The WRONG Checkers Strategies

[Chexhero]

So someone asked on a forum what are the best strategies to use in order to win checkers games. This was voted as the best answer:

1. keep the last row of pieces there as long as you can-this way they can't get "kinged".
2. get your pieces to the edge of the board so they can't jump you, but you can jump them
3. make sure your pieces are right behind each other, so they can't get jumped
4. Use your first king more to advance your other pieces (to get more kings) initially than to capture (unless capturing will also IMMEDIATELY allow a piece to advance). Once you have 2-3 kings THEN attack the other pieces.
5. Don't play against a computer.

There was even a guy on youtube who said a great strategy to use is that after you and your opponent has lost 3 checkers, to try and keep an odd number of checkers in each row.

It is a sad these days as we continue to see the decline of competitive checkers, but it is still good to have some laughs.

As far a advice goes for winning checkers, Lubabalo said it best to me at nationals: "play the best moves."

[champion374]

good advice

[George Hay]

Alfred Jordan's famous quote "When in doubt, move 4-8" can sometimes be a disaster waiting just a few moves to happen!
I quote Alfred Jordan from the most reliable ACF Bulletin #326 April 2007, Beginner's Page on Page 10.

http://www.usacheckers.com/acfb/acfb326.pdf

In this YouTube Checkercyle video TWO MINIATURE GAMES OF CHECKERS the games are "miniature" due to opening shots!
The first game features Hay's Shot by William Hay, 1838. The second game features what Mr. Checkercyle calls "the do it every time trap."
Tom Wiswell calls the second opening shot "Scholar's Mate" in Checkers In Ten Lessons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2lM8P-_j4k

The April 2007 ACF Bulleten takes The WRONG Checkers Strategies a step further (or backwards) with Beginner's Page: Rules About Forced Moves and Stalemates
on Page iv (the last page of the Bulletin).

--George Hay

[liam stephens]

And, of course, not forgetting our old friend the "pyramid builder".

See: Boland's Famous Positions, page 94.

[tgf]

I've been teaching checkers for over 40 years and heard and gave countless advices on a number of game types.

"If you do not know where to move, move towards the center". This seems a good general advice, akin to your pyramid builder.
Count one more move than your opponent.
Record your games for home analysis.
I describe "You touch you move" rule as "you touch you merry"
Be alert, look for possibilities.
To win you need to confuse your opponent drawing him into an unusual game.
If you do not risk you do not win.
Play stronger than you opponents in order to grow.
Discuss your game with others, get other people ideas.
"Train in the morning, play at night" - the old gladiator's motto.
There is always someone stronger than you.
Keep your mind sharp by solving some puzzles every night.

[George Hay]

Liam, fortunately Bolland's Famous Positions is in Jake's Online Checkers Library. What a find!

http://checkersusa.com/books/straight/B ... s_1940.pdf

Elbert Lowder would break the general rules and played very unconventionally with great success!
In the ACF Game of the Week, I have not seen a more unconventional player than Lowder!

--George Hay

[George Hay]

Jake, thanx for a great list!
I like "Be alert, look for possibilities." Or to put it another way, "If you snooze, you loose!"
"To win you need to confuse your opponent drawing him into an unusual game." That has been used very successfully by Sergio Scarpetta, the GAYP World Champion. This is kind of bult in to 3-Move, but with GAYP you can go more in depth with fewer openings. Even with 3-move I see game after game in the ACF Game of the Week of players bringing the game back to familiar territory instead of playing cross board in unfamilliar territory! Tom Wiswell would probably somewhat disagree with "If you do not risk you do not win." Wiswell would emphasize playing for the draw and let your opponent make a mistake to win. I also like your emphasis in training. Or as Sarah Palin would say "Drill baby drill!"

--George Hay

[liam stephens]

MAKE A MOVE AND TAKE IT BACK !
God will ask you what is that.
If you say you don't know,
God will send you down below.

That old adage was nicely demonstrated by Willie Ryan in The American Checkerist, March 1939, page 69.

The position is shown in the setting below:
Red

White

White to play and win.

Willie commented as follows:

Up in Portsmouth...several... local knights of the board admitted they could not pry open this teasing quip.
Should be solved without the slightest agitation of the pieces, if you know what we mean.
P. S. - We found the win in three minutes. Very cute.

I leave it to the readers to find the retreated move.

[tgf]

Tom Wiswell would probably somewhat disagree with "If you do not risk you do not win."

This advice is specifically for aspiring audience - they need to push themselves to their limits, to dream big, to be bold, to discover the unknown, youth has no bounds.
It is later in life with maturity and experience and knowing your limitations one would play for draw and wait for opponent's error.
This makes one better than most but not the stuff champions are made of, those who do not risk have no glory.

[tgf]

15-11 22-18 and here both 14-9 or 14-17 win with the same idea

[tgf]

Let me whip a little shot

WW Enjoy!

[Bill Salot]

The Ryan setting has 3 different initial moves that win.
Is the tgf setting original and unpublished? If so, how do you think it would fare in a contest of unpublished pure strokes featuring sextuple jumps. I have a backlog of three such problems by three different composers.

[tgf]

I made it for fun today after seeing the other stroke, I deal with hundreds of shots on my poolcheckers.com, feel free to use as you wish

[George Hay]

I was close but no cigar on both problems!

--George Hay

[Bill Salot]

I am sorry. I had a senior moment when I said Ryan's problem had three different initial moves that win.
My apologies to Willie and George.