Ginsberg, Louis C. | Principles of Strategy in the Game of Checkers

Brooklyn: NP, 1932. 4to.; top-bound; age-tone; in olive wrappers stamped in black; bumped.

Much as war has its well-evolved principles of strategy, checkers too is a game of a highly strategic nature. Checker strategy, however, is a topic that has generally not been well elaborated in checker literature. Literally only a handful of books have dealt in-depth with this facet of the game. One of these books is Principles of Strategy in the Game of Checkers, the only published book by the late Brooklyn champion Louis Ginsberg. The vast bulk of checkers literature had previously followed an almost preset formula: there would be something on The Move; there would be a Games section, usually long columns of numbers with the barest of notes and explanation; and there might be a Problems section, which would always include 1st and 2nd Position and all the other usual suspects.

Ginsberg's book is focused instead on formations, in particular, the Dyke formation (first three moves 11 to 15, 22 to 17, 15 to 19). And although this focus seems narrow, the examples given and the methods of analysis demonstrated a wider application in other formations as well. Explanations are copious and clear.