Fredthebear wrote the following for another collection, but decided to stick it in here for the time being because it has everything and yet nothing to do with the Three Knights and just leave it be for awhile...
Years ago I read a good book on practical chess openings (I think that was the actual name of the book!) written by the dry but far-sighted, technically accurate GM Edmar Mednis, who also wrote a book about beating Bobby Fischer. Mednis suggested that club players defend against 1.e4 by the Caro-Kann, Petrov Defense, OR the Sicilian Dragon -- pick one. While I'm not one to disagree with GM Mednis, that is a very diverse range of offerings.
Do not fret over your defensive choice! Play the Black defense that you like, and learn it well. It does not matter what someone else says is the best defense. There is no silver bullet opening, no Black magic defense -- you must study to prepare it for all the possibilities that arise. If a grand master has played your choice of defense in a world championship match, then you can be sure it is sound and worth playing. (Oh do take GM Danny King's advice and leave your f-pawn on the f7 square. Your king desperately needs his f7 pawn to stay put there. Of course, there are exceptions if you have studied a specific line.)
It is vital to follow general opening principles, especially as Black having made one less move. Remember to develop ALL your minor pieces quickly, especially the king's knight to the f-file. The knights, bishops and center pawns do the early fighting. Move a pawn to let a bishop out; otherwise you probably should not move that pawn if it does not help the bishop in some way or protect something. Fight for control of the center (by occupying or aiming into the center with multiple units), and race to get castled. Castling is a crucial safety move for your king and a development move for your rook. Tuck your king toward the corner so he's not stuck in the boiling battle about to rage in the center. A rook's first move is generally sideways toward the center to support it from behind. Do not keep moving the same unit over and over. Try to move five different units in the first five moves, although it is fine for a center pawn to move twice to capture (or recapture) another pawn threatening to capture it. Then return to developing ALL your minor pieces rapidly.
Do not go chasing after pawns with your queen. It is dangerous for your queen to move twice to capture a mere pawn, but it's usually OK to move a queen twice to check, check, check or capture an undefended piece. (Technically speaking, pawns are NOT pieces. There are 8 pawns and 8 pieces starting on the back row. I use the term "units" when referring to any of army of 16.) If the queen can advance to give check and simultaneously fork an undefended minor piece for capture next, do so by all means. What I'm trying to say is that there is a time and place to bring the queen out early -- know when and when not to bring her out.
Be careful not to align your queen on the same open line as your king. A king and queen on the same line is easily pinned, skewered or forked with check by one opposing unit. Royalty makes an excellent target (study Paul Morphy games to watch him murder kings and queens). Realize that your king has the double duty of guarding f2/f7 and the queen. He can be forced by check to flee from her. That's why it's better to castle and let the rook (or minor piece) protect your queen.
Protect your c2/c7 and f2/f7 pawns from the glare of the opposing bishop and the intruding knight. Your queen is guarding the c2/c7 square; she might need some help with that by Na3/Na6 as a second defender or a3/a6 to stop the opposing Nb4/Nb5 advance. Otherwise opening moves along the rook's file are usually bad because it has nothing to do with the center. Fight for control of the center, and prevent penetration!
The center of the chess board is the military high ground; it's almost like playing the rough and tumble childhood game called King of the Hill. Your pieces have more scope in the center to attack or defend in any direction needed. For example, a knight in or near the sweet center attacks 8 different squares, but a knight in the corner attacks just 2 squares and is vulnerable to getting caught there. Centralize your knights to enhance their powers!
Play with your pieces, not pawns! Make more moves with your pieces than with your pawns. Your pieces cover more ground and are more likely to make checks and captures. Pawns are slow and can't return back to home base like a piece can. Pawns prefer to stay back and shield or support pieces. Pieces do not like to sit still guarding (babysitting) a pawn that ran off down the board; pieces prefer to be free to fly around (out-on-the-town).
Obviously, advanced players reading this already know such information but it might help to remind your chess students of such basic concepts they are violating. As always, accurate analysis prevails, not general rules of thumb. One of the best times to violate a chess principle is after the opponent has done so to take advantage of the violation.
Do learn the theoretically correct opening lines and the traps to your chosen defense. Memorization is a MUST!!! (I carry along a small 5x3" pocket notebook of my selected opening lines wherever I go and glance at them during stops, delays and breaks. If my duty is monotonous and requires little or no focus, I visualize the opening lines in my head like blindfold chess to pass the time of day. That's a true test of memorization.) Then use a chessboard to go over at least 50 master games, including long games (40+ moves) to get a feel for how the opening transitions to the middlegame and the endgame. Replaying master games in your chosen openings is a MUST!!! One thing leads to another and another.
Once you've invested hours, days and months learning a defense, keep that particular defense in your repertoire always. If nothing else play it as a second-string defense for casual games at your local chess club or the last round of a tournament when you're out of the money. (I usually begin a rated tournament with my second-string defense against the lower rated player in the first round and save my preferred defense for the best players.) However, it's perfectly fine to have only ONE defense to 1.e4 and play it all the time.
