A Special Mid-Week Checker Maven Edition

Giumpeo, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Four Heavenly Kings are devas or g-ds, which in Buddhism are said to each watch over one cardinal direction.

Mr. Bill Salot, whose work and efforts were featured in a recent Checker Maven column, has his own take on the idea of Four Kings, and Mr. Salot's checker conception is heavenly indeed. His fourth problem composition contest, bigger and better than ever, is titled Kings at Play, as each problem has at least Four Kings on the board.

We're presenting the problems below just to give you an idea of how the competitions have grown and thrived, but we won't give you the solutions; those are found in our Contest Archives.

Springboard
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:WK4,7,10,11,K17,18,19,20,22,30:B1,8,9,K12,K14,15,21,23,24,K26.

April Fools
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:WK3,K6,K10,20,30:B5,11,12,K19,21,27.

Escaped Prisoner
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:WK5,K8,15,16,21,23,24,31,32:B7,K9,11,13,K18,K20,22,K25,26,27,28,K29,K30.

Multiple Choices
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:WK2,K3,K5,K17,K20,22:BK10,K11,K12,13,K25,K26.

Zonk
BLACK

WHITE
Black to Play, White to Win

B:WK1,7,10,11,16,17,19,K20,K21,30:B4,14,18,22,23,24,27,28,K29.

Mr. Salot also tells us "... please enter your original, unpublished, dual-free problems in future contests by sending them at any time to Bill Salot, 1006 Elmwood Drive, Colonial Heights, VA 23834-2905, or wjsalot@comcast.net. Try your hand at any size or style, corrections of published play, game positions, sight solvers, stingers, strokes, novelties, strategies, whatever strikes your fancy." (Editor's Note: The contest series, alas, concluded at the end of 2024).

The Checker Maven is both proud and delighted to support Mr. Salot's efforts.