Re' your message about someone beating a Chinook computer program, I'm not into computer programs of any type for any reason, but I just forced a draw with an 11 year old middle school student from Crankhandle, Montana. Is that good enough for some comment ?

Yes!! Give the game number to Fencer and he will declare a draw. You must offer your opponent a draw first. It is not automatic however.

Does anybody know if there is a draw by repetition in checkers? I have a position that has now been repeated six times.

As there does not appear to be much interest in a Ladder here I did not make that phone call to Mac Banks. If, in the future, people want to revive the idea we can always try again. Thanks.

CaoZ of the Killing machine has just posted two amazing wins over the Chinook Computor Program. This is NOT easy. Try it yourself. LOL. Congrats CaoZ. If anyone else does this feel free to post it here and, if possible, a list of the moves you made.

Try this link, Fencer:

Chinook Website

That would be great, I'm only familiar with it from the links you've sent me but I think it would be a fantastic way for this site to get some recognition. Super idea!

I just recieved an e-mail from Mac Banks who just got back from Las Vegas offering to lend us his expertise in setting up a Ladder. For those of you who know checkers it would be like Bill Gates offering help in setting up a company. He left me his phone number to call. The purpose would be to provide a challenge for our elite checker players (or those who aspire to be) to gain recognition other than with the BKR. It would be open to established players Brainknight and up. Unless the whole idea has too many flaws and needs to be aborted early my plan is to finalize the entire package and then present it to Fencer for a thumbs up or thumbs down. Is there any interest in this? Ed also has fairly extensive knowledge of Ladder play so his insights would be welcome.

Thank you :-)

http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~chinook/

Chinook has a webpage where their computer checker program offers games against the public. They have it set for 3 levels of difficulty. It is EXTREMELY hard to beat. The URL to play it is on this DB several posts back but I will look it up and post it here again. Chinook was one of the original checker programs and has a perfect 8 piece endgame database knowledge. I played it nearly 100 times to get 2 wins and about 8 or 9 draws.

What is Chinook computer?

Anyone who has played and beaten the Chinook computer has to be distressed that the Wall of Honor hasn't been updated in over 18 months. So many of us are still waiting for our plaques. Does this keep you up at nights? LOL. Still it's irksome.

count me in thanks

q=hello everyone :) i have a tourney set up and checkers is on the list...We're Off and Running :) minimum 4 players for tourney to start...come one and all open to all members :)

If you like checkers you will like these links.

I have joined the Checkers section. I encourage others to do the same.

For anyone interested in joining a tourney for checkers or any variation of checkers feel free o join "We're Off And Running" open to all member and rating levels :)

Have a great day :)

Happy belated birthday to you
Happy belated birthday to you
Haaaapppyyy beeelateeed Birrrrrthday, dear Chief
Happy belated birthday to you.

Now after that beautiful song you can all weep with me for missing the Chief's birthday.

As the number of checker players on the site increases Fencer may move the "checker graphics" higher up on his "to do" list. A certain number of reminders never hurts but too many and it becomes annoying nagging. We are trying to hit the correct balance. :o)

It soon becomes so second nature you say "check-mate" at the end of every game. lol

New to the site
How long does it take to get used to using pawns?
and light pc's having the 1st move:)
I have used pennies,bottle caps and washers, but never chess pc's:)
Ken

I'd do it but you're too unbeatable. Wait, just looked at your games. My bad. You must be referring to your opponents. LOL

hi everybody if anybody wants to play with me a game of checkers you can't play me here you have to go to www.itsyourturn.com and sign up then give me your username the when you like that website just leave this website and go to the better one the i one i have just provided to you people!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Chief!!!!! :O)

A very happy birthday to our wonderful Chief! May you be blessed with many many more!! Chief,you're the Best (even if we still haven't found a volunteer to jump out of your cake!)
p.s. I will have a drink for you...Cocktail hour is upoun us! ;-) LOL
TNP!! YFA!

Happy Birthday Chief!

TNP!!

Deepest thanks. Usurper soon I will know the feeling of turning 29 three times. LOL

Happy Birthday Chief. A FINE day to turn 29! :o)

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to You .....

