Who among us who is, shall we say, above a certain age, can fail to remember the Fuller Brush Man? Selling door-to-door, with his signature case of Fuller Brush Company wares--- they were sold with a unique lifetime guarantee--- he was a part of American culture, and was even immortalized in a Red Skelton movie in 1948. The Fuller Brush Man is perhaps no longer the icon he once was, but the company itself lives on, having relocated to Kansas in 1973.

During Willie Ryan's days, the Fuller Brush Man was still a well-known figure, and hence it's no surprise that Willie makes a punning reference in his book Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard while describing a position attributed to checkerist Everett Fuller. But Willie can tell us about it much better than we can.

"Now and then, Everett Fuller of Milwaukee, Champion of Wisconsin, introduces a sparkling problem or an unusual game. Everett is the father of the following stroke, which, as strokes go, deserves a blue ribbon for its subtlety and bizarre character:

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Draw

B:W32,31,26,22,20,18,13,9:B24,16,11,10,8,7,2,1.

Notes by the Editor using KingsRow.

1---The computer gives Black a small edge here.

2---30-26 was better and now Black gets a significant lead.

3---Black should have played 4-8 to keep his advantage.

4---KingsRow prefers 24-28. After the text move the game is actually just a bit in White's favor.

5---13-9 was necessary to keep the White edge.

6---Just about loses. 13-9 was still best here.

7---The game continues to see-saw; 10-15 would have kept Black's superiority.

Can you solve this one, or will it give you the brush-off? In any case we offer a lifetime guarantee: clicking on Read More will always show you the solution.

Solution

"Continue: 10-15*, 32-28, 24-27*, 31-24, 15-19, 24-15, 8-12, 15-8, 1-5, 20-11, 5-30, 8-3, 7-16, ending in a draw---A, B; a truly fine redeeming stroke, and not at all apparent at the diagrammed stage."

A---Black goes down three pieces and then returns to equality!

B---13-9 30-26 22-18 etc. to a straightforward draw.