Talk about getting clipped! It seems that extreme clipping is the order of the day in the lakeside scene above. We think it may be a bit unusual to go to the lake to get clipped, although in lakeside resorts, it's inevitable that a different sort of "clip joint" is usually to be found.

A player can get clipped at the checkerboard, too, and in just as extreme a fashion. Willie Ryan, in his classic Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard, illustrates this nicely in his discussion below.

"Sometimes deadly shots exist in situations that appear so innocent that even master minds of the board will fail to detect them. The example shown here is a case in point. I had reached the situation on the diagram in one of my books, but overlooked a trim coup in my analysis. It was spotted by Jeff Clayton, the well-known Oklahoma City expert:

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W15,18,19,21,25,26,27,28,30,31,32:B1,2,4,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,20.

A---A very weak move leading to critical play, 10-14 is better.

B---Black walks into a trap with this move. There is a narrow draw here by 1-5---4, 27-23, 9-14, 18-9, 5-14, 25-22, 14-17, 21-14, 10-17, 28-24---5, 20-27, 31-24, 17-21, 23-18, 6-9, 32-27, 8-11, 15-8, 4-11, 27-23, 7-10, 24-20, 2-7, 19-16, 12-19, 23-16, 10-15,16-12, 15-19, 12-8, 7-10, 8-3, 11-16*, 20-11, 10-14, 18-15, 14-18, 15-10, 18-25, 10-6, 25-29, etc. Wm. F. Ryan."

1---8-11 is quite a bit better---Ed.

2---27-23 would have kept the edge---Ed.

3---Very weak; 8-11 would keep things on an even keel---Ed.

4---The computer disagrees and thinks this is still a probable loss. See note 5. Instead, Black should play 12-16! 19-3 10-19 3-10 6-29 27-23 9-14 23-16 29-25 etc. White still has a clear lead and a likely win, but Black's chances are a little better. It's surprising that Willie didn't look at this spectacular shot---Ed.

5---This move appears to be incorrect and gives up the win. 32-27 retains a strong White lead---Ed.

Are you going to get clipped by this problem situation, or are you able to cut it? Try to find the solution, and then slice your mouse over to Read More to see how it's done.

Solution

"Continue from diagram:

6---The computer seems to prefer to start with 18-14, but the same position is reached---Ed.

7---The man on 10 falls. Variations are possible in the course of this long solution; use your computer to explore them further---Ed.