If we say that we all learn from our own mistakes, that guy has unlimited improvement capabilities.

* Winter's article: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter...

* Brilliancies: Game Collection: brilliacies

* 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.

* Large & In Charge: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...

* 4 Miniz: zPonziani, zKieseritzky, zPhilidor, zFrankenstein-Dracula: z https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...

* A07, B23-B25: Game Collection: Sicilian Closed / Grand Prix Attack

* Ataman's Minis: Game Collection: Instructive Chess Miniatures (Ataman)

* Fabulous brilliancies: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Bearly Thinking: https://www.etsy.com/listing/972054...

* Checkmate patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns

* Alpha Glossary: https://www.chess-poster.com/englis...

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

* Black attack!
Game Collection: Modern Defence Reversed

* Chessmaster 2000 Classic Games:
Game Collection: Chessmaster '86

* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game

* C-K Examples: Game Collection: Caro Kann Lines

* Common Gambits: https://saintlouischessclub.org/blo...

* Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems

* The Donner Party of Misery: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che...

* Don't Steal: https://www.openbible.info/topics/s...

* Failing is a part of life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nja...

* Fischer Wins: Game Collection: Bobby Fischer Wins With The King's Indian Attack

* Fried Fox is awful: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c...

* French According to... Game Collection: The French According to ...

* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)

* How dumb is it? Game Collection: Diemer-Duhm Gambit

* King Registration: https://www.kingregistration.com/to...

* Make a Stand: https://www.history.com/topics/amer...

* Malaguena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxD...

* Notable Games: Game Collection: List of Notable Games (wiki)

* Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc...

* Opening Ideas/Novelties: Game Collection: Great opening ideas

* Post-Beginners Book: Game Collection: Chess training for post-beginners

* Sacs on f7/f2: Game Collection: Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sac on f7 (f2)

* Six Ways: https://takelessons.com/blog/6-tips...

* Starting Out 1d4: Game Collection: Starting Out: 1 d4!

* Sports Clichés: http://www.sportscliche.com/

* 107 battles: Game Collection: 107 Great Chess Battles: 1939-45 Alekhine

* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0

* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures

* Can you whip Taimanov's Sicilian? http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Bg2 vs Sicilian: Game Collection: Grand Prix Attack without early Bc4

* Extinguish the Dragon: Game Collection: 1.e4 explorations

* VP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncH...

* Wall's APCT Miniatures:
http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/c...

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

* Women: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/wom...

Cogito, ergo sum

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

"Unfortunately, many regard the critic as an enemy, instead of seeing him as a guide to the truth." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose." ― Bette Davis

"Chess is a matter of vanity." ― Alexander Alekhine

"As a chess player one has to be able to control one's feelings, one has to be as cold as a machine." ― Levon Aronian

"Sometimes it happens that the computer's assessment is very abstract. It's correct, but it's not useful for a practical game. You have to prove the assessment with very strong moves and if you don't find all of these strong moves you may lose very quickly. For a computer this is not a problem, but for humans it is not so easy." ― Vassily Ivanchuk

"A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit." ― John Milton

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

"A sport, a struggle for results and a fight for prizes. I think that the discussion about "chess is science or chess is art" is already inappropriate. The purpose of modern chess is to reach a result." ― Alexander Morozevich

"No one man is superior to the game." ― A. Bartlett Giamatti, in reference to Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader banned for gambling.

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." ― Alexander Pope

"I consider Mr. Morphy the finest chess player who ever existed. He is far superior to any now living, and would doubtless have beaten Labourdonnais himself. In all his games with me, he has not only played, in every instance, the exact move, but the most exact. He never makes a mistake; but, if his adversary commits the slightest error, he is lost." ― Adolf Anderssen

"After white's reply to 1.e4 e5 with 2.f4 the game is in its last throes" ― Howard Staunton

"I have added these principles to the law: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed." ― Emanuel Lasker

"With opposite coloured bishops the attacking side has in effect an extra piece in the shape of his bishop." ― Mikhail Botvinnik

"A pawn, when separated from his fellows, will seldom or never make a fortune." ― Francois-Andre Danican Philidor

"Be warned! From Satan's viewpoint you are a pawn in his game of cosmic chess." ― Adrian Rogers

"Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position." ― Anatoly Karpov

"The object of the state is always the same: to limit the individual, to tame him, to subordinate him, to subjugate him." ― Max Stirner

"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

"A Queen's sacrifice, even when fairly obvious, always rejoices the heart of the chess-lover." ― Savielly Tartakower

"Everyone makes mistakes. The wise are not people who never make mistakes, but those who forgive themselves and learn from their mistakes." ― Ajahn Brahm

"As a rule, so-called "positional" sacrifices are considered more difficult, and therefore more praise-worthy, than those which are based exclusively on an exact calculation of tactical possibilities." ― Alexander Alekhine

"It would be idle, and presumptuous, to wish to imitate the achievements of a Morphy or an Alekhine; but their methods and their manner of expressing themselves are within the reach of all." ― Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

"The most powerful weapon in chess is to have the next move." ― David Bronstein

"If the defender is forced to give up the center, then every possible attack follows almost of itself." ― Siegbert Tarrasch

"Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a defenseless and unerudite public." ― Agnes Repplier

"If you watch it, you should watch it with other players and try to find moves, like it was before. Now on many sites you watch together with the computer and the pleasure is gone." ― Boris Gelfand

"I believe that Chess possesses a magic that is also a help in advanced age. A rheumatic knee is forgotten during a game of chess and other events can seem quite unimportant in comparison with a catastrophe on the chessboard." ― Vlastimil Hort

"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

"Having spent alarmingly large chunks of my life studying the white side of the Open Sicilian, I find myself asking, why did I bother?" ― Daniel J. King

"Apart from direct mistakes, there is nothing more ruinous than routine play, the aim of which is mechanical development." ― Alexey Suetin

"Not infrequently ... the theoretical is a synonym of the stereotyped. For the 'theoretical' in chess is nothing more than that which can be found in the textbooks and to which players try to conform because they cannot think up anything better or equal, anything original." ― Mikhail Chigorin

"The choice of opening, whether to aim for quiet or risky play, depends not only on the style of a player, but also on the disposition with which he sits down at the board." ― Efim Geller

"Despite the development of chess theory, there is much that remains secret and unexplored in chess." ― Vasily Smyslov

"No matter how much theory progresses, how radically styles change, chess play is inconceivable without tactics." ― Samuel Reshevsky

"Collect as precious pearls the words of the wise and virtuous." ― Abdelkader El Djezairi

"Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence." ― Abigail Adams

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." ― Winston Churchill

"When I was preparing for one term's work in the Botvinnik school I had to spend a lot of time on king and pawn endings. So when I came to a tricky position in my own games, I knew the winning method." ― Garry Kasparov

"As a rule, pawn endings have a forced character, and they can be worked out conclusively." ― Mark Dvoretsky

"It is a gross overstatement, but in chess, it can be said I play against my opponent over the board and against myself on the clock." ― Viktor Korchnoi

"The fact that the 7 hours time control allows us to play a great deep game is not of great importance for mass-media." ― Alexei Shirov

"For me, each game is a new challenge, which has to be dealt with rationally and systematically. At that time, every other thought fades into oblivion." ― Viswanathan Anand

Ne kadar bilirsen bil, o kadar azdır.

"Any fool can know. The point is to understand." ― Albert Einstein

"One bad move nullifies forty good ones."
― Israel Albert Horowitz

"It is a well-known phenomenon that the same amateur who can conduct the middle game quite creditably, is usually perfectly helpless in the end game. One of the principal requisites of good chess is the ability to treat both the middle and end game equally well." ― Aron Nimzowitsch

"My hard work and excellent training entitled me to be a better actress than some of my competitors." ― Pola Negri

"Endings of one rook and pawns are about the most common sort of endings arising on the chess board. Yet though they do occur so often, few have mastered them thoroughly. They are often of a very difficult nature, and sometimes while apparently very simple they are in reality extremely intricate." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

"Capablanca used to talk calmly and moderately about everything. However, when our conversation turned to the problems of the battle for the world championship, in front of me was a quite different person: an enraged lion, although with the fervour typical only of a southerner, with his temperamental patter, which made it hard to follow the torrent of his indignant exclamations and words." ― Alexander Koblencs

