An Interesting Problem.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 38

An Interesting Problem.

, ,, p - B -i m the couise of a letter to the Glasgow Weekly Herald on the annotating of problems, has the following very sensible remarks, accompanied with the appended reference to Deans a problem :—

The old adage about the saving of a timely stitch is not less true of notes appended to problems or endings. They save much trouble to the reader at the time, and often prevent endless confusion afterwards. Be&ide3, a3 Mr C. Hefter, in the current number of the American Checker Review, remarks, how much more interesting would problems be for a few little notes. It would be well if contributors to draughts columns kept this in mind, and took care to indicate special excellence in their play, and also to assign endings which occur in the course of it to the proper authority when they can, and, in other case 3, at least mark carefully what they know does not originate with them. We have nothing in our notation equivalant to quotation marks, but a note serves equally well. The recent correspondence in jour columns about E. Deans's position illustrates well the use and abuse of notes. I daresay a diagram, with solution, will be acceptable to those who have not back numbers :—: — Position by E. Dkaxs. (From "Dunne's Guide.") [White ]

[Black.] Black to play and win.

1015 1014 27 32 14 IS 1115 16 1115 14 9 1619 20 1(! 1519 14 0 1511 18 22 32 28 610 23 27 914 19 2{ 24 20 19 23 914 1216 28 24 28 24 Then 16 12, 15 11— Black wins.

After referring to instances where others had claimed tho authorship of the above problem, "P. 8." continues :

Wishing, to ascertain what I could of the history of this remarkable ending I wrote to the author of "Dunne's Guide" (Mr Frank Dunne, the accomplished draughts editor of the Leeds Mercury), and received the following reply : — "lie Deans's useful end-game, I have no idea where it was first published, but it wai well known to Strickland and me (and I daresay to other players) 20 years ago to be a win whichever moves first. It was given in Bowen's "Cross" Book under Deans's name, and, I believe, also appeared in the New England Checker Player. That is all I can recollect about its origin. — I am, &c,, Frank Dunne."