If you play chess for a lifetime, you will face 1.e4 tens of thousands of times, so having two different Black defenses prepared provides some spice. Do include GM move variations/branches within those particular defenses. Realize that your local chess sparring partners will appreciate you for playing more than one defense to 1.e4 from time to time. You bore them if you trot out the same one worn-out opening all the time, year after year. You risk losing your sparring partners from lack of interest. If it's a friendly game of casual chess, play something you do not ordinarily play and stick to good opening principles mentioned above.
I purposely play unpopular defenses at our club just to keep interest up. Alekhine's Defense has come in handy for this reason. Lower-rated players of the White pieces get easy development and feel good about their start with chances to mix it up; it keeps me on my toes about how best to undermine those extended pawns. However, I learned not to play foolish openings like 1.h4 because my fellow club members are embarrassed and discouraged after losing to 1.h4, which is not good for maintaining our club membership enrollment. Furthermore, I don't want someone to start emulating me playing 1.h4. When it comes to a rated tournament game with slow time controls, I am disciplined to play either of my two best defenses.
Do not blame the opening when you lose -- especially if you lost quickly. Simply learn what mistake you made in the opening (look up the proper theoretical book move which you should have memorized correctly) and play it better the next time! If you do not repeat the same mistakes, you'll start to have success with your chosen defense. Chess mastery is the elimination of mistakes. CHESS MASTERY IS THE ELIMINATION OF MISTAKES. Record and study your games; don't make the same mistakes over and over!
Finally, chess is way, way, way more than just getting off to a good opening start. There are three phases to a hard-fought chess game... the opening, middlegame and endgame. (Checkmate can occur in any of the three phases; the endgame is not another word for checkmate.) The opening lasts through castling and nearly complete piece development. The middlegame focuses on tactics and strategy; coordinating your pieces at select targets to gain material and inflict permanent weaknesses while avoiding the same from happening to you. The endgame occurs when most of the units have been exchanged off the board, the threat of checkmate appears to be over and the focus shifts to hurrying to promoting a pawn to make a new queen for an overwhelming new advantage. The king, no longer in danger of checkmate, awakens from his corner spot and becomes a fighting piece in the endgame.
Have you read the same endgame book three or five times through? Do you recognize the solution to the diagrams right away? You'd better if you play the Caro-Kann defense.
"Chess first of all teaches you to be objective." ― Alexander Alekhine
"Among a great many other things that chess teaches you is to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks good. It trains you to think before grabbing and to think just as objectively when you're in trouble." ― Stanley Kubrick
"Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules, take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment." ― Garry Kasparov
"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game." ― Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
"To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game." ― Savielly Tartakower
"Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter."
― Winston S. Churchill
"Life is not a game but it's full of players (and pawns)."
"My poetry is a game. My life is a game. But I am not a game." — Federico Garcia Lorca
"Life is the most amazing game. Play hard with a deep love so that you may enjoy it." — Debasish Mridha
"Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got."
— Norman Vincent Peale
"Remember you have to be comfortable. Golf is not a life or death situation. It's just a game and should be treated as such. Stay loose." — Chi Chi Rodriguez
"Life is a game, play it ... Life is too precious, do not destroy it." — Mother Teresa
"Part of playing the game of life is you're going to have some losses." — Joe Gibbs
"Football is an honest game. It's true to life. It's a game about sharing. Football is a team game. So is life." — Joe Namath
"The entire ball game, in terms of both the exam and life, was what you gave attention to vs. what you willed yourself to not." — David Foster Wallace
"For me, chess is life and every game is like a new life. Every chess player gets to live many lives in one lifetime." — Eduard Gufeld
"If you wanted to be the best then you had to swallow your pride and become a student of the game first." — Jon Osborne
"Prereading is a game changer. It changed my life. Everyone is smarter when they have seen the material before. You will be too." — Peter Rogers
"Those who approach life like a child playing a game, moving and pushing pieces, possess the power of kings." — Heraclitus
"Every man needs a women, when his life in a trouble. Just like a game of chess, queen protect the king." — Anuj Kr. Thakur
"He needed fresh air and sunshine. A walk in the woods and afterward a good book to read by the fire.
Yeah, that was the life." — Josh Lanyon
"The great thing about reading is that it broadens your life." — George R R Martin
"The greatest compliment one can pay a master is to compare him with Jose Capablanca." — Irving Chernev
"I believe that it is best to know a 'dubious' opening really well, rather than a 'good' opening only slightly." ― Simon Williams
"There is no such thing as an absolutely freeing move. A freeing move in a position in which development has not been carried far always proves illusory, and vice versa, a move which does not come at all in the category of freeing moves can, given a surplus of tempi to our credit, lead to a very free game."
