It was Thanksgiving, 1955, and a very festive occasion at the home of Sal Westerman in Bismarck, North Dakota.

As our regular readers know, Sal is the informal leader of the Coffee and Cake Checker Club, which meets every Saturday afternoon from just after Labor Day until just before Memorial Day, taking off for the Thanksgiving and Christmas-New Year's holidays.

Sal generally celebrated Thanksgiving at home with his wife, Sylvia. Once in a while they would invite friends, or be invited by friends. On occasion, Sylvia's sister Phoebe would come over from Dickinson to join in the festivities. That was something Sal tolerated rather than enjoyed, as his relationship with Phoebe was, shall we say, prickly.

But this Thanksgiving was special, as Sal and Sylvia's daughter (and only child) Joyce made the trip from Washington D.C., where she was a senior associate at the law firm Dark, Darker and Darkest. Joyce's work didn't give her a lot of free time and Sal and Sylvia were delighted that she was able to come and visit this year.

Sylvia, with Joyce's assistance, had laid out a beautiful table in the small dining room of Sal's modest home. The two ladies had spent all of the previous day and all of Thanksgiving Day preparing a spectacular feast. Of course there would be roast turkey basted with butter and stuffed with Sylvia's heirloom celery, sage, and onion dressing. Homemade cranberry sauce would accompany the turkey, as would yams, baked potatoes, a vegetable casserole with broccoli, cauliflower and cheese, fresh baked bread, and pan gravy. The meal would open with a shrimp cocktail, a green salad, and onion soup. Afterwards there would be a cheese tray followed by baked Alaska with coffee and tea.

Sal watched the preparations with more than a little awe. "There will be enough food for a week of eating," he remarked, just before Sylvia asked him to please stay out of the kitchen while she and Joyce were working.

By just before five in the afternoon, when it was beginning to turn dark outside, dinner was served. There was great family conversation throughout and everyone was as content and happy as could possibly be. Dinner didn't end until about seven-thirty, and as Sylvia poured Sal's coffee, Joyce spoke up.

"Dad," she began, "I won't be able to be here for Hanukkah this year, as it starts on December 9 and it's long before the office closes for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. So I brought you your gift now, and if it's okay, I'd like to give it to you."

"A gift?" Sal remarked. "Honey, I don't need a gift. Your presence is gift enough. Why with all the money you spent for airplane fares ... "

"Oh, Sal, don't spoil the moment," Sylvia said. "Joyce has something special for you."

Joyce grinned. "Indeed I do," she said. She quickly went into the kitchen and came back with a carefully wrapped package. "Open it, Dad," she said as she handed it to him.

"Well, well, what can this be?" Sal mused, even though from the shape of the package he could have ventured a good guess. Sal carefully removed the wrappings and lifted out the contents.

"So what do you know!" he said, a happy look on his face. He held up a large hardcover book and pointed to the title, Collected Checker Problems From All Checkers Digest. The subtitle proclaimed The 500 Best of the Best.

"I hope you like it, Dad," Joyce said.

"Like it? I love it!" Sal replied.

"500 problems?" Sylvia said. "We probably won't see you for the rest of the weekend!" But she smiled as she said it.

"Oh, no," Sal said, "family time is precious. But ... well ... can I maybe try just one problem with my coffee?"

"Go ahead, Dad," Joyce said, "the book is yours to enjoy."

---

As our longer term readers know, Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. It has something for everyone; it can be secular or religious as you wish; it's a great time for family get-togethers; and we happily point to its American roots. Being thankful for what we have, instead of being envious of what we don't have, can really lift our spirits.

Of course for checker fans, a good checker problem can lift one's spirits as well. Today's problem is drawn from the publications of that great American checkerist, Tom Wiswell. See if you can solve it and then lift your mouse onto Read More to see the solution.

Solution

23-18 9-5 18-14 5-1 19-15 12-16 15-11 16-20 11-8 20-24 8-3 1-5 3-7 6-10 14-17 10-15 7-11 15-18 11-15 18-23 15-19 White Wins.

A great example of practical winning technique. The problem is attributed to Louis Ginsberg. Mr. Wiswell notes, "This is the type of win that many players overlook nine times out of ten."

And now, continue to enjoy Thanksgiving weekend!