Today we are pleased to present the second volume of Grandmaster Richard Pask’s new work on the 3-move openings: 21st Century Checkers 9-14s, or the Double Corner ballots.

As he did with volume 1, Mr. Pask is making this work available in electronic format, free of charge.

The new book can be downloaded here, and will soon appear on our Richard Pask page as linked in the right-hand column; a large selection of Mr. Pask’s other works can also be found there.

Here’s a position taken from the book. The run-up to the diagram is as follows.

9-14 23-19 5-9 27-23 11-15 22-18 15-22 25-18 7-1; 26-22 11-15 18-11 8-15 24-20 15-24 28-1; 4-8 22-18 8-11 30-26 2-7

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W31,29,27,26,23,21,20,19,18:B14,12,11,10,9,7,6,3,1.

What would have been the correct move? Can you show the win after 32-27? Can you work all of this out on your own?

See how far you can get, and then click on Read More to see the solutions. And, of course, don’t forget to download the book! Our sincere thanks go to Mr. Pask for allowing us the privilege of presenting his new book.

Solutions

32-28 was the correct move to draw. Black wins as follows after the seemingly innocent 32-27. Variations are possible and can be explored with the help of your computer.

10-15 19x10 6x22 26x10 7x14 29-25 11-15 25-22 9-13 27-24 1-6 23-19---A 6-10 31-27 14-18 and White is lost.

A---31-27 is no better.