship grade. The following position came up with Sal to move.

There was a lot to consider, and after some thought about all aspects of the situation, Sal made his move.

---

Sal's plan for a quiet day in the park, enjoying the cool breezes, seems to have altered with his encounter with a tough talking young lady. What would you do in this position? As Sal knew, there's more to this than just the next move in the game. Think about it and then click on Read More to see the solution and the rest of today's story.

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The Detroit Doublejumpers of the National Checker League were on summer break, and training camp didn't start for another month. Typically during the summer, their superstar captain, Marvin J. Mavin, did some outreach work in June and then took a vacation with his wife Priscilla in July.

Now, Priscilla Snelson (she had retained the Snelson name when she and Marvin married) was the CEO of the huge international conglomerate Rust Belt Holdings, and she was going to London for a day or two of business meetings. Her plan was to extend the trip to a length of two weeks, as she wanted to visit a small town in Wales for, as she put it, "a different sort of experience."

Marvin readily agreed. England, after all, was noted for its high caliber checker players (or perhaps we should say draughts players), not to mention strong teams and clubs, which were organized into a complex hierarchy of leagues and divisions at both the amateur and professional level.

Priscilla decided not to take the private jet due to the length of her stay, but she did book tickets for herself and Marvin in First Class on British Airways. They would fly to Heathrow Airport and stay in the five star London hotel hosting Priscilla's meeting. From there they would travel by train (also First Class, naturally) to Knighton, a market town on the border of Wales and England.

Priscilla booked the best suite in Knighton at the Hotel Wales. She was disappointed that the most expensive room was only $470 per night, but she figured she would be able to make do for a short while. She chose Knighton with the idea of taking nature walks in the Welsh countryside, enjoying quaint shops and local cafes, and staying away from the telephone and internet to the extent possible.

Marvin pointed out, after checking on a few things on the internet, that Knighton was a smallish town and there wouldn't be a lot to do. But when Priscilla started enumerating possible nature hikes, Marvin said, "You know, it's kinda cloudy and cool in Knighton."

"I checked the weather too, Marvin," Priscilla said, "and it's sunny about half the time in July. Just think, we can do two nature hikes a day!"

Marvin, who was never particularly thrilled about outdoor activity that involved a lot of physical effort, didn't reply. He would just have to grin and bear it.

The day of departure came and the couple flew to London, where they dined at a renowned celebrity chef restaurant. Then while Priscilla was at her meetings, Marvin spent most of the day at one of London's better draughts clubs. He received a warm reception and had a number of interesting games with some of the top London area players.

The next afternoon the couple traveled to Knighton. There were no direct trains but Priscilla had booked the fastest routing and they arrived in just about four hours, in time to check in at their hotel and have dinner in a local restaurant. Priscilla allowed how it wasn't as good as the London restaurant of the previous evening, but "it would do." Marvin, who had been enjoying some fine local ale, again kept his own counsel.

"You know," he said as they were finishing their dessert, "about how I looked stuff up on the internet?"

Priscilla was suddenly wary. "Yes?" she said, a note of caution in her voice. "I suppose you've found another checker tournament like you did on our honeymoon trip?" (As recounted in an earlier Checker Maven story---Ed.)

"Well, like, uh, yeah! How did you guess? In a couple of days there's like, uh, you know, this checker tournament and stuff ... "

"Here in Knighton?"

"Yeah, and it's open to everybody and there's like different divisions and stuff and ... "

"Marvin. What about our nature hikes? I have ten of them planned and you wouldn't want to miss any of them now, would you?"

"Yeah but there's like a ladies division and ... "

"In the checker tournament? I thought in this day and age ... "

"I know," Marvin broke in, "but it's like this. There's the Masters Division and Experts and stuff and all the way to Novice ... and ladies can play anywhere they want but there's a special division if ladies just wanna play ladies ... and stuff."

