Another new year is just around the corner, and The Checker Maven hopes that it will bring you everything that you might wish for. For our part, we intend to bring you another year of checker enjoyment. Let's close out this year with a problem that's relatively easy and with a lot of practical, over the board application.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W28,21,K2,K1:BK22,20,K9,5.

Solving this one won't take you as long as some others, but you'll appreciate the clever way in which a basic principle is applied. Give it your best and close out 2012 in style. Clicking on Read More will show you the solution as always. Some things don't change from year to year!

Solution

21-17---A 22x13 1-6 9-14---B 6-9 13x6 2x18 5-9 18-23---C 9-14 28-24 20x27 23x32---D 14-18 32-27 18-22 27-23 White Wins.

A---A fascinating winning move, setting up a two for one. But that's only part of the answer.

B---What else is there? Black submits to the two for one, making material even again.

C---White doesn't have the move. How can he win?

D---White makes a carefully set up exchange to gain the move, a practical technique seen all the time.

Making an exchange to gain the move is a common enough process. What we like about this problem is the clever way in which the exchange is forced.

And now, a happy New Year to one and all!