"May the sun bring you energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night,

May the rain wash away your worries,

May the breeze blow new strength into your being.

May you walk gently through the world

and know its beauty all the days of your life."

Apache Blessing

"I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive." — Goyahkla a.k.a. Geronimo (1829-1909), a POW for 23 years

"I hate a liar. Maybe because I'm such a good one myself, heh? Anyway, to find someone has told an out and out lie puts him on the other side of the fence from me for all time." ― Clark Gable

"It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we really are." ― Joyce Carol Oates

"Dream your dreams with open eyes and make them come true." ― T. E. Lawrence

"No player can escape from having bad games or bad tournaments from time to time. What separates the best from the rest is the ability to stay calm, cope with disappointment, and bounce right back to fight even harder. Winners never quit!" ― Susan Polgar

"Champions do not quit when facing adversity! They go back to the drawing board, pinpoint the problems, fix them, then fight again with even more determination and intensity!" ― Susan Polgar

"When people ask what is the biggest achievement of my 45+ year career, in my mind, it will be my next success. My advice is do not live in your past glory. Continue to go forward and aim for the next big accomplishment!" ― Susan Polgar

"The human element, the human flaw and the human nobility - those are the reasons that chess matches are won or lost." ― Viktor Korchnoi

"In chess, you should be as cool as a cucumber." ― Yuliya Snigir

"O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!" ― Walter Scott

~ Maxims of King Aldfrith of Northumbria

"A loose tooth will not rest until it's pulled out." ~ African Proverb

"Do not wake sleeping dogs." ~ Dutch Proverb

"Go far, you'll be loved more." ~ Egyptian Proverbs

"The cheapest is always the most expensive." ~ German Proverb

Quien no madruga con el sol no disfruta de la jornada. (Whoever doesn't rise with the sun won't enjoy the day.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

Mientras se gana algo no se pierde nada. (As long as something is earned nothing is lost.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

El que no sabe gozar de la ventura cuando le viene, no debe quejarse si se pasa. (He who doesn't know how to enjoy good fortune when it comes to him shouldn't complain when it passes him by.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

Strike while the iron is hot – this line can be found in the 13th century: ‘One must strike the iron while it is hot'.

If a picture is provided w/the game score, it will be kept here. Photos w/a game score are rare as of 2017. FTB found a handful from the 2005 FIDE World Championship Tournament in which chessgames.com was involved.

* Photos of the GOAT in LIFE magazine: https://www.google.com/search?q=Bob...

Gambit first appeared in English in a 1656 chess handbook that was said to feature almost a hundred illustrated gambetts. Gambett traces back first to the Spanish word gambito, and before that to the Italian gambetto, from gamba meaning "leg." Gambetto referred to the act of tripping someone, as in wrestling, in order to gain an advantage. In chess, gambit (or gambett, as it was once spelled) originally referred to a chess opening whereby the bishop's pawn is intentionally sacrificed—or tripped—to gain an advantage in position. Gambit is now applied to many other chess openings, but after being pinned down for years, it also finally broke free of chess's hold and is used generally to refer to any "move," whether literal or rhetorical, done to get a leg up, so to speak. ― Merriam-Webster dictionary

* Gambit: Wikipedia article: Gambit

"What is the object of playing a gambit opening? To acquire a reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing a game." — Siegbert Tarrasch

"Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying any attention to you. It's your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you'll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there's no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself." — Eleanor Roosevelt

"It doesn't require much for misfortune to strike in the King's Gambit, one incautious move, and Black can be on the edge of the abyss." — Anatoly Karpov

"I've played a number of interesting novelties lately. Mostly that's because I haven't got a clue what I am doing in the opening." ― Nigel Short

On August 16th, 2022, Hans Niemann played against Magnus Carlsen as part of the 2022 Crypto Cup in a best-of-three chess match. After beating Carlsen in the first game, Niemann was approached by an interviewer asking about his strategy for the game, to which he responded, "The chess speaks for itself." A reupload of the brief interview was posted to YouTube by David Mays on August 16th, gathering nearly 40,000 views in two weeks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxe...

"A passed pawn increase in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

* Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/

* 10 Best to Watch: https://www.chessjournal.com/best-c...

* 23 Opening Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-5...

* Chess Mafia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLa...

* CFN: https://www.youtube.com/@CFNChannel

* 38 Tactics: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Wei Yi spent 48 minutes on a move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF8...

* Prize Games: Game Collection: Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the ChessMasters

* Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv...

* Roger that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S...

"The only way to change anything in Russia is a revolution" ― Daniil Dubov https://en.chessbase.com/post/dubov...

* Shirov miniatures: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures

* Tactical Games: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics

* tacticmania - Game Collection: tacticmania

* More teenage tagging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU9...

