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JJBlu Punishing Nd7 Compiled by takchess Punishing Nd7 Compiled by takchess * Lasker Matters: Game Collection: Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis “Reading can take you places you have never been before.” — Dr. Seuss (to the tune of "Did I Remember," hit song from 1936) by beatgiant Did I remember to tell you I play chess, and I am livin' to kibitz alone? Did I remember to say I'm here all day, and just how carried away with GMs' play? Chess was on my screen and that was all I knew, Posting a mate in 2, what did I say to you? Did I remember to tell you I play chess, And pray forever more the site's online? “I went frantically mad with chess. I bought a chess-board. I bought Il Calabrese. I shut myself up in my room and spent days and nights there with a will to learn all the games by heart, to cram them into my head willy-nilly, to play alone without end or remission. After two or three months working in that fine way, and after unimaginable endeavours, I went to the Cafe with a lean and sallow face, and nearly stupid. I made a trial, playing with Monsieur Bagueret again. He beat me once, twice, twenty times.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau 7 games, 1912-1990 JJCheckmate 1920-1929 by Chessdreamer Checkmate ends the game. * Lasker Matters: Game Collection: Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis * Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 * Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES * Old P-K4 Miniatures: Game Collection: Games for Classes * Play Stockfish 1-10: https://labinatorsolutions.github.i... * Russians - Chernev: Game Collection: The Russians Play Chess by Irving Chernev * Smyslov Brevities: Game Collection: Smyslov brevities “Reading can take you places you have never been before.” — Dr. Seuss “Counterattack is the soul of the game,” wrote Vera Menchik. “In the times of need when we are faced with a very cramped or even a lost game, our best chance of recovering the balance is to introduce complications.” (to the tune of "Did I Remember," hit song from 1936) by beatgiant Did I remember to tell you I play chess, and I am livin' to kibitz alone? Did I remember to say I'm here all day, and just how carried away with GMs' play? Chess was on my screen and that was all I knew, Posting a mate in 2, what did I say to you? Did I remember to tell you I play chess, And pray forever more the site's online? “I went frantically mad with chess. I bought a chess-board. I bought Il Calabrese. I shut myself up in my room and spent days and nights there with a will to learn all the games by heart, to cram them into my head willy-nilly, to play alone without end or remission. After two or three months working in that fine way, and after unimaginable endeavours, I went to the Cafe with a lean and sallow face, and nearly stupid. I made a trial, playing with Monsieur Bagueret again. He beat me once, twice, twenty times.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau The Human Side of Chess by Fred Reinfeld A Biographical Work on the World Champions Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013 Since this is a lengthy review, I've divided it up into various topics. Please pick and choose those topics that are of interest to you. If you want a quick review of this book, then the fourth paragraph, "Reinfeld's coverage of the World Champions," should, hopefully, suffice. WHO WAS FRED REINFELD? Fred Reinfeld (January 27, 1910 - May 29, 1964) was considered one of the world's most prolific chess writers. In 1950, Reinfeld was ranked as the sixth strongest chess player in the United States. (See the article on Fred Reinfeld in the Wikipedia encyclopedia for more information.) A COMPARISON OF THE 1952 AND 1960 EDITIONS OF THIS BOOK. The "Human Side of Chess" was published in 1952 (302 pp.). It covers the World Champions from Adolf Anderssen to Max Euwe. There is a short chapter (5 pages), "After Alekhine," that briefly covers the period from Alekhine's death in 1946 to 1951 (Botvinnik's match with David Bronstein). A revised edition of this book appeared in 1960 under the title "The Great Chess Masters and Their Games" (334 pp.). Chapter IX, "After Alekhine," was shortened to four pages and a new chapter, "Mikhail Botvinnik and Vassily Smyslov" (23 pp.), was added. Four games (2 by Botvinnik and 2 by Smyslov) were added to the Game section at the end of the book (66 pp. in the 1st edition; 92 pages in the revised edition). Unfortunately, the publisher decided to delete the "Tournament and Match Records" (10 pages) and the Index (6 pages) from the revised edition. When I read this book as a teenager in 1957, I was fascinated by the tournament and match records of the various World Champions. I was sorely disappointed when this section was left out of the revised edition in 1960. REINFELD'S COVERAGE OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONS. Reinfeld devotes approximately 30 pages to each world champion. Unlike Reuben Fine's "Psychoanalytic Observations on Chess and Chess Masters" or John S. Hilbert's "Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chessmaster," this book is neither a psychological study nor does it consist of intimate and detailed biographical commentary, i.e., I wouldn't call it a scholarly work. Yes, there are psychological insights and, yes, there are some personal