Priscilla pondered a moment. "Marvin, dear, are you suggesting I play in the ladies division myself?"

"Uh ... well ... sure ... you might like it ... "

"And stuff? Oh Marvin, how long is this tournament?"

"Just a day ... "

"I would miss two nature hikes and so would you."

"Aw c'mon Prissy, we'll both need a break after a coupla days of that hiking business!"

Priscilla glared. "Don't call me Prissy, especially when you want something from me! But I'll think about it ... maybe."

Marvin knew better than to push the issue at the moment. The tournament was on the upcoming weekend and there was still time. So he endured three days of hiking, both morning and afternoon, before bringing it up again.

To his surprise, Priscilla said, "Yes Marvin, I'll play in the ladies' division of the tournament and you can play in the Masters, as long as they allow professional players."

"They do; anybody can play. But gee Priss ... I mean honey, that's great that you're going to play! I ain't never seen you play but I betcha you ain't bad at all."

"As you know, I played through high school years but then became very busy with my studies at Harvard and later on the Sloane School. And then there was my career ... just no time."

Marvin quickly registered them both for the tournament, and then endured two more days of twice daily nature hikes. He was wondering if Priscilla would ever run out of places to hike but it didn't seem like it.

Saturday morning came around. The tournament was to be held at the City Centre on West Street. Marvin and Priscilla arrived promptly to sign in at 8 AM. Of course the organizers were thrilled to have a player of Marvin's stature in their tournament, and equally thrilled that his wife would participate too. The tournament head, a Mr. Linden Edmonds, asked for numerous publicity photos.

But then it was time for the tournament to start. The tournament was a six round Swiss system, two games per round, with a fast time limit of 15 minutes plus a 3 second increment per game.

There was a one hour lunch break after the third round. Marvin had won all of his games to have a score of 6 wins. When he met up with Prisilla, he was surprised and pleased to hear that she was tied for the lead at 5 wins and 1 draw.

"Surprised?" Priscilla said. "Why are you surprised, Marvin?"

Marvin could sense potential trouble. "Uh, well, like, that's, you know, really good ..."

"... and stuff? Don't you have confidence in my abilities?"

"Yeah, sure, uh hey let's grab some lunch, I hear they got good fries and stuff at this pub across the street ... I mean like there's a lot on the menu ... "

Priscilla gave Marvin a sharp look but agreed. "Very well," she said in a voice that was neither cold nor warm.

Lunch did fortunately turn out to be relatively pleasant and Marvin listened without interruption as Priscilla talked of her morning's games. He wisely didn't suggest alternatives to some of the play she described.

The afternoon's games began. Marvin had a perfect record again, right through to the last round, when he gave up a draw to a highly skilled local player. But he easily took first place in the tournament.

But there was one more surprise to be had. All of the divisions had finished except for the ladies' division. And who was playing on first board, with a chance at first place but ... Priscilla! She was in the second game of her match with a very young and highly talented Irish player who went by the moniker Little Patty Potatoes (her real name was Elsabeth Dooner). Going into the last match, Priscilla had eight wins and two draws, and Little Patty had nine wins and one loss, so the pair was even in the standings. The first game between them was a draw. In the second game, Priscilla needed a win. A draw wouldn't do as then Little Patty would win on tie-break points.

There was great interest in this final game. The Tournament Director wisely kept everyone away from the players, who had to watch at a distance on a demonstration board.

The game came down to this position, with Priscilla to play.

Marvin knew that Priscilla could win it if she would just make the right choice. There was a tense wait and then ...

Priscilla made her move.

---

If you were Priscilla, in contention for first place, could you have found the win here? Experts will have no trouble solving it quickly, but after all Priscilla hasn't played competively for some years. See what you make of things and then see if you can turn Patty Potatoes into Mashed Potatoes. Click on Read more to see the solution and the conclusion of our story.

