"I've traveled many a highway
I've walked for many a mile
Here's to the people who made my day
To the people who waved and smiled."
– Tom T. Hall

"To have a knight planted in your game at K6 is worse than a rusty nail in your knee." ― Efim Bogoljubov

"Chess is all about stored pattern recognition. You are asking your brain to spot a face in the crowd that it has not seen." ― Sally Simpson

"Chess is life and every game is like a new life." ― Eduard Gufeld

"War is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of." ― Sebastian Junger, War

Adams Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.d4)

Adelaide Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 f5)

Alapin Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Bg4 6.h3 h5)

Alapin Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Be3)

Albin Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5)

Alekhine Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4 Nf6 7.N2g3 0-0 8.Be2 Nc6)

Allgaier Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5)

Andreaschek Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.c3)

Anti-Meran Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Bg5)

Anti-Moscow Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.Bg3 dxc4 8.e4)

Balogh Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e4 d6)

Basque Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d4 exd4 7.e5 Ne4 8.c3)

Belgrade Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5)

Bellon Gambit (1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 e4 4.Ng5 b5)

Benko Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5)

Bertin (Three Pawns) Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7 4.Bc4 Bh4+ 5.g3 fxg3 6.0-0 gxh2+ 7.Kh1)

Bishop's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4)

Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4)

Blackburne Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5 h6 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Nc3)

Blackmar–Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 – also (1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3)

Blumenfeld Counter Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5)

Blumenfeld Reversed Gambit (1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.e3 c5 4.b4)

Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nxe4 4.Nc3)

Boehnke Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 e6 3. dxe6 Bxe6)

Brentano Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g5)

Breyer Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Qf3)

Bronstein Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nc6 6.c3 Nf6 7.d4)

Bryan Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 b5)

Bryan (Kieseritzky) CounterGambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 b5)

Budapest Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5)

Calabrian Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 f5)

Carrera (Basman) Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Qe2)

Catalan Queens Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3)

Charousek Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Qe2)

Chicago Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5 Nxe5 4.d4)

Cochrane Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7)

Colorado Gambit (1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 f5)

Cunningham Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7)

Dada Gambit (1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.b4)

Danish Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3)

Danube Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.d5 b5)

De Smet Gambit (1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 d6)

Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e4)

Diemer–Duhm Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c4)

Double Muzio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0 gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7+)

Duras Gambit (Fred Defence) (1.e4 f5 2.exf5 Kf7)

Elephant Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5)

Englund Gambit (1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Qd5 f6 5.exf6 Nxf6)

Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4)

Evans Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 d5)

Fajarowicz Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4)

Falkbeer Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5)

Four Pawns Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 Bxb4 4.f4 exf4 5.Nf3 Be7 6.d4 Bh4+ 7.g3 fxg3 8.0-0 gxh2+ 9.Kh1)

Franco-Hiva Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 f5)

Frankenstein–Dracula Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6)

French: Wing Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4)

Fried Liver Attack Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7)

From Gambit (1.f4 e5)

Fyfe Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.d4)

Gent Gambit (1.Nh3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.f4 Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4 5.0-0 fxg3 6.hxg3)

Ghulam Khassim Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.d4)

Gianutio Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 f5)

Ginsburg Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bc4)

Godley Gambit (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6)

Göring Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3)

Greco Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.f4)

Grünfeld Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 0-0)

Halasz Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.f4)

Halibut Gambit (1.c4 b5)

Halloween Gambit (Müller–Schultze) Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5)

Hamppe–Muzio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.Bc4 g4 6.0-0)

Hanstein Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.0-0)

Harksen Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.c4)

Herrstrom Gambit (1.Nf3 g5)

Hubsch Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 dxe4 4.Bc4)

Icelandic Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6)

Italian Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4)

Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7)

John Tracy Gambit (1.e4 Nf6 2.Nf3)

Karpov Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5)

Kasparov Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 d5)

Keres Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nc3)

Khan Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 d5)

Kieseritzky Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5)

King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4)

Kotrč–Mieses Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4)

Krejcik Gambit (1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4 Nxe4 3. Bxf7+)

Krol Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3)

Lasker Gambit (1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c6 (or 4…g6) 5.f3)

Latvian Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.g4)

Lewis Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4)

Lisitsin Gambit (1.Nf3 f5 2.e4)

Locock Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Ng5 h6 5.Nxf7)

Lopez Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5)

Lopez Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 Nf6 4.d3 Nc6 5.c3 Ne7 6.f4)

Lopez–Gianutio Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 f5)

Marshall Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.e4)

McDonnell Double Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 Bxb4 4.f4)

McDonnell Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Nc3)

Michel Gambit (1.Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 c5)

Milner-Barry Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4)

Moller Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.d5)

Morphy Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3)

Morra Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.c3)

Muzio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0)

Nakhmanson Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Nc3)

Nimzowitsch Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4)

‘May your Departures equal your Landfalls!'

