* Tactical Motifs, Checkmate Patterns: https://chesstempo.com/tactical-mot...

Hacked!

"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow." — Ancient Chinese Proverb

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

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

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

"Pawns are the soul of the game." ― François-André Danican Philidor

"The king pawn and the queen pawn are the only ones to be moved in the early part of the game." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"A gambit never becomes sheer routine as long as you fear you may lose the king and pawn ending!" ― Bent Larsen

"Modern chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structure. Forget it, checkmate ends the game." ― Nigel Short

"Touch the pawns before your king with only infinite delicacy." ― Anthony Santasiere

"The passed pawn is a criminal, who should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient." ― Aron Nimzowitsch

"Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf." ― Cecil Purdy

"In the ending the king is a powerful piece for assisting his own pawns, or stopping the adverse pawns." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"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 the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame." ― José Raúl Capablanca

"Let a man play chess, and tell him that every pawn is his friend; Let him think both bishops are holy. Let him remember happy days in the shadows of his castles. Let him love his queen. Watch him love his queen." ― Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorn)

"Maxim 3:
An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks everybody. -The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries" ― Howard Tayler

"God created every man to be free. The ability to choose whether to live free or enslaved, right or wrong, happy or in fear is something called freewill. Every man was born with freewill. Some people use it, and some people use any excuse not to. Nobody can turn you into a slave unless you allow them. Nobody can make you afraid of anything, unless you allow them. Nobody can tell you to do something wrong, unless you allow them. God never created you to be a slave, man did. God never created division or set up any borders between brothers, man did. God never told you hurt or kill another, man did. And in the end, when God asks you: "Who told you to kill one of my children?"

And you tell him, "My leader."

He will then ask you, "And are THEY your GOD?" ― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

"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.

"Capablanca didn't make separate moves - he was creating a chess picture. Nobody could compare with him in this." ― Mikhail Botvinnik

"Whether this advantage is theoretically sufficient to win or not does not worry Capablanca. He simply wins the ending. That is why he is Capablanca!" ― Max Euwe

"He (Capablanca) makes the game look easy. Art lies in the concealment of art." ― Philip W. Sergeant

"It's entirely possible that Capa could not imagine that there could be a better move than one he thought was good and he was usually right." ― Mike Franett

"Capablanca's games generally take the following course: he begins with a series of extremely fine prophylactic maneuvers, which neutralize his opponent's attempts to complicate the game; he then proceeds, slowly but surely, to set up an attacking position. This attacking position, after a series of simplifications, is transformed into a favorable endgame, which he conducts with matchless technique." ― Aaron Nimzowitsch

"What others could not see in a month's study, he (Capablanca) saw at a glance." ― Reuben Fine

"Capablanca invariably chose the right option, no matter how intricate the position." ― Garry Kasparov.

"He (Capablanca) had the totally undeserved reputation of being the greatest living endgame player. His trick was to keep his openings simple and then play with such brilliance that it was decided in the middle game before reaching the ending - even though his opponent didn't always know it. His almost complete lack of book knowledge forced him to push harder to squeeze the utmost out of every position." ― Bobby Fischer

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

"Win with grace, lose with dignity!" ― Susan Polgar

"What does it take to be a champion? Desire, dedication, determination, personal and professional discipline, focus, concentration, strong nerves, the will to win, and yes, talent!" ― Susan Polgar

"No matter how successful you are (or will be), never ever forget the people who helped you along the way, and pay it forward! Don't become arrogant and conceited just because you gained a few rating points or made a few bucks. Stay humble and be nice, especially to your fans!" ― Susan Polgar

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." ― Walt Disney

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

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

* A11s: Game Collection: A11 (White Wins): English Opening

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

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

* Analyze: Game Collection: Läufer gegen Springer (Varnusz)

* Briefly for White: Game Collection: Repertoire for White

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

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

* Bowman's Beginner's Guide:
http://chess.jliptrap.us/BowmanBegi... Not perfect but dedicated, passionate.

* Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R

* Chess in old newspapers: https://www.schach-chess.com/chess-...

* Caviar: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Cambridge Springs: Game Collection: CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS VARIATION

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

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

* Chess Links: http://www.chessdryad.com/links/ind...

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

* Dvoretsky: Game Collection: For Friends and Colleagues 1 (Dvoretsky)

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

* Forney's Collection: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess

* Garry gets 'em quick: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Glossary W: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess

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

* GK Sic: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

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

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

* Internet tracking: https://www.studysmarter.us/magazin...