details, but Reinfeld is mostly interested in the world champions as chess players first and foremost. We are not going to learn those intimate details that so often add spice to a biographical work. One also notices that Reinfeld is not reluctant to draw conclusions from what appears to be flimsy evidence. For example, he notes that Anderssen "was brusque at times, still suffering from the conflict between pride and embarrassment over money troubles and his humble origins." Can this be substantiated? Or is this simply a conjecture on Reinfeld's part? It should also be pointed out that Arnold Denker and Larry Parr, in their book, "The Bobby Fischer I Knew and Other Stories," warn us not to "read Fred's chess books for precision history." Although I did not note any factual errors in this book that is not to say that such errors don't exist. "My purpose," according to Reinfeld, "is not to criticize and not to apologize; only to understand." In my opinion, he more than succeeds. After reading this book, you will indeed have a greater understanding of these world champions.] WHY DOES REINFELD BEGIN HIS BOOK WITH ADOLF ANDERSSEN? According to FIDE (the World Chess Organization), Wilhelm Steinitz was the first World Champion. Fred Reinfeld disagreed! He begins the reign of the World Champions with Adolf Anderssen of Germany (Anderssen was born July 6, 1818 in Breslau). Why does Reinfeld begin with Anderssen and not Steinitz? The answer is very simple, Anderssen won the first international chess tournament, London 1851. Howard Staunton wrote a wonderful book on this tournament. The title of the book is "The Chess Tournament" (377 pp. + 83 page introduction; published in 1852). It is interesting to note Staunton's comment from page lxxiv of his introduction, "...[it] will be ever memorable in the annals of Chess, as the first general meeting of players from different parts of the world...." Seven years later, Anderssen was defeated in a match (7 losses, 2 wins, and 2 draws) against the American Paul Morphy. Morphy retired from chess shortly after this match. Anderssen then played a match with Wilhelm Steinitz in 1866 (Steinitz won the match by 8 wins, 6 losses, and 0 draws), so, according to this scenario, Steinitz was the third not the first World Champion. When Alekhine died on March 24, 1946, the World Championship was decided by a tournament of the world's best players in 1948 (this tournament was won by Botvinnik). Reinfeld indirectly implies that the London Tournament of 1851, the first international tournament in which the world's best players participated, was the equivalent of the 1948 tournament.* If one accepts this line of reasoning, then Anderssen was the first World Champion. Since Steinitz's match with Zukertort in 1886 was for the "Championship of the World," then, according to the official version, Steinitz should be considered the first World Champion. In short, the title of World Champion did not exist prior to the 1886 match. Personally, I find Reinfeld's argument most persuasive. By adding Anderseen and Morphy to our pantheon of World Champions, I feel that we have enriched our chess heritage.** A JUSTIFICATION FOR READING A BOOK ON THE WORLD CHAMPIONS. The reader might ask: Why read a book about the World Champions? The simple answer might be that their accomplishments are a source of inspiration and motivation for the rest of us, but I think that Veselin Topalov said it best: "From about the time of Anderssen and Morphy (mid-19th century) on, the champions were acknowledged as geniuses, and their best games had the status of works of art." ("Topalov-Kramnik, 2006 World Chess Championship, On the Edge in Elista," by Veselin Topalov & Zhivko Ginchev, p. 7.) Hopefully, the reader of this review will get as much enjoyment out of Reinfeld's book as I have. A BRIEF NOTE ON REINFELD'S INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. Although Reinfeld included a games section (pages 221 - 286), this book is primarily a biographical work. The first chapter (pages 3 - 8) has the intriguing title "The Illusion of Master Chess." "Chess becomes an art," according to Reinfeld, "when a player reaches the stage at which he is able to conceive a winning position and possesses the ability to bring the conceived position into existence. Such a player is called a master--a chessmaster. The great chessmasters, like the great poets, the great composers, the great artists, the great mathematicians, the great mystics, have the faculty of immersing themselves in some creative process with a concentration, a finality, that is beyond most of us. The creative activities of these chessmasters have produced a literature of masterpieces which is one of the glories of the human mind." He then goes on to talk about the "illusions" to be found in modern chess. I must confess that I am somewhat skeptical of his analysis, but I leave it up to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions (see pp. 7 - 8). Chapter 2 begins with ADOLF ANDERSSEN (pp. 9 - 41). Reinfeld calls him "The Romantic." "Anderssen has been called 'the incarnation of Romanticism,' and there is a magic quality in his very name which thrills every devotee of chess to this day. Yet there is a bitter-sweet element in Anderssen's glory which is almost more poignant than frank neglect: for this fame is a spurious fame. It is based on a legend, on a tragic misconception. Admiration