Universally popular, the "mind sport" of checkers is one of the world's oldest board games, and one of the most elegantly structured. Although children can readily understand its most basic rules, on a higher level checkers can demand great depth of strategic thought. Put your skill to the test with these puzzles--all based on the standard American game. (Federation rules appear in their entirety.) Each is winningly solvable in no more than six and a half moves, and often less by the player who goes first. In numerous problems, the winner even seems at a serious disadvantage at the start. Quite a few of the solutions list alternative patterns of play that depend on the moves chosen by the player destined to lose.