* Karpov's book: Game Collection: Karpov Right Plan

* Lasker's Defense: Game Collection: Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit

* Logical: Game Collection: Logical Chess: Move By Move

* Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES

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

* S-S Meran: Game Collection: SEMI-SLAV MERAN

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

* MC Move-by-Move: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala)

* The Manhattan Defense: Opening Explorer

* Minority Attacks: Game Collection: Minority attack

Game Collection: Anti-minority attack capturing with the Knight.

* Names and Places: Game Collection: Named Mates

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

* Opening Ideas: Game Collection: Greatest Opening Ideas (Scheerer)

* Pawn Structures: Game Collection: Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide

* Pawn themes: Game Collection: Aurora

* Philidor's Legacy: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/I2Xm...

* Interesting QP games:
Game Collection: Queen's Pawn

* QG exchange: Game Collection: Queen's Gambit Exchange

* QG register: Game Collection: Gerareis' repertoire for white

* Rip 'em to shreds! https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m...

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

* Secrets of Combination: Game Collection: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters Volume II

* Semi-Tarrasch: Game Collection: Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch Defence

* Smyslov's Best: Game Collection: Smyslov's Best Games of chess 1935-1957

* Spassky had a universal style: Game Collection: Spassky's Best Games (Cafferty)

* Shirov miniatures: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures

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

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

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

* Tarrasch playing his Tarrasch Defense!
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Unusual Ng5 and Bf7: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PMRB...

* Random Zs: Game Collection: ZHVNE

* 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

Sleeper straddle "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." ― Samuel Beckett

Georgia: Savannah
Established in: 1733

General James Oglethorpe and 120 passengers traveling on a ship named "Anne" docked along the Savannah River in 1733, and the city of Savannah was born. It became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia. Oglethorpe named the colony "Georgia" after England's King George II. It was the 13th and final American colony.

* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...

* Chess Timeline: https://wegochess.com/an-easy-to-re...

* Three Simple Chess Tips: https://www.premierchesscoaching.co...

* '77 classics: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DdYL...

Picture History of Chess
by Fred Wilson

This classic photo-history offers up hundreds of photos of all the great players along with many outstanding adversaries who helped fashion the immortals. Excellent captions throughout. Hours of fascinating reading and a book I return to again and again. Many of these photos are quite old and hard to find, but collected here under one cover, in an oversized (10x12") format, printed on high-quality glossy paper.

Publisher‏: ‎ Dover Pubns; First Edition (January 1, 1981) Language: ‎ English
Paperback: ‎ 182 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 0486238563
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0486238562
Item Weight: ‎ 1.23 pounds
Dimensions: ‎ 8.75 x 0.5 x 11.5 inches

Eilfan ywmodryb dda
Meaning: A good aunt is a second mother

Sonnet 116: 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds...' by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

An Irish Blessing:

May we all feel…
happy and contented,
healthy and strong,
safe and protected
and living with ease…

~

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

"Tactics is knowing what to do when there's something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there's nothing what to do." ― Savielly Tartakower