― Aron Nimzowitsch
"Chess is something more than a game. It is an intellectual diversion which has certain artistic qualities and many scientific elements." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"The best way to learn endings, as well as openings, is from the games of the masters." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"A good player is always lucky." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"During the course of many years I have observed that a great number of doctors, lawyers, and important businessmen make a habit of visiting a chess club during the late afternoon or evening to relax and find relief from the preoccupations of their work." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"The game might be divided into three parts: the opening, the middle-game and the end-game. There is one thing you must strive for, to be equally efficient in the three parts." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"An hour's history of two minds is well told in a game of chess." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else. For whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and opening must be studied in relation to the end game." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
I always play carefully and try to avoid unnecessary risks. I consider my method to be right as any superfluous ‘daring' runs counter to the essential character of chess, which is not a gamble but a purely intellectual combat conducted in accordance with the exact rules of logic. – Jose Raul Capablanca
"Winning is about commitment, discipline, hard work, dedication, determination, courage and sometimes even luck!" ― Susan Polgar
"Every defeat is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes! Every victory is a confirmation of our hard work!" ― Susan Polgar
"A chess player uses his/her knowledge to prepare for next game while a passionate coach prepares for next generation!" ― Susan Polgar
"You cannot play at chess if you are kind-hearted." ― French Proverb
"The first principle of attack–Don't let the opponent develop!" ― Reuben Fine
"You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove you the better player." ― English Proverb
"For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion."
― Bobby Fischer
"I believe that true beauty of chess is more than enough to satisfy all possible demands." ― Alexander Alekhine
"We cannot resist the fascination of sacrifice, since a passion for sacrifices is part of a chessplayer's nature." ― Rudolf Spielmann
"To play for a draw, at any rate with white, is to some degree a crime against chess." ― Mikhail Tal
"Boring? Who's boring? I am Fredthebear. My mind is always active, busy."
"Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom." ― Francis Bacon
"Discipline is wisdom and vice versa." ― M. Scott Peck
"The punishment of every disordered mind is its own disorder."
― St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
"In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent."
— Vasily Smyslov (1921-2010), 7th World Chess Champion
"There are two kinds of idiots - those who don't take action because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat." ― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
"It is impossible to keep one's excellence in a glass case, like a jewel, and take it out whenever it is required." ― Adolf Anderssen, 1858
"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
"When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one." ― Emanuel Lasker
The Portuguese chess player and author Pedro Damiano (1480–1544) first wrote this in his book "Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti" published in Rome, Italy, in 1512.
"It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse." ― Paul Dietzel
Don't trust the smile of your opponent. ~ Babylonian Proverbs
Trust me, but look to thyself. ~ Irish Proverbs
Trust in God, but tie your camel. ~ Saudi Arabian Proverb
Don't trust your wife until she has borne you ten sons. ~ Chinese Proverb
If someone puts their trust in you, don't sever it. ~ Lebanese Proverb
Trust your best friend as you would your worst enemy. ~ Mexican Proverbs
Sometime rhetoric was just
another way to lie and impress persons,
and he knew this — Haidji
Remove the 1900s from pub 16.
Remove the 26s from pub 2.
* Chess Step-by-Step: https://www.chess.com/learn-how-to-...
* 10 Best to Watch: https://www.chessjournal.com/best-c...
* 23 Opening Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-5...
* 30 Concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amr...
* 50 Games to Know: https://en.chessbase.com/post/50-ga...
* Adolf Anderssen miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
* Anderssen - Steinitz Match: Anderssen - Steinitz (1866)
* Game Collection: Alekhine vs Bogolubov
search "Alekhine vs Bogolubov"
* Alekhine's Defense, Krejcik Variation: Opening Explorer
* Art: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate
* Attack: Game Collection: Chess Secrets - Attackers (Crouch)
* Basic Rules: https://thechessworld.com/basic-che...
* Book: Game Collection: Dismantling the Sicilian (Jesus de la Villa)
* Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black
* Black attack!
Game Collection: Modern Defence Reversed
* CFN: https://www.youtube.com/@CFNChannel
* Chess - The Art of the Mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3P...
* Chess is cold-steel calculation, not emotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-T...
* Chess in old newspapers: https://www.schach-chess.com/chess-...
* Comprehensive 1929: Game Collection: Alekhine-Bogoljubov 1929 ARCHIVE
* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game
* Chessmaster 2000 Classic Games:
Game Collection: Chessmaster '86
* Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems
* Deadly Battery: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...
* Dr. Edmund Adam Miniatures: Edmund Adam
* Extinguish the Dragon: Game Collection: 1.e4 explorations
* Everyday people should play tabletop games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUU...
* Famous Chess Photos: https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/585256...
* Fischer Wins: Game Collection: Bobby Fischer Wins With The King's Indian Attack
* fran's favs: Game Collection: franskfranz's favorite games as white
* Fried Fox is awful: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c...
* Glossary P: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar...
* Games annotated by Capa: games annotated by Capablanca
* GM Avetik Grigoryan: https://chessmood.com/blog/improve-...
* GPA: https://chesstier.com/grand-prix-at...
* Glossary W: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess
* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz):
Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)
https://archive.org/details/the-gol...
* Hotel: https://www.chesshotel.com/
* How to catch a Spanish Rabbit: https://fi.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esp...
