Tonkin is what the French called the northern sector of Viet Nam, during the years of French occupation of that Asian nation. They derived Tonkin from the Vietnamese term Đông Kinh, which actually means "Eastern City" (not northern), and is also an old name for the Vietnamese capitol city, Ha Noi. Đông Kinh additionally is used to refer to the cities of Tokyo and Beijing. We found that the Internet contains a fair amount of incorrect information about the name Tonkin, so we hope we have set the record straight, at least to some degree.

Of course, while The Checker Maven's excellent and erudite Research Department is always anxious to impart collateral learning such as this, today's column really is about checkers, as we present another lesson in our Checker School series, a position, unsurprisingly, credited to a certain H. Tonkin. We don't know anything about Mr. Tonkin, but we're convinced that he didn't come from Ha Noi, though his origin might well have been in an eastern region of some other nation. The setting is a very practical endgame, and for a change in this series you'll find the solution is neither long nor especially difficult.

H. TONKIN
WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W21,17,10:BK26,14,2.

Whether you're from the east or the north, or for that matter, somewhere else, work out the solution and then travel to Read More để xem các giải đáp cho bài (to see the solution to the problem), notes, and a sample game.

Solution

The position, solution, lettered notes, and endpiece are taken from Ben Boland's Famous Positions in the Game of Checkers. Numbered notes are by the Editor, using Ed Gilbert's KingsRow computer program.

26-22, 17-13, 22-18---B, 13-9, 18-22, 10-6---C, 14-17, 21-14, 22-17, 14-10, 17-14, 10-7, 14-5. Black Wins.

Game: 10-14, 22-18, 11-16, 25-22, 8-11, 24-20, 16-19, 23-16, 14-23---2, 26-19, 9-14---3, 29-25, 5-9, 22-17---4, 14-18---5, 17-13---6, 9-14, 30-26, 4-8, 27-23, 18-27, 32-23---7, 6-10, 13-9, 11-15, 16-11, 15-24, 11-4, 1-5, 2.8-19, 14-18, 23-14, 10-17, 21-14, 3-8, 4-11, 7-30, 25-21, 30-25, 31-26, 25-30, 26-22, 30-25, 22-17---A, 25-22, 17-13, 22-18, 14-10, 5-14, 13-9. Forms above position at 4th move. R. Martins vs. C. Adamson, 1884-5.

A---22-18 would have drawn here.

B---By R. Martins, and is superior to Tonkin's: 22-17, 13-9, (10-6 Black wins by first position), 17-13, 10-6, 14-17, 21-14, 13-17. Black Wins.

C---9-5, 22-18, 5-1, 14-17---1. Black Wins.

1---21-14 18-9 1-5 9-14 5-1 14-7 Black Wins.

2---The alternate jump, 12-19, is an elementary loss: 12-19 27-24 14-23 24-8 4-11 26-19 White Wins.

3---The computer thinks this gives White solid winning chances, and recommends 6-10, returning to a book line, although White still has a small edge.

4---30-26 would have retained White's edge.

5---Black gives an advantage back to White! 4-8 would have been best.

6---A real see-saw; 17-14 would have kept White's lead.

7---The game is pretty much a draw at this point.

W. W. Piper in the Draughts World, Feb. 1896, said: "Mr. Tonkin published his position in July 1884, while Martins did not play Adamson until the latter part of the year, and the game was not published until 1888."

The above position by H. Tonkin may be found colors reversed as No. 218 in Horsfall's Problem Book.

Some months since I was playing a game of Checkers in a Northern Ohio town, and around the Board were grouped about a dozen players who, like my opponent, knew nothing of Book Play. It so chanced that the game developed into an early, stage of the "Second Position," and I announced, as though it were marvelous foresight on my part, that I should win the game in about fifty moves. Murmurs came from the spectators mingled with expressions of doubt, whereupon it was suggested that a count of the moves should be made as the game progressed. The count sustained my prediction, when there were further expressions of astonishment, broken by one of the group who, advancing and tapping me on the shoulder said with the utmost seriousness: "Stranger! I never should o'seen that far ahead!" ---H. D. Lyman, The New England Checker Player