Checkers Puzzle for 19 October 2026 — Red to move

The idea

A multi-jump lets one piece capture several opponents in a single turn. Follow every landing square before choosing the first jump: removing a piece can open a new diagonal or make a backward capture available. Men may capture backward, and flying kings may have several landing choices beyond an enemy piece. A capture must continue while another jump is available, except that crowning ends the turn. You may choose among legal branches; you do not have to take the branch with the most captures. Compare the complete routes, the pieces removed and the safety of the final square.

Red to move. Red has 9 men and a king on 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 32 (king on 32); Black has 8 men on 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31. Red has 1 more man and 1 more king than Black. Black has a man in Red's half against 0 coming the other way. Red has 4 legal full turns to compare: 4 capture lines and 0 quiet choices. A capture chain is one turn, even when the piece changes direction. Look at its final landing square before committing to the first jump.

Solution: 10x17x26x19x28. Red jumps 10x17x26x19x28, removing the men on 14, 22, 23 and 24. After this combination, Red has 9 men and a king and Black has 4 men. The game continues from this position. One continuation from the search is 30-26 32-14 26-23 14x32 29-25 32-23 31-27 23x32.

Alternative 9x18x27x20: one sample line is 9x18x27x20 30-26 1-6. Red's 9x18x27x20 removes the men on 14, 23 and 24. The board then has 9 men and a king for Red and 5 men for Black. Alternative 9x18x25: one sample line is 9x18x25 29x22 32x18x29. Red's 9x18x25 removes the men on 14 and 22. Black's 29x22 removes the man on 25. Red's 32x18x29 removes the men on 23 and 22. The board then has 8 men and a king for Red and 4 men for Black. Compare these sample lines with the solution and check other legal replies before judging the resulting position.

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