Marvin was feeling a lot better. A couple of days had passed since Marvin had been quite ill and played poorly in his game against Stella Striker of the Phoenix Paraffin, in fact so poorly that he cost his team the match. Even a talented pinch mover, Courteous Curt Curtiss, couldn't save Marvin's position. (Please see the our previous Checker Maven story for full details.)

Marvin knew he was in trouble with the new Head Coach, Sammy Sawizawiz. He just didn't know how much trouble. Before Marvin hit the showers on that fateful evening, Coach had accused him of not putting his team first.

So it was that, upon Marvin's return to the Detroit Checkerdrome for a Doublejumper practice session, he wasn't surprised to be told the Coach wanted to see him in Coach's office.

Marvin dutifully went to the office area and knocked on Coach's door.

"Come in," called Coach Sawizawiz.

Marvin opened the door and entered.

"Close the door behind you," Coach quickly said.

Marvin did as directed and went to take a seat in front of Coach's desk.

"Hold it right there," Coach said, "I didn't say you could be seated."

"Uh gee Coach, well I just ... "

"I didn't say you could speak, either," Coach interrupted. "You will stand there and you will listen and not say a word."

"Okay, Coach ... "

"What does 'not say a word' mean? Do not talk! You had better listen and listen well."

Coach folded his hands over his stomach and continued, "You have reputation as something of a troublemaker. Now, even leaving aside what the now disgraced Coach Baba Dudut thought of you--- I've read his notes--- Coach Riddleme said I should keep an eye on you. Your general lack of respect, your excessive beer drinking, your tendency to do what you want instead of doing what you're told, and a lot of other things ... well, you're a good player to be sure but that doesn't make up for a bad attitude, selfishness, carelessness, and being bone headed at times."

"The other night in our opener with the Paraffins, you were many of those things. And a liar as well ... "

'Hey Coach, that's too much ... " Marvin broke in.

"SILENCE!" Coach shouted as he stood and put his fists on his desk. "One more word out of you and you'll finish the season in Hoboken New Jersey as a water boy for Single A play! If even that!"

Marvin said no more.

"Now, about that match with the Paraffins. I asked you if you were okay and you lied and said you were, even though you knew how sick you were. You never should have showed up, let alone played, but it was Opening Day and so you lied your way into the game. And then you messed it all up so badly that even Courteous Curt, our best pinch mover, couldn't straighten things out! You cost us the match! On OPENING DAY! How do you think the fans liked that?"

Coach took deep breath and continued. "Well, I'll tell you! They were really angry! Some of them wanted you fired right on the spot! Others said what a bad example you set for the kids who look up to you! Well, what do you think about all of that? What do you expect me to do?"

"Well, gee, Coach ... "

"I still didn't say you could speak!"

"But you asked me a question ... "

"Well, I don't want to hear your answer! It would just be more lies and self-serving excuses! Now, here's what's going to happen. I'm fining you $1 million. You know what? I'm sending you to Hoboken for the next series of the Hoboken Hams. I won't make you a water boy but you'll yourself be a pinch mover. Then you can see what it's like to try to clean up other people's messes. Maybe it will all teach you a lesson. There's always hope, but frankly I doubt it. Now go home and pack. Your overnight bus leaves at midnight and that will get you to Hoboken tomorrow around noon."

"Bus?" Marvin muttered.

"Yes, bus!" Coach replied. "You're lucky I don't make you pay for your own ticket. And by the way, your pay will be commensurate with the Low-A League scale. Something like 5% of your present salary. Now, out of my office!"

Marvin had little choice but to exit Coach's office, put on his street clothes, and drive back home.

Figuring to be away for just about a week, Marvin packed a bag. He would have to tell his wife, Priscilla, when she got home and she wasn't going to be happy.

It didn't take long to pack and get ready to go to the downtown bus terminal. He'd have to leave at around 11 to catch that midnight bus.

Meanwhile, Marvin tried to keep busy with some checker problems in the latest All Checkers Digest, but his heart just wasn't in it. He was looking at the following problem

when Priscilla returned home at about 8 PM. Priscilla, as the CEO of the large international conglomerate Rust Belt Holdings, worked long hours.

Over dinner, which consisted of Tournedos Rossini, truffled mashed potato, asparagus with Bearnaise sauce, and an Asian Pear salad, all prepared on site by Priscilla's private chef, she noticed that Marvin seemed quite dejected.

"Okay, out with it, dear," Priscilla said, already suspecting what was wrong. "Let's hear it."

Marvin, having little choice, explained what had happened at the Checkerdrome with Coach. "So I gotta like, catch the midnight bus and stuff," he concluded. "Could you maybe like give me a ride to the depot?"

Priscilla started to laugh but turned it into a glare. "I don't think so, dear hubby of mine. I have to get up early for work tomorrow, as you well know, and besides, giving you a ride and sympathizing would kind of go against the lesson Coach is trying to teach you. No, you can take the city bus. It will be good for you."

"The city bus? At night in Detroit?"

"Oh, okay, maybe it isn't quite the safest thing. Take a cab or a ride share instead. Just make sure it gets charged to one of your accounts. I'm certainly not paying for it."

Even though dessert was Baked Alaska, Marvin decided to skip it. He stayed in his study until it was time to leave for the bus depot, and left the condo and went down to the lobby without another word.

"Hoboken, here we come," he said to himself as his ride share pulled up to the curb. "Pinch mover it is."

---

Marvin is in for an experience, it seems. Pinch mover for a Low A club is a big step down. Will Marvin learn the lesson coach wants to teach him? We don't know. But what we do know is that you can try to solve today's problem and then click on Read More to see the solution.

Solution

Here's one winning method. Variations are possible; explore them with your computer.

1.	22-17*	23-19
2.	15-18*	24-20
3.	18-22	19-16
4.	22-25	16-12
5.	25-30	12-8
6.	30-26	8-4
7.	7-10	32-28

2-7 10-14 7-16 31-27 32-23 26-12 Black Wins.

8.	11-15	2-7
9.	10-14	7-11
10.	14-18	4-8
11.	17-14	20-16
12.	26-23	16-12
13.	15-19	11-16
14.	18-22	16-20
15.	14-18	8-3
16.	31-27	20-16
17.	19-24	28x19
18.	27-24	3-7
19.	24x15	7-3
20.	22-26	...

Etc., to a Black win. A nice example of choosing the correct starting move in a critical situation in which, though Black is a piece up, White has counterplay. The problem is attributed to a James P. Muray and was published just over 101 years ago.