We spent a pleasant interval at our Honolulu office, where we made quite a bit of progress on our "electronic classics" projects. But now we're back in Santa Fe, and, lo and behold! The Santa Fe Opera performance season is in full swing!

Along with the Grand Old Game, there is little that is as wonderful as Grand Opera, performed by a truly world class company such as we are privileged to have here in Santa Fe.

To celebrate this summer's opera season, we turn, as one might expect, to Tom Wiswell, and a fine problem he captions In the Grand Manner. Give it a try and see if you don't think it, too, is world class. Then, click on Read More to verify your moves, and try out a thematically-related "bonus" problem.

Just a word of caution: today's problem is "grand" in terms of difficulty as well as content. If you solve it, congratulations --- you might wish to reward yourself with a front row seat at the Santa Fe Opera!

Solution

We give the solution (below) as Tom Wiswell set it out 45 years ago, when the Santa Fe Opera was but a few years old.

The lines of play are complex and varied, and Tom doesn't take us all the way to the end of some of them; but if you are patient and work your way through, you will be well rewarded for your efforts. We think this is one of the finest problems yet published in The Checker Maven.

27-24 A, 26-31, 24-20, 31-27 (if 6-10 or 6-9, 23-18, White wins), 23-19, 27-24, 20-16 B, 24-15, 13-9 C, 6-13, 16-11, 15-8, 12-3 D, 1-6, 3-7, 6-9, 7-11, 9-14, 11-16, 14-18, 16-19, 17-22, 19-15, 22-29, 15-22 E, White wins.

A--- If 23-19, 26-31, 27-24, 6-9, 13-6, 1-10, etc., draws (the piece on 25 is doomed--Ed.); if 23-18, 26-31, 18-14, 31-24, 12-8, 24-27, 8-3, 27-23, 3-7, 17-22, 25-18, 6-10, etc., draws.
B--- If 19-15 (19-16, 6-9), 24-27, 12-8, 27-23, 15-11, 6-9, etc., draws.
C--- The sacrifice is necessary as 16-11, 15-8, 12-3, 6-9, 13-6, 1-10, draws.
D--- Red, although a man to the good, cannot draw. We continue the solution for the benefit of the skeptics. The ending was developed from the Edinburgh opening, 9-13, 22-18, 10-15.
E--- A companion piece to problem Number 8 by the author in Let's Play Checkers: Red: 2, 6, 13, 21 King 32; White: 9, 19, 24, 25, 27, 30; White to play and win. Knowing the solution to the above position, you should have no trouble in working out the answer to this one. Just to help you out, the first move is 24-20; the rest is up to you.