Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest 54 Results

[Bill Salot]

The quartet of problems in Contest 54 were so well matched that one voter called it a 4-way dead heat. All 4 entries were original, previously unpublished, piece-up settings that required 5 sacrifices to set up a quadruple jump into a piece down spread eagle win. But the voters managed to separate them with no ties to close out 2020. All 4 composers were previous contest winners.

Ed Atkinson's Sidewinder won with 7 votes, including votes by Gene Ellison, George Hay, Mark Sokolovsky, and Liam Stephens (Ireland).

Roy Little's Ricochet was 2nd with 4 votes by Richard Beckwith, Lloyd Gordon (Canada), Slava Gorin (Russia), and Ingo Zachos (Germany). How is that for international flavor?

Leo Springer (Netherlands) entered the 3rd place, Cross Country, which received 3 votes, including Kathy Wirthwein's vote.

Bill Salot's last place Twin Peaks received 2 votes including one by Leo Springer (Composers agree not to vote for their own entries).

Contest 54 had 152 visitors, 16 of whom voted.

The Voters' Ladder underwent a shake-up. It now stands as follows:

1 - Mark Sokolovsky, picked 4 winners in 5 tries (80%)
2 - Liam Stephens (Ireland), 12 wins in 22 tries (55%)
3&4 tie - Leo Springer (Netherlands) and Wilma Wolverton, both picked 3 winners in 6 tries (50%)
5 - Gene Ellison, 10 wins in 21 tries (47.6%)
6 - Kathy Wirthwein, 9 wins in 19 tries (47.4%);
7 - Slava Gorin (Russia), 7 wins in 16 tries (44%)
8 - George Hay, 9 wins in 22 tries (41%)
9 - Richard Marlowe, 2 wins in 5 tries (40%)
10 - Lloyd Gordon (Canada), 6 wins in 17 tries (35%)
12 others have either picked fewer than 35% winners or voted in fewer than 5 contests.

Please join us in the contests being planned for 2021.

[George Hay]

Congratulations to Ed Atkinson for the winning entry, Sidewinder, for Contest 54 with 7 votes. The Sidewinder for the Spread Eagle theme, how is that for a mixed metaphor? The Spread Eagle, so named by Tom Wiswell, is another fine theme highlighted by the ongoing Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contests.

Happy New Year Checkerists!
--George Hay