The Checker Maven
Baby It's Cold Outside
It was the end of January in Bismarck, North Dakota, the coldest time of the year in a place known for its intemperately cold weather.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and at about quarter to one the temperature was still 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and that would be the highest the mercury reached that day. And to top it all off, the wind was blowing at 20 miles per hour. Of course the sun was out, but that wasn't of much help.
Sal Westerman was undaunted. At one o'clock his Coffee and Cake Checker Club would meet as it did every week at the Beacon Cafe, normally a ten minute walk from Sal's home.
Sal was bundling up under the direction of his wife, Sylvia, who had even gone so far as to suggest that Sal stay home. But there was very little that could keep Sal from his beloved club, and cold weather didn't deter him.
So, as warmly dressed as a person could possibly be, Sal made his way to the club. The wind was biting and the cold wicked, and it took him longer than usual. It was nearly ten after one when Sal entered the Cafe, but as he passed through the door, he didn't feel the blast of heat that one usually felt when going from 20 below zero outside to 70 above zero inside.
Then he noticed that there were only four other people in the cafe, all of them still dressed in their winter clothes, gloves, wool caps, and all. Club members Wayne, Dan, and Louie the Flash were sitting in the usual booth at the back, while Deana, the proprietess, was behind her counter, similarly bundled up. She had an electric heater rigged up and blowing on the only shelf that had anything on it, a tray of coconut chocolate chip bars. There was a big coffee urn plugged in, and that was it.
"What's going on?" Sal asked.
"The gas heat for the building went out during the night," Deana said. "I have a couple of electric heaters running but it's still only 28 degrees in here. The gas company men were working on it but they said it'll be Monday until they can get the heat going again. They need a part from Minneapolis or something," Deana said.
"How come you don't close up?" Sal asked.
"Aw, I know how much you boys like your checkers," Deana replied. "Lucky I had a tray of bars I could go home and get. But I'm going to close early. It's just too darn cold in here."
"Yeah, it's cold even for checkers," Dan said. All of the boys (who were over 50) had big mugs of coffee in front of them. There was just a single checker board set up.
Sal got himself some coffee and went over to the booth. "Tell you what," he said. "I did bring along a problem from Ed. How about you boys try that while I go ahead and buy some bars. After that, we'll go home. What do you say?"
Everyone, including Deana, nodded agreement.
Sal laid out a position on the checker board. "Okay, here you go," he said. "Maybe make it quick as you can!"
But the boys knew a problem from Ed was seldom a quick solve.
WHITE
White to Play and Draw
W:B2,12,19,20,22:W28,31,32,K1
"Bars on me today," Deana said. "They're a day old."
In between sips of hot coffee the boys were working away at Ed's problem.
Hopefully, wherever you are, you're somewhere warm, and if you're in a cold climate, we hope the heating is working as it should. One thing for sure is that you'll warm up to Ed Atkinson's fine problem. See how you do and then give your mouse a heated click on Read More to see the solution.
The Game of My Life
In the columns of The Checker Maven we've presented a fair amount of checker fiction from the past (not that there's a copious amount to choose from). We've also presented a great deal of our own checker fiction, and will continue to do so.
But it's a real pleasure to be able to present contemporary checker fiction from another author. Grandmaster problem composer Ed Atkinson sent us a little story of his own, and we're delighted to present it here. Of course, it's accompanied by one of Ed's fine compositions. Ed took his inspiration from the famous story A Midnight Encounter.
The Game of My Life by Edgar Atkinson
It was late in the evening when I set up the checker board to go over a game played by one of the great masters of yesteryear. Then there came a knock on the door. Upon answering the knock, a tall stranger, wearing a black cowl and holding a large scythe, stood before me. I knew in a moment that it must be the Grim Reaper.
PICRYL CC0
"Why are you here?" I asked. "I am in good health and I have done no wrong."
"It is time for you to come with me," the Grim Reaper replied.
I had to think quickly. "Here," I said. "Sit down and we'll play a game of checkers. If I win, you can be on your way without me."
"Checkers?" the Reaper replied. "I have never been beaten. When I win the game, we will be off together."
PickPik CC0
With a sigh of relief I sat down to play, knowing full well that I had more to gain than my adversary had to lose. This was to be the game of my life.
The game took an unusual turn. At a critical point the Grim Reaper, playing Black of course, attacked one of my pieces from behind, a move that would win the piece and apparently win the game as well.
"Now you will lose a piece and with it the game," the Reaper said. "Then we will be on our way together."
This was a pretty fix indeed. I gave the situation all the attention that I could muster. Suddenly I saw my way through. Not only would I escape, but also would pay back my tall adversary in kind.
This was the position on the board.
WHITE
White to Play and Win
W:W13,15,21,25,27,K1:B2,6,8,10,K19,K31
With trembling hand I reached out to make the first move of the combination that I had envisioned.