Happy Birthday O Great Chief.... :o)

Happy birthday to You ..... and MANY MANY MORE !

Wanda TNP

happy birthday Chief

A Happy Birthday to Chief KM a Great Guy and Checker player
May you have Many More

I should have been clearer. The Brandy I drink I always spell with a capital B. Now as for brandy....

aaaaaaah Usurper KM, did you find your Brandy? I know where mine is, in the state of Mississippi. Hahaha

Not clear if Brandy in question is female or beverage but in either case it is often a remedy for the shakes. Jury is out on whether checker game will benefit. :o)

I exceedingly quake and fear. Good luck to all. Where's my Brandy?

The KM Checkers tournament which is now underway features some great match ups and I hope everyone looks in on the games. You will see some top notch checker players in action (myself excluded) and some exciting games.

This is true but this head line is straight of the ACF Page "The ACF is preparing to extend the current 144 three-move deck to 156 openings. This will include 11 new openings that are now believed to be drawable after years of analysis and mail play. "

I was going over the list of banned openings. (114 of them) and can't believe that many are "thought to lose" but the big boys must know what they are doing.

I myself Like variants of the Rattle snake But not the Rattle snake as published(9-14, 23-19, 10-15?) the third move being a bit on the weak side to suit my taste. I would much perfer 11-16 on the third move but all togeter on the 9-14 opening I usually stay with Double Corner Dyke (9-14, 22-17, 11-15, 25-22, 15-19). Tinsley himself thought it was an inferior opening he just couldn't find anyone to prove it to him

How do you guys REALLY feel about The Rattlesnake? Daedal help me out!! Ustica KM? Anybody? LOL

I tracked down my agent, who was already in the process of making contact with yours. Strange. I didn’t know Leslie was your agent. Oh uh, yes, the Prancing Prince. Never have I read finer, no-punch-pulling comments than yours on that dreadfully dreary Opening. But it was, of course, the Prancing PONY that I had in mind! So enticing is the Pony that members of the opposite sex can scarcely play it (or finish!) unless they are first bound in strait-jackets while a neutral (eunuch) referee makes the moves indicated, ignoring pleadings, threats and other language and behavior of a non-publishable nature. Though the outcome of the movie is certain there need not be any lack of a building…anticipation. The camera can zoom in to a close-up, for example, of a single drop of sweat rolling down the bridge of Player X’s nose, to hang poised at the tip for an awful, intensely exciting moment, only to Plop! onto the checker board while his eyebrows hunch and his eyes fix in fiery concentration on…the game before him. His opponent, meanwhile, dabs the perspiration from her neck with a handkerchief (not his!). “It’s hot in here,” she purrs. “Have you moved yet?” Certainly you are correct about my noted inability to resist temptation. I have never been tempted to do so. But, family history aside, it doesn’t mean I’m an easy target! By no means. Even Dinglehoff never gave in without a prolonged struggle, often muttering to himself out loud: “I can’t believe I’m doing this!” A truly noble character whose charm was outweighed only by his manly firmness. BTW, I think it horrendous that you’ve been asked to play such a role! My lord, in the nude?? As if you were that cheap. I have accordingly directed my Finance Minister to release the necessary funds. Looking forward to your analysis of the story you mention. Perhaps some of it can be incorporated into the Duckwalk Tease film project.

hmmm Sounds interesting Lobogal! Perhaps the Playboy Channel could pounce on the movie rights. Afterall they aren't so concerned with overall plot or ...um...great script writing! Perhaps such a film would give the players in this little drama the outlet they require! :-)

The Prancing Prince variation is not the glamorous play the name suggests. Rather than being named after a handsome Prince high stepping proudly on his way to rescue the beautiful Princess, an old country checker player looked up from his game and saw the hired man carefully stepping high walking across the cattle feed lot and from that distance mistakenly thought the man was prancing. Usurper KM states he has resisted the temptation to provide the analysis of the Prancing Prince variation. Well, I doubt that. He does not often resist temptation, or so rumor has it. I do not have sufficient time to begin that discussion either as I am overdue with a pledged literary review of an amazingly fine short story. I know, I know, my review will be longer than the story. All this checker analysis has delayed me.

