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© Copyright 1998, 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.
All checkers books contain errors. So, we need to go easy when criticizing their errors, especially we checkers authors. Courtney's Souter is chock full of errors, mostly typos and missing moves. A person can figure most of those out. My idea here is to get some insight into the Souter, a delightful opening, by showing you some of the more interesting corrections to Courtney's book, chapter 1 (the variation numbers are those in Courtney's book):
11-15 23-19 9-14 22-17 6-9 (The Souter) 17-13 (the beginning of var. 1) 2-6 25-22 8-11 29-25 4-8 24-20 15-24 28-19 11-15 (Chapter 2 contains alternatives to this move) 27-24 14-17(O) 21-14 9-18 26-23(L) 18-27 32-23 10-14(K) 19-10 6-15 13-9 7-11(E) 23-18(A) 14-23 31-26 5-14 26-10 11-15 (var. 1 goes 14-18 22-15 11-18 25-22 18-25 30-21 8-11 21-17 11-15 17-13 15-18 24-19 18-23 draw, Sturges) 30-26 14-18 (8-11 draws in var. 6) 10-6 1-10 24-19 (draw, Drummond in Lees' Guide) 15-24 22-6 24-27 6-2 27-31 26-22 8-11 2-6 11-15 6-10 15-19 (31-26 10-19 26-17 draw in Chinook's database) 10-15 31-26? (19-24 draw, Loy) 15-24 26-17 24-19* 17-14 19-15* 14-9 15-10* 9-5 25-22 5-9 22-18* 9-5 18-15? (18-14 WW in Chinook's database) 5-9? (5-1 draw in Chinook's database) 15-11 12-16 11-7 16-19 WW Richards-Oaks (var. 8), or Oats-Richards in Gould's Memorable Matches.
A - 23-19 (var. 9) 15-18 22-15 11-18 19-15(C) 18-11 (Here var. 11 should be attached) 25-18 14-23 15-11 (var. 155) 8-15(B) 31-26 5-14 26-10 14-18 30-26 1-5 10-6 5-9 6-2 9-13 2-6 18-22? (13-17 or 3-7 draw, Loy) 21-17 13-22 WW (Courtney says "drawn") Chinook's database.
B - 5-14 (var. 156) 11-4 23-27 4-8 27-32 8-11 32-28 24-19 28-24 19-15 14-18 (12-16 15-10 16-19 10-6 draw, Loy) 31-26 12-16 15-10 (var. 157. Or 26-22 draw, Loy) 16-19 11-15? (26-22 draw, Loy) 18-22! 26-17 24-28 15-24 28-19 30-26 19-15 26-23 15-6 17-14 3-7 23-19 6-10 & 1-5 RW (Courtney says "W.Win")
C - 25-21(D) 18-23 19-15 14-18 31-26 (15-11 8-15 31-26 5-14 26-10 18-22 RW? is roughly what note b on page 4 should say) 5-14 26-19 18-22 15-11 8-15 19-10 14-18? (22-25 RW? Loy) ... draw, Sturges.
D - 30-26 (the missing 31-26-a is the beginning of var. 19) 18-23 26-22 23-26 25-21 26-30? (8-11 RW, Loy) 22-17? (31-26 draw? Loy) RW. This is note a on page 5.
E - 15-19(F) (var. 20) 24-15 14-18 23-14 7-10 15-6 1-26 30-23 5-14 31-27? (25-21 to draw is var. 20, and the missing 25-22 to draw is var. 22) 14-17! (var. 21 gives 8-11? to draw) 23-19 17-21 25-22 21-25 27-23? (19-15! 25-30 22-17 30-26 17-13 26-22 27-23 22-26 23-18 26-22 18-14 22-17 15-10 draw? Loy) 25-30 22-17 30-26 17-14 26-22 (8-11 RW, Chinook's database) 14-9 8-11 9-5 RW (Courtney says "drawn") Chinook's database.
F - 14-18(H) (var. 25) 23-14 7-10(G) 14-7 3-10 30-26 5-14 25-21 1-6 (or others) 22-17 8-11 26-23 6-9? (15-18 draws in two places in Courtney's book) 17-13 15-18 13-6 18-27 24-19 27-32 6-2 32-28 2-6 11-15 31-26! (Courtney gives 6-9? to draw, Gibson-Martins) 15-24 6-15 28-32 15-10 WW, Loy.
