In checker notation the number of the move is never given, as it is in Chess. The moves of the black men are distinguished from those of the white men by being hyphenated, but there are no marks to show when pieces are captured. Letters or figures in the margins are used to refer to possible variations in the play.
Openings. There are a number of standard openings in Checkers which are formed by the preliminary moves on each side. These openings are known by various fanciful names, dear to all checker-players. In the following list they are arranged in alphabetical order for convenience in reference.
| ALMA. | AYRSHIRE LASSIE. | BRISTOL. | CENTRE. | CROSS. | DEFIANCE. | DENNY. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-16 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 10-14 |
| 23 19 | 24 20 | 24 20 | 23 19 | 23 18 | 23 19 | |
| 8-11 | 8-11 | 16-19 | 8-11 | 9-14 | ||
| 22 17 | 22 17 | 27 23 | ||||
| 3- 8 | 15-18 | |||||
| DYKE. | DOUBLE CORNER. | DUNDEE. | EDINBURG. | FIFE. | GLASGOW. | KELSO. |
| 11-15 | 9-14 | 12-16 | 9-13 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 10-15 |
| 22 17 | 23 19 | 23 19 | ||||
| 15-19 | 9-14 | 8-11 | ||||
| 22 17 | 22 17 | |||||
| 5- 9 | 11-16 | |||||
| LAIRD AND LADY. | MAID OF THE MILL. | OLD 14TH. | PAISLEY. | SECOND DOUBLE CORNER. | SINGLE CORNER. | SOUTER. |
| 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-16 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 |
| 23 19 | 22 17 | 23 19 | 24 19 | 24 19 | 22 18 | 23 19 |
| 8-11 | 8-11 | 8-11 | 9-14 | |||
| 22 17 | 17 13 | 22 17 | 22 17 | |||
| 9-13 | 15-18 | 4- 8 | 6- 9 | |||
| SWITCHER. | WHILTER. | WILL O’ THE WISP. | WHITE DYKE. | IRREGULAR OPENINGS. | ||
| 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 11-15 | 10-15 |
| 21 17 | 23 19 | 23 19 | 22 17 | 22 17 | 23 19 | 22 18 |
| 9-14 | 9-13 | 8-11 | 8-11 | 8-11 | 15-22 | |
| 22 17 | 17 14 | 25 22 | 22 17 | 25 18 | ||
| 7-11 | ||||||
The Middle Game. The best way for the student to learn the manner in which the various openings are followed up, is to play over illustrative games, and in doing so he should be careful always to play with the winning side next him. In selecting openings, take those that show the greatest number of wins for the side you propose to play. In all checker books there are marks at the foot of the column to show which side has an advantage, if any exists, at the end of each variation. The Alma, for instance, shows a great many more winning variations for the black men than for the white, and is consequently one of the best openings for Black.
Any person who plays correctly can always be sure of avoiding defeat; that is, no one can beat him if he makes no slips, and the worst he can get is a draw. It is a common error to suppose that the first move is an advantage. [See Illustrative Game No. 7.]
The strategy of the game consists in so deploying your men that alluring openings are left for your adversary. These openings are always pitfalls of the most dangerous character, and whenever you think a good player has made a mistake and left you a chance, you should examine the position with great care, or you will probably walk into a trap. The first of the example games given in this work is a case in point. White’s move, 27 24, is apparently the best possible, yet it immediately and hopelessly loses the game. Sometimes these traps are set very early in the opening, and sometimes after the pieces have been pretty well developed.
There are many cases in which a good player may take advantage of the weakness of an adversary by making moves which are really losing moves, and which would lead to immediate defeat if he were opposed by an expert. But if he feels that his adversary is not skilful enough to take advantage of these losing moves, a winning position may sometimes be rapidly obtained by departing from the regular development of the opening.
The beginner should be satisfied with learning only one or two forms of the openings, committing to memory as many variations as possible. When he meets with a line of play that beats him, he should study out the variation in his text books, and see at what point he made the losing move. To be perfect in any one opening a person must know at least five hundred variations by heart; but if he finds himself caught in a variation which he does not remember, or has never learned, he should trust to good judgment rather than to defective memory.
The End Game usually resolves itself into one of four well-known positions. These four positions are those in which there is a win for one side or the other owing to the peculiar position occupied by the opposing forces, although they may be numerically equal. Every checker player must know these four positions thoroughly, or he may abandon many a game as drawn which he could win, and may lose many a game which he could draw. These four positions are here given as they are usually found in the books, but the player must be able to recognize at once any position which resembles them, or can be made to lead up to them. The student will find many games marked as “won” in which he cannot see any winning position unless he is familiar with the four endings. The expert strives to exchange his men so as to bring about one of these positions, after which he knows he has a won game, although his less skilful adversary may be unconscious of his advantage.