"Life has, indeed, many ills, but the mind that views every object in its most cheering aspect, and every doubtful dispensation as replete with latent good, bears within itself a powerful and perpetual antidote. The gloomy soul aggravates misfortune, while a cheerful smile often dispels those mists that portend a storm." ― Lydia Sigourney

"Genius does not need a special language; it uses newly whatever tongue it finds." ― Edmund Clarence Stedman

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." ― Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the United States, and former Colonel in the U.S. Army

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:9, 10.

"I will never quit. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight." ― Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

"All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters either. Every single man in this Army play a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain." ― General George S. Patton, U.S. Army

"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." ― Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, and former U.S. Army Colonel

* Amazing: Game Collection: Amazing Chess Moves (Emms)

* Assorted Good games Compiled by rbaglini: Game Collection: assorted Good games

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

* First of each ECO: Game Collection: First of Each ECO

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

* 1.e4 e5 flavor flav: Game Collection: The Open Games: 1.e4 e5

* Vienna 1903 KG games: Game Collection: Vienna 1903

* Good Historical Links: https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/in...

* How to Analyze: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...

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

* elmubarak: my fav games: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games

* JonathanJ's favorite games 4: Game Collection: JonathanJ's favorite games 4

* Recommendations: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/wiki...

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

* LAST COLLECTION Compiled by Jaredfchess: Game Collection: LAST COLLECTION

* Tune In: Game Collection: Tune your chess antenna

I googled "Rorshach test."
But for some reason, all that came up were pictures of my parents fighting.

General chess advice from Joe Brooks: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comm...

"On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. The creative combination lays bare the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culmination in checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite." ― Emanuel Lasker

"Above the clouds I lift my wing
To hear the bells of Heaven ring;
Some of their music, though my fights be wild,
To Earth I bring;
Then let me soar and sing!" ― Edmund Clarence Stedman

"Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game." — Being Caballero

"Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles." — Garry Kasparov

"Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess." — Evan Esar

"A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality." — Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

"We can compare classical chess and rapid chess with theatre and cinema - some actors don't like the latter and prefer to work in the theatre." ― Boris Spassky

"In my opinion, the style of a player should not be formed under the influence of any single great master." ― Vasily Smyslov

"Almost immediately after Kasparov played the magic move g4, the computer started to self destruct." — Sam Sloan

''Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.'' — General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army

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

"If your opponent cannot do anything active, then don't rush the position; instead, you should let him sit there, suffer, and beg you for a draw." ― IM Jeremy Silman

"In the endgame, it's often better to form a barrier to cut-off the lone king and keep shrinking the barrier than to give check. The mistaken check might give the lone king a choice move toward the center when the idea is to force the lone king to the edge of the board and then checkmate." — Fredthebear

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils

What kind of shorts do clouds wear?
Thunderpants

Matthew 17:20
Our faith can move mountains.

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

Drive sober or get pulled over.

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

Two artists had an art contest. It ended in a draw.

FACTRETRIEVER 2020: Gummy bears were originally called "dancing bears." Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal, at 1 million hairs per square inch.

Song of the Storm-Swept Plain
William D. Hodjkiss

The wind shrills forth
From the white cold North
Where the gates of the Storm-god are;
And ragged clouds,
Like mantling shrouds,
Engulf the last, dim star.

Through naked trees,
In low coulees,
The night-voice moans and sighs;
And sings of deep,
Warm cradled sleep,
With wind-crooned lullabies.

He stands alone
Where the storm's weird tone
In mocking swells;
And the snow-sharp breath
Of cruel Death
The tales of its coming tells.

The frightened plaint
Of his sheep sound faint
Then the choking wall of white—
Then is heard no more,
In the deep-toned roar,
Of the blinding, pathless night.

No light nor guide,
Save a mighty tide
Of mad fear drives him on;
‘Till his cold-numbed form
Grows strangely warm;
And the strength of his limbs is gone.

Through the storm and night
A strange, soft light
O'er the sleeping shepherd gleams;
And he hears the word
Of the Shepherd Lord
Called out from the bourne of dreams.