"A player is said to have the opposition when he can place his King directly in front of the adverse King, with only one square between them. This is often an important advantage in ending games." ― Howard Staunton

"A player can sometimes afford the luxury of an inaccurate move, or even a definite error, in the opening or middlegame without necessarily obtaining a lost position. In the endgame ... an error can be decisive, and we are rarely presented with a second chance." ― Paul Keres

"Never trust a government that doesn't trust its own citizens with guns." ― Benjamin Franklin

"The Soviet Union was an exception, but even there chess players were not rich. Only Fischer changed that." ― Boris Spassky

"Chess never has been and never can be aught but a recreation. It should not be indulged in to the detriment of other and more serious avocations - should not absorb or engross the thoughts of those who worship at its shrine, but should be kept in the background, and restrained within its proper province. As a mere game, a relaxation from the severe pursuits of life, it is deserving of high commendation." ― Paul Morphy

"Incidentally, when we're faced with a "prove or disprove," we're usually better off trying first to disprove with a counterexample, for two reasons: A disproof is potentially easier (we need just one counterexample); and nitpicking arouses our creative juices. Even if the given assertion is true, our search for a counterexample often leads to a proof, as soon as we see why a counterexample is impossible. Besides, it's healthy to be skeptical." ― Ronald Graham

"Attackers may sometimes regret bad movez, but it's much worse to forever regret an opportunity you allowed to pass you by." ― Garry Kasparov

"Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of a double check." ― Aron Nimzowitzch

"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.

Proverbs 29:25
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

French Proverb: "Ce n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire la grimace." ― (There's no substitute for experience.)

"Life is like a chess game. Every decision, just like every move, has consequences. Therefore, decide wisely!" ― Susan Polgar

"When people insult and disrespect you, the best revenge is to continue to win, and win, and win…." ― Susan Polgar

"The mind has no restrictions. The only restriction is what you believe you cannot do. So go ahead and challenge yourself to do one thing every day that scares you." ― Susan Polgar

Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

* Checkmate brevities: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* Crouch's book: Game Collection: Chess Secrets - Attackers (Crouch)

Below is a Morphy acrostic by C.V. Grinfield from page 334 of the Chess Player's Chronicle, 1861: Mightiest of masters of the chequer'd board,
Of early genius high its boasted lord!
Rising in youth's bright morn to loftiest fame, Princeliest of players held with one acclaim;
Host in thyself – all-conquering in fight: – Yankees exult! – in your great champion's might.

The Dancing Bear
by James Russell Lowell

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

* Learn these and burn them! https://herculeschess.com/chess-tac...

* Tactics by a different Gary: https://chessdelights.com/chess-tac...

The Bird Wounded By An Arrow

A bird, with plumed arrow shot,
In dying case deplored her lot:
"Alas!" she cried, "the anguish of the thought!
This ruin partly by myself was brought!
Hard-hearted men! from us to borrow
What wings to us the fatal arrow!
But mock us not, you cruel race,
For you must often take our place."

The work of half the human brothers
Is making arms against the others.

<Alireza Firouzja (Persian: علی‌رضا فیروزجا, Persian pronunciation: æliːɾeˈzɑː fiːɾuːzˈdʒɑː; born 18 June 2003) is an Iranian and French chess grandmaster. Firouzja is the youngest ever 2800-rated player, beating the previous record set by Magnus Carlsen by more than five months.

A chess prodigy, Firouzja won the Iranian Chess Championship at age 12 and earned the Grandmaster title at 14. At 16, Firouzja became the second youngest 2700-rated player and won a silver medal at the 2019 World Rapid Chess Championship. In November 2021, at 18, he won the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament and an individual gold medal at the European Team Chess Championship. He won a bronze medal at the 2021 World Blitz Chess Championship. In 2022, Firouzja won the Grand Chess Tour.

Firouzja left the Iranian Chess Federation in 2019 because of the country's longstanding policy against competing with Israeli players.4 He played under the FIDE flag until mid-2021, when he became a French citizen and began representing France, where he had already been living.> — Wikipedia

Q: What do you call someone who draws funny pictures of cars? A: A car-toonist.

Q: What do you call a magician on a plane?
A: A flying sorcerer.

