Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest 42 - RESULTS

[Bill Salot]

Contest 42 had 305 visitors, 13 of whom voted (including one by e-mail). A quartet of quadruple-jumps into 1st Position ran an incredibly close race, ending in a 2-way tie for 1st.

Roy Little's deceptively named Deceptive Defense and Ed Atkinson's complex Door to Somewhere, each had 7-star moves and 4 votes. Roy's was a pure stroke with a natural appearance. Ed's was a deferred stroke with two defenses, both demising in the same way.

Kathy Wirthwein voted for Deceptive Defense. Lloyd Gordon (Canada) and Slava Gorin (Russia) voted for Door to Somewhere.

Third, with 3 votes (one by e-mail), was False Premise, by Bill Salot. Liam Stephens (Ireland), Tony Gallagher (UK), and Gene Ellison voted for it.

Last, with 2 votes, was On the March, by G. H Slocum, who won it in a crossboard game. George Hay voted for it. It was one of Slocum's lost problems, recently found by Jim Loy in the March 5, 1898, issue of Chicago Inter Ocean, Problem 1237 (colors reversed). As with Slocum's previous entries, it is disqualified due to prior publication.

The Problem Evaluators' Ladder (Voters' Ladder) stands as follows, among those who have voted at least 3 times:
1) Lloyd Gordon (Canada) has picked 5 winners in 5 tries (100%)
2) Liam Stephens (Ireland), 7 winners in 10 tries (70%)
3-4 tie) Slava Goren (Russia) and Kathy Whitwirth, 4 winners in 7 tries (57%)
5) Gene Ellison, 5 winners in 9 tries (55.5%)
6) Wilma Wolverton, 3 winners in 6 tries (50%)
13 others picked less than 50% winners or voted in less than 3 contests.

The next contest (February) will be an "Open" (Composer's choice) contest, in which composers unload what they believe to be their best problems yet. You can show your appreciation by voting for the one that impresses you most. We hope everyone does so.

[George Hay]

" But this time no triple jumps are involved."

Hi Bill, what a one-two knock-out combination Contest 41 and Contest 42 are. Contest 42 really turns up the heat with the quad jumps! Congratulations to Roy Little (Deceptive Defense) and Ed Atkinson (Door To Somewhere) as Co-Champions. I kind of thought On The March by the great G.H. Slocum might have been from an actual game, but I have been wrong before. This only adds to Slocum's reputation as a problemist, and also for Slocum the x-board player!

--George Hay

[chipschap]

I actually didn't care for On The March very much (shame on me for not liking a Slocum problem!) but I thought Deceptive Defense was really, really nice.

The contests attract today's great problemists and the problems literally sparkle.