"A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

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

"Chess, it's the struggle against error." ― Johannes Zukertort

The Bear and the Amateur Gardener

A certain mountain bear, unlicked and rude,
By fate confined within a lonely wood,
A new Bellerophon, whose life,
Knew neither comrade, friend, nor wife, –
Became insane; for reason, as we term it,
Dwells never long with any hermit.
It's good to mix in good society,
Obeying rules of due propriety;
And better yet to be alone;
But both are ills when overdone.
No animal had business where
All grimly dwelt our hermit bear;
Hence, bearish as he was, he grew
Heart-sick, and longed for something new.
While he to sadness was addicted,
An aged man, not far from there,
Was by the same disease afflicted.
A garden was his favourite care, –
Sweet Flora's priesthood, light and fair,
And eke Pomona's – ripe and red
The presents that her fingers shed.
These two employments, true, are sweet
When made so by some friend discreet.
The gardens, gaily as they look,
Talk not, (except in this my book;)
So, tiring of the deaf and dumb,
Our man one morning left his home
Some company to seek,
That had the power to speak. –
The bear, with thoughts the same,
Down from his mountain came;
And in a solitary place,
They met each other, face to face.
It would have made the boldest tremble;
What did our man? To play the Gascon
The safest seemed. He put the mask on,
His fear contriving to dissemble.
The bear, unused to compliment,
Growled bluntly, but with good intent,
"Come home with me." The man replied:
"Sir Bear, my lodgings, nearer by,
In yonder garden you may spy,
Where, if you'll honour me the while,
We'll break our fast in rural style.
I have fruits and milk, – unworthy fare,
It may be, for a wealthy bear;
But then I offer what I have."
The bear accepts, with visage grave,
But not unpleased; and on their way,
They grow familiar, friendly, gay.
Arrived, you see them, side by side,
As if their friendship had been tried.
To a companion so absurd,
Blank solitude were well preferred,
Yet, as the bear scarce spoke a word,
The man was left quite at his leisure
To trim his garden at his pleasure.
Sir Bruin hunted – always brought
His friend whatever game he caught;
But chiefly aimed at driving flies –
Those hold and shameless parasites,
That vex us with their ceaseless bites –
From off our gardener's face and eyes.
One day, while, stretched on the ground
The old man lay, in sleep profound,
A fly that buzz'd around his nose, –
And bit it sometimes, I suppose, –
Put Bruin sadly to his trumps.
At last, determined, up he jumps;
"I'll stop your noisy buzzing now,"
Says he; "I know precisely how."
No sooner said than done.
He seized a paving-stone;
And by his modus operandi
Did both the fly and man die.

A foolish friend may cause more woe
Than could, indeed, the wisest foe.

Never judge a book by its cover.

Blindfold chess record holder Georges Koltanowski was a warm, friendly man with anecdotes and a folksy maxim. "Pawns are like buttons," he liked to say. "Lose too many and your pants fall down."

Georges Koltanowski, chess player, Belgium champion, blindfold world record holder, U.S. Open tournament director, USCF president, author, prolific newspaper columnist, coach, guest lecturer and showman, born September 17, 1903 in Antwerp, Belgium; died February 5, 2000 in San Francisco, California, USA. Koltanowski, the "Dean of American chess" died at age 96 due to heart failure. "Kolti" as he was often called, was one of three founder members inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame, with Paul Morphy, the first great US champion, and the preeminent Bobby Fischer.

‘May your Departures equal your Landfalls!'

The Ass And His Masters

A gardener's ass complained to Destiny
Of being made to rise before the dawn.
"The cocks their matins have not sung," said he, vere I am up and gone.
And all for what? To market herbs, it seems.
Fine cause, indeed, to interrupt my dreams!"
Fate, moved by such a prayer,
Sent him a currier's load to bear,
Whose hides so heavy and ill-scented were,
They almost choked the foolish beast.
"I wish me with my former lord," he said;
"For then, whenever he turned his head,
If on the watch, I caught
A cabbage-leaf, which cost me nothing.
But, in this horrid place, I find
No chance or windfall of the kind:
Or if, indeed, I do,
The cruel blows I rue."
Anon it came to pass
He was a collier's ass.
Still more complaint. "What now?" said Fate,
Quite out of patience.
"If on this jackass I must wait,
What will become of kings and nations?
Has none but he anything here to tease him?
Have I no business but to please him?"
And Fate had cause; – for all are so.
Unsatisfied while here below
Our present lot is aye the worst.
Our foolish prayers the skies infest.
Were Jove to grant all we request,
The din renewed, his head would burst.

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

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

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

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

Luck never gives; it only lends. ~ Scottish Proverb

Question: On which planet is a year longer than a day? Answer: Venus has the longest day of any planet in our solar system. Venus is unusual because it spins the opposite direction of Earth and most other planets and it's extremely slow. It takes about 243 Earth days to spin around just once. Because it's so close to the sun, a year goes by fast. Therefore, a day on Venus is nearly 20 Earth days longer than its year.

Gelotophobia is the fear of laughter. Those who suffer from gelotophobia respond to all laughter as if it is at their expense. Up to 13% of the population could be afraid of laughter. Fredthebear doubts this; decide for yourself.

Question: Which girl's name is also the name given to a female donkey? Answer: Jenny

Here's a poem a dad wrote:

<ODE TO CHESS

Ten times I charged the grim, foreboding walls

and was pitched into the pit of defeat.

But, heedless of humiliating falls,

I clambered bravely back onto my feet

and charged again, again to be down thrust

onto the scrap heap of people who lose

onto the mound of mortifying dust

whilst my opponent sat without a bruise

upon his pedestal. We changed sides

and fought again, but I was defeated

whilst he with arrogant and haughty strides

took the throne upon which I had been seated.

