Table Of Content

Complete Checkers Richard Pask Complete Checkers Richard Pask Mירפס רלבג יבא Avi Gobbler Publishing Honolulu Copyright©2017,2018,2019RichardPask Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorrepro- duced in any manner whatsoever without writtenpermission fromthepublisherexceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembed- ded in critical articles or reviews. Electronic redistribution is explicitly prohibited. For further information email the publisher: [email protected] Mירפס רלבג יבא OriginalpublicationFebruary,2017 AviGobblerPublishing Honolulu,Hawai‘i 3rdRevisedEditionAugust,2019 2ndRevisedEditionFebruary,2018 ISBN978-1542464369 FrontCoverPhoto: StandingInfinity,BobNewell,2017;thestark black and white background and the turned, upright infinity symbolillustratethecontrastbetweentheapparentsimplicity ofcheckersanditslimitlessdepth. RearCoverPhoto: GrandmasterRichardPask,KathyPask,2016. ThisbookwastypesetinLATEXLibertineandproducedentirely with a suite of free, open-source software running on Linux- poweredworkstations. Table of Contents Publisher’sIntroduction vii Author’sIntroduction ix GuidetoUsingCompleteCheckers xxi Part1: 9-13s 1 Part2: 9-14s 125 Part3: 10-14s 203 Part4: 10-15s 297 Part5: 11-15s 391 Part6: 11-16s 493 Part7: 12-16s 579 Appendix1: IndextoCrossboardGames 645 Appendix2: IndextoPostalGames 659 Appendix3: IndextoAnalyzedGames 665 Appendix4: IndextoKeyLandings 673 Appendix5: IndextoClassicLateMidgames 675 Appendix6: GuidetoClassicLateMidgames 677 Appendix7: IndextoEndgames 685 Appendix8: IndextoDatabasePositions 687 Appendix9: ClusterIndex 695 Appendix10: ModernGAYPChampionshipMatches 705 Appendix11: 3-MoveWorldChampionshipMatches 707 Appendix12: MyAll-TimeTop203-MoveGrandmasters 709 OtherBooksbytheAuthor 711 AbouttheAuthor 713 v RichardPask vii Publisher’s Introduction ForyearsGrandmasterRichardPaskhasgivenmetheprivilege of editing, publishing, and distributing his checker writings, butCompleteCheckersishisabsolutemasterwork,andtohave thehonorofpreparingthisbookforpublicationisahumbling responsibility,somethingforwhichIamtrulygrateful. CompleteCheckersisdestinedtobecomeareferencefortheages, andwillsurelybethedefinitiveworkon3-moveplayforavery longtimetocome. Manyyearsinthemaking,CompleteCheckers features200diagramsandcites2,200games. Mr.Paskhasaliteratestyleandasenseoflogicalorganization thatmakethebookeasytouse,evenifthesubjectmattercan bedeepanddifficult. Hehasbuiltupontheworkofgenerations past, using today’s powerful computer engines to support his ownvastexpertise. Theresultispresentedherein: hundredsof pagesofsparklingexpositionandanalysis. Inourmodernera,publicationanddistributionisamucheasier taskthanitoncewas,andputtingthebookintothehandsofthe checker-playingpublicisnowreadilyaccomplished. Theelec- tronicversionofthisbookisavailablecompletelyfreeofcharge at the Checker Maven website, www.checkermaven.com. Thus, the book will be within reach of everyone, everywhere, withoutlimitationsbasedonfinancialmeans. Theprintedbook ofcoursecannotbefree,butitisbeingofferedataverymodest price. Itiswithgreatpleasure,andwithabundantthankstoMr.Pask, thatthisbookisplacedbeforeyouforyourenjoymentandedifi- cation. BobNewell EditorandPublisher Honolulu,Hawai‘i NewYear’sDay,2017 RichardPask ix Author’s Introduction Goal ItistheambitiousgoaloftheauthorthatCompleteCheckerswill standalongsidethelandmarkworkslistedbelow;seekingtobe bothareliableworkofreferenceandpracticalcrossboardguide ofvalueformanyyears. GuidetotheGameofDraughts;JoshuaSturges,1800 TheGameofDraughtsSimplified;AndrewAnderson,1852 A Complete Guide to the Game of Draughts; James Lees, 1892 MasterPlayoftheDraughtBoard;FrancisTescheleit,1926- 1933 The Encyclopaedia of Draughts; J. Alexander and J. Kear, 1950 BasicCheckers;RichardFortman,1978-1983 HowtheBookCameAbout Justpriortothe1983UK&IrelandvUSAinternationalmatch,I compiledahandwrittenmanuscriptcoveringwhatwouldturn outtobeKeyLandings1,2,3,9and10. Eventuallythisgaverise toKeyLandingsitself,thefirsteditionofwhichwaspublished in 1989. Inspired by Basic Checkers, whose origins are to be foundinDerekOldbury’sexcellentTheSquareWorld magazine, I was prompted to begin a series of books covering all of the 3-move ballots. Solid Checkers, Part 5, the 11-15s, appeared in 1991,withtheremainingpartscomingoutoverthesucceeding 6 years. Total Checkers: A Guide & Companion Volume 1 was issuedin1998,andincludedasupplementtotheseriescovering alloftheamendmentsofwhichIwasthenaware. In1999,Key Openings providedasingle-volumeabbreviatedversionofthe entireseries,withanimprovedlayout,whilein2005TheGolden x CompleteCheckers Dozenintroducedthe12newballots. Havingthuscoveredall156 ballotsonce,between2010and2015Iwentthroughtheentire process again, issuing what was essentially a second edition withthevastlyimproved21st CenturyCheckersseries. Complete Checkers incorporatesallsevenpartsof21st CenturyCheckers, includingallamendmentsarisingduringthe2010-2016period, andthusrepresentstheculminationofaprojectwhichbegan over30yearsago. PurposeoftheBook CompleteCheckersaimstoprovideareliable,soliddefenceagainst everymajor,andmanyminor,attacksarisingoutofbothsides ofall1563-moveballots. Basically,itisacaseforthedefence. At everystagewheremorethanoneoptionisgiven,itrecommends one specific choice, representing my personal preference. Of course,noclaimismadethatthesearethe‘best’moves,butitis heldthatallofthemaresound: never(knowingly)goingintoa lossandnever(knowingly)passingupawin. Invirtuallyevery gameIhavesoughttoreachadefiniteconclusion,eventothe extent of voluntarily going into crystallised bridge endgames, toavoidleavingthereader‘inthelurch,’and,apartfromafew unavoidable instances, have steered clear of speculative lines. Theendproductmayfairlybedescribedascomprehensive,but isbynomeansexhaustive. ATest-BedofImportance Whenyouconsiderthatsomechessdatabasesconsistofmillions of games, 2200 seems a very small number indeed. However, whenyouareseekingtounderstandwhatmakeseverysingle gametick,andtocommitallofthesalientpointstomemory,it suddenlybecomesextremelylarge! (Forcomparativepurposes Kear’sEncyclopaediafeatures1864completegames.) ThemaincriticismthatDerekOldburyhadofMasterPlay was thatmanyofthegamesandanalysesitcontainedwereanything but.InCompleteCheckersIhavesoughttoaddressthispointmost rigorously, withastrongfocusonauthenticity, reliabilityand relevance,andfeelconfidentthatanoverwhelmingpercentage