The chase is on! The traditional fox hunt, now very much out of favor and considered cruel, has for the most part become illegal, and although especially in England it's a centuries-old amusement for the wealthy, perhaps indeed its time has passed.

But in our game of checkers, the chase is alive and well, and forms the theme of the 66th in Bill Salot's long and outstanding series of checker problem composing contests.

Mr. Salot states that, as in the preceding contest, these original, unpublished, strategic dandies are non-strokes, although a shot may ring out occasionally during a wild "chase." Four new problems await you on the contest page. Be sure to try them all and then don't forget to vote for your favorite.

Here's a teaser problem showing off the contest theme. It's by the late grandmaster composer Ed Atkinson, and it's typical of his genius.

Chasing Foxes
Ed Atkinson
BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W6,10,17,25,27:B3,12,K16,K32

Chase after the solution, but there's no need to hunt down the results, as you can just click on Read More to see how it's done. Then, on to the contest page!

Solution

*27 23---A, 32-27, *23 18, 27-23, *18 14, 23-18, *6 2, 18-9, *17 13, 9-5, *13 9, 5-7, 2 20, White Wins.

A ---Not 27 24, *16-20, Drawn.

And now, on to the contest!