The most popular style of checker problem

[Bill Salot]

A word to the wise: the polls close on Contest #7 this coming Sunday. Go to the Contest page before it is too late. Don't miss the practicality of its four "game" problems.

Discxussions among composers are fast leading to their conclusion that today's judges often favor the sparkle of "strokes" over the depth of end games.

"Strokes" are virtually inexhaustable. They are of several types of strokes (in no particular order):

1 - Pure or giant strokes are triggered by the first move and finish decisively with little or no end play. Melvyn Green is the undisputed master of them.

2 - Deferred strokes, also known as "Slocum Strokes", are triggered unexpectedly after clever preliminaries. They require little or no end play. Even after well over a century of popularity, they still consistently evoke surprise. They are in almost every composer's repertoire.

3 - Non-deferred strokes with significant end-play make up a distinct, generally unrecognized classification. They are essentially the reverse of deferred strokes. They put the cart before the horse, so to speak, often with startling effect. They are on the increase.

4 - Deferred strokes with significant end play constitute the rarest category. They may have the greatest potential.

Please be on the lookout for stroke ideas and develop them into original, unpublished strokes of any type. Future contests could feature competitive strokes of the same type and eventually determine which type is the most popular. Send your entries to me at the address on the Contest page below, and don't forget to vote in the current contest.