for Anderssen is blended with contempt; his true genius is obscured beyond recognition." What was Anderssen's "true genius"? For the answer to this question, you will need to read this book. For more information on Adolf Anderssen, see Hermann von Gottschall's Adolf Anderssen der Altmeister deutscher Schachspielkunst. Chapter 3 covers PAUL MORPHY (pp. 42 - 71). He refers to Paul Morphy as "The Gentleman." According to Morphy, "Reputation is the only incentive I recognize." "Anderssen's career...began when he was thirty. Paul Morphy's playing days were over before he was twenty-three! In only three years of active play he conquered the Old World as well as the New, gave the development of chess theory a mighty impetus, set new standards for accurate and elegant play, enriched the chess world with many beautiful games." Eight years after Reinfeld wrote "The Human Side of Chess," Frances Parkinson Keyes wrote a fictional account of Paul Morhpy's life, The Chess Players (608 pages). She lists Reinfeld's book on page 606 of her bibliography. One of the best books on Morphy was published in 1976 by David Lawson, Paul Morphy: Pride and Sorrow of Chess (424 pp.). In my opinion, the best book on Morphy's games is Valeri Beim's Paul Morphy: A Modern Perspective (164 pp.; published 2005). Chapter 4 covers WILHELM STEINITZ (pp. 72 - 118) who Reinfeld refers to as "The Lawgiver." Reinfeld states that "Wilhelm Steinitz, who has been fittingly described as 'the Michelangelo of chess,' was the most original thinker, the most courageous player, and the most remarkable personality that the chess world has produced in the fifteen or so centuries that the game has been in existence. Steinitz was born in circumstances of great poverty in Prague on May 14, 1836; he died a charity patient in the East River Sanatorium on Ward's Island in New York on August 12, 1900." Kurt Landsberger has written two very scholarly works on Steinitz: William Steinitz, Chess Champion: A Biography of the Bohemian Caesar (487 pp.) and The Steinitz Papers: Letters and Documents of the First World Chess Champion (325 pp.). Chapter 5 on EMANUEL LASKER (pp. 119 - 141) starts off with the interesting assertion: "'Who was the greatest chessplayer of all time?' has narrowed down to: 'Who was the greatest chessplayer of all time--Lasker or Alekhine?'" Reinfeld refers to Lasker as "The Philosopher." "Lasker is elusive, remote, paradoxical. From the outset his career puzzles us because of his life-long interest in philosophy and mathematics. Most chessplayers are...well, chessplyers. But Lasker had two other interests which absorbed his attention at least as much as chess did. He refused to give his whole life, as Steinitz had, to chess. Sometimes years passed without his playing a single serious game; there must have been months on end when he did not look at a chessboard. This gave him poise, breadth of view, a sense of proportion. Even at the age of twenty-one, when he was 'just another chessplayer,' he impressed Hoffer (Steinitz's archenemy) as 'a man of culture and more than average intellect.'" The fact that Albert Einstein wrote the forward to Dr. J. Hannak's biography on Lasker, Emanuel Lasker: The Life of a Chess Master, is evidence of the high esteem Lasker had as an intellectual. In 2005, Andrew Soltis wrote a wonderful book on Lasker's best games of chess, Why Lasker Matters (320 pp.). Chapter 6 introduces us to JOSE RAUL CAPABLANCA "The Machine" (pp. 142 - 167). I'm sure that Reinfeld's good friend, Irving Chernev, would have disagreed with Reinfeld's claim in the previous chapter. Chernev, as he wrote in his book "The Golden Dozen," considered Capablanca the greatest chessplayer of all time. Yet, Reinfeld felt that Capablanca was a flawed genius. "Capablanca realized just as well as Lasker that chess had reached a point where one had to take risks in order to obtain winning chances. Lasker had the greatness of character, the resourcefulness, the daring to defy the development of the Macheide; Capablanca did not. The idea of taking such risks was deeply repellent to Capablanca. He, who loved the tidy technique of neat endgames. was horrified by the illogic of risk." What was the Macheide? You will find the answer on page 123 of Reinfeld's text. There are many excellent books on Capablanca, but Fred Reinfeld's The Immortal Games of Capablanca is a wonderful book in its own right (239 pp.); I highly recommend it. Although not primarily a biographical work, Edward G. Winter's Capablanca: A Compendium of Games, Notes, Articles, Correspondence, Illustrations and Other Rare Archival Materials on the Cuban Chess Genius Jose Raul Capablanca, 1882-1942 is noted for its meticulous attention to historical accuracy. Chapter 7 focuses on my favorite chessplayer, ALEXANDER ALEKHINE (pp. 168 - 198). Reinfeld calls him "The Fighter." "Some fifteen centuries of chessplaying and theorizing meet and fuse in the style of Alexander Alekhine. He was a very great man in some ways, very weak in others; but above all he was a historical phenomenon, and this gives him a dignity far beyond his personal significance. Many influences were woven into Alekhine's games, but he was no hack, no imitator. Alekhine was the most brilliant, the most artistic, the most dynamic chessplayer in history." What more can you say? His two books on his best games are superb! "My Best Games of Chess 1908 - 