Orthoschnapp Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Qb3)

Paris Gambit (1.Nh3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.f4 Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4 5.0-0)

Petroff Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.c3 Qe7 5.d4)

Philidor Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.h4)

Philidor Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5)

Pierce Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.d4 g4 6.Bc4)

Poisoned Pawn (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2)

Polerio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4)

Ponziani Counter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5)

Ponziani Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4)

Portsmouth Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.b4)

Portuguese Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4)

Quade Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Nc3)

Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4)

Rasa–Studier Gambit (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3)

Relfsson Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bb5)

Reti (Landstrasse) Gambit (1.Nf3 d5 2.c4)

Rice Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Bd6 8.0-0)

Rosentreter Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4)

Ross Gambit – (1.Nf3 e5)

Rotary-Albany Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 b6)

Rousseau Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f5)

Rubinstein Counter Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6)

Ryder Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Qxf3)

Salvio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Ne5)

Schliemann (Jaenisch) Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5)

Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4)

Sicilian Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 Bb4 7.0-0)

Slav Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4)

Smith–Morra Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3)

Sorensen Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4 5.Ne5)

Spanish Counter Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d5)

Spielmann Gambit (1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 Nfd7 4.e6)

Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nc6)

Stamma Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.h4)

Staunton Gambit Deferred (1.d4 f5 2.c4 e6 3.e4)

Staunton Gambit (1.d4 f5 2.e4)

Steinitz Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4)

Steinitz Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5)

Sturm Gambit (1.f4 d5 2.c4)

Swiss Gambit (1.f4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g4)

Tarrasch Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.dxc5 d4 6.Na4 b5)

Tartakower (Lesser Bishop's) Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Be2)

Tartakower (Fischer) Gambit (1.b4 e5 2.Bb2 f6 3.e4)

Tennison Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.Nf3)

Tolush–Geller Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.e5)

Triple Muzio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0 gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7)

Tumbleweed Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Kf2)

Two Knights' Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5)

Urusov Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4)

Urusov (Ponziani) Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nf3)

Van Weersel Attack (1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Qb3)

Vienna Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4)

Villemson Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.d4)

Von Hennig–Schara Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4)

Vukovic Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Bc5)

Wagner Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 c5 4.e4)

Ware Gambit (1.a4 e5 2.a5 d5 3.e3 f5 4.a6)

White Gambit (1.c4 d5 2.b3 dxc4 3.bxc4 Qd4 4.Nc3)

Wild Muzio Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+)

Wilkes-Barre/Traxler Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5)

Williams Gambit (1.f4 d5 2.e4)

Wing Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.b4)

Wing Gambit Deferred (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 (or 2…e6) 3.b4)

Wing Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4)

Wing Gambit Delayed (1.e4 c5 2.a3 Nc6 (or 2…e6) 3. b4)

Zollner Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 Qb6 10.e5)

* For White: Game Collection: MKD's Sicilian Defense White

* For Black: Game Collection: MKD's Sicilian Defense Black

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

"Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory." – Max Euwe

"It is a profound mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot be learned." -- Richard Reti

"The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move." – David Bronstein

"I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn." – Mikhail Tal

"Tal develops all his pieces in the center and then sacrifices them somewhere." – David Bronstein

"There are two kinds of sacrifices; correct ones and mine." – Mikhail Tal

"Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine." – Mikhail Tal

"First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop, then knight, then pawns." – Mikhail Tal (on what he thinks about after his opponent moves)

"Even after losing four games in a row to him I still consider his play unsound. He is always on the lookout for some spectacular sacrifice, that one shot, that dramatic breakthrough to give him the win." – Bobby Fischer (on Tal)

