We didn't think they could do it, but our intrepid Research Department managed to come up with another meaning for the word stroke, to wit: at a stroke, with the meaning of "all at once," such as, "we solved a dozen checker problems at a stroke."

That would be quite a feat, indeed, and of course you just know we're going to present a stroke problem to kick off the month of June.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W23,22,K21,18,16,15,11,10,7:BK30,K29,27,26,K20,19,9,3,1.

Can you solve this one "at a stroke" or will it take you longer? Are your powers of visualization up to the challenge? If you find the position difficult, we refer you to the quote at the beginning of the article.

When you've determined the correct moves, clicking on Read More will bring you to the solution--- at a stroke.

Spring is coming around in the Northern Hemisphere and perhaps, if you've had a long winter, you're thinking about re-engaging in the outdoor life. There's much to do in the great outdoors and every reason to take full advantage.

While today there's a commercial magazine called Outdoor Life, almost a hundred years ago there was another called The Journal of the Outdoor Life, published by the National Tuberculosis Association. We found it to be quite an interesting general readership journal, promoting the idea that fresh air is good for tuberculosis patients. Of course, medicine has advanced enormously in the last hundred years and some of the ideas in the Journal definitely seem quaint.

Interestingly, the Journal also had a "Games and Indoor Sports" section which contained some excellent checker material. Featuring checkers was fairly common back in that day, but alas, that is no longer the case.

In 1920 The Journal of the Outdoor Life published the following doozy.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W32,27,24,23,13,K7:BK29,25,20,16,15,12,11,5.

Unless you have a sharp pictorial memory, this is not one to solve on an outdoor hike or while sitting around the campfire. Do it at home, after your outdoor activities are over for the day or weekend. You'll definitely need to concentrate and employ your powers of visualization, although the problem is certainly no more difficult than the "medium" category.

When you've finished, camp out on Read More to verify your solution.

On the first Saturday of the month we often have a speed problem, an easy problem, or a stroke problem. Today we have a (not so) easy problem.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W30,28,27,26,25,15,14,10:B21,17,12,11,8,5,3,1.

This one in a way is in two parts. There's the easy part in the beginning, and chances are you'll see that right away, even though White is on the verge of losing a piece. But then there's the second part. You'll see what we mean when you work on solving it. In any event, this little study is a great demonstration of an important winning technique.

Will you find a winning way easily or (not so) easily? This week, we suggest you take as much time as you need, and then click on Read More to see the solution and explanatory notes.

Professor W. R. Fraser was a Canadian champion who also published books and studies on checkers, mostly notably The Inferno of Checkers, in which he used Dante's Inferno as a metaphor. We won't delve further into that interesting literary area today; instead we'll emphasize Prof. Fraser's academic side, by presenting one of his studies from a group Tom Wiswell included in a small collection that Mr. Wiswell called Canadian Checker Class.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W31,30,28,26,25,20,18,14:B17,16,13,12,11,7,5,2.

We'd rate this one as fairly hard, though short of infernal. If you get the first move right and figure out the theme, you'll be able to solve it. Treat this as a professorial homework assignment rather than a descent into Hades, and see if you can get it, then burn your mouse on Read More to see the solution.

This column appears on April 15, 2017. April 15, in the United States, is the infamous day on which income tax returns are due, along with any money you might still owe. Checker Maven staff get hit pretty hard every year; we certainly hope that you do better, regardless what country you call home.

We have a slight reprieve, as when April 15 falls on a weekend, we're ever so generously allowed until Monday to pay up. So, let's enjoy a checker problem before we face the music two days hence.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W31,28,27,24,22,K1:B20,14,13,12,10,7,2.

White is a piece down and it's not looking so good. Would you say it's kind of like the way the tax man hits us with a big bill when we can least afford it? But in this case, White can beat the tax man and break even (try to do that with the IRS)--- no cheating required.

Tax your brain instead of your wallet. The solution is elegant and pleasing, if every bit as hard to find as enough cash to pay that tax bill. See how you do, then file your return by clicking your mouse on Read More to get your refund--- or if not exactly a refund, a look at the solution and some explanatory notes.

