A Quiet Scene

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The scene shown above is certainly quiet and idyllic. It's hardly the place you'd expect to find drama and excitement.

But then again, one never knows.

A checkerboard analogy, shown below, will demonstrate our point.

WHITE
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BLACK
Black to Play and Draw

B:W31,20,19,13:B23,21,12,11.

What do we have here? The White men on 19 and 20 and the Black men on 11 and 12 are holding each other off. So is the White man on 31 and the Black man on 23. Black's man on 21 can go in for a King, as can the White man on 13. Looks like a pretty quiet setup. What are we missing? Oh ... yes ... take a closer look at the Black man on 11. After White gets a king that Black man might be in real danger.

It's said that quiet little villages have their secrets. The same is true for checkerboard positions. Black does indeed have a draw, but like closely held secrets, you'll have to dig it out.

When you've unearthed the solution, or did all the digging you wish to do, click on Read More to see the surprising answer.20050904-symbol.gif



Solution

21-25 13-9 25-29 9-6 29-25 6-2 25-22 2-7---A 22-18---B 7-16 23-27 31-24 18-23 19-15 12-28 Drawn.

A---The critical juncture. How can Black save the game?

B---23-27 here results in the same play.

03/23/13 - Category: Problems -Printer friendly version-
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