Q: What do you call fruit playing the guitar?
A: A jam session.

Q: What do you call the shoes that all spies wear? A: Sneakers.

Q: What do you call something you can serve, but never eat? A: A volleyball.

Q: What did the alien say to the garden?
A: Take me to your weeder.

Q: What do you call a skeleton who went out in freezing temperatures? A: A numb skull.

Q: What do you call a farm that grows bad jokes? A: Corny.

roy zev2270 toy stor haz a song pertning t2 stnky fshy wshd ashore

* Brutal Attacking Chess: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess

* Bishop's Opening Miniatures: https://www.chessonly.com/bishop-op...

* Simple tactics course using miniatures:
http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/x/FTP...

* Brilliant (and mostly famous)! Game Collection: Brilliant Miniatures

* Blackburne strikes! games annotated by Blackburne

* Checkmate Art: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* Diagrammed Checkmate Patterns:
Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns

* Morphy Miniatures:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Old P-K4 Miniatures: Game Collection: Games for Classes

* One Game Shy: Game Collection: 107 Great Chess Battles: 1939-45 Alekhine

* Oskar plays 1e4: Oskar Oglaza

* Alapins: Game Collection: Alapin

* Aggressive Gambits: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...

* C21-C22 miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Danish Gambits: Game Collection: Danish Gambit Games 1-0

* Javed's way: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...

* King's Gambit start-up: Game Collection: Batsford's MCO 14 King's Gambit

* King Bishop's Gambit: Game Collection: rajat21's kings gambit

* KG Video: Game Collection: Foxy Openings - King's Gambit

* GM Gallagher is an author:
Game Collection: 0

* Ponziani Games: Game Collection: PONZIANI OPENING

* Volo plays the KP faithfully: Volodymyr Onyshchuk

* 20 Various Italian Games: Game Collection: Italian Game

* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game

* The Italian Game, Classical: Game Collection: Giuco Piano

* Annotated Evans Gambits: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che...

* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures

* Russian Ruys: Game Collection: Chess in the USSR 1945 - 72, Part 2 (Leach)

* Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems

* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0

* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

* TIP: Click on the e8 square to see a computer engine analysis of the position.

* tacticmania - Game Collection: tacticmania

* Sports Clichés: http://www.sportscliche.com/

* Sacs on f7/f2: Game Collection: Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sac on f7 (f2)

* Sicilian Face Plants:
Game Collection: sicilian defense(opening traps)

* Hans On French: Game Collection: French Defense

* Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc...

* Chess Records: https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/record...

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

"One of the supreme paradoxes of baseball, and all sports, is that the harder you try to throw a pitch or hit a ball or accomplish something, the smaller your chances are for success. You get the best results not when you apply superhuman effort but when you let the game flow organically and allow yourself to be fully present. You'll often hear scouts say of a great prospect, "The game comes slow to him." It means the prospect is skilled and poised enough to let the game unfold in its own time, paying no attention to the angst or urgency or doubt, funneling all awareness to the athletic task at hand." — R.A. Dickey

chess writer and poet Henry Thomas Bland.

Another example of his way with words is the start of ‘Internal Fires', a poem published on page 57 of the March 1930 American Chess Bulletin:

I used to play chess with the dearest old chap,
Whom naught could upset whatever might hap.
He'd oft lose a game he might well have won
But made no excuse for what he had done.
If a piece he o'erlooked and got it snapped up He took it quite calmly and ne'er ‘cut up rough'.

The Two Bulls and the Frog

Two bulls engaged in shocking battle,
Both for a certain heifer's sake,
And lordship over certain cattle,
A frog began to groan and quake.
"But what is this to you?"
Inquired another of the croaking crew.
"Why, sister, don't you see,
The end of this will be,
That one of these big brutes will yield,
And then be exiled from the field?
No more permitted on the grass to feed,
He'll forage through our marsh, on rush and reed; And while he eats or chews the cud,
Will trample on us in the mud.
Alas! to think how frogs must suffer
By means of this proud lady heifer!"
This fear was not without good sense.
One bull was beat, and much to their expense;
For, quick retreating to their reedy bower,
He trod on twenty of them in an hour.

Of little folks it often has been the fate
To suffer for the follies of the great.

