We're not talking today about the city of Denver, as attractive and appealing as that modern metropolis might be. Instead, we're talking about John Denvir (and neither do we mean the late popular musician who called himself John Denver). John T. Denvir was a well-known checker player and author in the early 1900s, and was, to put it mildly, a man of controversy. He did publish a number of checker instruction books, and today's two-part problem is drawn from one of them.

First, look at this position arising from a Single Corner opening:

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W22,20,18,12,9:B14,11,3,2.

White has drawing moves here, and it's not so hard to find them. We invite you to give it a try.

One way not to draw is with the seemingly clever 20-16, which results in this position.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W22,18,16,12,9:B14,11,3,2.

Can you find a win for Black at this point?

If you don't find the solutions, you needn't travel all the way to Denver to see how it's done; clicking on Read More will transport you immediately to the answers.

The current state of the economy affects everyone, and The Checker Maven is no exception.

We don't spoil your reading experience by publishing advertising; we will never, ever charge a subscription fee; and we neither solicit nor accept donations. Revenue from a handful of collateral products, and cross-subsidies from our parent company, the Avi Gobbler Productions Division of Mr. Fred Investments, provide us with our only sources of income. It's no surprise that with the economy as it is, our operating funds are down substantially.

So, as a cost-saving measure, we made the decision to move our Santa Fe offices half a mile or so to smaller quarters in a less expensive area. Our staff count will remain the same, and most importantly, regular Saturday publication of The Checker Maven will continue without interruption or reduction in quality or quantity of content.

Spring has come to the northern hemisphere, and our rather impressive long jumper in the photo above is literally springing into spring as the outdoor season arrives. But even with our irrepressible urge to get out of the house and into the fine fresh air, we know you still have a little time to keep up with your game of checkers.

In this week's column we help you do just that, with a nice speed problem that will give you a little practice without keeping you inside for too long. We rank it as "medium" on the difficulty scale and allow you ... one minute. After all, the sunshine and blue skies are calling you!

Click below to show the problem and start the clock, then click on Read More to check your solution.

April Speed Problem (medium; 60 seconds)

A very complex-looking double crossing is to be found in the model railway section pictured above. We wonder, though, if it's equal in complexity to today's checker problem, which, most appropriately, arises in a line of the Double Cross opening. The Double Cross, arising from 9-14 23-18, has a bit of shall we say a checkered reputation, with 23-18 being at best a weak reply to 9-14. Nevertheless, it's completely playable if you know what you're doing, but there's plenty of opportunity to go astray.

But for now, let's jump right into our position, in which White has indeed strayed from the narrow path.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W31,27,19,18:B11,10,9,4.

Can you find the Black win, or will you get all crossed up? Don't be cross about it; clicking on Read More brings you the solution, the run-up to the position, and the usual explanatory notes.

Fed by the clear, clean moisture of the beautiful waterfall shown above, flora in the area will certainly flourish. But in today's entry from Willie Ryan's Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard we dwell on a different meaning of the word flourish, a checkeristic version which Mr. Ryan credits to James Ferrie. Here's Willie to tell us all about it.

"This time we'll look a a common mid-game trap by Worlds' Champion James Ferrie. This trap has been the stumbling block to more than a few great players. The situation reached at the diagrammed stage may be brought up in play from more than a dozen openings, and hence its practical value cannot be overemphasized. Now turn to the next page and let's examine a pretty coup by one of the old masters.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W17,18,20,22,24,26,30,32:B3,5,7,10,11,12,13,15.

A---No draw after this. The only move is 1-6*, 26-23 (18-14, 15-18, black wins), 6-9, 32-28, 10-14, 17-10, 7-14, 24-19, 15-24, 28-19,14-17, 30-26, 17-21, 19-15, 3-8,15-10, 21-25,10-6, 25-30, 6-1, 9-14*---B, 18-9, 11-15, 1-6, 15-19, 23-16, 12-19; a draw. Wm. F. Ryan.

2---The game is still in computer book play, with 1-6 indeed being the move to draw at this point. Other plausible looking moves such as 12-16 also lose, for instance 12-16 26-23 3-8 32-28 8-12 24-19 15x24 28x19 1-5 18-14 and Black is finished.---Ed.