Ha! Win or lose, it's how you play the game.

But I would like to beat him just the same.>

"The Seven Social Sins are:

Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.

From a sermon given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson in Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925." ― Frederick Lewis Donaldson

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

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

'Don't throw good money after bad'

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

High Flight
BY JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE JR.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air ....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark nor ever eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

"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

Easter, 1916 by William Butler Yeats

I have met them at close of day
Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey
Eighteenth-century houses.
I have passed with a nod of the head
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words,
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

That woman's days were spent
In ignorant good-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill.
What voice more sweet than hers
When, young and beautiful,
She rode to harriers?
This man had kept a school
And rode our winged horse;
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force;
He might have won fame in the end,
So sensitive his nature seemed,
So daring and sweet his thought.
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vainglorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart,
Yet I number him in the song;
He, too, has resigned his part
In the casual comedy;
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream.
The horse that comes from the road.
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
A shadow of cloud on the stream
Changes minute by minute;
A horse-hoof slides on the brim,
And a horse plashes within it;
The long-legged moor-hens dive,
And hens to moor-cocks call;
Minute by minute they live:
The stone's in the midst of all.

Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven's part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse -
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

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.

"The great thing about chess is it's a game for oneself. You don't work on what you can't control, you just work on yourself. And I think if more people did that, we'd all be a lot better off." — Daniel Naroditsky

<Writing from his experience of the devastation of World War I, Edwardian poet Alfred Noyes' well-known "On the Western Front" speaks from the perspective of soldiers buried in graves marked by simple crosses, asking that their deaths not be in vain. Praise of the dead was not what the dead needed, but peace made by the living. An excerpt:

We, who lie here, have nothing more to pray.
To all your praises we are deaf and blind.
We may not ever know if you betray
Our hope, to make earth better for mankind.>

"Rooks need each other in the middlegame. This is why one should keep their rooks connected until the opposing queen is off the board. She'll snare 'em (usually from a centralized square on an open diagonal or perhaps a poisoned pawn approach of the unprotected b2/b7 and g2/g7 square next to the occupied corner) if the two rooks aren't protecting each other." ― Fredthebear

"In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted; if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end." ― Tom Seaver

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name! ― Fort Minor

Deuteronomy 6:6-9: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Isaiah 66:24
24 "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'

<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'.>

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

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

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

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

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

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Furman Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.O-O a6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- General
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Gunsberg Defense, Prianishenmo Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 Nf6 5.Nf3 e6 6.e4 exd5 7.e5 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Janowski-Larsen Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Linares Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 c5 4.d5 Nf6 5.Nc3 b5 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Mannheim Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qa4+ *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Normal Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Normal Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Normal Variation, Traditional System
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Old Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Rosenthal Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 e6 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Showalter Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Smyslov Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 *

Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Winawer Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Be6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Anti-Tartakower Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bxf6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Anti-Tartakower Variation, Petrosian Variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Rc1 c6 9.Bd3 Nd7 10.O-O dxc4 11.Bxc4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Barmen Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nbd7 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Cambridge Springs Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Capablanca - General
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Capablanca Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nbd2 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Charousek (Petrosian) Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Exchange Variation, Positional Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Exchange Variation, Positional Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Exchange Variation, Saemisch Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Bf4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- General
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack 2
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bf4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 b6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack,New Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3 Qa5 10.O-O-O *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack,Old Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3 Qa5 10.Rd1 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack, Orthodox Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack, Two Knights Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Harrwitz Attack Two Knights Defense, Blockade Line 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Hastings Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Nc3 c6 7.Qb3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Janowski Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Lasker Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Lasker Defense, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.cxd5 Nxc3 10.bxc3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Lasker Defense, Teichmann Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Qc2 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Manhattan Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 Bb4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Miles Variation, Dzhindzhi Attack
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Qc2 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Modern Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Modern Variation, Normal Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Modern, Knight Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Modern, Knight Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Modern, Knight Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Neo-Orthodox Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Rc1 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Neo-Orthodox Variation, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Normal Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Alekhine Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Ne4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Botvinnik Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Bd3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.O-O Nxc3 12.Rxc3 e5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.O-O Nxc3 12.Rxc3 e5 13.Qc2 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation2
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.O-O Nxc3 12.Rxc3 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Fianchetto Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, General
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Hennegerger Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 a6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Main Line2
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.O-O *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Pillsbury Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Orthodox Defense Rubinstein Variation, Flohr
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 c5 8.cxd5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5 5.cxd5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Queen's Knight Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Ragozin Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bb4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Ragozin Defense, Vienna Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bg5 dxc4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Semi-Tarrasch Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bd3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.Bg5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch Bishop Attack 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Tartakower Defense, General
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Tartakower Defense, Makogonov Exchange Variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Tartakower Variation, Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Three Knights Variation, General
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Traditional Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Vienna Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Vienna Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4+ *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e3 *