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When this column appears it will be the middle of the 4th of July holiday weekend. Here in Waikiki, where our Checker Maven offices are located, there will be plenty of people heading to the beach, including visitors from Hawaiian Neighbor Islands, the mainland, and places all around the world. It's lots of fun and a great way to enjoy the long weekend.

However, it may be that you wish to avoid crowds and stay at home. If you're reading this column, you're undoubtedly a checker enthusiast, and perhaps you might wish to spend a little time with an entertaining checker problem. In that spirit, we offer the following.

Spend a little time--- you've got an extra day this weekend--- and see how you do. There are actually three ways to win this one; we suspect most players will find two but perhaps not the third. When you're ready to check your solution, just make a leisurely click of the mouse on Read More.

[Read More]

As of this writing the 4th of July 2025 is coming up in a few days. We've always said how much we like the 4th, and we've also often said that we're unapologetic American patriots. Certainly in the political sphere this has been an unusual year, but we believe a patriot always wants what's best for our country. The idea of what's best can of course vary widely across the political spectrum, but that too is part of the American way; everyone gets to have their say and to fight for what they believe in. Whether Democrat, Republican, Independent or otherwise, we can all support the idea of working to make the country and the world a better place.

Nearly every year for our 4th of July column we turn to a great checkerist, a great patriot, and a great problemist, Tom Wiswell. Here is one of his compositions.

White is a piece up and you'd think it would be easy. But Black has a mobile king and things are not so clear. Of this problem, Mr. Wiswell says, "Simple--- therefore difficult."

Give it a good effort before clicking on Read More to see the solution.

[Read More]

It was 1955 and a beautiful June day in Minot, North Dakota, and it was the wedding day of Blaine and Moira. The Cornerstone Church was decorated with flowers everywhere, and the church was filled to overflowing as the ceremony began.

Occupying seats on the groom's side of the aisle were nearly all the members of the Coffee and Cake Checker Club. Led by Sal Westerman, they had all come up from Bismarck, where the club met during the months of September through May. Blaine at age 28 was the youngest member of the club by far, all of the others being over 50 and some, like Sal, considerably so. Blaine, whom everyone called 'Young Blaine' was a junior engineer at a Bismarck based power company.

The ceremony went flawlessly and to the cheers of all Young Blaine and Young Moira were duly pronounced man and wife. There was to be a reception at the Big Wolf Country Club and rumor had it that it would be especially elegant.

And indeed it was. There was a large variety of appetizers and canapes; there was champagne and mixed drinks; there were cheeses and cold cuts ... all followed by a steak and lobster dinner.

Before the dancing began, the wedding cake was unveiled ... and to the astonishment of the Bismarck guests, it had a checkerboard pattern! Young Blaine, caught by surprise, was clearly delighted, and Young Moira was delighted that her new husband was delighted.

Then the dancing started up and after the traditional first dances and the dollar dance (pay a dollar to dance a couple of beats with the bride), the newlyweds were sent off in a highly decorated Cadillac, trailing tin cans and streamers. The party went on, of course.

When it was getting near the end of the celebrations, just before midnight, the "boys" of the club were all gathered with their wives at a big round table--- and wouldn't you know it, Sal pulled out a checker problem! He had made a number of copies and distributed them to the club members.

"Something for you boys to amuse yourselves with," he said. "It's late now and we don't have a checkerboard, but take it back home with you and then write me with what you think is the solution some time in the coming week. Even though we don't meet until September, it will give you a little checker fun nonetheless."

The boys, of course, wanted to solve it right away, but by then it was time for the party to end and for everyone to go to their hotels to get some rest before driving back to Bismarck the next day.

Sal's wife, Sylvia, smiled at him and said, "Even at a wedding, you find a way to enjoy checkers." She patted his arm affectionately. Sal didn't reply. For some reason he was thinking of their own wedding, all those years ago, and how lucky he was to have Sylvia. He silently wished the same for Young Blaine and Young Moira.