* How did Spassky handle it? Game Collection: 0
* ICC: https://www.chessclub.com/
* A few KIAs: Game Collection: Opening Ideas
* KID 0-1s: Game Collection: K.I.D B wins E98
* Tips for Knights & More: http://www.chesssets.co.uk/blog/tip...
* Unleash the Knight: https://cardclashgames.com/blog/che...
* Malaguena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxD...
* MC Move-by-Move: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala)
* Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES
* Nakhmanson Gambit: https://chesstier.com/nakhmanson-ga...
* Overloaded! Game Collection: OVERLOADED!
* Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc...
* Pawn Instruction: http://www.logicalchess.com/learn/l...
* Pawn Structures: Game Collection: Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide
* Pirc Defense, Classical: Game Collection: Pirc, Classical Variation
* The Chess Portal will broaden your horizons: http://schackportalen.nu/English/es...
* Passive, but playable in the Russian Game: Game Collection: Alpha Russian (White)
* Queen Pawn Games: Game Collection: ANIL RAJ.R'S QUEEN PAWN GAMES
* QGD: Game Collection: QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED
* Reasonable book choices: https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell...
* Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/
* Results: https://chess-results.com/TurnierSu...
* Queen vs Rook Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJn...
* Simple EG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejj...
* GM Endgames: Game Collection: Grandmaster Preparation - Endgame Play
* Use your King: Game Collection: ABC Games for Lessons
* 1.d4 some Panov Attack: Game Collection: Rick Prep
* 1.d4 various: Game Collection: d2-d4 and win
* Starting Out 1d4: Game Collection: Starting Out: 1 d4!
* Winning w/1.d4: Game Collection: Winning with 1 d4!
* Against 1.d4: Game Collection: Against d4 favs
* Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category...
Zucci
* Reasonable 1.d4 Repertoire: Game Collection: d4 repertoire for white
* Rajnish Das Tips: https://enthu.com/blog/chess/chess-...
* 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...
* Spruce Variety: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/che...
* tacticmania - Game Collection: tacticmania
* Tactical Games: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics
* It takes me back where, when and who: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh2...
* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0
* Bobby Fischer playing White against the Sicilian: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
* Robert Fischer's Best Games (127 games, a ton of quotes):
Game Collection: Robert Fischer's Best Games
* Bobby Fischer Rediscovered/Andrew Soltis (97 games):
Game Collection: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (Andy Soltis)
* 1992: Game Collection: Spassky-Fischer Match 1992
* Walter Browne, American Champ: Game Collection: Six by Mr. Six Time
* Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev)
* Wikipedia on Computer Chess: Wikipedia article: Computer chess
* Women: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/wom...
* Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018
* Piano intros: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/w_8n...
* PB Friday Puzzles: Game Collection: Friday Puzzles, 2011-2017
* PB Miniature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXJ...
* PB Remembrance: https://gameknot.com/stats.pl?phony...
* Daily Chess PB: https://www.dailychess.com/chess-ga...
* POTD 2023: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2023
* 25 Blast Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8o...
* Random Zs: Game Collection: ZHVNE
* Through the grapevine: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UKyh...
* Top Chessgames by ECO Code: http://schachsinn.de/gamelist.htm
* The Unthinkable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9z...
* King Tutankhamun's Tomb find: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qfUD...
* Universal 150 Attack vs Bg7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH4...
* Will Power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S...
* Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev)
* 960Chess: https://lichess.org/variant/chess960
* 1967: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PiFW...
* Z Vol 105: Game Collection: 0ZeR0's collected games volume 105
* Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/
WTHarvey:
There once was a website named WTHarvey,
Where chess puzzles did daily delay,
The brain-teasers so tough,
They made us all huff and puff,
But solving them brought us great satisfaction today.
There once was a website named WTHarvey
Where chess puzzles were quite aplenty
With knight and rook and pawn
You'll sharpen your brain with a yawn
And become a master of chess entry
There once was a site for chess fun,
Wtharvey.com was the chosen one,
With puzzles galore,
It'll keep you in store,
For hours of brain-teasing, none done.
There once was a website named WTHarvey,
Where chess puzzles were posted daily,
You'd solve them with glee,
And in victory,
You'd feel like a true chess prodigy!
"Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands." ― Renaud & Kahn
"Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem." ― Saudin Robovic
"Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory." ― Max Euwe
"Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game." ― Being Caballero
"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
"In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate." ― Isaac Asimov
"Stick a fork in him. He's done." ― Leo Durocher
"The pin is mightier than the sword." ― Fred Reinfield
"A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it." ― Wilhelm Steinitz
"As day is to a sword, night is to a shield." ― Anthony Liccione
New Hampshire: Dover
Established in: 1623
Dover was originally settled in 1623 by fishermen and traders. Dover is the seventh oldest settlement in the United States. It was once known as Northam, and in 1692, Northam became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Cocheco River in Dover was the first place water power was used, when a sawmill was built in 1642.
* Chess History: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch...
* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...
* World Chess Championship History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkO...
* Magnus Carlsen's 5 tips for beginners: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...
