There's no doubt that the swan in the photo above is elegant and beautiful.

Can we say the same about today's entry in our Checker School series? As beautiful a game as checkers can be, it's hard to compare it with Mother Nature. It's like apples and oranges. Or mayber checkers and swans.

In any case, the study below is attributed to Swan and Adamson, and it's quite a good one.

SWAN-ADAMSON
WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W26,23,21,20,19:B14,12,11,10,3.

The solution is fairly long, but as we're fond of saying, quite instructive. Give it a try; wing it if you have to, and then glide your mouse to Read More to see the solution, with a sample game and detailed notes.

Solution

As is our usual procedure, lettered notes and comments are by Ben Boland in Famous Positions in the Game of Checkers, and numbered notes are by the editor, using KingsRow and the 10-piece endgame database.

11-15, 19-16, 12-19, 23-16, 15-18---1, 16-11, 10-15, 20-16, 15-19, 16-12, 19-24, 11-8, 24-28, 8-4, 28-32, 4-8, 32-27, 26-23---2, 18-22, 23-19, 27-23, 19-15, 23-18, 8-11---3, 22-26, 15-10, 26-31, 11-7, 14-17, 21-14, 18-9---A,4, 7-2, 9-5, 2-6, 5-1, 6-2, 31-27, 2-7, 27-24, 7-11, 24-20. Black Wins---5.

Game: 11-15, 23-18, 8-11, 27-23, 9-13, 18-14, 10-17, 21-14, 13-17, 22-13, 6-9, 13-6, 2-27, 32-23, 4-8, 23-18, 15-22, 25-18, 7-10, 24-19, 11-16, 26-23, 8-11, 29-25, 16-20, 28-24, 20-27, 31-24, 10-14, 18-9, 5-14, 24-20, 1-6, 25-21---B, 6-10, 30-26. Forms above position. J. Swan and C. Adamson.

Game: 9-13, 24-19, 11-15, 28-24, 6-9, 23-18, 1-6, 18-11, 7-23, 26-19, 8-11, 24-20, 3-7, 31-26, 11-16, 20-11, 7-23, 26-19, 4-8, 22-18, 9-14, 18-9, 5-14, 25-22, 8-11, 27-23, 11-15, 32-28, 15-24, 28-19, 2-7, 22-18, 14-17, 21-14, 10-17, 18-14, 6-10---C, 29-25, 17-21, 23-18, 10-17, 18-15, 17-22, 25-18. Forms above position, at 7th move (man on 11 on 12), colors reversed. A. Jordan won from L. Ginsberg, see Third American Tourney Book, Page 64.

Game: 10-15, 22-18, 15-22, 25-18, 6-10, 29-25, 11-15, 18-11, 8-15, 25-22, 4-8, 23-18, 8-11, 27-23, 1-6, 32-27, 9-14---D, 18-9, 5-14, 22-17, 11-16, 24-19, 15-24, 27-11, 7-16, 28-24, 6-9, 17-13, 16-20, 13-6, 20-27---E, 31-24, 2-9, 24-19, 9-13, 26-22, 3-7. Forms above position, colors reversed. W. L. Taylor, "Master Play," Part 4.

A---Now into a position by Fred Allen, No. 200 Gould's Problem Book, and later published by E. A. Durgin.

B---25-22 and 30-26 are drawable here.

C---17-22, 23-18, 6-10, 14-9, 7-11. Drawn.

D---Another strange case, if 9-13 we get the same position for the other side:9-13, 24-19, 15-24, 28-19, 11-16, 22-17, 13-22, 26-17, 6-9, 27-24---F, 16-20---G, 17-13, 20-27, 31-24, 7-11, 13-6, 2-9, 30-26, 9-14, 18-9, 5-14, 24-20. Forms above position. H. Jacob and J. H. Strudwick, "Kelso," Page 32.

E---This loses, but 2-9 would draw.

F---17-14 was played to a draw by J. Feme and J. Searight.

G---Given to correct A. J. Heffner vs. C. H. Freeman who played 9-14 to a drawn result.

1---14-18 also wins.

2---The White man unavoidably slips through. This is something to remember when holding a man from the front on the opponent's second row; you can't get a king behind the man without letting him out.

3---15-10 is no better.

4---The White man on 10 is now a fatal vulnerability.

5---11-15 11-7 (11-15 no better) 20-16 7-2 16-11 2-6 3-7 (or 11-7 but this is faster) 10-3 1-10 and White is finished.

Hugh Egan, Editor of the "Weekly Times," Melbourne, Australia, credits the above game to Swan and Adamson. However I could not find it in Swan and Adamson "Cross Analysis" in the "Glasgow Weekly Herald," May 14, 1881 and July 9, 1881. They may have shown it later.

I found the above position by Walter Rockwell, No. 47, American Checker Review, Vol. 4, 1892, and also by Chas. Pickering, Game No. 25, Old 14th, American Checker Review, April 1, 1889, Vol. 2.

J. Duffy in his "Standard Positions," Part 2, No. 127 credits the above position to Charles Welen.