Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest #2
2012-02-12 through 2012-03-04
So far 0 visitors have viewed this contest times.

The ACF Website wishes a big congratulations to Bill Salot, the composer of GIVE AND TAKE, which was voted the winner of
Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest #2.
Webmasters Note: During this contest I discovered a glitch in the voting system. Two voters managed to vote multiple times. I do not believe they did this on purpose, but because they received no feedback that their vote counted. With the information that was recorded, I removed 5 votes from "Nocturne in Red and White" and 2 votes from "Give and Take". I cannot guarantee that will be the end of glitches, but I promise to do my best fo find and fix them in a timely manner.
Jason Solan, ACF Webmaster

The two original, unpublished problems, "Give and Take" and "Nocturne in Red and White", together in Contest #2 garnered almost triple the number of votes cast in Contest #1. This is very encouraging for future contests.

Both problems received strong support. By a strange coincidence, both were the result of events that occurred in 1896.

"Give and Take" was composed by Bill Salot. It was inspired by, but is very different from, George H. Slocum's Problem 1000 in the Chicago Inter-Ocean, December 5, 1896, (#75 in the SLOCUM STROKES book).

"Nocturne in Red and White" is the product of that well-known player, analyst, critic, editor, publisher, problemist, and gentleman from Montana, Jim Loy. It demonstrates a win missed by World Champuion James Ferrie in an 1896 Scottish Tourney game. The win has never been pointed out until now, 116 years later. It is fitting that a "James" was corrected by a "Jim". The setting is exactly as it appeared in the game. Efforts to set it back or improve it in any way have proved futile.

Contest #3 will be delayed slightly while we work out bugs in some recent entries.

Why not fine-tune and enter that great ending that YOU recently played or witnessed?

Bill Salot at wjsalot@comcast.net or
1006 Elmwood Drive, Colonial Heights, VA 23834-2905
After the contest, Mr. Salot found this problem (Nocturne in Red and White), CR by A. Anderson, in B. Boland's Familiar Themes p.27 no.22. It is also in H. Lyman's Problem Book. Then I found it in B. Boland's Famous Positions p.127, including the above Ferrie - Brown game. When composing a problem, it would seem that much research is necessary. Unfortunately, I had given up on my research when I failed to find the 1896 Scottish Tournament book in my personal library. I have the Boland books (and Anderson 's 2nd) in computer-searchable form, but I failed to do the searches, Jim Loy
GIVE AND TAKE
Composed By: Bill Salot
Current Votes:
White to move. White Wins
Trunk*1714, 1-5A, *2420B, 22-18C, *14 9, 5-14, *13 9, 14-17, *10 6, 2-7D, *6 2, 7-10, *2 7E, 10-15, *7 10, 15-19, *10 14 White Wins
AIf 22-18, *10 6White Wins
BNot 13 9, *22-18, 2420 (if 10 6, *18-22, Draws), *18-15, 10 6, *15-10, 14 7, *5-14 Draw
CIf 22-26, *13 17, 26-23, *17 22, 23-19, *22 18White Wins
D If 18-14, 9 18, 2-9, *20 16 White Wins
ENot 2 6, *17-22Draw
NOCTURNE IN RED AND WHITE
Composed By: Jim Loy
Current Votes:
White to move. White Wins
TrunkFlaw: PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED as discussed above; *14 17A, 26-30, *17 22BC, 16-19, *27 23, 19-26, 22 31, 30-25, *31 26, 25-21, *13 9, 5-14, *26 22White Wins
ANot 13 9, *26-30, 9 6, *30-26, 6 1, *26-22, 1 6, *16-19, 6 1, *19-23, 27 18, 22-15, conceded draw, J. Ferrie - J. C Brown, 1896 Scottish Tourney; continue 14 10, 15-6, 1 10, *5-9, 10 15, *9-14, 15 19, *14-18, 19 15, *18-23, 15 18, *23-27, 18 23, *27-32 Draw
BNot 17 14, *30-25Draw
CNot 17 21. *16-19Draw
Please enter your original, unpublished, dual-free problems in future contests by sending them at anytime to:
Bill Salot
1006 Elmwood Drive
Colonial Heights, VA 23834-2905

or at wjsalot@comcast.net.