The Kings of Chess: A History of Chess, Traced Through the Lives of Its Greatest Players by William Hartston
William Hartson traces the development of the game from its Oriental origins to the present day through the lives of its greatest exponents - men like Howard Staunton, who transformed what had been a genteel pastime into a competitive science; the brilliant American Paul Morphy, who once played a dozen simultaneous games blindfold; the arrogant and certified insane Wilhelm Steinitz; the philosopher and mathematician Emanual Lasker; Bobby Fischer, perhaps the most brilliant and eccentric of them all; and many other highly gifted individuals. Hartson depicts all their colorful variety with a wealth of rare illustrations.
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
ISBN: 006015358X
ISBN13: 9780060153588
Release Date: January 1985
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Length: 192 Pages
Weight: 1.80 lbs.
Кто не рискует, тот не пьет шампанского
Pronunciation: KTOH ni risKUyet, tot ni pyot shamPANSkava)
Translation: He who doesn't take risks doesn't drink champagne
Meaning: Fortune favours the brave
"Tal has a terrifying style. Soon even grandmasters will know of this."
- Vladimir Saigin (after losing to 17-year-old Tal in a qualifying match for the master title)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5S...
"I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind."
— Mikhail Tal
<1903: Marie Curie becomes the first woman to receive Nobel PrizeThe chemist and physicist is most famous for her pioneering work in the field of radioactivity.
She discovered the chemical element polonium in 1898, which she named after her native country Poland. Together with her husband Pierre, the duo announced the existence of another element—radium. In 1903, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work.
Curie received her second Nobel Prize in 1911, making her the only person to win in two different science fields (physics and chemistry). Her work was crucial in the development of x-rays in surgery.>
The current version of castling was established in France in 1620 and in England in 1640. https://new.uschess.org/news/evolut...
Maximo wrote:
My Forking Knight's Mare
Gracefully over the squares, as a blonde or a brunette,
she makes moves that not even a queen can imitate.
Always active and taking the initiative,
she likes to fork.
She does it across the board,
taking with ease not only pawns, but also kings,
and a bad bishop or two.
Sometimes she feels like making
quiet moves,
at other times, she adopts romantic moods,
and makes great sacrifices.
But, being hers a zero-sum game,
she often forks just out of spite.
An expert at prophylaxis, she can be a swindler,
and utter threats,
skewering men to make some gains.
Playing with her risks a conundrum,
and also catching Kotov's syndrome.
Nonetheless, despite having been trampled
by her strutting ways
my trust in her remains,
unwavering,
until the endgame.
The Winds of Fate
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through the life:
Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
Matthew 17:20
Our faith can move mountains.
'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
Two artists had an art contest. It ended in a draw.
FACTRETRIEVER: Gummy bears were originally called "dancing bears."
Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal, at 1 million hairs per square inch.
Golf clubs
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.
They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind. ― Scottish Proverb
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
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)
Song of the Storm-Swept Plain
William D. Hodjkiss
The wind shrills forth
From the white cold North
Where the gates of the Storm-god are;
And ragged clouds,
Like mantling shrouds,
Engulf the last, dim star.
Through naked trees,
In low coulees,
The night-voice moans and sighs;
And sings of deep,
Warm cradled sleep,
With wind-crooned lullabies.
He stands alone
Where the storm's weird tone
In mocking swells;
And the snow-sharp breath
Of cruel Death
The tales of its coming tells.
The frightened plaint
Of his sheep sound faint
Then the choking wall of white—
Then is heard no more,
In the deep-toned roar,
Of the blinding, pathless night.
No light nor guide,
Save a mighty tide
Of mad fear drives him on;
‘Till his cold-numbed form
Grows strangely warm;
And the
"Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are." — Will Ferrell
"The human element, the human flaw and the human nobility - those are the reasons that chess matches are won or lost." ― Viktor Korchnoi
"Short of actual blunders, lack of faith in one's position is the chief cause of defeat." ― Fred Reinfeld
"In chess, you should be as cool as a cucumber." ― Yuliya Snigir
"It's easy for me to get along with chess players. Even though we are all very different, we have chess in common." — Magnus Carlsen
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.
May-07-22
FSR: <perfidious> I love how Carrie Isaac's fellow politicians (I assume) crowd around trying to coach her. Watching Carrie attempt to formulate a coherent thought, I almost wonder if <fredthebear> has gotten a sex change and become a Texas representative.
perfidious: <FSR>, the ignorance in that clip is staggering; maybe <fredthestalker> has gone trans.
It couldn't be clearer who the liar, slandering stalker is.
"I've never met a checkers player I didn't like; they're all even-tempered. Chess players are egotistical. They think they're intellectuals and that everyone else is beneath them." ― Don Lafferty, draughts grandmaster
"A good player is always lucky." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
"My mother always used to say: The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana." — Rose (Betty White), The Golden Girls
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?"
_Toad!
Q: What do you call an illegally parked frog?
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!
Checkers
Sam Ciel Aug 2015
You might have heard the saying,
"At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn go in the same box."
but depending on the moves you make, one of them is ultimately the winner.