"Chess can be described as the movement of pieces eating one another." — Marcel Duchamp

"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

"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

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." — Ernest Hemingway

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

"In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate." ― Isaac Asimov

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." ― Albert Einstein

"When in doubt, don't." ― Benjamin Franklin

A Fallen Leaf
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A trusting little leaf of green,
A bold audacious frost;
A rendezvous, a kiss or two,
And youth for ever lost.
Ah, me!
The bitter, bitter cost.

A flaunting patch of vivid red,
That quivers in the sun;
A windy gust, a grave of dust,
The little race is run.
Ah, me!
Were that the only one.

Of the eight planets in the Solar System, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were observed by Babylonian astronomers as early as the 2nd millennium BC. The Greek Aristarchus of Samos (310–230 bc) also correctly observed the position of Earth in relation to the planets – known as the heliocentric model.

<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.>

The Swarm
by Sylvia Plath

Somebody is shooting at something in our town -- A dull pom, pom in the Sunday street.

Jealousy can open the blood,
It can make black roses.

Who are the shooting at?

It is you the knives are out for
At Waterloo, Waterloo, Napoleon,
The hump of Elba on your short back,
And the snow, marshaling its brilliant cutlery
Mass after mass, saying Shh!

Shh! These are chess people you play with,
Still figures of ivory.

The mud squirms with throats,
Stepping stones for French bootsoles.

The gilt and pink domes of Russia melt and float off

In the furnace of greed.
Clouds, clouds.

So the swarm balls and deserts
Seventy feet up, in a black pine tree.

It must be shot down.
Pom! Pom!
So dumb it thinks bullets are thunder.

It thinks they are the voice of God
Condoning the beak, the claw, the grin of the dog Yellow-haunched, a pack-dog,
Grinning over its bone of ivory
Like the pack, the pack, like everybody.

The bees have got so far.
Seventy feet high!
Russia, Poland and Germany!
The mild hills, the same old magenta
Fields shrunk to a penny
Spun into a river, the river crossed.

The bees argue, in their black ball,
A flying hedgehog, all prickles.

The man with gray hands stands under the honeycomb Of their dream, the hived station
Where trains, faithful to their steel arcs,

Leave and arrive, and there is no end to the country.

Pom! Pom! They fall
Dismembered, to a tod of ivy.

So much for the charioteers, the outriders, the Grand Army! A red tatter, Napoleon!

The last badge of victory.

The swarm is knocked into a cocked straw hat.

Elba, Elba, bleb on the sea!
The white busts of marshals, admirals, generals
Worming themselves into niches.

How instructive this is!
The dumb, banded bodies
Walking the plank draped with Mother France's upholstery Into a new mausoleum,
An ivory palace, a crotch pine.

The man with gray hands smiles --
The smile of a man of business, intensely practical.

They are not hands at all
But asbestos receptacles.

Pom! Pom! 'They would have killed me.
'

Stings big as drawing pins!
It seems bees have a notion of honor,
A black intractable mind.

Napoleon is pleased, he is pleased with everything.

O Europe! O ton of honey!

Riddle Question: If you drop a yellow hat in the Red Sea, what does it become?

The Persian epic Explanation of Chatrang and the Invention of Nard tells the story of chess being introduced to the royal court by an envoy from India.

Riddle Answer: Wet, duh!

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.

In 2016, the iconic sparkly dress that Marilyn Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his birthday sold for a staggering $4.8 million at auction. This remains the world record for the most expensive article of clothing ever sold, beating out the record previously held by… another one of Monroe's dresses, her costume from The Seven Year Itch.

The Wolf Turned Shepherd

A wolf, whose gettings from the flocks
Began to be but few,
Bethought himself to play the fox
In character quite new.
A shepherd's hat and coat he took,
A cudgel for a crook,
Nor even the pipe forgot:
And more to seem what he was not,
Himself on his hat he wrote,
"I'm Willie, shepherd of these sheep."
His person thus complete,
His crook in upraised feet,
The impostor Willie stole on the keep.
The real Willie, on the grass asleep,
Slept there, indeed, profoundly,
His dog and pipe slept, also soundly;
His drowsy sheep around lay.
As for the greatest number,
Much blessed the hypocrite their slumber,
And hoped to drive away the flock,
Could he the shepherd's voice but mock.
He thought undoubtedly he could.
He tried: the tone in which he spoke,
Loud echoing from the wood,
The plot and slumber broke;
Sheep, dog, and man awoke.
The wolf, in sorry plight,
In hampering coat bedight,
Could neither run nor fight.

