The Fourth of July, American Independence Day, is one of our favorite national holidays, as we've said in these columns many times before. We're unabashed patriots, happy and proud to celebrate the anniversary of America's birth each and every year.

The Checker Maven, when marking a special occasion, invariably turns to the dean of American problemists, Tom Wiswell. In keeping with that tradition, we present a problem that Mr. Wiswell says is one of his earliest, taken from actual play. He calls it practical and pleasing; we call it spectacular, providing a display of checkeristic fireworks to go along with the aerial fireworks traditional on the Fourth of July.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Draw

W:W27,26,23,18,K1:B20,15,12,11,5.

Black is going to press the White man on 27, at the very least. How can White save the day? Take this one along with you to the Fourth of July picnic, and solve it with your checker friends; then be sure to click on Read More to check your solution. Enjoy the fireworks, both on and off the board!

Solution

Lettered notes by Tom Wiswell; numbered notes by the editor with the Kingsrow engine.

18-14---1 11-16 1-6 15-19 6-9---A 19-24 9-6 24x31 6-10 31x22 23-19 16x23 14-9 5x14 10x19 12-16 19x12 20-24 12-16 24-28 16-19 Drawn---3.

1---White cannot escape with 26-22; after 12-16 18-14 15-19 23-18 19-23 White loses a man.

A---If 6-10 or 6-1 Black wins by 5-9, 14-5, 19-24 and two White men must go---2.

2---6-10 5-9 14x5 19-24 26-22 24x31 23-18 31-26 22-17 26-22 etc.

3---A most spectacular finish to a most spectacular problem.