One of them stays on the board longer, does more for his team.
Let's extend that phrase.
"At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn go in the same box. But the game is decided by the moves they make."
I assume everyone understands Chess, but for those who don't,
That's okay, too. I'll explain one more thing about it.
The Pawn can only move in one direction.
The King can move wherever he wants.
This remains true unless the Pawn decides to go on the offensive
To take life by his own hands
A variety of options open up to him
Whereas then, the King is limited by his options.
He sees nothing new, and can merely advance or
Retreat
In the same directions he always has.
And he very well may retreat, because when he falls, it's all over.
The Pawn, though? The Pawn can never retreat. He can only move forward
And if he makes it to the other side,
He becomes a Queen. The most prominent, powerful piece,
It goes in the same box but it can determine the outcome of the entire game.
A single piece can determine if, and how any other piece will fall.
This is true of the Queen, of the King, of the Pawn. This is true of the Knights and the Bishops and
the Rooks and every single piece, and so with every thing equally significant, let's strip away the
titles and just look at our actions, because it isn't our title that defines us.
It's how we play the game.
Sometimes that means we have all the power.
Sometimes that means we have none.
Sometimes we are alone.
Sometimes we are together.
But at the end of the day, we all go in the same box.
<"Greetings, students. Today you will learn to transform a king into a rook. Which of course means you will transform a chess piece into a noble relative of crows and ravens. Today's lesson is no joke, but I will not mark you down for appreciating my wordplay. Watch closely as I demonstrate..."
— Professor McGonagall teaching King to Rook to seventh-yearssrcA rook is a bird related to crows and ravens.
History
During the 1990–1991 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Minerva McGonagall taught her seventh-year students in Transfiguration how to transform king chess pieces into rooks with the King to Rook spell.>
The Rook Cancelled: https://tvline.com/news/the-rook-ca...
<H.T. Bland. On page 207 of the December 1929 American Chess Bulletin he exalted the challenger in that year's world championship match:Bravo ‘Bogol', you've shown pluck.
One and all we wish you luck.
Gee, some thought you'd barged between
Other players who'd have been
Less likely straightaway to lose
Just as friend Alekhine might choose;
Undaunted, ‘Bogol', you went in
Believing you'd a chance to win.
Or failing that, to make a fight,
Which you are doing as we write.>
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.
"Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy."
― Norman Vincent Peale
"If you're too open-minded; your brains will fall out." ― Lawrence Ferlinghetti
"Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education."
― Martin Luther King Jr.
"My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect and my family and my Lord. And I'm perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir."
— John Durham
<Steinitz's Theory
1. At the beginning of the game, Black and White are equal.2. The game will stay equal with correct play on both sides.
3. You can only win by your opponent's mistake.
4. Any attack launched in an equal position will not succeed, and the attacker will suffer.
5. You should not attack until an advantage is obtained.
6. When equal, do not seek to attack, but instead, try to secure an advantage.
7. Once you have an advantage, attack or you will lose it.>
"A wise man will know what game to play to-day, and play it. We must not be governed by rigid rules, as by the almanac, but let the season rule us. The moods and thoughts of man are revolving just as steadily and incessantly as nature's. Nothing must be postponed. Take time by the forelock. Now or never! You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this, or the like of this. Where the good husbandman is, there is the good soil. Take any other course, and life will be a succession of regrets. Let us see vessels sailing prosperously before the wind, and not simply stranded barks. There is no world for the penitent and regretful." — Henry David Thoreau
"If you open it, close it. If you turn it on, turn it off. If you take it out, put it back. If you empty it, fill it. If you fill it, empty it." — Kathryn Malter, St. Paul, MN
* Dec-12-20 MissScarlett: My advice to <acapo> is to close the pop-up ads by clicking on the little <x> in the top right corner.
<"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>
"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
Patience is a virtue.
* The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev - https://lichess.org/study/w2JcfP5K
* Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century
The Sofia Rules forbid agreed draws before 30 moves. The "Bilbao" scoring system awards 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss.
"You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose." ― Indira Gandhi
Psalm 96: 1-3
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
"To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live in the present moment." — Richard Carlson
Zwischenschach is German for in-between-check which is an important technique in the rook endgame.
The Land of Counterpane
Robert Louis Stevenson 1850 –1894
When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.
And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;
And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.
I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.
I'm a Pirate
by Annette Wynne
I'm a pirate in the grass—
Hear ye people as ye pass;
I'm a pirate bad and bold,
Taking dandelion gold—
All my hands and ships can hold.
I'm a pirate—how the sun
Glitters on the gold I've won;
I shall buy you house and land
And a castle silver-grand
With the gold within my hand.
According to Chessmetrics, Lasker was #1 for longer than anyone else in history: 292 different months between June 1890 and December 1926. That's a timespan of 36 1/2 years, in which Lasker was #1 for a total of 24 years and 4 months. Lasker was 55 years old when he won New York 1924.
"Just because you know stuff doesn't mean you are smart... You have to know how to use that information." ― Josh Keller
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...
