A cute "à la Slocum" Joe Charles problem

[williamdocherty]

Hi to all

It's very rare when a beauty like this arises !



White to play and win :

Main line goes ; 10-7 16-19 15-10 9-14 28-32 20-24 26-23! 19x26 32-28 24-27 11-15 2x18 28-24 white wins and thank you very much Joe Charles!!

[Bill Salot]

George Slocum published only about 130 original problems. His deferred strokes became known as Slocum strokes. They made him famous.

Tom Wiswell published more than 500 original problems. At least that is how many Al Darrow was able to collect. Wiswell did not emphasize Slocum strokes.

Joe Charles published more than 600 original problems, or so he told me when he sent me his book of 48 favorites, including the one diagrammed above. He also modestly mentioned that he had composed far more Slocum strokes than Slocum did. My hope is that someday some problem lover across the pond will collect them all from the old publications, where his masterpieces first appeared, and make them available to us.

L. J. Vair is said to have published more than 4000 problems, but he has never been considered on the same level as the above three.

[Richard Pask]

It's getting the piece ahead in the first place that I find most difficult!

[Bill Salot]

Richard,
Getting a piece ahead is no problem at all to a composer!