The holiday season is upon us, and whatever holiday you celebrate, The Checker Maven wishes you the best of the season. May you enjoy family and friends, peace and contentment, not only during this special time but in every day to come.

Checkers can be a part of our celebrations, too, and we've selected a problem suitable for the longer leisure hours of the holidays. (That's another way of saying it isn't all that easy.)

Here's the setting, as published almost 90 years ago.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W32,30,20,18,14,6:BK31,23,21,17,10,8,7.

Well, you say, what's so hard? Black is up a piece and has a king! Oh ... wait ... White is about to get a king, and that Black man on 10 is looking a little shaky ... maybe the Black win not so easy after all.

It will take quite some visualization skill to solve it, but we're certain you'll find the result pleasing.

When you've given it your holiday best, click on Read More to see the solution.

Solution

23-27* 32x23 21-25* 30x21 7-11* 14x7 31-27 21x14---A 11-15* 18x4 6. 27x11 20-16---B 11x20 4-8 20-16 Black Wins---C.

A---Black has given away almost everything. What now?

B---4-8 ends the same way.

C---A real tour de force. Not everyone likes stroke problems, but how many of them do you see that arise from such natural looking settings? We think this problem is a sparkling holiday gem.