Take careful note of our fisherman in the picture above. In a tranquil setting, he has a calm, relaxed mind, and he has focused his attention completely on the seemingly simple task of fishing.
But these supposedly easy things can, in their idyllic appearance, mask a great deal of depth and the often unexpected need for substantial skill and experience. Such is the case with today's feature problem, a miniature that will require focus, skill, and calmness of mind to solve.
And, you'll understand the title of our article, Better Than First, when you've found the solution.
B:W31,19:BK4,2.
Were you able to solve it? Just click on Read More for the answer, and an explanation of the theme.
Solution
4-8, 19-15, 8-12, 31-26, 12-16, 26-22, 2-7, 15-11, 7-10, 11-7, 10-14, 7-2, 16-19 Black Wins.
This problem is attributed to R. Holding, and Dr. T. J. Brown had the following to say: "The phrase, 'better than first' is commonly applied to situations that resemble some stage of first position, but may be solved in a more direct way. There are about twenty reputable problems of this class. Some of them produce only commonplace tactics. The succeeding problems may be termed neat."
Reputable and neat--- that certainly describes our fisherman, and we think as well that it's a fine description for this little study.