Play Winning Checkers (Mensa®) - Softcover

Pike, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0806937947 ISBN 13: 9780806937946

Publisher: Sterling, 1999

Synopsis

Champions at checkers, according to Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, learn everything needed to become great detectives. Become a winner! Learn to find alternative solutions to problems, break down complex situations, and keep control of your long-term strategy. Here's everything you need to know to leave your opponent gasping in surprise. Dozens of strategies take you, move by move, through many entire games. Start with the basic moves that put you on the winning track. See how to protect your pieces, get kings and use them well, and block your opponent. Fight for control of the center of the board, set up multiple jumps, and avoid the "dog hole." You even learn to play computer checkers, with move-by-move replays of great recent man-versus-machine contests, plus Internet sites where you can pit yourself against "Chinook," the world computer checkers champion. BIG BONUS: The back cover is a specially designed fold-out game board. Open it up, put down the pieces, and practice all the techniques and strategies as you go through the book. 128 pages, 78 b/w illus., 5 3/8 x 8 1/4.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Pike is an American Checker Federation MA Champion. Graduating from Brown University, he served as a Navy Jet Carrier Pilot & then a sales/marketing executive in Health Care Companies with three medical device patents. Years ago he was introducing his grandchildren to this "Granddaddy of Boardgames" and their interest started him off on an extensive, but unsuccessful, search for a primer on this not-so-simple mind game. So he wrote "Winning Checkers For Kids" and, for younger audiences, "Checker Power." He also produced an award winning video, "Learning to Play Better Checkers" to incorporate visualization into the learning process. Pike's colorful checker materials and captivating classroom presentations have beenenthusiastically received by students and educators, who find that the "magic of checkers" provides a stimulating, multigenerational challenge that develops critical thinking, strategizing, problem solving, perseverance and attention span, while also building important social skills. His Checker Puzzles have been featured in "Highlights For Children" magazine. He lives in San Diego.

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-A book for both beginning and advanced players. Pike points out the benefits of this multigenerational, all-inclusive, interactive game and recommends it to improve concentration and the ability to deal with complex situations. Early pages discuss the history of this ancient game. "Part Two" is devoted to strategy and tactics and offers over 50 easy-to-follow diagrams on plays at the beginning, middle, and closing of the game, and pitfalls such as the "doghole." Advice for setting up a checkers tournament (including a sample scorecard and schedule) and "Rules of Play and Laws for Standard American Checkers" (as well as variations) conclude the volume. The back cover folds out to become a board with numbered spaces so readers can follow along with the diagrams and the spiral binding makes the book easy to consult.-Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sterling
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0806937947
• ISBN 13: 9780806937946
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• Number of pages: 128