Three Move Opening: A Checker Romance

Part Five: Second Interlude

This time, Reggie was going to play it to the hilt. It would be a one hundred percent effort.

Luckily, he had the weekend to prepare. He even telephoned his friend Jack to ask him about the idea.

"Seems a bit over the top, wouldn't you say?" said Jack after Reggie explained everything. "But I'm glad you didn't give up. That first mistake --- the Maid of the Mill thing --- that really wasn't completely your fault. Of course, you're pretty clueless, but this time I think you hit a sore nerve. A spot of bad luck for you."

"Over the top, perhaps, but don't you think she'll like it?" Reggie said. He didn't say anything about his being clueless; he actually was too painfully aware of it.

"Depends. You say she's a literary type as well as a draughts enthusiast? Impressive, you must introduce me some time." Jack laughed.

"Now look, Jack, you have a million girls already ... "

"Just kidding, old chum. Look, I've got to move along, I'm scheduled for doubles tennis with three lovely ladies ... "

"See what I mean? Give us less fortunates a break, will you?"

"Sure, Reggie, best of luck. So long now!"

There was just enough time on Saturday to visit the campus and look up a friend in the arts department.

"Yes, we have that," Grant said. Grant Pearson was a friend of Reggie's from a class in the previous semester. "You can borrow it if you return it right after you're done. For Monday, you say? Sure. Just bring it back later on in the afternoon."

Reggie hauled a substantial parcel back to his rented room. Fortunately the Saturday buses weren't as crowded as they were on weekdays.

Almost everything was ready. Reggie just had to write his note, and that was going to be easy this time.

Fortunately there was no draughts practice this weekend. The club coach didn't believe in weekend practices just before a big match; he thought it put too much pressure on non-professional players. That suited Reggie just fine. He was able to get some homework done, and make sure his note and everything else was ready for the next morning.

It's safe to say that Reggie didn't sleep all that well Sunday night. He was just too excited. Everything was just perfect!

Monday morning finally rolled around, and for once Reggie didn't have to drag himself out of bed to go to class. He had math before Chaucer, and he was going to skip it today. He wondered what was becoming of him ... skipping class again. But he didn't care.

He opened up the parcel and got everything ready. When he was fully dressed, he grabbed his backpack, double-checking to make sure the note was safely inside, and then made his way out to the bus.

He got some odd looks, first from the driver and then from the passengers, one of whom complained to the driver about whether Reggie should be allowed on the bus. But the driver just shrugged his shoulders, closed the doors, and put the bus into motion.

When the bus stopped in front of the college, Reggie rushed straight to his classroom, attracting still more attention from the students on the grounds and in the hallways. He quickly reached the relative safety of the classroom and took his seat, which fortunately wasn't in a direct line of sight from the doorway.

A couple of students came in and started murmuring to one another. Then Katie came in, looked in his direction and gasped. She took a few steps toward Reggie and said, "Reggie, what on earth---"

She was interrupted by the entry of Dr. Rowan, who also did what was, at least for him, a double-take.

"Well, Mr. Pastor, this is certainly going to be interesting."

Reggie normally would have reacted with anything between mild embarrassment and utter mortification. But not today. He was on a mission and would not be deterred. Totally ignoring Dr. Rowan, he went over to Katie's desk and with a deep bow and a dramatc flourish, laid down his note.

However, Dr. Rowan was not accustomed to having his remarks ignored, and his expression showed it.

"Just a moment, Mr. Pastor. This is a serious classroom, and perhaps you might explain yourself."

Reggie, just turning back toward his desk, replied, "Sir?"

"Your outfit. The note you just left on Miss Walton's desk. Is this some sort of elaborate but highly out of place courting scheme?"

Reggie was struck silent. This was not going as he intended.

"Nothing to say? Well, then, perhaps you might come to the front of the room and read the note aloud, after which you can explain your costume."

All of the class members were now present. There was a bit of quiet snickering, but all eyes were on Reggie.

And on Katie, who was turning redder by the second.

Reggie knew he didn't dare defy Dr. Rowan any further. Reluctantly, he moved to the front of the classroom, stopping to pick up the his note from Katie's desk. She favored him with a frosty glare.

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Pastor. Or should we say, 'Sir Pastor'?

Everyone laughed except Katie and Reggie.

Reggie began to read, his eyes down.

"To my dearest Ladye Katie, I bring these words:

11-15, 23-19, 8-11, 22-17, 9-13, 17-14, 10-17, 21-14."

Dr. Rowan interrupted, "Those are not words, Mr. Pastor, those are numbers. There is actually a difference."