1923" (265 pp.) and "My Best Games of Chess 1924 - 1937" (285 pp.) were written before the personal computer, so there are the inevitable flaws, but, for a true lover of chess, these books are to be treasured. The Dover edition, My Best Games of Chess, 1908 - 1937, combines both volumes into a single book. Chapter 8 deals with an extraordinary individual, MAX EUWE (pp. 199 - 215). Reinfeld calls him "The Logician." Of the World Champions, he was probably the most prolific chess writer (he wrote over 70 chess books). He earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Amsterdam in 1926. He was, undoubtedly, the most underrated of the World Champions. According to Reinfeld, "Euwe's great fighting victory over Alekhine in 1935 has never received due appreciation, and thus Euwe's career poses the paradox: How can a World Champion be the most underrated player in the world; or, how can the most underrated player in the world become World Champion?" Sadly for Euwe's fans, he lost his return match to Alekhine in 1937 (10 losses, 4 wins, and 11 draws). Euwe was fifty-one years old when this book was published. He died on November 26, 1981. The following books should be of interest: "From My Games 1920 - 1937" is an excellent book by Dr. Euwe. In 2001, Alexander Munninghoff wrote "Max Euwe, the Biography" (351 pp.). Chapter 9 covers the period following Alekhine's death in 1946 (pp. 216 - 220). This is a very sketchy chapter that deals with the World Championship Tournament of 1948 (won by Botvinnik) and Botvinnik's drawn match with David Bronstein in 1951. Reinfeld concludes this chapter by stating that "Today master chess must be played in the style of Alekhine or not at all." Although he doesn't state it in these terms, Reinfeld is referring to the "dynamic" style that was generally associated with the Soviet School of Chess. Larry Evans used the term eclectics when referring to this style of play, but this term never caught on. (Reference "Dynamic Chess" by R. N. Coles, "The Soviet School of Chess" by A. Kotov & M. Yudovich, and "New Ideas in Chess" by Larry Evans.) GAME SECTION. The Games section (pp. 221 - 286) includes 14 annotated games in descriptive notation (two games for each World Champion). This is followed by a section on the Tournament and Match Records of each World Champion (pp. 287 - 296). The book ends with a six page index (pp. 297 - 302). CONCLUSION: Of the approximately 700 chess books that I own, this is one of my favorite books; needless to say, I highly recommend it.*** ____________________________________ * "Nowadays we think of Anderssen's victory as establishing him as the first World Champion. But at the time no official title was involved; he was simply looked upon as the world's best player, as a matter of widespread opinion, but not by way of official status" (p. 22). ** Graham Burgess in "The Mammoth Book of Chess" lists the "unofficial" world champions in this order: Philidor, de la Bourdonnais, Staunton, and Morphy. Although he mentions the London Tournament of 1851, he makes no mention of Anderssen. This is rather surprising, because we find the following remark in a book written by Graham Burgess, John Nunn, and John Emms: "Adolf Andeseen...was undoubtedly one of the strongest players of his era and indeed was crowned unofficial World Champion after handsomely winning the great London Tournament of 1851..." ("The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games," p. 14; by the way, a great book!). According to H. Paul Lillebo ("World Champions - reclaiming a lost century," ChessBase website, 4/24/2014), "we ought to extend our official history of the chess world championship by 139 years to recognize these great champions. The revised list will then begin as: François-André Danican Philidor (world champion 1747-1795), Louis La Bourdonnais (world champion 1824-1840), Howard Staunton (world champion 1843-1851), Adolf Anderssen (world champion 1851-1858, 1861-1866), and Paul Morphy (world champion 1858-1861)." *** The Ishi Press International reprint (March 2013) includes an introduction by Sam Sloan. * Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... * Morphy pounds Philidor's Defense: Game Collection: White - Philidor: Morphy Canine concerns A poodle and a collie are walking together when the poodle suddenly unloads on his friend. “My life is a mess,” he says. “My owner is mean, my girlfriend ran away with a schnauzer and I’m as jittery as a cat.” “Why don’t you go see a psychiatrist?” suggests the collie. “I can’t,” says the poodle. “I’m not allowed on the couch.” — Submitted by L.B. Weinstein Q: What do you call a fake noodle? A: An impasta. 