Summer in North Dakota is brief and as we've often mentioned, many indoor activities cease during the months of June, July, and August. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the focus is on tending yards, going camping or fishing, taking a vacation, and for the most part indulging in outdoor activities.

(Of course, there were the frequent thunderstorms, the very hot days in July and August, the mosquitoes ... but as we said, summer is brief and meant to be enjoyed.)

Sal Westerman's Coffee and Cake Checker Club also went on summer vacation. Sal missed the Saturday afternoon gatherings at the Beacon Cafe, where he and the "boys" (all but one of whom were well over 50 years of age) would gather to drink coffee, enjoy baked treats, talk checkers, solve problems, and play informal skittles games. Sal was not a great outdoors type; he hired someone to take care of his yard (which in local terms would just about be a crime were he not over 70 years old), and although he and his wife Sylvia spent a couple of weeks at a lake cabin, Sal preferred the comforts of home and his basement study, surrounded by his checker books and magazines.

Sure, he'd go for walks in the cooler times of the day and frequent the many local parks. But checkers was his great love; and this summer he had something special in mind.

At the last seasonal meeting of the Club, on the Saturday before Labor Day, Sal hinted at a special summer project, but even when prompted wouldn't say anything about it. He told his wife Sylvia, of course, but she simply replied, "Yes, dear, whatever makes you happy" and returned to her homemaker's magazines.

But now that June had come, Sal felt it was time to get started in earnest. For a week, he followed a routine of having an early breakfast, working in his study for a couple of hours, taking a short nap after lunch, and working a little more in the afternoon.

Finally his wife became curious. She of course supported Sal in his interests, as he supported her, but normally she would just let him go his own way. But now she wondered about the much above normal amount of time Sal was spending in his study.

"Dear," she said, "you've been down in the basement quite a lot this last week or so. Are you sure that's good for you? You barely even read the newspaper at breakfast you're in such a rush. Shouldn't you be getting a little more fresh air and exercise? I'm a bit worried about your health."

"I know, sweetheart," Sal said, "but I'm working on that special project I told you about."

Sylvia hesitated a moment. "I remember you saying something about it," she said, "but I don't quite recall. Is it really so important and urgent?"

"In a way," Sal said. "I need to have things ready by July when we go to the lake for vacation."

"Why is that?"

"Well, we'll be having a visitor. Or at least that's the idea."

"A visitor? Usually it's just the two of us ... "

"Oh, just for a day or two," Sal said, "and he's coming all the way from Pennsylvania on the train, on his way to the West Coast. It's my good checker pen pal, Young Ed."

"That's nice dear, and I don't mind us having a visitor who's a good friend, but what has that to do with your hours and hours in the basement?"

"You know Ed is a master problem composer, right?"

"If you say so, dear, then I'm sure he is."

"Yes, he is indeed, and he sends me checker problems from time to time. I take them to the Club for the boys to solve ... "

"Oh, right, you've told me about that and about who buys the treats and so on."

(The custom was for Sal to present a problem to the boys, who would buy the treats for Sal and is wife if they couldn't solve it; but if they could, Sal would buy the treats.)

"So, Ed and I corresponded, and we got the idea of maybe making a book out of the best of some of his checker problems. Only Ed didn't know a lot about making books so I said I'd help," said Sal.

"How nice of you, dear," Sylvia said.

"So I've been going through my notes and some magazines ... actually quite a few notes and magazines ... and I want to have a selection ready, and a first draft of the book as well, when Ed arrives. Then we can go over everything and get the book in shape for printing."

"Isn't that a lot of work? And expense?" Sylvia asked.

"Well, er ... yes," Sal said, "but we'll just print the book on a mimeograph to start, and sell it at just over cost. If we raise enough money that way we can take it to a regular printer."

"Fine, dear, whatever makes you happy," replied Sylvia, and turned back to her own magazines. The matter was settled.

Sal took the opportunity to quietly slip down the stairs and continue work on his special summer project.

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As regular readers know, The Checker Maven has published a number of problems by the late grandmaster problemist Ed Atkinson. The problem below is one of the last in our stock. We are ourselves contemplating a special project to publish a booklet containing some of Ed's work. There are a number of complications in so doing, but we will continue to pursue the idea. We would like to get in touch with Mr. Atkinson's heirs, but we have no information at all about who they may be or where they might be found. If any of our readers can help, we would appreciate hearing from you at editor@checkermaven.com.

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And now, here is one of Ed's compositions. He called it Head Bumper.

Enjoy solving and then click on Read More when you're ready to check your solution.

Solution

10-7* 2-11---A 15-8 3-12 27-23* 18-27---B 31-15 Draw.

A---Or 3-10 15-6 2-9 27-23 19-26 31-15 Draw.

B---19-26 31-15 Draw.

Compositions like these explain without words why Ed Atkinson was a beloved problemist.