G - 7-11 (var. 55. Note 63 should be attached here) 31-26 3-7 25-21 15-19 24-15 11-25 26-23 (var. 59) 7-10 14-7 5-14 7-3 25-29 30-26 29-25? (8-11 draw, Loy) 3-7 25-30? (29-25 may draw, Loy) 23-19 WW ("and how?") var. 59.
H - 14-17 [8-11 23-19 7-10 25-21? (9-6 draw, PP) "drawn," but continue 14-18 RW, Loy] 22-13 5-14 25-22(J) 1-6 31-26(I) 14-17 30-25 8-11 (var. 66) 23-19 6-9 19-10 7-14 13-6 17-21 22-17 21-30 17-10 30-26 6-2 23-27 10-6 12-16 6-1 27-32 given as "WW" in note b, page 15. But, continue: 1-6 3-7 6-9 32-28 24-19 16-23 2-6 23-27 9-14 draw, Loy
I - 23-19 (var. 71) 7-10 30-25 8-11? (14-17 is shown to draw in var. 71) 25-21 14-18 21-17? (22-17 WW, Loy) ... draw, var. 73.
J - 13-9 (var. 83) 15-18 31-27 8-11 30-26 14-17? (11-15 draws in var. 84) 23-14 17-21 25-22 21-25 27-23 25-30 24-19 30-25 22-18 25-21 19-15 21-17 15-8 17-10 9-6 7-11 23-19? (6-2 WW, Loy) 10-7 6-2 11-16 2-11 ... draw, Coltherd.
K - 5-9 (var. 93) 23-18 8-11 31-26 (var. 96) 10-14 19-10 14-23 26-19 7-14 25-21 (var. 97) 3-7 22-17 (30-25 may draw, Loy) 7-10 30-25! (Courtney gives 30-26? to lose, in "M.S.Check") 1-5 20-16 11-27 19-15 10-19 17-1 9-14 1-6 14-18 6-10 draw, Loy.
L - 31-27(N) (var. 100) 5-9 20-16 10-14 19-10 12-28 22-15 14-18 (var. 112) 27-24 7-14 24-20 8-12 (var. 114) 15-11 1-5 11-8 14-17 8-4 9-14(M) 4-8 12-16 20-11 3-12 11-7 6-10 25-21 18-22 26-23 10-15! (22-26? is given to draw, in Robertson's Guide) 7-2 12-16 2-6 (2-7 15-18 RW, Loy) 22-25 6-9 (6-10 15-18 RW, Loy) 15-18 RW, Loy.
M - 17-21 (var. 116) 4-8 12-16 20-11 3-12 11-7 9-14 7-3 12-16 3-7 16-20 7-11? (26-22 18-23 22-17 14-18 7-11 draw, Loy) 6-10 32-27 "draw" in Robertson's Guide. But, continue 10-15 11-7 14-17 7-11 (7-2 15-19 RW, Loy) 18-22 RW, Loy.
N - 22-17? (var. 119) 5-9 17-14 10-17 19-10 7-14 25-21 18-23? (8-11 RW, Loy) 26-19 8-11 32-27? (31-26 11-15 19-10 6-15 13-6 1-10 32-28 3-7 24-19 draw, Loy) 11-15 19-10 6-15 13-6 1-10 RW, note b, on page 27.
O - 7-11? 22-17 14-18(P) 17-14 10-17 19-10 6-15 21-14?(Q) 18-22! (12-16? ... WW, Sturges) 26-17 (or 25-18) 9-18 17-14 12-16 (or 3-7) 32-28 draw, Loy.
P - 15-18?(Q) (var. 127) 26-23? (26-22 is a WW in var. 127) 18-27 32-23 11-15! (3-7? draws in var. 131) 20-16 15-18 24-20 18-27 31-24 14-18 RW, Loy.
Q - 13-6 (both var. 124 and var. 133) 1-10 21-7 3-10 26-22? (25-21 WW, PP) 10-14 32-28? (31-26 is a difficult draw in var. 125) 12-16 (Courtney shows a WW after 18-23?) 31-26 16-19 RW, Loy.