254 games, 1920-1948 JJEnglish Reti X Anderssen's 1.a3: Game Collection: Anderssen's 1. a3 A09 Reti: Game Collection: A09 Reti: Gambit (Black) Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... Miguel: Game Collection: 0 Zen English: Game Collection: The English Asztalos Ferndez Fedorowicz Firouzja Kozma Luczak Miezis Szabo Szmetan Szymczak Zaminski Zaitsik Zhu Zichulidze Znosko Zoran Zruester Zukertort Zutovsky Zwetl Here is what Vladimir Kramnik has to say: "Botvinnik’s example and teaching established the modern approach to preparing for competitive chess: regular but moderate physical exercise; analysing very thoroughly a relatively narrow repertoire of openings; annotating one’s own games, those of past great players and those of competitors; publishing one’s annotations so that others can point out any errors; studying strong opponents to discover their strengths and weaknesses; ruthless objectivity about one’s own strengths and weaknesses." “Reading can take you places you have never been before.” — Dr. Seuss Turtle gets mugged A turtle is crossing the road when he’s mugged by two snails. When the police show up, they ask him what happened. The shaken turtle replies, “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.” — Submitted by Debby Carter Apr-13-63 Congratulations to one of the greatest chess players who ever lived! It is incredulous that Garry Kasparov celebrates his 60th birthday today. He played five of the best games in the history of the royal game: 1. A. Karpov - G. Kasparov, Moscow (m/16) 1985; 2. G. Kasparov - V. Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999; 3. A. Karpov - G. Kasparov, Linares 1993; 4. G. Kasparov - V. Anand, New York (m/10) 1995; 5. G. Kasparov - L. Portisch, Niksic 1983. Kasparov's Evan's Gambit game against V. Anand is one of his most reprinted games in Russian chess literature: Kasparov vs Anand, 1995. (to the tune of "Did I Remember," hit song from 1936) by beatgiant Did I remember to tell you I play chess, and I am livin' to kibitz alone? Did I remember to say I'm here all day, and just how carried away with GMs' play? Chess was on my screen and that was all I knew, Posting a mate in 2, what did I say to you? Did I remember to tell you I play chess, And pray forever more the site's online? “I went frantically mad with chess. I bought a chess-board. I bought Il Calabrese. I shut myself up in my room and spent days and nights there with a will to learn all the games by heart, to cram them into my head willy-nilly, to play alone without end or remission. After two or three months working in that fine way, and after unimaginable endeavours, I went to the Cafe with a lean and sallow face, and nearly stupid. I made a trial, playing with Monsieur Bagueret again. He beat me once, twice, twenty times.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau A man and a giraffe walk into a bar. After a few drinks, the giraffe falls over and dies. The man begins to walk out when the bartender stops him. "Hey, you can't leave that lyin' there!" The bartender yells out. The man turns around: "It's not a lion. It's a giraffe." 113 games, 1851-2023 JJscotia guyana Italian, Two Knights Defense (1-0, 20 Moves) Scotch Gambit “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling (to the tune of "Did I Remember," hit song from 1936) by beatgiant Did I remember to tell you I play chess, and I am livin' to kibitz alone? Did I remember to say I'm here all day, and just how carried away with GMs' play? Chess was on my screen and that was all I knew, Posting a mate in 2, what did I say to you? Did I remember to tell you I play chess, And pray forever more the site's online? “I went frantically mad with chess. I bought a chess-board. I bought Il Calabrese. I shut myself up in my room and spent days and nights there with a will to learn all the games by heart, to cram them into my head willy-nilly, to play alone without end or remission. After two or three months working in that fine way, and after unimaginable endeavours, I went to the Cafe with a lean and sallow face, and nearly stupid. I made a trial, playing with Monsieur Bagueret again. He beat me once, twice, twenty times.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau 29 games, 1841-2015 JJThe Unknown Rubinstein - Forgotten treasures The Unknown Rubinstein - Forgotten treasures Compiled by Karpova This game collection includes great chessgames missing from popular books on Rubinstein like Kmoch's or Razuvaev's work. Most of them are not widely known because they were hard to find and long forgotten. There are many nice tactics, interesting combinations, great strategic masterpieces and - for sure - excellent endgames. According to some sources, the term "bald-faced lie" comes from the fact that businessmen in the 18th and 19th century wore beards to make it easier to disguise their facial expressions while making deals (whereas you must be particularly good at lying to do it "bald-faced"). (to the tune of "Did I Remember," hit song from 1936) by beatgiant Did I remember to tell you I play chess, and I am livin' to kibitz alone? Did I remember to say I'm here all day, and just how carried away with GMs' play? Chess was on my screen and that was all I knew, Posting a mate in 2, what did I say to you? Did I remember to tell you I play chess, And pray forever more the site's online? “I went frantically mad with chess. I bought a chess-board. I bought Il Calabrese. I shut myself up in my room and spent days and nights there with a will to learn all the games by heart, to cram them into my head willy-nilly, to play alone without end or remission. After two or three months working in that fine way, and after unimaginable endeavours, I went to the Cafe with a lean and sallow face, and nearly stupid. I made a trial, playing with Monsieur Bagueret again. He beat me once, twice, twenty times.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau A weasel walks into a bar and the bartender says, “Wow, I’ve never seen a weasel before. What can I get you?” “Pop,” goes the weasel. 75 games, 1897-1931 JJtpstar KG 0-99 100-199 1. e4 e5 2. f4 ef 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 h6 5. d4 g5 6. 