"They compare me with Lasker, which is an exaggerated honor. Lasker made mistakes in every game and I only in every second one!" – Mikhail Tal

"Tal was a fearless fighter. Nobody could successfully accomplish so many incorrect maneuvers! He simply smashed his opponents." – Bent Larsen

"Tal's genius consists of posing his opponents with tempting ways to go wrong." – Larry Evans

"I was surprised by his ability to figure out complex variations. Then the way he sets out the game; he was not interested in the objectivity of the position, whether it's better or worse, he only needed room for his pieces. All you do then is figure out variations which are extremely difficult. He was tactically outplaying me and I made mistakes." – Mikhail Botvinnik (on Tal)

"I realized that you cannot tackle him if the pieces are mobile and active. I played closed positions in which Tal could gain no advantage. Tal had no positional understanding for closed games." – Mikhail Botvinnik (on their '61 rematch)

"If Tal would learn to program himself properly, then it would become quite impossible to play against him." – Mikhail Botvinnik

"Botvinnik's right! When he says such things, then he's right. Usually, I prefer not to study chess but to play it. For me chess is more an art than a science. It's been said that Alekhine and I played similar chess, except that he studied more. Yes, perhaps, but I have to say that he played, too." – Mikhail Tal

"When I lost the title to Botvinnik, chess could be played quietly again!" – Mikhail Tal

"Mother, I have just become Ex-World Champion." – Mikhail Tal (on returning home after losing the '61 rematch to Botvinnik)

"I did not take the tournament too seriously. I walked around the pressroom, smoked a few cigarettes and sacrificed some pieces. I am waiting until next year when I can become a new ex-world champion." – Mikhail Tal (on the '88 World Blitz Championship, which he won)

"It's funny, but many people don't understand why I draw so many games nowadays. They think my style must have changed but this is not the case at all. The answer to this drawing disease is that my favorite squares are e6, f7, g7 and h7 and everyone now knows this. They protect these squares not once but four times!" – Mikhail Tal

The Stag Seeing Himself In The Water

Beside a placid, crystal flood,
A stag admired the branching wood
That high on his forehead stood,
But gave his Maker little thanks
For what he called his spindle shanks.
"What limbs are these for such a head! –
So mean and slim!" with grief he said.
"My glorious heads overtops
The branches of the copse;
My legs are my disgrace."
As thus he talked, a bloodhound gave him chase.
To save his life he flew
Where forests thickest grew.
His horns, – pernicious ornament! –
Arresting him wherever he went,
Did unavailing render
What else, in such a strife,
Had saved his precious life –
His legs, as fleet as slender.
Obliged to yield, he cursed the gear
Which nature gave him every year.

Too much the beautiful we prize;
The useful, often, we despise:
Yet oft, as happened to the stag,
The former does to ruin drag.

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident led to a full United States intervention in Vietnam.

On August 2, 1964, the US spy ship USS Maddox sailed in the Gulf of Tonkin only to find itself attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. They fired back, damaging all three ships and forcing the attackers to retreat. On August 4, the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy detected more torpedo boats and opened fire. In hindsight, however, the second attack proved nothing more than panic, and that the USN may have detected and fired on simply flying fish. At the time, though, it led the US Congress to call on US President Lyndon B. Johnson to take the necessary measures to stop communist aggression. President Johnson responded by beginning a three-year bombing campaign over Vietnam, and later, across Indochina.

Identify knight forks.

Q: What do you call a cat that likes to eat beans? A: Puss 'n' Toots!

Q: What do you call a clown who's in jail?
A: A silicon!

Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No eye deer!!

Q: What do you call a three-footed aardvark?
A: A yardvark!

Q: What do you call a dancing lamb?
A: A baaaaaa-llerina!

Q: What do you call a meditating wolf?
A: Aware wolf!

Q: What do you call a witch who lives at the beach? A: A sand-witch!

Q: What do you call an avocado that's been blessed by the pope? A: Holy Guacamole!

