2014 Christmas Quiz

[liam stephens]

This year there are two diagrammed positions that can be solved as well as answering the questions, so plenty to keep you busy during the Christmas holiday break.

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas.

(My apologies for the previous post transmitted in error - I tried to delete it but failed in the attempt.)
I will post the answers early in the new year.

2014 CHRISTMAS QUIZ

1. Who won a game off Derek Oldbury at the 1982 Irish Open in Kingscourt ? (you have all had nearly 12 months to find the answer)

2. Which well known draughts commentator said :
“Ron King is the King of swindles”

3. Who won the most consecutive English Open titles ?

4. Which famous 19th century player was popularly known as “Wamkin” ?

5. Which former American president referred, in a book, to:
“…checker players and other loafers...”

6. Which famous player once made the remark:
“Most Giants of the Board, in days of yore, were either boozers or bums.”

7. Which Company sponsored the 1992 Tinsley v Chinook match ?

8. Which two players in a world title match apparently overlooked a winning shot in the position below:



Black: 21,23, 24, 28, King 20.
White: 30, 32, Kings 10, 14, 31.
Black to play and win.

9. Which two players missed a win against Tinsley, by not moving 31-26*. ( This question is a test of how well you read your books !)

10. What title name was given to the following position ? :



White to play

Black: piece on 12, Kings on 2, and 17.
White: Kings on 10 and 23.

One player claimed it was a Black win.
Another player corrected it to a draw.

[Lindus Edwards]

Hi Liam,

Bill Schollick (not sure of spelling) won a game off Derek Oldbury at Kingscourt. It was on the 10-15, 24-19, 15-24.
Derek was playing for a win and messed it up! Derek won the event with Jules Leopold runner up and Joe Schwartz third. I was there.

My late father, Bill Edwards, won five English Open Championships running, is the answer to one of your other questions.

Best wishes,

Lindus.

[liam stephens]

Well done Lindus - both answers are correct.

[liam stephens]

2014 CHRISTMAS QUIZ - ANSWERS

1. Who won a game off Derek Oldbury at the 1982 Irish Open in Kingscourt ? (you have all had nearly 12 months to find the answer)

William (Bill) Schollick.

2. Which well known draughts commentator said : “Ron King is the King of swindles”

Ingo Zachos on the ACF Forum, 21 Aug 2014.


3. Who won the most consecutive English Open titles ?

William Edwards , who won 5 titles; in 1979/81/83/85/ and 87.

4. Which famous 19th century player was popularly known as “Wamkin” ?

William Strickland.

5. Which former American president referred, in a book, to: “…checker players and other loafers...”

Jimmy Carter (ref: DEO Ency p. 120)

6. Which famous player once made the remark: “Most Giants of the Board, in days of yore, were either boozers or bums.”

William Ryan (ref: DEO Ency p. 119)

7. Which Company sponsored the 1992 Tinsley v Chinook match ?

Silicon Graphics.

8. Which two players in a world title match apparently overlooked a winning shot in the position below:



Black: 21,23, 24, 28, King 20.
White: 30, 32, Kings 10, 14, 31.
Black to play and win.

King v Oldbury in Game 5 of their 1992 match. (King played 24-27 and lost the ending, but 23-27 wins.)

9. Which two players missed a win against Tinsley, by not moving 31-26*. ( This question is a test of how well you read your books !)

Derek Oldbury (1974 US National Ty) and Ed King (1974 Southern Ty).
Refs: Basic Checkers Part 3, page 25, Note L and Part 4, page 43 Note K.


10. What title name was given to the following position ?:

The Great Divide



White to play
Black: piece on 12, Kings on 2, and 17.
White: Kings on 10 and 23.

One player claimed it was a Black win.
Another player corrected it to a draw.
Ref: Slocum Strokes #80, Variation 1, Note Q1.
This forms a position that Boland published three times (“Famous Positions”1940, “Masterpieces” 1947, and an extensive column in “Midwest Checkers”1989. Allan Hynd, a checker editor and member of the triumphant British First International team, published it in 1900, claiming a Red win. But, in 1901, another checker editor named J. K. Lyons corrected it to a draw and dubbed it “The Great Divide”.
- Bill Salot.


