Volleyball players Heffner and Price were two of the mainstays of the Alabama women's volleyball team some six or seven years ago, but that was Erin Heffner and Erin Price. And for better or worse, our topic in these columns isn't women's volleyball.

Instead, it's our mission and our duty to focus on checkers, and today's lesson in our monthly Checker School series, drawn from the pages of Ben Boland's Famous Positions in the Game of Checkers, concerns closely related positions by checkerists A. J. Heffner and G. Price. We have no way of knowing if these gentlemen ever played volleyball, but their mastery of the art of Dama is undoubted.

A. J. HEFFNER
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:WK9,31,32:BK8,12,20.

G. PRICE
WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Draw

B:W32,27,K10:B20,12,K8.

Now that we've served up these problems, can you volley back at us with the solutions? Give it a try, but if there are spikes in your path, click on Read More to jump to the solutions, sample game, and explanatory notes.

Solutions

Heffner: 9-14, 8-11, 14-18, 11-16---A, 18-15, 20-24, 31-26, 16-19, 15-11, 24-28, 26-22, 19-23---B, 22-17---S, 23-18, 17-13, 18-14, 11-15, 12-16, 15-11, 16-19, 11-15, 19-24, 15-19, 14-18, 13-9, 18-22, 9-6, 22-26, 6-2, 26-22, 2-6, 22-26, 6-9, 26-22, 9-13---1, 2. White Wins.

Price: 8-11, 32-28, 11-16*---3, 10-15---D, 4, 16-19, 15-24, 12-16. Drawn.

Game: 11-16, 23-18, 16-20, 24-19, 10-14, 26-23, 8-11, 22-17, 11-16, 17-10, 6-24, 28-19, 7-10, 25-22, 1-6, 22-17, 9-14, 18-9, 6-22, 30-26, 22-25, 29-22, 5-9, 22-18, 4-8, 21-17, 2-6, 18-14, 9-18, 23-7, 16-30, 7-2, 30-25, 2-9, 25-22, 17-14, 8-11, 14-10, 11-16, 10-6, 3-7, 6-2, 16-19, 2-11, 19-23, 27-18, 22-8. Forms above position by A. J. Heffner. Heffner and others, Boston Post, Dec. 1901.

A---20-24---C, 18-23, 11-16, 23-27, 24-28, 27-24, 16-20, 24-19, 20-24, 19-15, 24-20, 15-11, 20-24, 31-26, 24-19, 26-22, 19-23, 22-17. White Wins. Same as above at S.

B---19-24, 22-17, 24-20, 17-14, 12-16, 11-15, 20-24, 14-10, 16-19, 15-18, 24-20, 10-6, 20-24, 6-2, 24-20, 2-6, 20-24, 6-10, 24-20, 10-14, 20-24, 14-17, 24-20, 17-22, 20-24, 22-26, 24-20, 26-31, 20-24, 32-27. White Wins.

C---12-16, 18-23, 11-8, 31-27, 8-12, 23-26, 12-8, 32-28, 8-11, 28-24, 11-8, 26-23,, 8-12, 24-19. White Wins.

D---10-14, 16-19, 14-17, 19-15, 17-22, 12-16, 22-26, 15-19*. Drawn.

1---A hasty 9-14 would be a blunder, allowing Black to draw: 9-14 24-27 32-23 22-18 19-16 18-27 and White can't win any longer---Ed.

2---If 22-28 then 13-17; if 22-26 then 13-17 26-31 17-22; if 22-25 then 13-17 25-30 17-22. White wins easily in all cases---Ed.

3---Nothing else will do; 12-16 loses, one way is 12-16 28-24 11-8 10-14 8-11 14-18 11-7 18-23 7-10 24-19 White wins---Ed.

4---27-23 leads to a routine draw, but the text moves allows Black a pretty finish---Ed.

The above position by G. Price may be found colors reversed, as No. 647 in Gould's Problem Book.