---

Unless we miss our guess, you're not at a wedding reception at the moment (although that's certainly not impossible), and you're likely to have time to solve today's problem. We can't promise you a piece of wedding cake but we can promise to show you the solution if you click on Read More.

[Read More]

The Vidor World Checkers Festival is coming up in a matter of days, and we kid you not, it is probably the biggest checker event in the history of the game. Just have a look below at what's on tap.

Thanks to the efforts of Watson Franks and his colleagues, supported by the city of Vidor, Texas, this will be an event that will go down in history. And look who's playing!

That's right, a first ever match between Team USA and Team South Africa, with some of the biggest names in checkers taking part!

It's not too late to plan a trip to Vidor, which can be reached from nearby Beaumont Airport in a matter of minutes. But if you can't be there in person, many of the events will be live-streamed.

The checker community owes a huge thank-you to Watson, his team, and the City of Vidor. Here's a shout-out from The Checker Maven for your efforts to revive and grow the great game of checkers!

It was the month of June, and the National Checker League had begun its summer break before training camp began in early August. During June it was customary for NCL players, at all levels, to do outreach work of some kind, whether teaching checkers at an inner city park, setting up friendly tournaments at senior centers, or providing special lessons to school kids of all ages.

Marvin J. Mavin, the superstar captain of the Detroit Doublejumpers, generally enjoyed the outreach work, and was often known to go to other countries where checkers was popular but there wasn't always money for professional coaching. He especially liked working with youngsters who had a dream of themselves one day becoming a superstar.

There was an assignment available in southern Chile, and Marvin put in for it. It would be the depths of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and he didn't think anyone would want that posting. But to his surprise, he was turned down.

In a phone call from his head coach, Mr. Baba Dudut, Marvin heard these words.

"I know you wanted that assignment in Chile but I made sure you didn't get it. You've caused me a lot of trouble, you know." (Editor's note: See previous stories for details.)

"Aw, c'mon coach, you know no one else wants to go to southern Chile in the winter ... "

"I don't care. You're not getting what you want. I have something else in mind for you."

Coach went on to explain that there was to be a two week long executive camp being held in Aspen, Colorado, which would be attended by top executives from around the world.

"The execs won't settle for anything but a superstar player to lead the camp, and like it or not, you're it. It's a chance for you to redeem yourself. These are very important people so go to Aspen a week early and make sure you have your program arranged."

"But Coach ... "

Coach Baba Dudut had already hung up.

Back at home, Marvin told his wife, Priscilla, about the phone call and the assignment. Prscilla was the CEO of the large international conglomerate Rust Belt Holdings, and had her own view of events.

"Marvin, that's wonderful," she said. "You can make some good contacts. In fact there will likely be other CEOs there who I know and with whom I transact. It's a pity I can't go with you. But maybe you can pass along my greetings. Good for business all around."

Marvin wasn't so sure about any of it. A room full of giant egos? Priscilla would take to it but he certainly wouldn't.

Marvin didn't have much choice and on the appointed day he flew into Aspen's airport and took a taxi to the five star St. Regent Resort. The hotel offered the height of luxury and service and was very expensive, as you might expect for a venue where top CEOs were to meet.

Marvin met that evening for dinner with Mr. Sbrinz Etivaz, the Swiss-born director of the hotel.

"Everything is pretty much arranged, Mr. Mavin," he said over an appetizer course of smoked organic celery and roasted Mediterranean peppers. "Accommodations and meals are all planned. You'll find the schedule in your email. These CEOs are of course busy people, so your seminars will run from 9 AM to noon. Afternoons are reserved for the CEOs to tend to their businesses, and they have evenings reserved for networking and leisure. I do hope it's clear that you are to neither take meals with the CEOs, disturb their afternoon schedules, nor participate in evening activities. After all, despite your star status in checkers, the CEOs consider you to be 'hired help' at the servant level. You can eat in the main common dining room. In the afternoons and evenings I suggest you go over your material for the following day so as to ensure the flawless presentation the CEOs have every right to expect."