There's always leakage of deceit
Which makes it never safe to cheat.
Whoever is a wolf had better
Keep clear of hypocritic fetter.

Is Queen + Knight really stronger than Queen + Bishop? The Queen + Knight does not seem to be an advantage of itself. In order to be considered advantageous, there must always be a second element influencing the position. The most common factors are weakness of the opposing king, passed pawns, and weak squares that can be accessed.

Mr. H. H. Strand wrote: "There is no true answer to this, but here are some general observations that are commonly agreed upon by strong players:

Bishops are stronger in open positions with few pawns on the board, especially if you have the bishop pair and especially in endgames.

Knights are stronger in closed positions, where the pawns are locked against each other.

Having the bishop pair against a knight and a bishop is usually a slight advantage in middle games. Against the knight pair it is less clear.

A knight that can be anchored in the center of the board (protected by a pawn) is often stronger than a bishop.

A knight anchored in an advanced position in the enemy camp (typically on squares like e6, d6, d3 or e3) is often very strong, even as strong as a rook.

A bishop is usually stronger than a knight in an open endgame, especially if the side with the bishop has a passed wing pawn.

A knight is often stronger than a bishop in endgames with static pawn structures. This theme is called "good knight versus bad bishop."

Knights on the edge of the board, or even worse, a corner, can be quite weak. "A knight on the rim is dim."

Bishops on long diagonals are often very strong, especially on an open diagonal.

The value of knights go up in blitz games or in time trouble, as their movements are harder to calculate and predict.

Rooks cooperate better with a bishop than a knight.

Queens cooperate better with a knight than a bishop."

Such hypothetical conceptions are difficult to answer. Chess requires analysis of a specific position to determine who is better. There are simply too many variables to generalize with any degree of accuracy. Thus, the value of the pieces can change during a game.

Underface
By Shel Silverstein

Underneath my outside face
There's a face that none can see.
A little less smiley,
A little less sure,
But a whole lot more like me

"Once there is the slightest suggestion of combinational possibilities on the board, look for unusual moves. Apart from making your play creative and interesting it will help you to get better results." ― Alexander Kotov

Let's pause so free pie thief can look up who Alexander Kotov is. free pie thief will research it and be an expert on Kotov tomorrow. Will we get another lecture on Philidor's Gate?

A penguin achieved knighthood.
In 2008, a penguin living in the Edinburgh Zoo was knighted. The penguin is the mascot of the King of Norway's Guard, making it a special figure for the country's military—and the knighting of this particular one, named Nils Olav III, was an opportunity to celebrate the relations between Norway and Scotland. The knighting went over so well that in 2016, he was promoted to Brigadier.

<The Man In The Glass
Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.

When you get what you want in your struggle for self And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life Is the one staring back from the glass.

He's the fellow to please – never mind all the rest For he's with you, clear to the end
And you've passed your most difficult, dangerous test If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears If you've cheated the man in the glass.

This poem was first published in 1934 and is still very popular today.>

"Zeitnot" is German for "time pressure."

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

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

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

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

The Head and the Tail of the Serpent

Two parts the serpent has –
Of men the enemies –
The head and tail: the same
Have won a mighty fame,
Next to the cruel Fates; –
So that, indeed, hence
They once had great debates
About precedence.
The first had always gone ahead;
The tail had been for ever led;
And now to Heaven it prayed,
And said,
"O, many and many a league,
Dragged on in sore fatigue,
Behind his back I go.
Shall he for ever use me so?
Am I his humble servant;
No. Thanks to God most fervent!
His brother I was born,
And not his slave forlorn.
The self-same blood in both,
I'm just as good as he:
A poison dwells in me
As virulent as does
In him. In mercy, heed,
And grant me this decree,
That I, in turn, may lead –
My brother, follow me.
My course shall be so wise,
That no complaint shall rise."

