Checker & Market question from Victor Niederhoffer

[Alan Millhone]

Hello Checker/Draughts Players and Market dabblers:

One of our few top Checker supporters sent me an email last night and asked me to place his comments onto the ACF Forum . Mr. Niederhoffer loves Checkers and knew Tommy Wiswell and other NYC players well. Mr. Niederhoffer has supported our youth and many tournaments over the past years. He has an excellent web site for " free thinkers " at DAILY SPECULATIONS . He is looking for a position / problem / landing that would help illustrate the following:

" As the sp broke below the round today at close ( 11/11/08) and then broke above in Japan trading hours. But really what did it was the always down to earth, Checker like posts of Alan Millhone. I went to see the Checker and Chess tables at Central Park with Aubrey (his little boy) Sunday, and there were two Chess players, 5 degenerates and a Maj Jong player sitting at the 20 tables New York must have 1,000 tables and boards inscribed and I always check up o nthem, hoping there will be a game of Checkers. I was particulary hopeful on Arthur Avenue in Little Italy at the Italian Park on 187 th. Street and Arthur Street, as iread the puff piece that your purses are always returned there and the old world traditions like Checkers live on. But no, just sandwiches and cards there. There is something Checker like i nthe moves below and above the round, a sort of Third Position, like where you get strength from rebuilding in the Double Corner. Or maybe it's like a 5 man Dyke, and the only way to break it is with a rather epemeral pitch or else your're doomed". Vic

Mr. Niederhoffer sent me a 2nd. email last night ;

" You can put this on your site to see if someone can give a position that's like a round number break. sp 926 close on Friday and today at 899. A break from above to below. Happened 23 times since 12/11/07 ". Vic

All of you put on your thinking caps and see what you can deduce and offer as a solution to his question.

Sincerely:
Alan Millhone, President
American Checker Federation

[liam stephens]

My Solution:



White to play and win (C Wilson)

17-22 - Fear grips world stockmarkets, shares under threat

11-15 - US Government steps in with rescue package to support currencies

21-17 - Market steadies momentairily

30-26 - Paulsen says US bail out is working

22-25 - But, panic sets in on world markets

26-30 - Pound collapses

31-26 - The sky falls in,

30-14 - Nasdaq in free fall


26-17 - Caput!

[Alex_Moiseyev]

Long way to heaven

Author Unknown

Solution:

19-16, 2-6, 16-12, 6-10 11-7, 10-14, 7-2, 14-17, 2-7, 17-22, 7-11, 22-25, 11-15, 25-29 15-18, 29-25, 32-27, 28-32, 27-24, 32-27, 24-19, 27-24, 19-15, 24-19, 15-10, 19-16, 10-7, 16-11, 7-2, 11-16, 2-7, 16-19, 7-10, 19-16, 10-14, 16-11, 14-17, 11-7, 17-22, 25-29, 18-14, 7-11, 14-10, 11-16, 10-7, 16-19, 7-11, 19-23, 12-8, 23-19, 8-3, 19-23, 3-8, 23-19, 8-12, 19-24, 12-16, 24-27, 16-20, 27-32, 20-24, 32-28, 24-27, 28-32, 22-26, 32-23, 26-19, 29-25, 30-26, 25-29, 19-15, 21-25, 15-19, 25-30, 11-16, 30-23, 19-26 --- White Wins

This position is giving in Tom Wiswell Problem Book "The Science of Checkers and Draughts", #24, Pg. 50. In my opinion, this problem is close to ideal model of stock market, because the following principles and strategies apply to both:

1) In order to win you have to make all right moves.

2) In order to make all right moves more likely you need to know - what happened at the end ... over horizon! Ha-ha - same in stock market.

3) The right winning strategy is - establish and set a small goals and achieve them.

4) Winning strategy is going slowly, move by move, step by step.

5) From miserable advantage in the intitial position, white slowly build a "capital" - crown maximum Kings, which eventually give them more freedon and allow to do more serious things.

6) White several times during solution change directions (move), up and down, in order to achieve a final goal. Same in stock market - often in order to go up, you have to go down, reconstruct your position and utilize more hidden sources.

7) And finally ... this solution takes "full 40 moves". This simply means that SP shall go down 17 more times until we reach heaven ! Good thing to know and feel more comfortable in current stock market

It would be very helpful and beneficary for USA economy if our law- and trade makers can play checkers and speifically being familiar with this position which may help them with directions and make a right moves.

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Alan, please, pass my personal salut to Mr. Niederhoffer - grandmaster in his business and "checkers angel" !

Respectfully,

Alex Moiseyev