Marvin looked up from his food. "So, I ain't got no status?"

Mr. Etivaz gave Marvin something of a look. "No, you 'ain't'," he said with disdain, "and from here on out you will deal only with the Assistant Director of Protocol, Ms. Betty Butterfly, who will ensure everything goes smoothly. Please follow her directions to the letter and let her know if there are any difficulties."

"I see," Marvin said. "Well, whatever .. "

"Let me be clear, Mr. Mavin," Mr. Etivaz went on. "I know you have something of a ... reputation. Do not bring dishonor upon this establishment if you know what's good for you."

A waiter arrived with the main course. There was only one plate, which he set in front of Marvin and then went off.

Mr. Etivaz stood. "Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Mavin. I am a busy man and cannot spend any more time with 'hired help'."

Marvin did spend the next several days working diligently on a program. He'd start with the basics such as simple tactics and how to win two kings against one. He'd move on to more advanced tactics and something about midgame landings toward the end of the first week. In the second week he'd get into go as you please openings and finish the camp with a one day "graduation" tournament. He did wonder why top CEOs would spend two weeks away from the office to go to a checker camp. Maybe he'd find out when the execs arrived.

They started coming in on Sunday, a couple at a time. The camp was limited to 20 participants. There was an evening reception for the CEOs that night, hosted by Mr. Etivaz, but it was very clear that Marvin was not invited.

Marvin did meet the CEOs at the first session on Monday morning. There were participants from across the US and Canada, as well as Mexico, France, England, and several other countries; there was even a participant from the Marshall Islands.

After introductions, Marvin set to work. He was a little dismayed about most of the participants spending significant time texting and reading email on their phones. A number of them stepped out from time to time to make or take phone calls.

At the end of the session, just before noon, Marvin told them that their homework assignment could be found in their notebooks.

The next morning, Marvin asked for volunteers to demonstrate solutions to the homework problems. No one stepped up.

"Okay, then, how about you," Marvin said, pointing to the CEO of a major New York City construction company.

"Don't you go pointing your finger at me, boy," the man said. 'For your information we're busy people and we don't have time for childish things like homework."

"All right," Marvin replied, "then I'll just show you."

Marvin played out the solutions and then continued on with the lessons. But the same pattern played itself out all week and into the next week. It was obvious that the CEOs weren't learning very much, if anything, and they became less and less attentive each day. Some of them stopped showing up. On Wednesday of the second week, in the early afternoon Ms. Butterfly asked to see Marvin. They met in Ms. Butterfly's office.

"Mr. Mavin, some of the CEOs at your 'camp' have checked out early, saying they just didn't have time for 'this sort of thing.' Frankly, we're very disappointed."

"Me too," Marvin said. "They don't pay attention and even don't show up sometimes. They ain't never done no homework neither and I think they ain't learned nothing."

Ms. Butterfly leaned forward. "Well, that's on you, isn't it, Mr. Mavin. These are important people. It's up to you to hold their attention and keep them engaged. If you haven't done that--- and obviously you haven't--- then you've failed."

"Whaddya mean? They don't listen. They don't do no work. They don't ... "

"I don't care about your excuses. Save your breath. Now, there are two days left and still about a dozen CEOs remain. You had better make it good if you don't want a very poor evaluation sent back to your League executives. Thank you for stopping in, but I'm rather busy and need to get back to work." Ms. Butterfly picked up some papers from her desk and started looking at them. It was obvious to Marvin that he had been dismissed.

Marvin thought about things for several hours and on into the evening, after his solitary dinner at the main dining room. Finally, he came up with a plan.

The next morning the attendance was down to about 10.

Marvin stood at the front of the room and bellowed, "Listen up, people."

Heads raised from cell phones to stare in surprise.

