It was Saturday, January 8, 1955, and at the Beacon Cafe in the Provident Life Building in Bismarck, North Dakota, the Coffee and Cake Checker Club was having its first weekly meeting after the holiday break. Presided over by its informal leader, Sal Westerman, the club met on Saturdays from just after Labor Day until just before Memorial Day, with short breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

There was a good turnout and many of the "boys" (all but one of whom were over 50) were on hand. Regulars Delmer, Wayne, Larry, Tom, Louie the Flash and Dan were joined by Sal, of course, and also Ron and Old Frank, who didn't attend quite as often.

All the talk today was about, or actually from, Louie the Flash, who was waxing eloquent about his new girlfriend, someone he had met on a holiday trip to Fargo, North Dakota.

"Come on, Louie," Dan said, "this is about your nineteenth girlfriend in one year. How long will this one last?"

"Oh, no, no, not this time, man, like she's the one. I mean the one. I just know it for sure."

"You said that about Mary, and Rose, and Marcy, and Ellen, and Iris and I don't know how many others. Every one of them was the one until you broke up with them or more like they broke up with you," Wayne said.

"Aw, c'mon guys," said Louie, "you're being kind of hard on me. No, I tell you, Agatha is it. She's beautiful and she's about my age, and get this ... she loves to play checkers."

Most of the boys sat up in their seats. "Now this is starting to get interesting," Delmer said. "Is she good?"

"Good? She's amazing. We played a few games and she won more than half of them. She said she plays on the team at the sugar mill where she works. They play in the Cass County Industrial League. In fact, look here--- well, I know Sal, you bring a problem every week for us to try, but Agatha gave me one that she composed herself. I said I would bring it here to a Saturday meeting."

"Well," Sal said, "usually either you boys buy treats if you can solve my problem, or I buy if you can't. So Louie, are you willing to take that on and buy for everyone if we solve your girlfriend's problem?"

"Hey wow man," Louie replied, "I don't know ... "

At that moment, with perfect timing, Deana, the proprietess of the Beacon Cafe and a top-notch baker, announced "Fresh chocolate chip brownies today!"

"Louie, be a sport," Old Frank said. "Step up to it. If your girlfriend's problem is a good one, you'll be getting free treats."

"Okay, okay," Louie said, "I couldn't win it and I don't think you boys will either."

Louie took a small slip of paper from his shirt pocket and laid out the following position on a couple of waiting checkerboards.

"Very nice," Sal said, "and this time I get to solve too."

"Half an hour," Louie said.

"No way!" Delmer shot back. "An hour ... "

But within seconds the boys were sharply focused on solving the problem.

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We don't know if you, our reader, have a new girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other, let alone one who has a deep interest in checkers, but it makes no difference, as you can enjoy today's setting no matter. As usual, though, you're going to have to supply your own treats. See how you do and then flash your mouse onto Read More to see the solution and the rest of our little story.

Solution and Conclusion

An hour passed and it was just after 2:30 in the afternoon.

"Can't get it," Dan said on behalf of the group. "Show us, Louie."

Louie played out the following moves.

1.	...	7-2*
2.	27-23	11-7*
3.	23x16	20x11
4.	18-23	24-19*
5.	15x24	28x19
6.	22-26	11-8*
7.	26-31	7-11*
8.	31-26	2-6
9.	26-22	6-9*
10.	22-18	11-16*
11.	18-22	16-20
12.	22-17	20-24
13.	17-22	8-4
14.	22-17	4-8
15.	17-13	9-14
16.	1-5	14-18

White Wins. A practical over the board demonstration of winning a won position.

"Congrats to Agatha," Sal said, "and the treats are on us."

Deana arrived with a heaping platter of chocolate chip brownies and then refilled everyone's coffee mugs.

"So when's the big day?" asked Larry of Louie.

"What are you ... oh come on ... " Louie said, "I mean, well, like sure I want to marry her, but I only met her two weeks ago and ... "

Everyone smiled. "Right, Louie," said Larry, "she needs more time to decide if she wants to marry you or break up with you."

"She can't break up with me," Louie said, "on account of, well, we're not exactly going together ... but we will be, real soon now, just as quick as I can get back to Fargo and ask her out. See, I've only seen her once ... "

"Then how can she be your new girlfriend?" Delmer asked.

"But ... I just know it's going to work out this time, so she's like, well, almost my girlfriend ... you know how it goes, right?"

Everyone smiled again and turned back to their games of skittles and checker talk. Soon the Cafe's five o'clock closing time rolled around and everyone got ready to head home.

"Keep us posted, will you, Louie?" Sal said as he left the Cafe. "We all wish you good luck with that almost girlfriend of yours!"

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Today's problem wasn't really composed by Louie's "almost girlfriend," the fictitious Agatha Rosenfeld. It was actually sent to us by regular contributors Lloyd and "Gosh Josh" Gordon and was taken from one of their nightly games.