* Top Chessgames by ECO Code: http://schachsinn.de/gamelist.htm

* 700+ games of QGD: Queen's Gambit Declined (D06)

* Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018

* Vladimir Bagirov Attacks: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/

In Melitopol, terrible terror has been reigning for over a year. It's quiet, you can't see it on the streets - reported CNN. Anyone who has rejected a Russian passport may become a victim of repression. They can't access the hospital, can't function normally. The "incredible" occupant also takes away the land. Arrests and torture, unfortunately, are common practices.

Partisans are engaged in attacking Russian logistics and eliminating collaborators and Russian officers. They actively cooperate with Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) and are ready for sabotage activities in case the front arrives.

Before the war, Melitopol had a population of 154,000. The city, located in the southeastern part of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region, was occupied by the Russians on March 1, 2022 Eastern Time. Since then, it has been waiting for liberation, but that does not mean that the inhabitants are idle. From the beginning of the war, there has been a partisan movement in and around the city.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

"Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people." ― Elizabeth Green

"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." ― Andy (Tim Robbins), "The Shawshank Redemption"

Psalms 31:24 - Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Luck never gives; it only lends. ~ Scottish Proverb

* The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev

<<the limerick. Here is one from page 25 of the Chess Amateur, October 1907:>

A solver, who lived at Devizes,
Had won a great number of prizes –
A dual or cook,
He'd detect at a look,
And his head swelled up several sizes.>

St. Celia

Zwickmuhle: to be in a quandry/predicament/ double bind/catch-22 situation, to be in a dilemma

Eyes trust themselves, ears trust others. ~ German Proverb

Ye Jiangchuan has won the Chinese Chess Championship seven times.

"Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious." ― Zhuangzi

"If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure." — Garry Kasparov

"You win some, you lose some, you wreck some." — Dale Earnhardt

The Fowler, the Hawk, and the Lark

From wrongs of wicked men we draw
Excuses for our own:
Such is the universal law.
Would you have mercy shown,
Let yours be clearly known.

A fowler's mirror served to snare
The little tenants of the air.
A lark there saw her pretty face,
And was approaching to the place.
A hawk, that sailed on high
Like vapour in the sky,
Came down, as still as infant's breath,
On her who sang so near her death.
She thus escaped the fowler's steel,
The hawk's malignant claws to feel.
While in his cruel way,
The pirate plucked his prey,
On himself the net was sprung.
"O fowler," prayed he in the hawkish tongue,
"Release me in your clemency!
I never did a wrong to you."
The man replied, "It's true;
And did the lark to you?"

Q: What do you call an illegally parked frog?
A: Toad!

Q: What do you call twin dinosaurs?
A: A pair-odactyls!

Q: What do you call a pile of cats?
A: A meow-ntain!

Q: What do you call a row of rabbits hopping away? A: A receding hare line!

Q: What do you call the wife of a hippie?
A: A Mississippi!

Q: What do you call a monkey that loves Doritos? A: A chipmonk!

Q: What do you call a mac 'n' cheese that gets all up in your face? A: Too close for comfort food!

Q: What do you call a cow in an earthquake?
A: A milkshake!

"They made us many promises, but they kept only one. They promised to take our land -- and they did." — Chief Red Cloud, Oglala-Lakota Sioux, 1822-1909.

"There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better." ― Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

* Crafty Endgame Trainer: https://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-...

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, "Don Quixote"

* Roger that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S...

"The only way to change anything in Russia is a revolution" ― Daniil Dubov https://en.chessbase.com/post/dubov...

Old Russian Proverb: "Measure seven times, cut once. (Семь раз отмерь — один отрежь.)" Be careful before you do something that cannot be changed.

<....Here is an excerpt from Sergeant's book Championship Chess, with Alekhine's view of Fine, as early as 1933:

'Before (Alekhine) left the States the Champion was induced to say whom he thought likely challengers for his title in the future. He named two Americans, Kashdan, who was favourably known in Europe already, and R Fine, whose achievements so far were mainly in his own country, and the Czecho-Slovakian, Flohr.'>

"Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways." ― Vladimir Kramnik

"If you're too open-minded; your brains will fall out." ― Lawrence Ferlinghetti

This poem is dedicated to all female chessplayers on Caissa's Web.

Sweet Caissa

Oh, Sweet Caissa, Goddess of chess
in the name of this holistic game
I pray Thee: bless my noble aim
to render all my opponents lame
in my holy quest for worldly fame,
to be Supreme no more no less.
In awe I heard this Sweet Caissa say
"Daughter go forth and smite them all,
stoutly charge your knight sitting tall
while flying over the castle's wall
to slay all men in your deadly call."
Now in fear I hide and will no longer play.

