The "Craig Position"

[B Salot]

Does anyone have a clue about when and where the "Craig Position" was published? If you run across it anywhere, please post it here.

For those, like me, who never heard of it before, this is the setting:

THE CRAIG POSITION

WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN

The solution is pretty cool: *18 14, 23-18, *13 9, 18-15, *9 13, 15-6, *13 17, 6-2, *14 9, 2-7, *17 14, 7-11, 14 10 (14 18, 11-7, *18 14 wastes time), 11-16, *10 15, WW by pinning both Red pieces.

Forty years ago, Ben Boland was reviewing a problem with me. He pointed out that if we removed a couple of pieces from the setting, we would "have the Craig Position". I now regret not asking him for a source, any source.

Please help if you can.

Bill Salot

[George Hay]

Bill, I do not have "Craig Position," but I may have a clue. D.S. Craig was Secretary of Cleveland Chess and Checker Club, c. 1908. He is identified on page 257 of the Canadian Checker Player, Volume 2. The collection is available (free) from Google Books. "Craig Position" might be in the archives of the John G. White Chess and Checker Collection at the Cleveland Public Library. --George Hay

[Bill Salot]

I stumbled on it - the "Craig Position" - and it is NOT the position diagrammed above.

Instead it is a 2x2 on Page 46 of Call's "Midget Problems", 1913. It is credited there to J. C. Craig, not D. S. Craig.

When Ben Boland told me the above diagrammed setting "is the Craig Position", he no doubt meant it "runs into the Craig Position", which it does immediately after the 15 6 jump, colors reversed.

So the diagrammed setting should be credited to Ben Boland as a setback of the "Craig Position". It is strange that Boland never included either setting in any of his books.

Boland's comment to me came during his 1970 review of Slocum's #75, Note A, on Page 292, of SLOCUM STROKES, which appears on Jay's web site: http://www.online-museum-of-checkers-hi ... /id71.html[/url]

Now isn't that a sneaky way to advertise a book?

Bill Salot

[Palomino]

Bill Salot wrote:

Now isn't that a sneaky way to advertise a book?

Hmm..? Maybe so but all is forgiven of a man who's contributions to the game are freely given and much appreciated.

William Timothy Call's - MIGET PROBLEMS, page 46:

Thanks for sharing Bill.

..."Pal" Bucker

[George Hay]

Bill, thank you for solving the mystery of the "Craig Position." Interestingly, G.H. Slocum has several problems featured in
W.T. Call's Midget Problems. In Vocabulary of Checkers W.T. Call defines "Slocum stroke: This term is frequently
used to designate that class of strokes in which more or less preliminary manoeuvring is necessary to get the pieces
into position before the exchanging begins." George H. Slocum is also featured in The Canadian Checker Player.
Thank you for Slocum Strokes that is most appropriately available at OMOCH.
--George Hay

[Bill Salot]

Thank you Pal and George,

Please note on Page 20 of SLOCUM STROKES that all of the Slocum problems in Call's Midget Problems and Vocabulary of Checkers and in the Canadian Checker Player are already listed.

If you have any publications not listed as already thoroughly reviewed, please let me know here or at wjsalot@comcast.net

Check whether there is a number in the last column of the Index of "Where Published", which begins on Page 19. If there is, then the publication has already been thoroughly reviewed. Otherwise it has not.

Since you have good libraries, I hope you will take up the challenge.

Bill Salot

[Danny_Alvarez]

Mr Salot i downloaded your wonderful work yesterday from the OMOCH website and i haven't had time to read it yet. Just a quick perusal to doublecheck the file was downloaded properly. Thanks for sharing this with the rest of us ....
cheers
Danny Alvarez