"Now, you all think you're some kinda big shots, and that's great and stuff, but I came here to teach you checkers and none of you ain't learned nothing as far as I can see. So here's how it's going to be for the last two days. Put all of them cell phones away and leave 'em away. Pay attention and answer when I call on you. Do your homework tonight cause like it or not there's a little tournament tomorrow and you're all playing and I don't want no complaining. If you can't do things my way, you can leave now."

One CEO did get up and, with much harrumphing, actually left.

Another spoke up. "You don't get it, do you son. We're busy people, and we're playing chess, not checkers, in our business lives."

Now Marvin, like any red blooded checker player, didn't care for the chess vs. checkers analogy. "First of all, mister, I ain't your son. And second, if you're playing chess why are you at a checkers camp?"

"To network, what else," the CEO replied. "You think any of us really care about checkers? Like I said, we're playing chess while ... "

"Stuff it!" Marvin said. "If you think you're playing chess in your business, fine. But maybe you should be playing checkers. It's a game of finesse. But I guess you ain't got none of that."

There were howls of laughter from the rest of the CEOS while the man who had spoken turned red in the face. But before he could speak again, Marvin said, "Let me show you something."

There was a laptop connected to a projector, and the CheckerBoard program was running on it. Marvin put it in setup mode and had it display the following position.

"Now," he said, "suppose this is a business situation. Your company is White and your rival is Black. As you can see your markets, represented by the number of pieces, are equal. But your competitor has just made a little error and now you want to get a winning advantage. How do you do it?"

The CEOs actually now showed a little interest. One of them spoke up. "When I'm head to head with a competitor," she said, "and the markets are even, I find a weak spot and go after it and crush them."

"I don't know," another CEO said, "a direct attack could be risky. What if it backfires? Won't you be the one to lose then? Or what if they try to do the same thing to you?"

The discussion went back and forth. Marvin began to smile for the first time since he arrived in Aspen.

Finally he said, "This was a good discussion and it's very relevant to checkers. Let me show you a couple of things."

Marvin, finally had everyone's rapt attention, and there was not a cell phone in sight.

---

Most of our readers are likely not "top CEOs"; after all, checkers is a game for everyone. But you don't have to be a CEO to enjoy today's problem position. After you've given it some thought and effort, click on Read More to see the solution and the rest of the story. And--- our apologies to those of you who are top CEOS.

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The quote above, used in a slightly different form by Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn, is generally taken to mean that you are responsible for your actions. This certainly applies to many if not all things in life--- and it's something well illustrated in our game of checkers.

Today's problem is a first Saturday of the month speed problem, in which you pay your money (actually, you don't; The Checker Maven is a free public service) and take your choice--- of checker moves--- after which you'll be responsible for the outcome.

The problem isn't hard at all; you just have to make the right choice. Which jump do you take? What will be the outcome of one jump or the other? See what consequences your choices may have, and then choose to click on Read More to see the solution.

[Read More]

Tommy Wagner, a sophomore at a large high school in Florida, had played first board on the varsity checker team's second team for the first few matches of the school year. That was pretty outstanding for someone with just a year of high school competitive experience, but Tommy really wanted to move up to first team. In our last story, Tommy tried out and just missed gaining the fifth board slot. He was pretty down about it but with the advice and encouragement of Uncle Ben, a retired checker professional, Tommy pulled himself together and performed excellently on the second team.

Now, Uncle Ben wasn't really Tommy's uncle, but everyone called him Uncle Ben. He was kindly and patient and instructed a small number of promising students. Tommy visited Uncle Ben on most Saturday mornings for a checker lesson and a few glasses of Uncle Ben's renowned lemonade.

But a couple of matches into the season, the coach of Tommy's team, Coach Schann, noticed that the fifth board player on the first team, Duwayne Zigley, hadn't been playing well. Coach decided to bench the player in the team's next match, and told Tommy he would be playing 5th board on the first team--- on a trial basis.

