One Jump Ahead: Computer Perfection at Checkers

It's hard to believe that it's been over a decade since One Jump Ahead: Challenging Human Supremacy at Checkers was published. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to update and expand the book. The first edition ended on a sad note and that was reflected in the writing. It is now eleven years later and the project has come to a satisfying conclusion. Since its inception, the checkers project has consumed eighteen years of my life― twenty if you count the pre-Chinook and post-solving work. It's hard for me to believe that I actually stuck with it for that long. My ex-wife, Steph, would probably have something witty to say about my obsessive behavior. Rereading the book after a decade was difficult for me. When I originally wrote One Jump Ahead, I vowed to be candid in my telling of the story. That meant being honest about what went right and what went wrong. I have been criticized for being hard on some of the characters. That may be so, but I hope everyone will agree that the person receiving the most criticism was, justifiably, me. I tried to be balanced in the storytelling, reflecting things as they really happened and not as some sanitized everyone-lived-happily-ever-after tale.