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore." ― William Faulkner

"Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward." — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess

So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy.

Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force.

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." ― Leonardo da Vinci

Q: Why don't scientists trust atoms?
A: Because they make up everything.

"Zeitnot" is German for "time pressure."

"....his countrymen, Kolisch and Steinitz, are greatly indebted for their later success to their having enjoyed early opportunities of practicing with the departed amateur whose death is also greatly deplored amongst all who knew him personally." — Wilhelm Steinitz, regarding Karl Hamppe

The first appearance of the (John) Cochrane gambit against Petrov's defense C42 was in the year 1848 against an Indian master Mohishunder Bannerjee.

"Sorry don't get it done, Dude!" — John Wayne, Rio Bravo

"Gossip is the devil's telephone. Best to just hang up." — Moira Rose

<"From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.">

― William Shakespeare, Henry V

"Chess is above all, a fight!" — Emanuel Lasker

Below is the acrostic poem by Mrs T.B. Rowland:

Tears now we sadly shed apart,
How keenly has death's sudden dart
E'en pierced a kingdom's loyal heart.

Dark lies the heavy gloomy pall
Upon our royal bower,
Kings, queens, and nations bow their heads,
Each mourn for England's flower.

Oh! God, to her speak peace divine,
For now no voice can soothe but thine.

Ah, why untimely snatched away,
Loved Prince – alas, we sigh –
Before thy sun its zenith reached
Athwart the noonday sky.
Noble in heart, in deed, and will,
Years hence thy name we'll cherish still.

That poem was published on pages 140-141 of Chess Fruits (Dublin, 1884)

The 20-40-40 rule in chess is a rule for players rated below 2000 that states 20% of your study should be dedicated to openings, 40% to the middlegame, and 40% to the endgame.

"Prepare for the worst but hope for the best." ― The Wondrous Tale of Alroy by Benjamin Disraeli, published in 1833

Virgil's Aeneid: "Fortune favors the bold."

Galatians 6:7 in the Bible "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

"those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is often cited as originating in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde written in 1385.

"It is the part of a wise man to keep himself today for tomorrow, and not venture all his eggs in one basket." The phrase appeared in Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, in 1615.

"I take things as they come and find that patience and persistence tend to win out in the end." ― Paul Kane

"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." ― Napoleon Hill

Actions speak louder than words

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ― Plato

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." ― Lao Tzu

A Windsong by Ray Paquette (1984):

As you set sail for new horizons
May a brisk fair wind be with you
May your journey provide that mixture of
Joy, contentment, love and excitement
That gives rise to zestful anticipation
Of new adventures together.
May you cheerfully weather
the unavoidable storms together
And steer as clear of all obstacles
As the currents allow
May God Bless and keep you
Bon Voyage

Lichess has all the same basic offerings as Chess.com: a large community, many game types, tutorials, puzzles, and livestreams. The site has a simple appearance, and it seems built to get you where you want to go in as few clicks as possible. You can create an account, but if you're not concerned with tracking your games and finding other players at your level, there's no need to log in. Just fire up a new game, try some puzzles, or watch a chess streamer play three-minute games while listening to techno and chatting with the comments section.

<<<Five Preliminary Endgame Rules> According to CJS Purdy>

1. Before even beginning to think of making a passed pawn, put all your pieces into as good positions as possible.

2. Avoid pawn-moves while you are getting your pieces well positioned because pawn-moves create lasting weaknesses and thus make your task harder.

3. Try to free your position from weaknesses; and if possible, make it hard for the opponent to do likewise.

4. When trying to win, keep pawns on both wings. When trying to draw, play to eliminate all the pawns on one wing. With pawns on one wing only, a pawn plus is usually insufficient for a win.

5. If you are a pawn up or more, exchange pieces (not pawns) wherever you can do so without losing in position.

Exception: do not rush an exchange that will leave you with a single bishop running on the opposite color to the enemy's single bishop. Also, refrain from exchanging if it will give your opponent two bishops against bishop and knight. >
Posted by Chessbuzz

Riddle Question: What word is always pronounced wrong?

The first American Chess Congress, organized by <Daniel Willard Fiske> and held in New York, October 6 to November 10, 1857, was won by <Paul Morphy>. It was a knockout tournament in which draws did not count. The top sixteen American players were invited (William Allison, Samuel Robert Calthrop, Daniel Willard Fiske, William James Fuller, Hiram Kennicott, Hubert Knott, Theodor Lichtenhein, Napoleon Marache, Hardman Philips Montgomery, Alexander Beaufort Meek, Paul Morphy, Louis Paulsen, Frederick Perrin, Benjamin Raphael, Charles Henry Stanley, and James Thompson). First prize was $300. Morphy refused any money, but accepted a silver service consisting of a pitcher, four goblets, and a tray. Morphy's prize was given to him by <Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.> ― Wikipedia

Riddle Answer: Wrong!