Solutions:
Hynd: 23-19, 17-13, 19-23, 13-9, 23-19, 9-5, 19-23, 5-1, 23-19, 2-6, 10-14, 1-5, 14-18, 6-10, 18-23, 5-9, 23-27, 9-14, 27-23, 14-17, 23-27, 217-22, 27-23, 10-14, Black wins.
No. 902 Manchester Times, 21 Sept, 1900.

Lyons : 23-18, 17-13, 18-14, 12-16, 10-15, 2-6, 14-9, 6-1, 9-14, 1-5, 14-18, 5-9, 18-23, 9-14, 23-27, 13-9, 27-32, 9-6, 15-11, 16-20, 11-15, 6-9, 15-19, 9-13, 19-23, 13-17, 32-27, 17-22, 27-32, 22-25, 32-27, 25-30, 27-32,14-17,32-27, 17-22, 27-31, 20-24, 23-27, 24-20, 27-32, Drawn.
The game of Draughts, 13 Apr, 1901.

[Bill Salot]

Liam,

I know the answer to only #10.

It is a position that Boland published three times (“Famous Positions”1940, “Masterpieces” 1947, and an extensive column in “Midwest Checkers”1989. Allan Hynd, a checker editor and member of the triumphant British First International team, published it in 1900, claiming a Red win. But, in 1901, another checker editor named J. K. Lyons corrected it to a draw and dubbed it “The Great Divide”.

The play may also be found in Horsfall's Problem Book (1909) and more recently in Slocum Strokes, Problem 80, Variation 1.

It is interesting to see how long it takes your computer to find that correct first move, *23 18. My Kings' Row took 36 seconds before it gave up on Hynd's 23 19.

"The Great Divide" can also be set back to add a couple of moves to add a couple more fine points, as shown in Slocum Strokes, Problem 80, Variation 1.

[George Hay]

Hi Liam, I did get 5 out of 10 correct for X-mas quiz 2014.
2. "Ron King is the King of Swindles" is a quote from Ingo Zachos, who has written much of the first draught of draughts history.
3. Bill Edwards won the most English Open titles, 5 in a row! He also won the 1994 British Open. (ref: English Draughts Association website)
http://www.englishdraughts.org.uk/home
5. President Jimmy Carter wrote "checker players and other loafers."
7. 1992 Tinsley vs Chinook was sponsored by Silicon Graphics, aka SGI. (ref: Man Versus Machine:
The Silicon Graphics World Checkers Championship by Jonathan Schaeffer
http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jonathan ... TR92-19.ps
10. The position is "The Great Divide." (ref: The Checker Maven 01/14/06 Checker School: Coming From Behind, Part 3)
http://www.bobnewell.net/nucleus/
Question 10 fits in nicely with recent lessons from the Virginia Checkers website. The Move, and Petterson's Rule with Bill Salot's comment on Pettersos's Rule, show in general how to play The Great Divide and other man down draws.
http://www.vacheckers.org


Happy New Year 2015!
George Hay

[liam stephens]

Hi George - well done !
Thanks for those additional references.
There is a reference to "Wamkin" in Oldbury's Checker Chiaroscuro, page 83:2.

Here is a question for 2015 for those, like me, whose knowledge of USA geography is rather lacking.
Where was the recent 2014 WCDF Qualifying Tournament held ?
Was it
a. "outside Louisville, Kentucky" (Ref ACFB #372, page ii)

or

b. "Clarksville, Indiana" (Ref Results Table on ACF Forum)

[George Hay]

Liam, for the location of the 2014 WCDF Qualifying Tournament, both a. and b. are correct!
The Town of Clarksville, Indiana (pop, 22,000) is considered part of the Louisville Metropolitan Area. That is even though Louisville, Kentucky (pop 600,000) is in a different state and is across the Ohio River. Kentucky is, as the Ohio River flows, South of Indiana. There is also the State of Ohio, a powerhouse State in Checkers and American Football!
--George Hay

[George Hay]

It is good to know that Wamkin is William Strickland (1849-1887) of England.
He was a very strong match player, and famous as a blindfold player.
--George Hay

[Ingo_Zachos]

I feel honoured to me mentioned in the Chritmas Quiz.

Thx, Liam

and

Happy New Year



to everybody!

[john reade]

You too Ingo!