Jul-05-21
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7. chancho (40,065)
8. harrylime (38,059)
9. whiteshark (37,326)
10. cormier (36,146)>

‘The Unchecked Pawn': A Chess Poem by Julian Woodruff

The Unchecked Pawn
Quickly Black castled king-side and planned his attack. White then countered with confidence, primed for a sack, with the sneakiest strategy he could contrive:
nonchalantly he pushed his f-pawn to rank 5.
I'll just nab it, thought Black, but wait … what's going on? Devil take it, I'm sure that's a poisonous pawn!

Black surveyed the board carefully. Ah, yes! I see, that white bishop is poised to attack from c3.
Black was pleased with himself: he was using his head in advancing his own pawn to g5 instead.
In response White paused briefly to stifle a yawn, then dispatched the black bishop with his cheeky pawn.

Now White's move left that pawn hanging, out on e6, over-ripe for the picking; but oh, what a fix
Black was in, with a troublingly weakened back rank, and good reason, besides, to beware his left flank. Delay now, and the chance to fight back will be gone. Black played rook to a5, disregarding White's pawn.

Well, there's pawn to b4 … White considered a while. An attack on Black's rook would be showing some style. No, it's better I simply play pawn to e7:
Remember Alekhine in 1911!
What a nuisance! thought Black, frowning. Oh, how I long To be rid of that confounded d7 pawn!

But there's also White's queen, lurking there … what a fright! I'll block her with the bishop while threatening his knight. With a faint smile, White then replied, sealing Black's fate: pawn takes knight and promotes to queen—instant checkmate! Black stared down at the board, his face pallid and drawn; he'd been crushed through ignoring White's bantam-weight pawn.

Alekhine: Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946) was a Russian and French chess champion.

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

* Opening Tree: https://www.shredderchess.com/onlin...

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 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."

12TB wza grt QB. Boston Robd wza managipulator just like Boss Tweed. Cheatin iza bad thing, but Mrs. Fields' food iz tasty treat. Take this drink to energize yo think. Puzzlez elevate yo lodging accomodations. Zdanovs split Zelinsky, Yuri Zhuravliov and Zawlocki.

"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.

I may behave like an Angel, but I know all the qualities of a Devil. So be careful. ― Joker

Never lose an Opportunity because you Love to Sleep. ― Joker

Ellison wrote:

Kamikaze
Two rows of a faceless infantry
fall into line;
I am their general
for this callous battle.

Overlords awaken;
their mirrored armies in meager shadow
to these giants that have played
the game of winning before.

The front rank advances slowly,
private by private; caressing the
battlefield as if never to return again.
The cavalry cry out into the night,
A horse's metallic neigh that pierces through
to the other side's defenses,
and the surrounding warriors join in for the hunt.

A piece for a piece;
The desperate deal is made
between the masters of their
horrified soldiers.
Do I dare repeat
such insidious acts within my fleet?

The crown shakes with fear,
for the opposing ranks are drawing near.
Towering higher than the castles upon the deck,
I make my way to the monarch in check;
Swords left littered across the field
as the fires of carnage have dwindled low,
but trampling through grief, groans, and woe,
The other side is forced to yield.

Trolling is cyberbullying. The troll should be banned from the website for good.

Internet trollz are people who want to provoke and upset others online for their own amusement. Here's how to spot the signz that someone is a troll, and how to handle them.

What Are Internet Trollz?
If you've been on the internet for any period of time, you've likely run into a troll at some point. An internet troll is someone who makes intentionally inflammatory, rude, or upsetting statements online to elicit strong emotional responses in people or to steer the conversation off-topic. They can come in many forms. Most trolls do this for their own amusement, but other forms of trolling are done to push a specific agenda.

Trollz have existed in folklore and fantasy literature for centuries, but online trolling has been around for as long as the internet has existed. The earliest known usage of the term can be traced back to the 1990s on early online message boards. Back then, it was a way for users to confuse new members by repeatedly posting an inside joke. It's since turned into a much more malicious activity.

