Front Page Problem - Long Long Trail 2009/12/29

[B Salot]

Josh, Where did you find that one?

I like it a lot, for several reasons:

1. The appearance of two bridges in the initial setting is rare and appealing.

2. The long struggle for White, with Red driven all the way to the end (no signifiant defensive variations to try one's patience).

3. The large number of star moves made possible by the necessaary length of the solution.

4. Best of all, the subtle difficulty of White having to crown three kings and situate them in particular locations, and in the proper sequence, so as to change the "move" three times (Second Position requires the winning side to change the "move" twice, but I can't recall ever before seeing a setting that requires the "move" to change three times like this one).

5. The composer got the most possible out of the problem. It can't be set back any earlier without killing the win or creating a dual solution.

6. The "do-nothing" red king on 4 is a necessary curiosity. If it were a single, White could trade it off quickly to win.

Fascinating !

Bill Salot

[Alex_Moiseyev]

I found it in a Wiswell book.

Hmmm ... I thought you find it in one of my posts on this forum Anyway: nice choice and wonderful problem - one of my favors which Don Lafferty showed me first time in 1997 when I asked him - are there any beauties in this game ?

[B Salot]

Thanks Josh for the clue. I did find ""The Long, Long Trail" in Wiswell's "The Science of Checkers and Draughts" (1973), Page 50, Problem Number 24.

Wiswell gave it that title, said it was "The longest, if not the most difficult, problem in the book", and called it a "very fine problem".

He added that it "originally appeared in the January 1959 issue of the California Checker Chatter, Leonard Hall's fine magazine", which may be where Don Lafferty ran across it.

I looked up the referenced CCC issue. There the problem was untitled and credited to "Author Unknown", but the solution was credited to James G. Garrison. Hall reported that the problem was sent to Garrison by J. H. Armitage. Armitage evidently sent it without the solution. Garrison presumably forwarded it, with his solution, to Hall for publication.

Alex, did you publish it somewhere after 1997?

Josh, although I may be the only one interested, I would appreciate your mentioning where you find each future problem.

Also your comment about what Boland typically published versus what Wiswell typically published is a fascinating subject, discussed many times over many years. I will start a new topic and further respond there.

Bill Salot

[Alex_Moiseyev]

Alex, did you publish it somewhere after 1997?

On this forum ... here

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1806

[B Salot]

Alex,

Thanks!

I never thought of looking there.

You did a good job with the write-up. It was better than mine.

Bill Salot