Come, leave the strife
Of your weary life;
Come unto Me and rest
From the night and cold,
To the sheltered fold,
By the hand of love caressed.

The storm shrieks on,
But its work is done—
A soul to its God has fled;
And the wild refrain
Of the wind-swept plain,
Sings requiem for the dead.

"Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy." ― Norman Vincent Peale

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

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

"To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?" — Queen Elizabeth II

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." ― Benjamin Franklin

poem by B.H. Wood, entitled ‘The Drowser':

Ah, reverie! Ten thousand heads I see
Bent over chess-boards, an infinity
Of minds engaged in battle, fiendishly,
Keenly, or calmly, as the case may be:
World-wide, the neophyte, the veteran,
The studious problemist, the fairy fan ...
"What's that? – I'm nearly sending you to sleep? Sorry! – but this position's rather deep."

Source: Chess Amateur, September 1929, page 268.

Touching
Riddle: What can be touched but can't be seen?

Thank you, Qindarka!

Riddle Answer: Someone's heart

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." ― Dalai Lama

"Never run after a man or a bus, there's always another one in five minutes." ― Cherry Adair, Kiss and Tell

Why should you never trust stairs?
They're always up to something.

<Reminds me of Ogden Nash: "Behold the hippopotamus!
We laugh at how he looks to us,
And yet in moments dank and grim,
I wonder how we look to him.
Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
We really look all right to us,
As you no doubt delight the eye
Of other hippopotami.">

There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. (…Only a fraction of people will get this clean joke.)

The Wishes

Within the Great Mogul's domains there are
Familiar sprites of much domestic use:
They sweep the house, and take a tidy care
Of equipage, nor garden work refuse;
But, if you meddle with their toil,
The whole, at once, you're sure to spoil.
One, near the mighty Ganges flood,
The garden of a burgher good
Worked noiselessly and well;
To master, mistress, garden, bore
A love that time and toil outwore,
And bound him like a spell.
Did friendly zephyrs blow,
The demon's pains to aid?
(For so they do, it's said.)
I own I do not know.
But for himself he rested not,
And richly blessed his master's lot.
What marked his strength of love,
He lived a fixture on the place,
In spite of tendency to rove
So natural to his race.
But brother sprites conspiring
With importunity untiring,
So teased their goblin chief, that he,
Of his caprice, or policy,
Our sprite commanded to attend
A house in Norway's farther end,
Whose roof was snow-clad through the year,
And sheltered human kind with deer.
Before departing to his hosts
Thus spake this best of busy ghosts:
"To foreign parts I'm forced to go!
For what sad fault I do not know; –
But go I must; a month's delay,
Or week's perhaps, and I'm away.
Seize time; three wishes make at will;
For three I'm able to fulfil –
No more." Quick at their easy task,
Abundance first these wishers ask –
Abundance, with her stores unlocked –
Barns, coffers, cellars, larder, stocked –
Corn, cattle, wine, and money, –
The overflow of milk and honey.
But what to do with all this wealth!
What inventories, cares, and worry!
What wear of temper and of health!
Both lived in constant, slavish hurry.
Thieves took by plot, and lords by loan;
The king by tax, the poor by tone.
Thus felt the curses which
Arise from being rich, –
"Remove this affluence!" they pray;
The poor are happier than they
Whose riches make them slaves.
"Go, treasures, to the winds and waves;
Come, goddess of the quiet breast,
Who sweet'nest toil with rest,
Dear Mediocrity, return!"
The prayer was granted as we learn.
Two wishes thus expended,
Had simply ended
In bringing them exactly where,
When they set out they were.
So, usually, it fares
With those who waste in such vain prayers
The time required by their affairs.
The goblin laughed, and so did they.
However, before he went away,
To profit by his offer kind,
They asked for wisdom, wealth of mind, –
A treasure void of care and sorrow –
A treasure fearless of the morrow,
Let who will steal, or beg, or borrow.

"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

<Shakespearean Puns
Perhaps no writer is better known for the use of puns than William Shakespeare. He plays with "tide" and "tied" in Two Gentlemen of Verona:

"Panthino
Away, ass! You'll lose the tide if you tarry any longer.