With cruel kindness Heaven granted
The very thing he blindly wanted:
To such desires of beasts and men,
Though often deaf, it was not then.
At once this novel guide,
That saw no more in broad daylight
Than in the murk of darkest night,
His powers of leading tried,
Struck trees, and men, and stones, and bricks,
And led his brother straight to Styx.
And to the same unlovely home,
Some states by such an error come.

"To sense this world of waters known to the creatures of the sea we must shed our human perceptions of length and breadth and time and place, and enter vicariously into a universe of all-pervading water." (From 1937) — Rachel L. Carson

"No one has ever won a game of chess by taking only forward moves (What about Scholar's Mate?). Sometimes you have to move backwards in order to be able to take better steps forward. That is life." — Anonymous

Drive sober or get pulled over.

"For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable." — Assiac

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." ― Thomas Jefferson, chess player

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." ― Mahatma Gandhi

* 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: "Every sandpiper praises its own swamp. (Всяк кулик свое болото хвалит.)" People tend to have high opinion about the place where they live.

"You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose." ― Indira Gandhi

Don't Let Your Past Determine Your Future

><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 petz
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.><

The Chess Poem by Ayaan Chettiar

8 by 8 makes 64
In the game of chess, the king shall rule
Kings and queens, and rooks and knights
Bishops and Pawns, and the use of mind

The Game goes on, the players think
Plans come together, form a link
Attacks, checks and capture
Until, of course, we reach a mate

The Pawns march forward, then the knights
Power the bishops, forward with might
Rooks come together in a line
The Game of Chess is really divine

The Rooks move straight, then take a turn
The Knights on fire, make no return
Criss-Cross, Criss-Cross, go the bishops
The Queen's the leader of the group

The King resides in the castle
While all the pawns fight with power
Heavy blows for every side
Until the crown, it is destroyed

The Brain's the head, The Brain's the King,
The Greatest one will always win,
For in the game of chess, the king shall rule,
8 by 8 makes 64!

Nuclear power provides nearly half of America's clean energy Nuclear energy provided 47% of America's carbon-free electricity in 2022, making it the largest domestic source of clean energy.

Nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases while generating electricity.

They produce power by boiling water to create steam that spins a turbine. The water is heated by a process called fission, which makes heat by splitting apart uranium atoms inside a nuclear reactor core.

Nothing Gold Can Stay
By Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

The total number of children fathered by Genghis Khan is unknown, but estimates range from several hundred to over a thousand. DNA evidence has suggested that one in every 200 people in the world today is a descendant of Genghis Khan. That's around 16 million people.

The Wolf, the Goat, and the Kid

As went the goat her pendent dugs to fill,
And browse the herbage of a distant hill,
She latched her door, and bid,
With matron care, her kid; –
"My daughter, as you live,
This portal don't undo
To any creature who
This watchword does not give:
"Deuce take the wolf and all his race!""
The wolf was passing near the place
By chance, and heard the words with pleasure,
And laid them up as useful treasure;
And hardly need we mention,
Escaped the goat's attention.
No sooner did he see
The matron off, than he,
With hypocritic tone and face,
Cried out before the place,
"Deuce take the wolf and all his race!"
Not doubting thus to gain admission.
The kid, not void of all suspicion,
Peered through a crack, and cried,
"Show me white paw before
You ask me to undo the door."
The wolf could not, if he had died,
For wolves have no connexion
With paws of that complexion.
So, much surprised, our gormandiser
Retired to fast till he was wiser.
How would the kid have been undone
Had she but trusted to the word
The wolf by chance had overheard!
Two sureties better are than one;
And caution's worth its cost,
Though sometimes seeming lost.

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

* Checkmate Puzzles: https://www.serverchess.com/mateinN...

"There just isn't enough televised chess." — David Letterman

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

"Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess." — Siegbert Tarrasch

Z is for Zaccheus

Zaccheus was a wee little man,
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.

And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, "Zaccheus, you come down!
For I'm going to your house today!
For I'm going to your house today!"

Zaccheus was a wee little man,
But a happy man was he.
For he had seen the Lord that day,
And a happy man was he.
And a very happy man was he!

Zirconium Zr 40 91.22 1.4

Kuch bhi ho jaaye, par yaad aane wale ko kabhi mat bhoolna