The Checker Maven
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It happens every January. The holiday season has come to an abrupt end, and it's back to work as usual for another year. Depressing? Perhaps. But don't let it get you down. We have a nice checker problem to help cheer you up and distract you from reality. It's from our nearly exhausted stock of problems by the late grandmaster composer Edgar Atkinson, who composed it at age 14 and had it published in Elam's Checker Board in December 1952, until the title Youthful Efforts.
WHITE
White to Play and Draw
W:W22,25,26,27,28,29:B3,8,10,13,15,16,17
White is a man down; can you find the draw? It's not really that difficult ... or is it? Give it a try and then click on Read More to see the solution.
Solution
22-18! 15x31 25-21 31x24 21x7 3x10 28x3 to a draw.
Quite an accomplishment for a 14 year old composer and a foreshadowing of great things to come from Mr. Atkinson in later years.
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