Launce
It is no matter if the tied were lost; for it is the unkindest tied that ever any man tied.

Panthino
What's the unkindest tide?

Launce
Why, he that's tied here, Crab, my dog."

In the opening of Richard III, the sun refers to the blazing sun on Edward IV's banner and the fact that he is the son of the Duke of York:

"Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York."

In this line from Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare plays on the different meanings of heavy (which also means sad) and light:

"Give me a torch: I am not for this ambling; Being but heavy I will bear the light."

Later in Romeo and Juliet, a morbid pun comes from a fatally-stabbed Mercutio, where grave means serious, but also alludes to his imminent death:

"Ask for me tomorrow, you shall find me a grave man."

If you open any Shakesperean play, you're likely to find at least one pun on the page! Keep an eye out for a clever play on words example the next time you read Hamlet or watch As You Like It on the stage.>

How many herbs and spices are in Colonel Sanders' original KFC recipe? Answer: 11

Which fast food restaurant still boards the slogan "Have it your way"? Answer: Burger King

What is the oldest soft drink in America?
Answer: Dr. Pepper

Which fruit is used to flavor the liqueur, Southern Comfort? Answer: Peach

Which U.S. state is the only state to grow coffee beans? Answer: Hawaii

In 1929 what ingredient was removed from Coca-Cola? Answer: Cocaine

What is the world's most expensive spice?
Answer: Saffron

This is used to measure the spicy heat of peppers. Anwser: The Scoville scale

Which condiment was used as medicine during the 1830s? Answer: Ketchup

In 1974, what was the first product scanned by a UPC scanner? Answer: Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum

In a pinch, this can be used as a substitute for blood plasma? Answer: Coconut water

Which food is known to be the most stolen in the world? Answer: Cheese

Which is the only edible food that never expires? Answer: Honey

How is white sugar converted into brown sugar?
Answer: By adding molasses

Which state consumes the most turkeys on Thanksgiving Day? Answer: California

Scurvy is caused by a lack of this vitamin?
Answer: Vitamin C

Which vegetable was the first to be grown in space? Answer: Potato

The small, edible pieces of a pomegranate are known as what? Answer: Arils

What is the segment inside an orange called?
Answer: Carpel

What is considered to be the oldest vegetable?
Answer: Pea

Vodka is made from which vegetable?
Answer: Potato

In Middle Eastern cuisine, what is Hummus made from? Answer: Chickpeas

What is the most popular carbonated beverage?
Answer: Coca-Cola

In which American state was the first McDonald's opened? Answer: California

What British chocolate company produces creme-filled chocolate eggs known for simulating the texture and appearance of a soft-boiled chicken's egg? Answer: Cadbury

What is the colloquial term for a rotating tray often placed on a table to aid in distributing food? Answer: Lazy Susan

Name the Italian dessert that contains ladyfingers, mascarpone, and a secret pick-me-up ingredient. Answer: Tiramisu

Somewhere between a coffee and a dessert, an ‘affogato' contains espresso poured over what other ingredient? Answer: Gelato

The "Cutie" brand of produce primarily focuses on what miniature cousin of the orange? Answer: Clementine

Sometimes called "the green fairy," what anise-flavored spirit is used as a rinse in a classic New Orleans Sazerac cocktail? Answer: Absinthe

The orange and blue packaging of what Nestle candy bar proclaims that it is "crispety, crunchety and peanut-buttery"? Answer: Butterfinger

Coffee was the first food to undergo what process for cold-temperature long-term preservation? Answer: Freeze-dried

"Peasant's cabbage" was an early term used for what cruciferous plant that spiked in popularity in the 2000s? Answer: Kale

"He who imagines himself capable should attempt to perform. Neither originality counts, nor criticism of another's work. It is not courage, nor self-confidence, nor a sense of superiority that tells. Performance alone is the test." — Emanuel Lasker

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

Lasker's Secret Principle:

"He (Emanuel Lasker) told me that this principle of controlling as many squares as possible was his guide at every stage of the game.

He said "In the majority of cases it is probably best to have Knight and Bishop on squares of the same color, because then they control squares of opposite colors."

― Edward Lasker, Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters

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.