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Barred Openings

© Copyright 1996, Jim Loy

You may print this and show it to others. But, this article will eventually be part of a book that I am writing. So, please do not distribute it widely.

If you need help reading checkers notation, please print out the numbered board.

In 3-move checkers, the first 3 moves of a game (red-white-red) are chosen (balloted) at random from a list of acceptable 3-move openings. The barred openings are openings that are not balloted in 3-move checkers. The reason that they are not on the ballot is that they are considered to be losses, for one side or the other. A classic example is the opening 12-16 23-19 16-23, which is a Red win. These barred openings are currently considered losses:

• 9-13 21-17 10-14
• 9-13 23-18 10-14
• 9-13 24-19 10-15
• 9-13 24-20 12-16
• 9-14 22-18 12-16
• 9-14 22-18 14-17
• 9-14 23-19 10-15 "Rattlesnake" (was accepted, now barred, soon who knows?)
• 9-14 24-19 10-15
• 10-14 22-17 9-13 (no longer barred)
• 10-14 24-19 11-15
• 10-15 21-17 9-14
• 10-15 22-17 9-14
• 10-15 24-20 11-16
• 11-15 21-17 10-14
• 11-16 21-17 10-14
• 11-16 22-18 10-15
• 11-16 24-19 10-15
• 12-16 23-18 9-14
• 12-16 23-19 16-23

Notice that I have added the Rattlesnake to the above list. It was approved, but is now considered a loss.

Several other openings lose a piece right away (9-14 21-17 and 9-13 24-19 12-16 are examples), and are not normally listed among the barred openings. Some other openings are approved for mail play (where they are being tested), but not for over-the-board play. And a few others are currently considered sound, and may be approved for mail play eventually.

The following is an interesting game (using one of the openings that is known to lose) that I played against my computer (Sage Draughts):

J.Loy-Sage, 1996

9-13 21-17 10-14 17-10 7-14 (6-15 is a published loss) 22-18 5-9 25-22 12-16 (11-16 24-20! 8-11=next note) 24-19 (Better is 24-20! 8-12 29-25 6-10 25-21 10-15 27-24 2-6 23-19 16-23 26-10 14-23 31-26 WW) 8-12 29-25 (28-24 16-20 to same?) 4-8 28-24 16-20 19-15 14-17 15-10 (25-21 9-14 draw?) 6-15 25-21 9-14 18-9 11-16 21-14 16-19 23-16 12-28 14-10 8-11 22-17 13-22 26-17 11-16 (1-5 17-14 WW?) 30-26 16-19! 27-24 20-27 31-24 (32-16 28-32 16-11 1-5 17-14 32-28 11-7 now or later draws) [diagram]

Red has a nice draw with: 15-18! (1-5 17-14 2-7 9-6 5-9 WW?) 24-15 18-22 26-23 22-26 23-18 (23-19 1-5 draw?) 26-30 17-13 30-26 15-11 26-22 18-15 22-18 9-6 2-9 13-6 3-7! 11-2 18-11 32-27 28-32 draw.

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