The picture above dates to World War II, when many did without in support of the war effort. Luckily, today, in the free world we generally don't have to do without, as a minimum, the basic necessities.

In checkers, there is "doing without" as well; in today's study, the winning side has to make do without "the move." This is called in textbooks, logically enough, "first position without."

We know that first position is a win with two kings against a king and a man, as long as the side with two kings has the move. But checkers is full of subtle twists, and there are wins in some of these positions without having the move on the stronger side, hence the name "first position without." There are supposedly twenty or so of these exceptions to the general rule. Below you'll find one of them.

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W22,K5:BK15,K6.

There are a couple of ways to do this, depending on how White plays. One of them is as proposed decades ago in Dr. Call's book of "Midget" problems. Another line is preferred by our KingsRow computer engine.

Can you find the win here, or will you have to do "without"? See how you do, and then "without" hesitation, click on Read More to see the solutions.

March is over and April has come around again, as it always does, with perhaps a promise of spring. This column is being first published on April 1, 2017, and you might do well to bear that in mind as you take a look at today's checker problem.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W22,K18,K17,14:BK32,K27,21,13.

We rate this one as very easy. You can solve it in seconds if you get the idea. But it's almost surely impossible if you don't see what's going on.

Are you sharp today? Don't fool around; puzzle it out and then click your mouse on Read More to see the solution.

In a recent article we asked you about your preferences in board diagrams, and although there were various opinions, a clear (and nearly overwhelming) majority seem to prefer black and white diagrams with the corresponding side notations of "Black" and "White." So, as of today, we're switching over. A good picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

The problem is that we didn't think the black and white diagrams were of especially high quality. But we're happy to say that we've found a way to "port" the excellent black and white diagrams used in our print publications over to the web. We'll spare you the technical details, which involve rather arcane Linux knowledge, and instead hope that you like our new, larger, clearer diagrams. Do write and let us know what you think.

So, let's start off with a fine problem from Samuel Gonotsky. This one is taken from over the board play and it's quite a nice early endgame study.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W11,13,21,26,32:B1,3,15,18,24.

Against best play by Black, White will have to work pretty hard to get the draw. Situations such as these are seldom pure black and white. Can you find your way through? Our computer found a neat move to make things much harder than we think Mr. Gonotsky intended, but that's the black and the white of it. Give it a try and then click on Read More to see the solution.

We've often said that we present a range of problems in our Checker Maven columns; sometimes they're grandmaster tough, sometimes beginner easy, but most are usually somewhere in-between. We have readers with a very wide range of skills, and we try to provide something for everyone. We suggest the following: when you find a problem is tough, study the solution with a view to learning technique; when it seems easy, try for rapid sight recognition.

Today, though, we've got a truly easy-as-pie problem that even many early-stage checkerists will solve right away. See how quickly you can spot the solution!

WHITE

BLACK
Black to Play and Win

B:W15,12,K9:B7,3,K1.

By the time you read this line, you've probably already solved it, but just in case, you can ease over to Read More to check your answer.

If you live in a cold North American climate, you probably can use a bit of a winter break. Now, there's a definite difference between a winter break--- an escape from the cold--- and a spring break, which is often associated with hijinx on the part of college students.

But we think a winter break can also stand a bit of mischief, at least of the checker nature. So we've chosen a problem that was originally titled "Maryland Mischief." Surely, Maryland can suffer from some serious winter weather, and perhaps this is a Marylander's way of taking a break. Have a look and see what you think.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play, What Result?

W:B7,11,17,22,24,K18,K31:W8,19,28,29,K4,K25.

Attributed to a Wilson Coudon of Elkton, Maryland, you can tell you're in for some mischief from the problem terms alone, as it's one of those "What Result?" puzzlers that often leave you guessing. That diagonal lineup looks pretty mischievious, too. Perhaps the fact that White is down a piece will provide a clue?

Take a short winter break and see what you can do with this one, then click your playful mouse on Read More to see the solution.