0-0 g5 1) 7. c3 Nc6 8. g3 Bh3 9. gf Qd7 2) 7. c3 Nc6 8. g3 Bh3 9. Rf2 Nf6 200-299 300-399 (to the tune of "Did I Remember," hit song from 1936) by beatgiant Did I remember to tell you I play chess, and I am livin' to kibitz alone? Did I remember to say I'm here all day, and just how carried away with GMs' play? Chess was on my screen and that was all I knew, Posting a mate in 2, what did I say to you? Did I remember to tell you I play chess, And pray forever more the site's online? “I went frantically mad with chess. I bought a chess-board. I bought Il Calabrese. I shut myself up in my room and spent days and nights there with a will to learn all the games by heart, to cram them into my head willy-nilly, to play alone without end or remission. After two or three months working in that fine way, and after unimaginable endeavours, I went to the Cafe with a lean and sallow face, and nearly stupid. I made a trial, playing with Monsieur Bagueret again. He beat me once, twice, twenty times.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau 83 games, 1841-2010 JkB07 Pirc: Czech [Black] “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius “My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy.” — William Shakespeare “An important rule for the beginner is the following: if it were possible to develop the pieces without the aid of pawn moves, the pawnless advance would be the correct one, for, as suggested, the pawn is not a fighting unit until in the sense that his crossing of the frontier is to be feared by the enemy, since obviously the attacking force of the pawns is small compared with that of the pieces.” — Aron Nimzowitsch “A game played by men of equal strength, if played accurately, will end in a draw, and it is apt to be dull.” — Emanuel Lasker “Chess is a great game. It’s a lot of fun, but sometimes you wonder what else is out there.” — Hikaru Nakamura “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ― Anna Quindlen “The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” — Joshua Waitzkin “Sometimes the hardest thing to do in a pressure situation is to allow the tension to persist. The temptation is to make a decision, any decision, even if it is an inferior choice.” — Garry Kasparov “There are two classes of men; those who are content to yield to circumstances and who play whist; those who aim to control circumstances, and who play chess.” — Mortimer Collins “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” — Mark Twain “I like colorful tales with black beginnings and stormy middles and cloudless blue-sky endings. But any story will do.” ― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan “The older I grow, the more I value Pawns.” — Paul Keres “The path to glory is rough, and many gloomy hours obscure it. May the Great Spirit shed light on your path, so that you may never experience the humility that the power of the American government has reduced me to. This is the wish of a man who, in his native forests, was once as proud and bold as yourself.” — Chief Black Hawk “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass “Nothing is dearer to a chess player's heart than his rating. Well, of course everyone knows he's under-rated, but his rating, its ups and downs, however miniscule, are his ego's stock-market report.” ― Lev Alburt “Counterattack is the soul of the game,” wrote Vera Menchik. “In the times of need when we are faced with a very cramped or even a lost game, our best chance of recovering the balance is to introduce complications.” Q: What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? A: “Supplies!” Jack Be Nimble Lyrics Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack jump over the candlestick Jack be nimble, Jack be spry Jack jump over the apple pie Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Skipping skipping like a kite Bouncing bouncing with delight Every leap is leaping right Jack is happy, Jack is spry Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Skipping skipping like a kite Jack jump over the apple pie Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jump jump Jack jump! Jack is happy, Jack is spry Every leap is leaping right Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jump! Jack be nimble, Jack be light Way way up into the sky Tumbles up and touches down Landing like a butterfly Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Jump jump Jack jump! Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack jump over the candlestick Jack be nimble, Jack be spry Jack jump over the apple pie Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Q: What did the fish say when he swam into a wall? A: Dam. 37 games, 1988-2018 JKing´s Indian Attack Black Black wins * Game Collection: 98_A07_King's Indian Attack You don’t have to be a polymath like Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit to improve your game Stephen Moss Sat 14 Nov 2020 01.56 EST The first thing to say about chess is that we are not all natural geniuses like Beth Harmon, the star of The Queen’s Gambit, who is taught the game by grumpy but lovable janitor Mr Shaibel at the age of nine and is very soon beating him. The daughter of a maths PhD, she sees the patterns and movement in chess immediately, can visualise effortlessly – being able to memorise moves and play without a board is the sign of chess mastery – and sees whole games