<Tips to calm down
Here are some helpful, actionable tips you can try the next time you need to calm down.1. Breathe
"Breathing is the number one and most effective technique for reducing anger and anxiety quickly," says Scott Dehorty, LCSW-C, of Delphi Behavioral Health.
When you're anxious or angry, you tend to take quick, shallow breaths. Dehorty says this sends a message to your brain, causing a positive feedback loop reinforcing your fight-or-flight response. That's why taking long, deep calming breaths disrupts that loop and helps you calm down.
There are various breathing techniques to help you calm down. One is three-part breathing. Three-part breathing requires you to take one deep breath in and then exhale fully while paying attention to your body.
Once you get comfortable with deep breathing, you can change the ratio of inhalation and exhalation to 1:2 (you slow down your exhalation so that it's twice as long as your inhalation).
Practice these techniques while calm so you know how to do them when you're anxious.
2. Admit that you're anxious or angry
Allow yourself to say that you're anxious or angry. When you label how you're feeling and allow yourself to express it, the anxiety and anger you're experiencing may decrease.
3. Challenge your thoughts
Part of being anxious or angry is having irrational thoughts that don't necessarily make sense. These thoughts are often the "worse-case scenario." You might find yourself caught in the "what if" cycle, which can cause you to sabotage a lot of things in your life.
When you experience one of these thoughts, stop and ask yourself the following questions:
Is this likely to happen?
Is this a rational thought?
Has this ever happened to me before?
What's the worst that can happen? Can I handle
that?
After you go through the questions, it's time to reframe your thinking. Instead of "I can't walk across that bridge. What if there's an earthquake, and it falls into the water?" tell yourself: "There are people that walk across that bridge every day, and it has never fallen into the water."
4. Release the anxiety or anger
Dehorty recommends getting the emotional energy out with exercise. "Go for a walk or run. Engaging in some physical activity releases serotonin to help you calm down and feel better."
However, you should avoid physical activity that includes the expression of anger, such as punching walls or screaming.
"This has been shown to increase feelings of anger, as it reinforces the emotions because you end up feeling good as the result of being angry," Dehorty explains.
5. Visualize yourself calm
This tip requires you to practice the breathing techniques you've learned. After taking a few deep breaths, close your eyes and picture yourself calm. See your body relaxed, and imagine yourself working through a stressful or anxiety-causing situation by staying calm and focused.
By creating a mental picture of what it looks like to stay calm, you can refer back to that image when you're anxious.
6. Think it through
Have a mantra to use in critical situations. Just make sure it's one that you find helpful. Dehorty says it can be, "Will this matter to me this time next week?" or "How important is this?" or "Am I going to allow this person/situation to steal my peace?"
This allows the thinking to shift focus, and you can "reality test" the situation.
"When we're anxious or angry, we become hyper-focused on the cause, and rational thoughts leave our mind. These mantras give us an opportunity to allow rational thought to come back and lead to a better outcome," Dehorty explains.
7. Change your focus
Leave the situation, look in another direction, walk out of the room, or go outside.
Dehorty recommends this exercise so you have time for better decision making. "We don't do our best thinking when anxious or angry; we engage in survival thinking. This is fine if our life is really in danger, but if it isn't life threatening, we want our best thinking, not survival instincts," he adds.
8. Have a centering object
When you're anxious or angry, so much of your energy is being spent on irrational thoughts. When you're calm, find a "centering object" such as a small stuffed animal, a polished rock you keep in your pocket, or a locket you wear around your neck.
Tell yourself that you're going to touch this object when you're experiencing anxiety or frustration. This centers you and helps calm your thoughts. For example, if you're at work and your boss is making you anxious, gently rub the locket around your neck.
9. Relax your body
When you're anxious or angry, it can feel like every muscle in your body is tense (and they probably are). Practicing progressive muscle relaxation can help you calm down and center yourself.
To do this, lie down on the floor with your arms out by your side. Make sure your feet aren't crossed and your hands aren't in fists. Start at your toes and tell yourself to release them. Slowly move up your body, telling yourself to release each part of your body until you get to your head.
10. Drop your shoulders
If your body is tense, there's a good chance your posture will suffer. Sit up tall, take a deep breath, and drop your shoulders. To do this, you can focus on bringing your shoulder blades together and then down. This pulls your shoulders down. Take a few deep breaths.
You can do this several times a day.
11. Identify pressure points to calm anger and anxiety
Going for a massage or getting acupuncture is a wonderful way to manage anxiety and anger. But it's not always easy to find time in your day to make it happen. The good news is, you can do acupressure on yourself for instant anxiety relief.
This method involves putting pressure with your fingers or your hand at certain points of the body. The pressure releases the tension and relaxes your body.
One area to start with is the point where the inside of your wrist forms a crease with your hand. Press your thumb on this area for two minutes. This can help relieve tension.
12. Get some fresh air
The temperature and air circulation in a room can increase your anxiety or anger. If you're feeling tense and the space you're in is hot and stuffy, this could trigger a panic attack.