Trolling is distinct from other forms of cyberbullying or harassment. It is normally not targeted towards any one person and relies on other people paying attention and becoming provoked. Trolling exists on many online platforms, from small private group chats to the biggest social media websites. Here's a list of places online where you're likely to see online trolls:

Anonymous online forums: Places like removed to prevent more trolling are prime real-estate for online trolls. Because there's no way of tracing who someone is, trolls can post very inflammatory content without repercussion. This is especially true if the forum has lax or inactive moderation. Twitter: Twitter also has the option to be anonymous, and has become a hotbed for internet trolls. Frequent Twitter trolling methods involve hijacking popular hashtags and mentioning popular Twitter personalities to gain attention from their followers.

Comment sections: The comment sections of places such as YouTube and news websites are also popular areas for trolls to feed. You'll find a lot of obvious trolling here, and they frequently generate a lot of responses from angry readers or viewers.

You'll find trollz anywhere online, including on Facebook and on online dating sites. They're unfortunately pretty common.

Signs Someone Is Trolling
It can sometimes become difficult to tell the difference between a troll and someone who just genuinely wants to argue about a topic. However, here are a few tell-tale signs that someone is actively trolling.

Off-topic remarkz: Completely going off-topic from the subject at hand. This is done to annoy and disrupt other posters.

Refusal to acknowledge evidence: Even when presented with hard, cold factz, they ignore this and pretend like they never saw it.

Dismissive, condescending tone: An early indicator of a troll was that they would ask an angry responder, "Why you mad, bro?" This is a method done to provoke someone even more, as a way of dismissing their argument altogether. Use of unrelated images or memes: They reply to others with memes, images, and gifs. This is especially true if done in response to a very long text post. Seeming obliviousness: They seem oblivious that most people are in disagreement with them. Also, trolls rarely get mad or provoked. The list above is by no means definitive. There are a lot of other ways to identify that someone is trolling. Generally, if someone seems disingenuous, uninterested in a real discussion, and provocative on purpose, they're likely an internet troll.

How Should I Handle Them?
A "Danger: Do not feed the troll" sign on a computer keyboard.

The most classic adage regarding trolling is, "Don't feed the trollz." Trollz seek out emotional responses and find provocation amusing, so replying to them or attempting to debate them will only make them troll more. By ignoring a troll completely, they will likely become frustrated and go somewhere else on the internet.

You should try your best not to take anything trollz say seriously. No matter how poorly they behave, remember these people spend countless unproductive hours trying to make people mad. They're not worth your time of day.

If a troll becomes spammy or begins to clog up a thread, you can also opt to report them to the site's moderation team. Depending on the website, there's a chance nothing happens, but you should do your part to actively dissuade them from trolling on that platform. If your report is successful, the troll may be temporarily suspended or their account might be banned entirely.

In 1996, World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM's "Deep Blue" supercomputer 4–2 in a best-of-6 match-up. Man and machine rematched in 1997, and the computer won 3.5–2.5 after unusually poor play by Kasparov.

<This poem is dedicated to all members who have experienced the breaking of a gentleman's agreement.

He Know No Honor

Now in yonder obscurity live a bishop called Pork his tongue protruding like a two-pronged fork.
He say: nova dear, I will play you thirty/thirty then he quickly run, I say: that be little dirty. This Pork he say; sweet nova please grant me tie upon my honor as a holy man I do never lie.
He say: nova dear: I will play you thirty/thirty but he quickly run: I say that be more than little dirty to Pork this kindly nova say: I grant you draw
as Pork's time in present game all but gone he saw. he say: dear nova, I will play you thirty/thirty as he quickly run: I truly say that be fricken dirty. now always loudly to this Pork I shall tell
no more play me but evil one who live in hell.>

"You need to realize something if you are ever to succeed at chess,' she said, as if Nora had nothing bigger to think about. ‘And the thing you need to realize is this: the game is never over until it is over. It isn't over if there is a single pawn still on the board. If one side is down to a pawn and a king, and the other side has every player, there is still a game. And even if you were a pawn – maybe we all are – then you should remember that a pawn is the most magical piece of all. It might look small and ordinary but it isn't. Because a pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward. One square after another. And you can get to the other side and unlock all kinds of power.'

