Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest #52

[Bill Salot]

The Scorpion, The Trap, Stragglers' Struggle and Roundup await your perusal. They are Zugzwangs, situations where your opponent is allowed optional moves, all of which are bad. The embarrassed victim must either concede your win or draw, or let you demonstrate it. Zugzwangs are a blend of beauty and difficulty for both composers and solvers.

Use these problems to learn how to put your opponent in Zugzwang. See the maneuvers animated; then press the voting button for the one that impresses you most. Your vote will make the Composer happy, and it may crown him a World Champion. Mark Sokolovsky is the current title holder.

Publicly pick the winner to climb the Voters' Ladder. After voting, just disclose your vote by notifying Bill Salot at the address below the diagrams. Mark Sokolovsky & Leo Springer (Netherlands) currently top the Ladder, each having picked 3 winners in 4 tries (75%).

Please join the fun between now and August 31, 2020.

[Bill Salot]

Have you ever wondered why voting in these problem contests is so diverse? Even last-place problems routinely get first place votes. Voters’ thought processes obviously are unsynchronized.

Solvers tend to vote for the problem they find most difficult to solve, but probably few voters are actually solvers.

Early voters likely just look at the animation and seem to vote based on first impressions.

Late voters may spend much time critiquing details or procrastinating or being distracted or forgetful.

Some voters may favor natural appearance, or unfamiliar ideas, or counter-intuitive moves or fireworks, but what is natural or unfamiliar or counter-intuitive or spectacular to one may not be to another.

It is no wonder that voting is so diverse. The good news is that when you vote with a reason, it sends a message. From that standpoint, no honest vote is wrong. Apathy is not a virtue.

[Bill Salot]

Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest 52 – Zugzwangs – Results

Roy Little, the Babe Ruth of Checker Problem Composers, did it again. His incredible double Zugzwang problem, The Scorpion, swept him to his 21st contest win or tie for 1st. Its 7 votes more than doubled the votes for each of its competitors. Gene Ellison and George Hay voted for it.

Tie for 2nd place, with 3 votes each, was The Trap, featuring 3 false solutions, by Leo Springer (Netherlands); and Roundup, a Zugzwang with an extended preamble, by Ed Atkinson. Kathy Wirthwein voted for The Trap, while Slava Gorin (Russia) and Bob Newell voted for Roundup.

Struggling in last place, with 2 votes, was Stragglers’ Struggle, by Bill Salot. Liam Stephens (Ireland) voted for it.

As usual, the composers did not vote.

This contest had 220 visitors, 15 of whom voted.

For those who voted in at least 5 contests, the International Voters’ Ladder stands as follows:
1 – Leo Springer (Netherlands), picked 3 winners in 5 tries (60%)
2, 3 & 4 tie – Liam Stephens (Ireland) 10 wins in 20 tries (50%); Slava Gorin (Russia), 7 wins in 14 tries (50%); and Wilma Wolverton 3 wins in 6 tries (50%)
5 – Gene Ellison, 9 wins in 19 tries (47.4%)
6 – Kathy Wirthwein, 8 wins in 17 tries (47.1%)
7 – Richard Marlowe, 2 wins in 5 tries (40%)
8 – Lloyd Gordon Canada), 5 wins in 14 tries (35.7%)
9 – George Hay, 7 wins in 20 tries (35.0%)
12 others have either picked fewer than 35% winners or voted in fewer than 5 contests.

[Bill Salot]

Correction: On the Voters' Ladder, Lloyd Gordon Canada), picked 5 wins in 15 tries (33%)

[George Hay]

Congratulations to Roy Little with a winning 7 votes for The Scorpion! All four problems are exceptional examples of Zugzwang, and the art of composing problems in the scientific game of checkers.

--George Hay