Checkers Puzzle for 22 October 2026 — Red to move

The idea

A shot uses a sacrifice to change the arrangement of the opposing pieces. Offering a capture can draw a defender away, clear a diagonal or place a target where a second piece can reach it. Captures are compulsory, but that does not mean the opponent must take the particular piece you offered: another capture or another branch may be available. Check every legal reply before calling a sacrifice forced. Then follow your intended recapture to its final landing. Count what both sides have given up, and check for crowning or another compulsory capture before deciding whether the combination has paid off.

Red to move. Red has 10 men on 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16; Black has 11 men on 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 30 and 32. Red has 1 fewer man than Black. Neither side has crossed the middle of the board yet. Red has 6 legal full turns to compare: 0 capture lines and 6 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: 10-14 17x10 6x15x24x31. Red plays 10-14, offering the man on 14. Black must take 17x10. Red jumps 6x15x24x31, removing the men on 10, 19 and 27 and crowning on 31. After this combination, Red has 8 men and a king and Black has 8 men. The game continues from this position. One continuation from the search is 23-19 16x23 26x19 31x17 21x14 1-6.

Alternative 10-15: one sample line is 10-15 19x10 6x15. Black's 19x10 removes the man on 15. Red's 6x15 removes the man on 10. The board then has 9 men for Red and 10 men for Black. Alternative 11-15: one sample line is 11-15 20x11x4 15x24x31. Black's 20x11x4 removes the men on 16 and 8. Black crowns on 4. Red's 15x24x31 removes the men on 19 and 27. Red crowns on 31. The board then has 7 men and a king for Red and 8 men and a king for Black. Compare these sample lines with the solution and check other legal replies before judging the resulting position.

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