B---Should black bring out his king 30-25, white scores with this surprise: 30-25, 18-15!, 11-27, 1-5, 25-18, 5-32, 8-11---C, 32-27, 11-15---D, 27-31, 13-17, 26-22; white wins by First Position.

C---13-17, 32-27, 17-21, 27-23*, 21-25, 26-22, 25-30, 22-17, 30-25, 17-14, 8-11, 23-18, and white wins.

D---13-17, 27-23, 12-16 (11-15, 26-22 wins), 23-18, 16-19, 18-23, 19-24, 23-18, 24-27, 26-23, 27-31, 23-19, and white wins."

Would you flourish in this situation? Look for the solution, but don't wither; the refreshing solution can be reached by simply clicking on Read More.

Yes, there is in fact a Sixth Position in classical ballet, going literally a step beyond the five positions known to the typical neophyte ballet student, and it's being demonstrated by our ballerina in the photo above.

In a previous Checker School installment about Second Position, we made a similar analogy to dance arts, and in making a like analogy with Sixth Position, we are just as certain as we were in our earlier installment that both ballet's standard positions and checkers' standard positions are quite unfamiliar (to say the least) to the general public.

But we would certainly never dare to lump in our loyal Checker Maven readers with the general public, so we are sure that many of you have at least some familiarity with the Sixth Position of checkers; and today, we challenge you to either demonstrate your mastery, review or relearn an old lesson, or gain new checker knowledge, all depending upon where you currently stand on the scale of checker erudition.

Here, then, is the classic Sixth Position.

SIXTH POSITION
A. MACKINTOSH

Black Plays, White Draws

B:W12,16,K24:B3,K7,K15.

Demonstrate how it's done, and when you've finished, click on Read More for the solution, sample games, and detailed notes.

There's an old maxim well known in formal project management practice: "Faster - Cheaper - Better: Choose two." Or, in the words of that yesteryear Cambridge, Massachusetts salesman known simply as Cheap Al: "You can't have all the goodies for nothing."

This month's speed problem indeed calls upon two of the three attributes mentioned in our title, namely, faster and better. Although the problem is quite easy, you'll need to be fast and rather a better player to solve this one within the very brief allowed time. Of course, "cheaper" doesn't enter into the picture as The Checker Maven always has been and always will be a free publication. Sorry Al, but maybe you can have all the goodies for nothing!

Click on the link below to show our problem and start the unforgiving JavaScript clock.

March Speed Problem (very easy)

When you're done, clicking on Read More gives you a faster, cheaper, and better way to see the correct solution.

It seems that Mr. Lucius S. Head (whose visage, by the way, is certainly not shown in the picture above) is better known to us than to Mr. Ryan, as we know that he (Mr. Head) was once a resident of Chicago and played many games with old-time Windy City checker expert and somewhat controversial author John T. Denvir. Mr. Head also resided at one time in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was Minnesota state champion. But such details notwithstanding, in this month's installment from Willie Ryan's Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard, we see an interesting and practical situation which Mr. Ryan attributes to Mr. Head. Here's Willie to tell us more.

"L. S. Head, of Albany, New York, American member of the 1905 International Checker Team, was a modest soul whose name rarely appeared in checker periodicals of his day. Yet he was a distinguished and widely respected player, as well as an accomplished analyst. Among the few notable items credited to his name is the practical position treated here, known as "Head's Draw," which keeps popping up in play every now and then.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Draw

B:W31,27,25,24,22,21,16:B20,18,15,14,13,7,3.

A---If 26-23, 10-15 are played, 23-19 insures a draw; but if 28-24 is used, black shoots the works with: 15-19, 24-15, 20-24, 27-20, 18-27, 31-24, 7-11, and black wins by capturing the piece on 25."

1---Despite the star here, KingsRow gives 1-6 to draw as well---Ed.

2---Again despite the star, KingsRow gives 15-18 to draw also---Ed.

Can you use your head and solve this one? Noodle on it for a while then head over to the solution by clicking on Read More.

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.

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.