Cooks in the Barred Openings
By Roberto Waldteufel with games supplied by Bob Podoff

An Ingenious Cook In The Inferno
9-13 22-18 10-14 18-9 5-14 26-22 6-9* 22-18 7-10 25-22 1-5* 29-25 3-7 31-26 11-15* 18-11 8-15 24-20 14-18 23-14 9-18 27-24 2-6* 24-19 15-24 28-19 18-23 22-18 6-9* 18-15 10-14 15-10 7-11 10-7 23-27 32-23 14-17 21-14 9-27 7-3 27-32* (A) 26-23 13-17* 23-18 17-22 19-16*!! (B) 12-19 3-7 22-29 7-23 5-9* 18-15 4-8?? (C) 15-10 9-14 10-7 14-17 7-3 8-12 3-8* 17-21 8-11 29-25 11-15 25-22 23-19 32-28 20-16* 22-17(D) 16-11 17-14 11-7 28-32 7-2 14-9 15-10 (E) 32-27 10-6 9-5 2-7 27-32 7-10 32-27 10-15 27-32 19-24 12-16 (F) 24-28* 32-27 6-10 5-9 10-7 9-14 7-11 16-20 28-32 White Wins Nigel Proffitt - Bob Podoff, PSCA Mailplay Ladder Match, April 2000

(A)      This move by Bob seems to improve on Al Lyman's play in Cayton's Compilations. The game here presented is the earliest example of the 27-32 attack of which I am aware.

(B)      This is the cook. The resulting 4 v 4 position is objectively drawn, and will be handled correctly by programs with an 8-piece database, but this game was played before the 8-piece era, and Black must find several star moves in succession to hold the draw. Programs available at this time, without the 8-piece database, would not see the danger and play into a loss, which made this an extremely potent cook for mail play at the time. The cook was first discovered by Bob in 1999, and he had been waiting for a chance to spring it. For those who think that the widespread use of computer programs in mailplay presents an impossible task for the human player seeking to win this cook is an excellent example of how a human master can find a weak spot in a program's armour and exploit it mercilessly! With the arrival of 8-piece databases Bob will doubtless be looking to the 5 v 5 endings that may still be misplayed by the current generation of programs.

(C)      9-14 (9-13 also draws, but 4-8?? and 32-28?? both lose) 15-10 14-17* 10-7 32-28?? (This and 4-8?? both lose. 17-21* is forced here) 23-19 4-8 7-2 White Wins Tom Sheehan - Bob Podoff, District 2 Mailplay Tourney 2001. The ID booklet for 2000 had not yet been published, so Bob was able to extract more wins with his cook in the 2001 District 2 Mailplay Tourney and the Inter-District Mailplay Tourney. He defeated Tom in this match 2-1-5 and eliminated him from the 2001 Inter-District Mailplay Tourney, which he subsequently went on to win.

(D)      28-32 16-11 22-17 11-7 17-14 7-2 14-9 15-10 32-27 10-6 9-5 2-7 27-31 7-10 31-27 10-15 WW Sherman Gardner - Bob Podoff, 2001 Inter-District Mailplay Tourney. Bob won this match 2-0-6.

(E)      This is now and has been for some moves previously known as the famous David Kirkwood Position. It was originally published by E Hull of Philadelphia who gave the terms incorrectly as a draw. Five years later Thomas Lear and Thomas Poole also published it as a draw. It took the great talent of David Kirkwood to correct the equally famous and talented MHC Wardell and finally prove the position to be a win. All this can be found on page 155 of Famous Positions by Ben Boland.

(F)      This is now the Full Blown Famous Kirkwood position by David Kirkwood. This is the exact position on the diagram on page 155 of Famous Positions, with the exception that the colors are reversed.

The Twilight Zone - Play It Again, Bob!
9-13 24-20 11-16 20-11 8-15 23-18 3-8 18-11 8-15 27-24! 5-9(A) 32-27! 15-19 24-15 10-19 22-18 4-8 25-22 7-10??(B) 18-15* 9-14 27-24 2-7 24-20 14-18 20-16 18-25 29-22 6-9 15-6 1-10 22-18 10-14 18-15 14-18 21-17 13-22 26-17 9-13 17-14 13-17 15-10 8-11 10-3 11-20 14-9* 17-21 3-7* 18-22 7-11 19-23(C), 11-15 23-27 (D) 31-24 20-27 15-19* (E) 27-32 19-24* (E), 22-25 9-6* 25-29 6-2* 29-25 2-7* 25-22 7-11* 22-17 11-15 17-14 (F) 24-19 (G) White Wins, Bert Vanderpool - Bob Podoff, Inter-DistrictMailplay Tourney February 2001

(A)      Or 15-19, 24x15, 10x19, 32-27, 5-9 transposing back to the text was the move order used in Wyllie Draughts v Al Lyman on Banks Ladder.

(B)      This defence was recently recommended by World Mailplay Champion George Miller, but Bob's later play has now knocked this line out. Later on Banks Ladder Wyllie Draughts played into this line as I had put George's recommendation into the opening book. Al was aware of Bob's cooked play and won the game and the match 2-1-5.

(C)      As originally given in Midwestern Checkers to draw, but no further play was ever shown.

(D)      Again the Wyllie Draughts v Al Lyman game took a slightly different order of moves here: 22-25, 15-19, 23-27, 31x24, 20x27 19-24, 27-32 back into the text.

(E)      So Bob continued and found another amazing cook! With 15-19* and 19-24* he again catches Red in Kirkwood's Position and another superb win. Bob found this in 1998 or early 1999 and showed it to Mac Banks. No program available at that time was capable of seeing this win. It is interesting that two completely different barred openings end up in the exact same famous position by different routes.

(F)      17-22 24-19 22-17 28-24 32-27 24-20 27-32 20-16 32-27 16-11 27-32 11-7 17-14 7-2 White Wins Sherman Gardner - Bob Podoff, Inter District Mailplay Tourney 2001

(G)      Wyllie Draughts, lacking an 8 piece database at the time of this game, soldiered on:- 14-17, 28-24, 17-14, 24-20, 14-17, 15-18, 17-13, 20-16, 13-9, 16-11, 9-6, 18-15, 6-9, 11-7, 9-13, 7-2, 13-9, 15-18, 9-13, 2-6, 13-17, 6-10, 17-13, 18-22, 13-9, 19-24, 32-28, 24-27, 12-16, 22-26, 9-13, 10-7, 16-20, 27-32, 28-24, 26-23, 24-28, 23-19, White Wins Wyllie Draughts v Al Lyman, Banks Ladder