Searching for a game

[jimloy]

I don't think I have a copy of the game, and I don't have the book. And I haven't found an ebook online. But the book seems to be in Canberra, National Library: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/958675. That's probably only a few miles from where you are.

[tgf]

Hi all,
A long time contributor (and a great draughts scholar, he calls himself Jesús) from Spain researched the game and asked me to convert it to animation: http://checkersusa.com/aurora/straight/ ... Durgin.htm
PDN - http://checkersusa.com/aurora/straight/ ... white).pdn

Also included is his research:

Hello Jake:

How are you? It has been a long time since the last time! I hope that everything is fine.

I tried to write to Jim Loy without success because his old e-mail is not working anymore. Summarizing, Jim bumped a thread from 2011 where one very long game was being searched, I found it in an Australian newspaper of 1903 and recorded in PDN. Could you post the game in the forum, as well as the source where I found the game, please? Thank you in advance.

The thread:
https://usacheckers.com/forum/viewtopic ... 756#p33756

The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), 7-FEB-1903 (Saturday), page 291.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/2521315

I read ACF Forum from time to time and got me with the 13-year thread that you bumped:

https://usacheckers.com/forum/viewtopic ... 756#p33756

I was searching and did not found neither 'ABC of Draughts' by Passey, nor the original source of 'Boston Post'. However, I found some references in Australian newspapers that gave the definitive hint (Lowell Checker Club, [C][D]) until I found the game [A] without an attached date:

[A] The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), 7-FEB-1903 (Saturday), page 291.
[A] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/2521315

The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), 7-NOV-1914 (Saturday), page 19.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/2503178

[C] The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), 8-JAN-1927 (Saturday), page 40.
[C] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/2401702

[D] The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), 19-FEB-1927 (Saturday), page 23.
[D] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/5290209

The game is a long win by white, being a man up for many, many moves. You are free to post the game in the thread. Some moves are difficult to read due to ink blots, so I send you a PDN to help you.

------------------------

Here are some curiosities:

- Please note that the 1903 source with the game lists black as A.J. Richardson, while the others list A.H. Richardson. I have saved a PDN with the spelling of the source with the game (A.J. Richardson). Feel free to change it if you need.

- All these sources call a 'move' either red/black or white move, like in the 3-move restriction. Source assures that a normal game runs between 40 and 100 moves, while later sources [C] and [D] say between 60 and 65 moves.

- This 228-move Switcher should not be the longest recorded game anymore if we look into the ACF thread (for example Hellman's games of 1939 and 1958), but it could be the longest game when it was played.

- The date of the game is still unknown for us until other source gives it. Source [A] (the game) cites 'Boston Post', as we already knew from 'Rambles with the Switcher' book. However, we have bounded it to FEB-1903 or earlier.

- Where was the game played? At Lowell Checker Club, in Lowell (Massachusetts). Any address available? Maybe at 12 Middlesex, room 15 according to the first line of page 371 of 'The Lowell Directory 1886' (https://archive.org/details/lowellma-di ... 9/mode/2up).

- Are there other games starting with the same moves? Taking a look into Checker Cruncher {incomplete} Opening Explorer (https://www.checkercruncher.com/positions/explore), I found one game without transpositions up to move 16 (8th white) and four games [ii][iii][iv][v] with transpositions up to move 20 (10th white):

Alexander, J. (1-0) Ward, R.T.; English Tourney 1908.
https://www.checkercruncher.com/games/4706

[ii] Labadie, J. (½-½) Dykes, J.M.; Canadian Championship 1878.
[ii] https://www.checkercruncher.com/games/639

[iii] Jordan, A. (½-½) Cain, A.; English Tourney 1898.
[iii] https://www.checkercruncher.com/games/2617

[iv] Farmer, F. (0-1) Long, A.A.; US National 1922.
[iv] https://www.checkercruncher.com/games/6392

[v] Jones, R. (0-1) Oldbury, D.E.; US National 1982.
[v] https://www.checkercruncher.com/games/18519

************

Regards from Spain.

Damista.
...

[George Hay]

Jake, thank you for posting the Animated Game (linked at the top of your post, it is well worth watching right to the bitter end)!...And special thanks to Damista from Spain!

--George Hay

P.S. Happy 4th Of July!