Queen's Gambit Declined
- Westphalian Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 Bb4 6.Nf3 c5 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Albin Countergambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation Be6 Line 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3 Be6 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3 Bg4 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Albin Countergambit, Modern Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Albin Countergambit, Normal Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Baltic Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Baltic Defense, Argentinian Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.cxd5 Bxb1 4.Qa4+ c6 5.dxc6 Nxc6 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Chigorin
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Nc6 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Slav
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense, Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd5 Qxd5 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense,Costa's Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.Bxc3 exd4 8.Ne2 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense, Janowski Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.Nf3 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense, Lazard Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e5 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense, Main Line
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense, Modern Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- Chigorin Defense, Tartakower Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 *

Queen's Gambit Refused
- <Marshall Defense> 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 *

* C89 Spanish Game: <Marshall Attack>. Steiner Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbY...

'A stitch in time saves nine'

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

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

FACTRETRIEVER: Even though dragonflies have six legs, they cannot walk.

"You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds."

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." — J.M. Barrie (1860 - 1937)

A man who spent his life delighting the masses with his words, perfectly understood that you reap what you sow, and that when we make other people happy, we often find happiness ourselves.

<Seeing For A Moment
by Denise Levertov (1923-1997)

I thought I was growing wings—
it was a cocoon.

I thought, now is the time to step
into the fire—
it was deep water.

Eschatology is a word I learned
as a child: the study of Last Things;

facing my mirror—no longer young,
the news—always of death,
the dogs—rising from sleep and clamoring
and howling, howling,

nevertheless
I see for a moment
that's not it: it is
the First Things.

Word after word
floats through the glass.
Towards me.>

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

"There are only three events in a man's life; birth, life, and death; he is not conscious of being born, he dies in pain and he forgets to live." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"That we seldom repent of talking too little and very often of talking too much is a … maxim that everybody knows and nobody practices" ― Jean de La Bruyère

"When a book raises your spirit and inspires you with noble and manly thoughts, seek for no other test of its excellence. It is good and made by a good workman." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." ― Will Rogers

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." ― Will Rogers

"Lord, let me live until I die." ― Will Rogers

"I like to hear a man talk about himself because then I never hear anything, but good." ― Will Rogers

"God has a plan for all of us, but He expects us to do our share of the work." ― Minnie Pearl

"Take the back roads instead of the highways." ― Minnie Pearl

"That's what life is all about: remembering someone and smiling!" ― Minnie Pearl

Bric-A-Brac
by Dorothy Parker 1893-1967

Little things that no one needs —
Little things to joke about —
Little landscapes, done in beads.
Little morals, woven out,
Little wreaths of gilded grass,
Little brigs of whittled oak
Bottled painfully in glass;
These are made by lonely folk.

Lonely folk have lines of days
Long and faltering and thin;
Therefore — little wax bouquets,
Prayers cut upon a pin,
Little maps of pinkish lands,
Little charts of curly seas,
Little plats of linen strands,
Little verses, such as these.

"A broke man is not a man without a nickel, but a man without a dream." ― Jesse Duplantis

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

"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

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?

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.

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.

You can't make bricks without straw

You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

You can't take it with you when you die

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

You can't judge a book by its cover

You can't win them all

You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar

You pays your money and you takes your choice

You reap what you sow

You win some, you lose some

Youth is wasted on the young

Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.