<<Below is a Paul Morphy acrostic by C.V. Grinfield from page 334 of the Chess Player's Chronicle, 1861:>

Mightiest of masters of the chequer'd board,
Of early genius high its boasted lord!
Rising in youth's bright morn to loftiest fame,

Princeliest of players held with one acclaim;
Host in thyself – all-conquering in fight: –

Yankees exult! – in your great champion's might.>

The Dancing Bear
by James Russell Lowell

Far over Elf-land poets stretch their sway,
And win their dearest crowns beyond the goal
Of their own conscious purpose; they control
With gossamer threads wide-flown our fancy's play, And so our action. On my walk to-day,
A wallowing bear begged clumsily his toll,
When straight a vision rose of Atta Troll,
And scenes ideal witched mine eyes away.
'Merci, Mossieu!' the astonished bear-ward cried, Grateful for thrice his hope to me, the slave
Of partial memory, seeing at his side
A bear immortal. The glad dole I gave
Was none of mine; poor Heine o'er the wide
Atlantic welter stretched it from his grave.

Q: What do you call the lights on Noah's Ark?
A: Flood lights.

Q: What do you call a snobby criminal walking down the steps? A: A condescending con descending!

Q: What do you call a dollar frozen in a block of ice? A: Cold hard cash.

Q: What do you call a dead pine tree?
A: A nevergreen.

Q: What do you call a pencil that is broken?
A: Pointless.

Q: What do you call two birds in love?
A: Tweethearts!

Q: What do you call a sad coffee?
A: Depresso.

Q: What do you call a priest that becomes an attorney? A: Father-in-Law.

Q: What do you call a man with a toilet on his head? A: John.

Dinner Prayer Hymn
Traditional Hymn

Lord, bless this food and grant that we

May thankful for thy mercies be;

Teach us to know by whom we're fed;

Bless us with Christ, the living bread.

Lord, make us thankful for our food,

Bless us with faith in Jesus' blood;

With bread of life our souls supply,

That we may live with Christ on high.

In His name we pray,
Amen!

Proverbs 14 King James Version

14 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.

6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.

7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.

11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.

14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19 The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

22 Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.

23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.

25 A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.

26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

28 In the multitude of people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.

29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.

34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

35 The king's favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882

The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

"There are good ships, and there are wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, and may they always be." – Anonymous

"It's not how you start that matters, it's how you finish."

"Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read." — Francis Bacon

The cat's play is the mouse's death. ~ German Proverb

"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground." ― Theodore Roosevelt

Ah, St. Marher, 1225:
"And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet."

2pry Zeitnot Zshaa-Tichondrius - 601 Disc Priest 226 Ilvl - 27750 RBG zek247 dint undrstnd Ziyatdinov's planto ignore the LSB on deck of the carrier.

"Debt is dumb. Cash is king." — Dave Ramsey

A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town markets, and the discipline continues into the modern day, where jesters perform at historical-themed events.

During the Middle Ages, jesters are often thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern. Their modern counterparts usually mimic this costume. Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes (such as puns, stereotypes, and imitation), and performing magic tricks. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style. Many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences.

Silence is the best reply to a fool. ― Joker

Always Remember, the beginning is the hardest part. ― Joker

Did you hear about the mathematician who's afraid of negative numbers? He'll stop at nothing to avoid them.

.oo.

"One of the nice things about surrendering to the fact that life isn't fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have." ― Richard Carlson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Game of Chess
by Alan Hall

A poem about chess? Well, there's an idea.
Hopefully this one will be one to hear.
What of the pieces? I'll take them in turn.
And try to tell how each it's living does earn. The pawns can move straight or diagonally
Depending on whether it's taking, you see.
Next comes the bishop – it moves across,
Of diagonals it is the boss.
Then there is the knight – some call it a horse From its siblings it pursues a quite different
course.
One square diagonally, then one straight.
It's so crafty, you start to hate
It when you've lost to its smothered mate.
Stronger still than all these is rook.
If you've got two of them, you're in luck.
The you may even beat the might queen.
A rook and bishop combined, she reigns
supreme.

Last, but not least, is the humble king.
When you've mated him, you can sing.
Well, that's all the pieces that make this game of chess.

The playing of which can bring happiness.

"The Game of Chess" written by Alan Hall and printed in CHESS POST, Volume 33, No. 3 (or the June 1995 issue).

05 Zanshin red free