"It's up to you," Coach said to Tommy after he had Tommy report to his office. "If you play well, you might get to replace Duwayne."

Now, in a playoff match last spring, Tommy had blundered in a game with Duwayne, and that had given Duwayne the spot on first team. Tommy only replied, "Thank you sir," to Coach and then went on his way. At first he was elated to have a chance to play on first team. But after thinking about it for a while, he felt bad that it was at the expense of Duwayne, who would play second team for at least one match, and wouldn't be able to return to first team if Tommy played well.

Tommy wondered if getting on first team at Duwayne's expense was what he really wanted. But what to do? Turn down the opportunity? Coach probably wouldn't let him even if he asked. Coach was a good person but he expected the team to follow his directions without fail. Neither could Tommy see himself playing anything but his best game; he certainly wouldn't let up and disappoint his teammates.

So he took his question to Uncle Ben on the following Saturday.

"Tommy," Uncle Ben said, "I think you've asked a two glasses of lemonade question. There's a lot more to this than you might think.

"First, it's good of you to think about your friend Duwayne's feelings. He had earned that first team position and you acknowledged that, despite your blunder in the final game, Duwayne deserved it.

"It's also good of you to realize that you have an obligation to obey your coach and an equal obligation to support your team."

"Yes, Uncle Ben," Tommy replied, "but I feel so bad about Duwayne getting demoted. I think how I would feel myself, and it wouldn't be very good."

"When you lost that crucial game to Duwayne, I know you felt bad. But it was a competition. You lost fair and square, and in the end Duwayne remained your friend and your teammate. Did you expect Duwayne to feel bad on your behalf?"

"No, of course not, but he kind of did ... but like you say, he won fair and square and I told him as much."

"That's good sportsmanship shown by both of you. Now, who is moving Duwayne to second team? You, or Coach?"

"Coach, but ... "

"Yes, Coach, that's his job and sometimes he has to make some very tough calls in the interests of the team. Now, who is going to decide if Duwayne stays on second team, you or Coach?"

"Well, Coach, but ... I mean, if I play well then it's kind of like I am, right?"

"No Tommy, not quite right. You have an obligation to your team to give every game your best. Coach will make the decisions after that, not you. Meanwhile Duwayne should give his best on second team and if another first team slot opens up, earn it just like he did last spring. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Uncle Ben, that helps a lot. We all give 100% and do our best, and Coach will decide who plays where based on the needs of the team. Did I get it right?"

"You sure did, Tommy. But there's one more thing."

"What's that, Uncle Ben?"

"It's not just in checkers ... in life, we need to care about others, just like you care about Duwayne. But we always need to give our best to support those around us. And if we always give our best, no matter what happens, we can look at ourselves in the mirror with self-respect. You may not fully understand that now, but hopefully as the years go by, you'll always be one who does all they can and then calls it good."

Uncle Ben poured some more lemonade. "But now, let's get into today's studies. Go over to the checker board and see if you can solve this one."

Tommy took a sip of the lemonade and focused in on the position. He was content. Uncle Ben is a wise man, Tommy said to himself, and continued, maybe one day I can be wise like that too.

---

Uncle Ben is indeed wise; after all, he's a character inspired by the real-life Ben Boland, one of the great checker educators and writers of recent times. (Our stories are entirely fictitious, of course.) In any case, we invite you to apply your checker wisdom to today's problem, which is just a sample of the many examples of the theme that you'll see by clicking on Read More. The problem above is No. 1 in the "Sister Problems" section.

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There's quite a collection of props in the photo above. These are undoubtedly theater props, but the word "props" has a number of meanings.

Continuing along with our Checker School series and Andrew J. Banks unusual book Checker Board Strategy, we come to the topic of checker props, wherein lies a valuable lesson.

Most experienced players will be able to solve this one fairly readily; the less experienced checkerist may have to think a bit. Either way, it's fine. Give it a try and then prop your mouse on Read More to see the solution.

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