"A God you understood would be less than yourself." ― Flannery O'Connor

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

* Red States: https://www.redhotpawn.com/

Captain Stratton's Fancy
edited by John Masefield (1878-1967)

Oh some are fond of red wine, and some are fond of white, And some are all for dancing by the pale moonlight: But rum alone's the tipple, and the heart's delight Of the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are fond of Spanish wine, and some are fond of French, And some'll swallow tay and stuff fit only for a wench; But I'm for right Jamaica till I roll beneath the bench, Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are for the lily, and some are for the rose, But I am for the sugar-cane that in Jamaica grows; For it's that that makes the bonny drink to warm my copper nose, Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are fond of fiddles, and a song well sung, And some are all for music for to lilt upon the tongue; But mouths were made for tankards, and for sucking at the bung, Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are fond of dancing, and some are fond of dice, And some are all for red lips, and pretty lasses' eyes; But a right Jamaica puncheon is a finer prize
To the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some that's good and godly ones they hold that it's a sin To troll the jolly bowl around, and let the dollars spin; But I'm for toleration and for drinking at an inn, Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are sad and wretched folk that go in silken suits, And there's a mort of wicked rogues that live in good reputes; So I'm for drinking honestly, and dying in my boots, Like an old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

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

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

"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim." ― Nora Ephr

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

"A wise man never knows all; only a fool knows everything." — African Proverb

^Dudz

אכול ושתו כי מחר נמות – Eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die. This Hebrew proverb is similar to the English version ‘life is short'.

It is often used to suggest that you should make the most of your life as you never know when you will die.

"Many people perceive the merit of a manuscript which is read to them, but will not declare themselves in its favor until they see what success it has in the world when printed, or what intelligent men will say about it. They do not like to risk their opinion, and they want to be carried away by the crowd and dragged along by the multitude. Then they say that they were amongst the first who approved of that work, and the general public shares their opinion. Such men lose the best opportunities of convincing us that they are intelligent, clever, and first-rate critics, and can really discover what is good and what is better. A fine work falls into their hands; it is an author's first book before he has got any great name; there is nothing to prepossess anyone in his favor, and by applauding his writings one does not court or flatter the great. Zelotes, you are not required to cry out: "This is a masterpiece; human intelligence never went farther; the human speech cannot soar higher; henceforward we will judge of no one's taste but by what he thinks of this book." Such exaggerated and offensive expressions are only employed by postulants for pensions or benefices and are even injurious to what is really commendable and what one wishes to praise. Why not merely say—"That's a good book?" It is true you say it when the whole of France has approved of it, and foreigners as well as your own countrymen, when it is printed all over Europe and has been translated into several languages, but then it is too late." ― Jean de La Bruyère

InkHarted wrote:

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

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

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

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

Drive sober or get pulled over.

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

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

The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox

A lion, old, and impotent with gout,
Would have some cure for age found out.
Impossibilities, on all occasions,
With kings, are rank abominations.
This king, from every species, –
For each abounds in every sort, –
Called to his aid the leeches.
They came in throngs to court,
From doctors of the highest fee
To nostrum-quacks without degree, –
Advised, prescribed, talked learnedly;
But with the rest
Came not Sir Cunning Fox, M.D.
Sir Wolf the royal couch attended,
And his suspicions there expressed.
Forthwith his majesty, offended,
Resolved Sir Cunning Fox should come,
And sent to smoke him from his home.
He came, was duly ushered in,
And, knowing where Sir Wolf had been,
Said, "Sire, your royal ear
Has been abused, I fear,
By rumours false and insincere;
To wit, that I have been self-exempt
From coming here, through sheer contempt.
But, sire, I have been on pilgrimage,
By vow expressly made,
Your royal health to aid,
And, on my way, met doctors sage,
In skill the wonder of the age,
Whom carefully I did consult
About that great debility
Termed in the books senility,
Of which you fear, with reason, the result.
You lack, they say, the vital heat,
By age extreme become effete.
Drawn from a living wolf, the hide
Should warm and smoking be applied.
The secret's good, beyond a doubt,
For nature's weak, and wearing out.
Sir Wolf, here, won't refuse to give
His hide to cure you, as I live."
The king was pleased with this advice.
Flayed, jointed, served up in a trice,
Sir Wolf first wrapped the monarch up,
Then furnished him whereon to sup.

Beware, you courtiers, lest you gain,
By slander's arts, less power than pain;
For in the world where you are living,
A pardon no one thinks of giving.

"One more dance along the razor's edge finished. Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today." ― Robert Jordan, Lord of Chaos

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." ― Denis Waitley

Psalm 31:24
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

"The wind cannot defeat a tree with strong roots." — The Revenant

<Faute De Mieux
by Dorothy Parker 1893-1967

Travel, trouble, music, art,
A kiss, a frock, a rhyme-
I never said they feed my heart,
But still they pass my time.>