Reggie glanced at Katie. From the look on her face, he knew she had understood. But still, she looked very angry.

Reggie continued reading.

"Whilom, as olde stories tellen us,
There was a duke that highte Theseus.
Of Athens he was lord and governor,
And in his time such a conqueror
That greater was there none under the sun.
Full many a riche country had he won.
What with his wisdom and his chivalry,
He conquer'd all the regne of Feminie."

Reggie stopped reading. "Um, well, that's all, sir."

"How interesting, Mr. Pastor. I must say you deserve credit for reading from Chaucer's Knight's Tale and dressing up in a very detailed knight's costume, complete with sword and helm. I imagine you attracted a lot of attention this morning.

"But really, the last line, 'He conquer'd all the regne of Feminie' ... did you bother to ascertain the meaning prior to addressing this phrase to Miss Walton?"

Dr. Rowan didn't wait for an answer. "You see, Mr. Pastor, 'the regne of Feminie' doesn't mean conquering a woman's heart. The 'regne of Feminie' actually refers to a race of Amazons, whom Chaucer's knight claims to have conquered. Are you suggesting that Miss Walton is an Amazon?"

The class roared with laughter and Katie looked as if she was about to cry.

"So," Dr. Rowan said when the laughter died down, "I ask you, Miss Walton, what is your reply to this somewhat misinformed suitor?"

Katie stood up and picked up her backpack. She looked straight at Reggie and said, "25-22." Then she stormed out of the room, trying valiantly to maintain control.

Reggie, horrified, made as if to go after her, but just at that moment, two uniformed security guards entered the room.

"There's a report of someone wif a weapon," one of them said. "There 'e is!" said the other, pointing to Reggie. "Come quietly with us now. You're in a 'eap 'o trouble fer carryin' a sword on campus. Don't make us get rough wif ya."

They took Reggie's costume sword and backpack, and marched him over to the Campus Security office. After searching his backpack, making him remove his costume, and searching his person, they asked him to explain himself.

It all took quite a little while, but Reggie was finally able to convince them that a wooden theatre sword, painted silver, wasn't a real weapon. The security officers then pointed out that it looked enough like the genuine article to be used to threaten others. But they realized in the end that Reggie was just playing a part, as it were, and they let him off with a lecture about not doing foolish things that could get him in hot water.

They wouldn't return the sword or the knight's costume; they told Reggie they would get it back to the Theatre Department themselves. "Best you not be seen wif that no more, eh?" one of them said.

Reggie got out of there as soon as they let him. But now he had to face what to him was the real problem.

He thought he had been clever. The draughts moves he had read corresponded to the Laird and Lady opening sequence. Katie obviously knew that. But when she replied simply "25-22" Reggie had his answer.

That was the line known as the Laird and Lady Refused.

To be continued ...

---

We wonder if Katie knew that Laird and Lady Refused is now known to be a White loss; and did Reggie realize, in the moment, that it was a Black win? Is there a hidden meaning in all of this?

You'll have to continue to follow the story to find out, but in the meanwhile let's have a look at this line of play.

1.	11-15	23-19
2.	8-11	22-17
3.	9-13	25-22

Of course Laird and Lady Accepted, with 17-14, would have been best, both in terms of checkers and for our hapless protagonist. But, much as Reggie must strive to win Katie, winning Laird and Lady Refused is not so simple. Can you do it? Here's the position.

Accept the challenge and see if you can find the win. Just because it's difficult, don't refuse ... make the attempt and then click on Read More to see the solution.

Solution

4.	5-9	27-23
5.	11-16	24-20
6.	15x24	20x11
7.	7x16	28x19
8.	4-8

The immediate 8. 10-14 wouldn't have won a man: 8. 10-14 17-10 9. 6-24 32-28 and now the computer shows that 10. 16-19 23-26 11. 12-19 leaves Black with just a small edge.

8.

...

30-25

But what can White do about the renewed threat of 10-14? 8. ... 32-28 9. 8-11 23-18 20. 16-23 26-19 11. 2-7 29-25 12. 10-14 17-10 13. 7-23 and Black is a man up.

9.	10-14	17x10
10.	6x24

White is down a piece and to his dismay finds he loses anyway if he tries to recover it.

10.	...	32-28
11.	9-14	28x19
12.	13-17!	22x13
13.	14-18!	23x14
14.	16x30	25-22
15.	30-25	22-17
16.	25-22	14-10
17.	22-18	13-9
18.	18-14

Black wins, and we can only hope that Reggie gets the message.