Remove yourself from that environment as soon as possible and go outside — even if it's just for a few minutes.
Not only will the fresh air help calm you down, but also the change of scenery can sometimes interrupt your anxious or angry thought process.
13. Fuel your body
Being hangry never helps. If you're hungry or not properly hydrated, many relaxation techniques won't work. That's why it's important to slow down and get something to eat — even if it's just a small snack.
Try nibbling on some dark chocolate. ResearchTrusted Source shows it can help boost brain health and reduce stress.
Wash it down with a cup of green tea and honey. Studies show green tea can help reduce the body's stress response. Research has found that honey can help relieve anxiety.
14. Chew gum
Chewing on a piece of gum can help reduce anxiety (and even boost mood and productivity). In fact, research shows people who chew gum regularly are typically less stressed than non-gum chewers.
15. Listen to music
The next time you feel your anxiety level cranking up, grab some headphones and tune in to your favorite music. Listening to music can have a very calming effect on your body and mind.
16. Dance it out
Get moving to your favorite tunes. Dancing has traditionally been used as a healing art. ResearchTrusted Source shows it's a great way to combat depression and anxiety and increase quality of life.
17. Watch funny videos
Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. Research has found that laughing provides therapeutic benefits and can help relieve stress and improve mood and quality of life. Do a quick internet search to find funny videos for an instant mood boost.
18. Write it down
If you're too angry or anxious to talk about it, grab a journal and write out your thoughts. Don't worry about complete sentences or punctuation — just write. Writing helps you get negative thoughts out of your head.
19. Squeeze a stress ball
When you're feeling stress come on, try interacting with a stress-relief toy. Options include:
stress ball
magnetic balls
sculpting clay
puzzles
Rubik's cube
fidget spinner
20. Try aromatherapy
Aromatherapy, or the use of essential oils, may help alleviate stress and anxiety and boost mood. Those commonly used in aromatherapy include:
bergamot
cedarwood
chamomile
geranium
ginger
lavender
lemon
tea tree
Add a few drops of essential oil to a diffuser, or mix it with a carrier oil (like coconut oil) and apply to your skin for quick relief.
21. Seek social support
Venting to a trusted friend, family member, or coworker can do wonders. Even if you don't have time for a full play-by-play phone call, a quick text exchange can help you let it all out and help you feel heard.
Bonus points if you engage with a funny friend who can help you laugh for added stress relief.
22. Spend time with a pet
Interacting with your favorite furry friend can decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower blood pressure. Quality time with a pet can also help you feel less alone and boost your overall mood.>
"....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
pages 24-25 of The Year Book of the United States Chess Federation 1944 (Chicago, 1945), which published ‘Brave Heart', Anthony Santasiere's tribute to Frank J. Marshall. Written in August 1942 for Marshall's 65th birthday, it began:
Brave Heart –
We salute you!
Knowing neither gain nor loss,
Nor fear, nor hate –;
But only this –
To fight – to fight –
And to love.
Santasiere then gushes on in a similar vein for another 40 lines or so, and we pick up the encomium for its final verse:
For this – dear Frank –
We thank you.
For this – dear Frank –
We love you!
Brave heart –
Brave heart –
We love you!
'A stitch in time saves nine'
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
"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
"To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?" — Queen Elizabeth II
"Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess."
― Siegbert Tarrasch
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ― Howard Thurman
"You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds."
The Wolf Accusing The Fox Before The Monkey
A wolf, affirming his belief
That he had suffered by a thief,
Brought up his neighbour fox –
Of whom it was by all confessed,
His character was not the best –
To fill the prisoner's box.
As judge between these vermin,
A monkey graced the ermine;
And truly other gifts of Themis
Did scarcely seem his;
For while each party plead his cause,
Appealing boldly to the laws,
And much the question vexed,
Our monkey sat perplexed.
Their words and wrath expended,
Their strife at length was ended;
When, by their malice taught,
The judge this judgment brought:
"Your characters, my friends, I long have known,
As on this trial clearly shown;
And hence I fine you both – the grounds at large
To state would little profit –
You wolf, in short, as bringing groundless charge,
You fox, as guilty of it."
Come at it right or wrong, the judge opined
No other than a villain could be fined.
"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."
— Clairee Belcher (Olivia Dukakis), Steel Magnolias
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." — Steve Martin
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
If the game is well-played, the rook's first move is usually sideways.
edtrz sayz crutly nota joek allowd to abs othrz rptdly smr sx chng al u wanto.
"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society."
— Mark Twain
French Proverb: "Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard." ― (Nothing should be left to chance.)
"There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world."
― Pierre Mac Orlan
"You can only get good at chess if you love the game." ― Bobby Fischer
"As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight." — The Revenant
Psalm 96: 1-3
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'
HUMPTY DUMPTY
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses
And all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty
Together again.
Q: What is money called in space?
A: Star bucks.
Q: Where do the stars go to get their milk?
A: The Milky Way.
Q: Why didn't the Dog Star laugh at the joke?
A: It was too Sirius.
Kibitzing