Ed Atkinson's problems are seldom easy, but always clever and entertaining. How would you do facing off against the Grim Reaper? Fortunately, you don't have to do so to solve Ed's problem. See if you can sow the right moves and reap the victory. There's no need to be grim as you can easily click on Read More to see the solution and the rest of the story.
Zugzwang! Problem Contest 60
Zugzwang. Compulsion to move, made up of the German roots Zug, move (among other meanings) and zwang, compulsion or force. A situation in which a player has to move even though it will mean losing or incurring a major disadvantage. It's a term commonly associated with the game of chess, but it applies to checkers as well.
The 60th entry in Bill Salot's amazing ongoing series of checker problem composition contests features the theme of Zugszwang with four stellar problems illustrating this principle. Solve them, enjoy them, and by all means vote for the one you think should be the winner.
As always, the action takes place on our current contest page.
To get you started, here's an example. It's by Jim Loy and was the winning problem in Contest 34, August 2017, which featured the same theme as today's contest.
WHITE
White to Play and Win
W:WK10,14,18,21,27,32:B5,9,12,20,23,28
After you've tried this one, click on Read More to see the solution and then hurry over to the current contest page for more Zugzwang enjoyment.
Marvin's Agreement
Marvin J. Mavin
In our last story, Marvin J. Mavin, the superstar captain of the Detroit Doublejumpers, a top team in Major League Checkers, was in a tight spot. His long-time girlfriend, the wealthy business executive Priscilla K. Snelson, had given Marvin a holiday ultimatum: Go to Las Vegas and get married, or else. She sent Marvin home and said he had one week to decide.
Now, Marvin did not want to get married. But he didn't want to risk losing Priscilla, either. They had been together for ten years and he truly loved her.
It wasn't for her money or any other ulterior motive. Marvin had a multi-million dollar contract with the Doublejumpers. He just chose to live simply, driving his old Volkswagen and living in a messy studio apartment in a less favorable section of Detroit. He didn't care about Priscilla's upscale lifestyle. It was just that he had never met anyone quite like her and she was the only one in the world for him.
Could he risk all of that?
He was in his little apartment, trying to focus on a problem in All Checkers Digest by Ed Atkinson, but his mind was elsewhere.
WHITE
White to Play and Win
W:WK5,K8,K10,15,K18:BK11,25,K26,27
He needed more time. The week Priscilla had given him would be up tonight. Should he call Priscilla and beg for another week? She probably would say "no" and then where would he be?
He had talked things over with his Mom, but of course she had long wanted him to marry, so that didn't help much.
Maybe Priscilla would be okay with just an engagement? And put off setting a wedding date? Sure, he could say that for a person in her position, a Las Vegas elopement wouldn't look very good. Yes, that was it!
Marty
He should call his friend Marty. Marty lived in Switzerland and was on the Swiss National Checker Team.
Marvin got out his cell phone, looked up Marty's number and called. After several rings, a sleepy voice answered, "Ja?"
"Marty, it's Marvin!" Marvin said cheerfully.
There was a pause and then a groan. "Marvin, it's 3 AM over here."
"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry, well ... "
"What is it, Marvin, that is so important that you had to call me at this hour?"
Marvin explained the situation and his proposed solution.
"You'd be pitching a piece with no compensation," Marty said. "Now, I have an early practice tomorrow, so good bye, Marvin."
The line disconnected.
"I gotta clear my head," Marvin said, and then went to his fridge and got out a beer. (Editor's note: Not a great way to "clear your head.) He took it back to his chair and began looking at Ed Atkinson's problem again.
After half an hour and another beer, Marvin said out aloud, "Ah, it ain't no use. I gotta call Priscilla and get this over with."
Once again, Marvin picked up his phone and called a familiar number.
Hopefully, you won't be distracted and unable to focus as you try to solve Ed's problem. We definitely do not recommend beer, let alone two bottles of it. See how you do, make your decision on the right moves (something that Marvin needed to do albeit in a different context), and then dial Read More to see the solution and the rest of today's story.
New Year's Day 2022
This column is being published on New Year's Day, 2022, and The Checker Maven wishes that the New Year will bring everyone health, happiness, and everything that you might wish for.
We don't know if or how you might have celebrated on New Year's Eve, but we know that it can often be a time of ... er ... a bit of overindulgence. If you did ... er ... overindulge a little, perhaps today you aren't ready to take on a grandmaster level checker problem. So instead, we'll take it easy on you and present a very nice, but not too difficult problem sent along by regular contributors Josh and Lloyd Gordon of Toronto.
BLACK
Black to Play and Draw
B:WK1,14,15,K20,30,32:B4,21,23,24,K31
This one may take a short moment of thought but shouldn't tax you too much, and might help you to clear your head if that's necessary for you today. Give it a try and then click on Read More to check the solution.
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