on the ceiling of her orphanage dormitory. She is a prodigy, just like world champion Bobby Fischer, on whom Walter Tevis based the novel from which the TV series is drawn. We are mere mortals. So how do we get good? First, by loving chess. “You can only get good at chess if you love the game,” Fischer said. You need to be endlessly fascinated by it and see its infinite potential. Be willing to embrace the complexity; enjoy the adventure. Every game should be an education and teach us something. Losing doesn’t matter. Garry Kasparov, another former world champion, likes to say you learn far more from your defeats than your victories. Eventually you will start winning, but there will be a lot of losses on the way. Play people who are better than you, and be prepared to lose. Then you will learn. If you are a beginner, don’t feel the need to set out all the pieces at once. Start with the pawns, and then add the pieces. Understand the potential of each piece – the way a pair of bishops can dominate the board, how the rooks can sweep up pawns in an endgame, why the queen and a knight can work together so harmoniously. Find a good teacher – your own Mr Shaibel, but without the communication issues. Once you have established the basics, start using computers and online resources to play and to help you analyse games. lichess.org, chess.com and chess24.com are great sites for playing and learning. chessbomb.com is a brilliant resource for watching top tournaments. chessgames.com is a wonderful database of games. chesspuzzle.net is a great practice program. decodechess.com attempts to explain chess moves in layperson’s language. There are also plenty of sophisticated, all-purpose programs, usually called chess engines, such as Fritz and HIARCs that, for around £50, help you deconstruct your games and take you deeply into positions. But don’t let the computer do all the work. You need to engage your own brain on the analysis. And don’t endlessly play against the computer. Find human opponents, either online or, when the pandemic is over, in person. Bobby Fischer was stripped of his world title in 1975 after he refused to defend the title due to a row over the format. Photograph: RFS/AP Study the games of great masters of the past. Find a player you like and follow their careers. Fischer is a great starting point – his play is clear and comprehensible, and beautifully described in his famous book My 60 Memorable Games. Morphy (Harmon’s favourite), Alekhine, Capablanca, Tal, Korchnoi and Shirov are other legendary figures with whom the aspiring player might identify. They also have fascinating life stories, and chess is about hot human emotions as well as cold calculation. Modern grandmaster chess, which is based heavily on a deep knowledge of opening theory, is more abstruse and may be best avoided until you have acquired deep expertise. The current crop of leading grandmasters are also, if we are brutally honest, a bit lacking in personality compared with the giants of the past. Children will often find their school has a chess club, and that club may even have links with Chess in Schools and Communities, which supplies expert tutors to schools. Provision tends to be much better at primary than secondary level, and after 11 children will probably be left to their own devices if they want to carry on playing. If a player is really serious, she or he should join their local chess club. There is likely to be one meeting nearby, or there will be once the Covid crisis is over. At the moment, clubs are not meeting and there is very little over-the-board chess being played. Players are keeping their brains active online, where you can meet players from all over the world. That is fun, but be aware that some players are likely to be cheating – using chess engines to help them, making it hard for you to assess how good your play is. And you also get some abuse online from players who want to trash-talk. You are also likely to be playing at very fast time controls – so-called blitz chess – and that is no way to learn to really think about chess. If you want to start playing over-the-board tournaments (when they resume), you will need to join the chess federation in your respective country. After you’ve played the requisite number of official games, you will get a rating – a bit like a handicap in golf – and can then start being paired with players of your own strength in matches. But until then, the key is to keep enjoying chess and searching for the elusive “truth” in a position. If you see a good move, look for a better one. You can always dig a little deeper in the pursuit of something remarkable and counterintuitive. Beauty and truth: the essence of chess. Stephen Moss is the author of The Rookie: An Odyssey through Chess (and Life), published by Bloomsbury A grumpy monk Every 10 years, the monks in the monastery are allowed to break their vow of silence to speak two words. Ten years go by and it’s one monk’s first chance. He thinks for a second before saying, “Food bad.” Ten years later, he says, “Bed hard.” It’s the big day, a decade later. He gives the head monk a long stare and says, “I quit.” “I’m not surprised,” the head monk says. “You’ve been complaining ever since you got here.” —Submitted by Alan Lynch “Happy” By Pharrell Williams (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6S... