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Scott's 101 Checker Stratagems (corrections)

© Copyright 1997, Jim Loy
You may print this and show it to others. But, this article will eventually be part of a book that I am writing. So, please do not distribute it widely.

If you need help reading checkers notation, please print out the numbered board.

I've been doing a little studying of endings, lately. I went through 101 Checker Stratagems by Farr L. Scott, looking for mistakes. There were a few. Nowadays, an asterisk (*) is used to denote that the move was the only move to either win or draw. Scott sometimes gives an asterisk for a good move, when there are several similar moves that would do as good. I won't show you any of those. And I won't show the illegal moves which can be easily cleared up. Play through these. Some of them are amazing.

Problem #5 is by J. A. Boreham. Scott gives the clever, but flawed solution: 17-21 22-18 13-9?(A) 26-23? (26-22 draws) 21-25 23-19 25-30 19-16 30-26 16-12 26-23 18-15 23-19 15-10 19-15 10-7 9-13* 7-2 15-10 12-8 10-6 2-9 13-6 RW.

A - Instead, 21-25* 18-14 (26-23 13-9=Scott's solution, above) 13-17 14-9 17-14 9-5 14-18 RW.

In Problem #30 (by W. Bennett), Scott's solution is just fine. But, Gould's alternative move wins as well: 20-24 11-15 24-27 15-19 27-31 19-24 22-18* 24-28 18-14 28-32 14-9 32-28 9-6 28-24 6-2 24-19 2-6 13-17 (19-15 6-9 15-18 31-26 13-17 9-13 18-22 26-23 WW) 31-26(A) 19-24 6-9 24-27 9-13 WW.

A - 30-26 (Scott says that his 31-26 corrects this) 19-15 6-9 15-18 9-13? (Scott missed 26-23 WW) 18-22 26-23 (erroneously called a WW in Gould's book?) 22-26 draw.

Problem #43, by D. Gourley: 13-9* 20-24 9-14? (Instead 9-6* 24-27 28-32 27-31 6-10 is back into Scott's solution) 24-27 28-32 27-31? (19-15 32-23 15-18 draw) 14-10* 19-23 10-15 31-26 15-19 23-16 30-23 21-25 32-27 WW.

Problem #45 (T. A. Hedges) doesn't seem to contain an error. But a fairly strong defence is not mentioned: 25-22 9-14 28-24 1-6 24-19 6-10(A) 22-17 14-18 30-26* 18-22 (21-25 26-22 18-23 22-18 25-30 18-15 WW) 26-23 22-26 23-18 26-31 18-14 WW.

A - Here's the defence that I thought might draw: 6-9! 19-16 9-13 16-11 14-17 22-18 17-22 11-7 22-25 7-2 25-29 2-6 29-25 6-9 25-22 18-14 22-17 (as 22-18 loses) 14-10 17-22 9-14 22-25 14-18 WW.

In Problem #56 (by Scott), a little typo (at the last move) makes a big difference: 9-6 19-10 13-9* 10-15(A) 6-2 7-11 (15-11 9-5 7-10 22-18 10-15 2-7 11-2 18-11 draw) 9-6 1-10 2-7 (Scott gave 2-6? as the draw) draw.

A - 7-11 9-5* 10-14 6-2 14-10 (11-16 is similar) 22-18 11-16 2-6 10-7 6-2 7-3 18-15 16-20 15-10 20-24 2-6* 24-27 6-9 27-31 9-14 draw.

Problem #68 (by Tom Wiswell): 32-27* 22-18 24-20* 31-24 28-19 18-15 10-7? (10-14 is the draw) 3-10 19-16 RW (Scott says "draw").

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