Mrs. Elm"
― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library

Antibiotics
Joseph Lister and Louis Pasteur were the first to start the war against bacteria, but it was Alexander Fleming who propelled the medical world to take a giant leap ahead in the same battle thanks to his discovery – albeit accidental – of the bacteria-inhibiting mold we now call penicillin in 1928. Penicillin proved to be a major step forward in the world of antibiotics and was used widely throughout the 20th century. Although Fleming eventually abandoned his works on penicillin in the 1940s, his findings were further researched at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford by Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain, funded by the U.S. and British governments.

Penicillin finally entered mass production after the Pearl Harbor bombing. In fact, by 1944, we had enough penicillin to treat all the wounded Allied Forces in World War II. Death by bacterial infection dropped to only 1% in WWII from 20% in the previous war. Penicillin has been found to be effective at fighting all kinds of infections such as influenza, tuberculosis, and some sexually transmitted diseases.

InkHarted wrote:

Checkmate.
I started off as an equal
I have everything that they do
my life was one and the same as my foe
childish battles of lesser
I won baring cost of a little
but as time outgrew my conscience
I found that the pieces were moving against me
with time my company reduced
they left one by one
all in time forgetting me
my castles collapsed
my religion dissuaded
my protectors in hiding
I could not run anymore
I have been cornered to a wall
as the queen left silently
without saying goodbye
I could not live any longer
she was most precious to me
I could not win without her by my side
so the king knelt down and died.

"Everyone should know how to play chess." — José Raúl Capablanca

Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

'Finders keepers, losers weepers'
No, turn it over to Lost and Found.

Drive sober or get pulled over.

"For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable." — Assiac (‘Deutsch von Heinrich Fraenkel')

Once I asked Pillsbury whether he used any formula for castling. He said his rule was absolute and vital: castle because you will or because you must; but not because you can.' — W.E. Napier (1881-1952)

The Words Of Socrates

A house was built by Socrates
That failed the public taste to please.
Some blamed the inside; some, the out; and all
Agreed that the apartments were too small.
Such rooms for him, the greatest sage of Greece!

"I ask," said he, "no greater bliss
Than real friends to fill even this."
And reason had good Socrates
To think his house too large for these.
A crowd to be your friends will claim,
Till some unhandsome test you bring.
There's nothing plentier than the name;
There's nothing rarer than the thing.

'Ask no questions and hear no lies

* The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev - https://lichess.org/study/KMMrJvE1

* Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century

* Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t...

'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer

<greersome wrote:

There once was a woman from Mizes

Who had chess sets of two different sizes

One was quite small

Almost nothing at all

But the other was large and won prizes!>

* 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"

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

"I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009, and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything." — Hulk Hogan

'Don't let the cat out of the bag'

'Don't shut the stable door after the horse has bolted'

'Don't throw good money after bad'

'Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater'

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.

Better be ill spoken of by one before all than by all before one. ~ Scottish Proverb

* Weird is what you're not used to: https://chessentials.com/weird-ches...

limerick, entitled ‘The Solver's Plight' was by ‘A.J.F.' A.J. Fink and was published on page 22 of Chess Potpourri by Alfred C. Klahre (Middletown, 1931):

There was a man from Vancouver
Who tried to solve a two-mover;
But the boob, he said, ‘"Gee",
I can't find the "Kee",
No matter HOW I manouvre.'

Proverbs 14:29-35

29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered * exalts folly.

30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.

31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

32 The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the hearts of fools it is made known.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

35 The king's favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

"Life is what you make it: If you snooze, you lose; and if you snore, you lose more." — Phyllis George

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.

"Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom." — Charles F. Stanley

<The Aurora's Dance

Auroras dance, in the polar night,
A symphony of colors, pure delight.
The sky's curtain, alive and aglow,
A magical display, a celestial show.>

"The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course." — Billy Graham

"God's mercy and grace give me hope - for myself, and for our world." — Billy Graham

"Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got." — Norman Vincent Peale

"What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." — Ralph Marston

* Riddle-pee-free: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch...

"Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." ― Yogi Berra, 10-time World Series champion

from the simpleton poet:

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.

Chess is creative.
And a journey too.

Good in the morning.
Or just before bed.

Play cheater_1, with engine.
Or OTB, all in your head.

"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.

Praseodymium Pr 59 140.908 1.1

.oo.