However, my dear Usurper KM, there is a matter of urgency I must bring to your attention: Please have your agent call mine. The Hollywood movie producers are negotiating for movie rights to our discussion of the Duckwalk Tease, a movie that promises to be full of deception, allure and seduction. And, of course, your correction showing how skirting the edges coyly often results in shocking plunges into daring frontal assaults should sell plenty of tickets.

Preliminary indications are that a theme running through the movie will augment the hot story line showing how Uncle Dinglehoff's personality obsessions with wild women and alcohol as outlined by you have passed down through the multiple generations to present day family members. Seeking to give the movie a documentary flavor, the producers are seeking a real life descendant, perhaps a great-x-great nephew, who exhibits those same character traits. Of course, I could think of no one for that staring role! I have declined the role of one of your uncle's mistresses. It is against my moral standards to be filmed in the nude. I would absolutely never, never, ever do that! It would be like selling my soul. Besides, those producers did not even approach the money figure I deserve for such a role.

Reports are that the script writers have done a fair job, but without an engrossing mystery sub-plot, the quality of the script is a bit checkered. Alas, the writers have abandoned their exhausting efforts to intertwine a mystery theme into this steamy production; everyone already knows from reading your previous post that it was you, Usurper KM, who skewered the Duck. I hope that doesn't skewer up the whole *#@$%&@ movie project!!!

More and more people are openning with 9-13. I don't mind defending it but I would never choose it in a GAYP game as my first. The only disadvantage to the 11-15 is that the opponent can force you into a single corner game which temporarily takes control away but with practice you can get the move back fairly quickly. When confronted with 9-13 the reply I like best is 24-19 although 22-18 is more "book." I never used to believe that a game can be lost after 3 moves but experience has made me face that reality so the opening is super important. The Duckworth Tease is not all it's quacked up to be. :o)

My dear Lobogal:

Your analysis of the Duckwalk Tease is astute and my omission duly noted, however there is a point you fail to consider, all the more surprising given the perceptive player you are. BTW, Lord Dinglehoff is actually my great-great-great-great uncle on my mother’s side before the family got irrevocably tangled up with a bunch of nasty Scotsmen, and his alcoholism (family diary) stemmed not originally from his infamous Duckwalk Stumble but rather his inability to lose while intoxicated or win sober. Scotch on the Rocks and Brandy were ever keys to success but having promised his beloved (future third) mistress that he would curtail his habit if she would only exhibit the Duckwalk Tease for him in private audience, he never thereafter was able to regain his composure on the checkered playground. A tragic story particularly as her Duckstrut became markedly less captivating (less inspired?) in the ensuing years whilst no other mistress could do it justice at all. He is described by most contemporaries as a lugubriously morbid man, others as a waste of God-given talent.

I have studied this line of play and see that, possibly due to a misprint of the original, 9-13 should have been followed by 24-20 rather than the deceptively “hot” 32-28, which concludes then in a draw only if Black misplays terribly with 8-12. 24-20, on the other hand, sets the game aright while revealing its truly luck-warm nature with a 14-17 28-24 etc. follow-up. Both get kings but neither triumph as play bogs down along the G-line (consult Oldbury’s diagonals of attack & defense). Even the rank novice will notice the insipid play here, too much skirting about the edges of the neglected battlefield. Better to take the plunge in a daring frontal assault (e.g. 6-10!) and skewer the Duck. Of course it needn’t be said that 33-29 is out of the question since modern board modifications have rendered that formerly dramatic alternative passé if not obsolete.

Notwithstanding the above, I was pleasantly surprised to learn one important piece of knowledge which had long eluded me, leaving a kind of vacuum in my innermost being. Having forgotten the name of Dinglehoff’s illustrious opponent, it always escaped me why I and others in my clan have long preferred J. Daniels over J. Beam. Now I know. Again, for interested enthusiasts it might be appropriate here to discuss the closely-related yet truly “hot” Prancing Pony variation. But I will resist the temptation.