Table Of ContentComplete Checkers
Richard Pask
Complete Checkers
Richard Pask
Mירפס רלבג יבא
Avi Gobbler Publishing
Honolulu
Copyright©2017,2018RichardPask
Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorrepro-
duced in any manner whatsoever without writtenpermission
fromthepublisherexceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembed-
ded in critical articles or reviews. Electronic redistribution
is explicitly prohibited. For further information email the
publisher:
[email protected]
Mירפס רלבג יבא
OriginalpublicationFebruary,2017
AviGobblerPublishing
Honolulu,Hawai‘i
2ndRevisedEditionFebruary,2018
ISBN978-1542464369
FrontCoverPhoto: StandingInfinity,BobNewell,2017;thestark
black and white background and the turned, upright infinity
symbolillustratethecontrastbetweentheapparentsimplicity
ofcheckersanditslimitlessdepth.
RearCoverPhoto: GrandmasterRichardPask,KathyPask,2016.
ThisbookwastypesetinLATEXLibertineandproducedentirely
with a suite of free, open-source software running on Linux-
poweredworkstations.
Table of Contents
Publisher’sIntroduction vii
Author’sIntroduction ix
GuidetoUsingCompleteCheckers xxi
Part1: 9-13s 1
Part2: 9-14s 125
Part3: 10-14s 203
Part4: 10-15s 297
Part5: 11-15s 391
Part6: 11-16s 491
Part7: 12-16s 575
Appendix1: IndextoCrossboardGames 641
Appendix2: IndextoPostalGames 655
Appendix3: IndextoAnalyzedGames 661
Appendix4: IndextoKeyLandings 669
Appendix5: IndextoClassicLateMidgames 671
Appendix6: GuidetoClassicLateMidgames 673
Appendix7: IndextoEndgames 681
Appendix8: IndextoDatabasePositions 683
Appendix9: ClusterIndex 691
Appendix10: ModernGAYPChampionshipMatches 701
Appendix11: 3-MoveWorldChampionshipMatches 703
Appendix12: MyAll-TimeTop203-MoveGrandmasters 705
OtherBooksbytheAuthor 707
AbouttheAuthor 709
v
RichardPask vii
Publisher’s Introduction
ForyearsGrandmasterRichardPaskhasgivenmetheprivilege
of editing, publishing, and distributing his checker writings,
butCompleteCheckersishisabsolutemasterwork,andtohave
thehonorofpreparingthisbookforpublicationisahumbling
responsibility,somethingforwhichIamtrulygrateful.
CompleteCheckersisdestinedtobecomeareferencefortheages,
andwillsurelybethedefinitiveworkon3-moveplayforavery
longtimetocome. Manyyearsinthemaking,CompleteCheckers
features200diagramsandcites2,200games.
Mr.Paskhasaliteratestyleandasenseoflogicalorganization
thatmakethebookeasytouse,evenifthesubjectmattercan
bedeepanddifficult. Hehasbuiltupontheworkofgenerations
past, using today’s powerful computer engines to support his
ownvastexpertise. Theresultispresentedherein: hundredsof
pagesofsparklingexpositionandanalysis.
Inourmodernera,publicationanddistributionisamucheasier
taskthanitoncewas,andputtingthebookintothehandsofthe
checker-playingpublicisnowreadilyaccomplished. Theelec-
tronicversionofthisbookisavailablecompletelyfreeofcharge
at the Checker Maven website, www.checkermaven.com.
Thus, the book will be within reach of everyone, everywhere,
withoutlimitationsbasedonfinancialmeans. Theprintedbook
ofcoursecannotbefree,butitisbeingofferedataverymodest
price.
Itiswithgreatpleasure,andwithabundantthankstoMr.Pask,
thatthisbookisplacedbeforeyouforyourenjoymentandedifi-
cation.
BobNewell
EditorandPublisher
Honolulu,Hawai‘i
NewYear’sDay,2017
RichardPask ix
Author’s Introduction
Goal
ItistheambitiousgoaloftheauthorthatCompleteCheckerswill
standalongsidethelandmarkworkslistedbelow;seekingtobe
bothareliableworkofreferenceandpracticalcrossboardguide
ofvalueformanyyears.
GuidetotheGameofDraughts;JoshuaSturges,1800
TheGameofDraughtsSimplified;AndrewAnderson,1852
A Complete Guide to the Game of Draughts; James Lees,
1892
MasterPlayoftheDraughtBoard;FrancisTescheleit,1926-
1933
The Encyclopaedia of Draughts; J. Alexander and J. Kear,
1950
BasicCheckers;RichardFortman,1978-1983
HowtheBookCameAbout
Justpriortothe1983UK&IrelandvUSAinternationalmatch,I
compiledahandwrittenmanuscriptcoveringwhatwouldturn
outtobeKeyLandings1,2,3,9and10. Eventuallythisgaverise
toKeyLandingsitself,thefirsteditionofwhichwaspublished
in 1989. Inspired by Basic Checkers, whose origins are to be
foundinDerekOldbury’sexcellentTheSquareWorld magazine,
I was prompted to begin a series of books covering all of the
3-move ballots. Solid Checkers, Part 5, the 11-15s, appeared in
1991,withtheremainingpartscomingoutoverthesucceeding
6 years. Total Checkers: A Guide & Companion Volume 1 was
issuedin1998,andincludedasupplementtotheseriescovering
alloftheamendmentsofwhichIwasthenaware. In1999,Key
Openings providedasingle-volumeabbreviatedversionofthe
entireseries,withanimprovedlayout,whilein2005TheGolden
x CompleteCheckers
Dozenintroducedthe12newballots. Havingthuscoveredall156
ballotsonce,between2010and2015Iwentthroughtheentire
process again, issuing what was essentially a second edition
withthevastlyimproved21st CenturyCheckersseries. Complete
Checkers incorporatesallsevenpartsof21st CenturyCheckers,
includingallamendmentsarisingduringthe2010-2016period,
andthusrepresentstheculminationofaprojectwhichbegan
over30yearsago.
PurposeoftheBook
CompleteCheckersaimstoprovideareliable,soliddefenceagainst
everymajor,andmanyminor,attacksarisingoutofbothsides
ofall1563-moveballots. Basically,itisacaseforthedefence. At
everystagewheremorethanoneoptionisgiven,itrecommends
one specific choice, representing my personal preference. Of
course,noclaimismadethatthesearethe‘best’moves,butitis
heldthatallofthemaresound: never(knowingly)goingintoa
lossandnever(knowingly)passingupawin. Invirtuallyevery
gameIhavesoughttoreachadefiniteconclusion,eventothe
extent of voluntarily going into crystallised bridge endgames,
toavoidleavingthereader‘inthelurch,’and,apartfromafew
unavoidable instances, have steered clear of speculative lines.
Theendproductmayfairlybedescribedascomprehensive,but
isbynomeansexhaustive.
ATest-BedofImportance
Whenyouconsiderthatsomechessdatabasesconsistofmillions
of games, 2200 seems a very small number indeed. However,
whenyouareseekingtounderstandwhatmakeseverysingle
gametick,andtocommitallofthesalientpointstomemory,it
suddenlybecomesextremelylarge! (Forcomparativepurposes
Kear’sEncyclopaediafeatures1864completegames.)
ThemaincriticismthatDerekOldburyhadofMasterPlay was
thatmanyofthegamesandanalysesitcontainedwereanything
but.InCompleteCheckersIhavesoughttoaddressthispointmost
rigorously, withastrongfocusonauthenticity, reliabilityand
relevance,andfeelconfidentthatanoverwhelmingpercentage