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... <Principles of Chess 01. Develop your pieces quickly. 02. Control the center. 03. Try to put your pieces on squares that give them maximum space. 04. Try to develop your knights towards the center. 05. A knight on the rim is dim. 06. Don't take unnecessary chances. 07. Play aggressive. 08. Calculate forced moves first. 09. Always ask yourself, "Can he put me in check or win a piece?" 10. Have a plan. Every move should have a purpose. 11. Assume your opponent's move is his best move. 12. Ask yourself, "why did he move there?" after each opponent move. 13. Play for the initiative and contolling the board. 14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can. 15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces. 16. If you are losing, don't give up fighting. Look for counterplay. 17. Don't play unsound moves unless you are losing badly. 18. Don't sacrifice a piece without good reason. 19. If you are in doubt of an opponent's sacrifice, accept it. 20. Attack with more that just one or two pieces. 21. Do not make careless pawn moves. They cannot move back. 22. Do not block in your bishops. 23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing. 24. Try not to move the same piece twice or more times in a row. 25. Exchange pieces if it helps your development. 26. Don't bring your queen out early. 27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook. 28. Develop rooks to open files. 29. Put rooks behind passed pawns. 30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common and most complicated. 31. Don't let your king get caught in the center. 32. Don't castle if it brings your king into greater danger from attack. 33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king. 34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color. 35. Trade pawns pieces when ahead in material or when under attack. 36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material. 37. If your opponent is cramped, don't let him get any freeing exchanges. 38. Study openings you are comfortable with. 39. Play over entire games, not just the opening. 40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often. 41. Study annotated games and try to guess each move. 42. Stick with just a few openings with White, and a few openings with Black. 43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost. 44. Show your games to higher rated opponents and get feedback from them. 45. Use chess computers and databases to help you study and play more. 46. Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often. 47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations. 48. Try to double rooks or double rook and queen on open files. 49. Always ask yourself, "Does my next move overlook something simple?" 50. Don't make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent's threats. 51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent's piece. 52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View thw whole board. 53. Write down your move first before making that move if it helps. 54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines. 55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings. 56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play. 57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble. 58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in. 59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight. 60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up endgame. 61. Have confidence in your game. 62. Play in as many rated events as you can. 63. Try not to look at your opponent's rating until after the game. 64. Always play for a win. (If a win is no longer possible, then play for a draw.)> 9 games, 1957-2003 JMaroczy Bind Gurgenidze Variation (B36) Li * First of each ECO: Game Collection: First of Each ECO “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 "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 "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 Q: Did you know the first French fries weren't actually cooked in France? R: They were cooked in Greece. 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 I used to be addicted to the hokey pokey… … but then I turned myself around. "Troubles will come... but they will pass." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJK... 15 games, 1969-2006 JQueen's Gambit (Black) “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass "Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration." ― C.J.S. Purdy You don’t have to be a polymath like Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit to improve your game Stephen Moss Sat 14 Nov 2020 01.56 EST The first thing to say about chess is that we are not all natural geniuses like Beth Harmon, the star of The Queen’s Gambit, who is taught the game by grumpy but lovable janitor Mr Shaibel at the age of nine and is very soon beating him. The daughter of a maths PhD, she sees the patterns and movement in chess immediately, can visualise effortlessly – being able to memorise moves and play without a board is the sign of chess mastery – and sees whole games on the ceiling of her orphanage dormitory. She is a prodigy, just like world champion Bobby Fischer, on whom Walter Tevis based the novel from which the TV series is drawn. We are mere mortals. So how do we get good? First, by loving chess. “You can only get good at chess if you love the game,” Fischer said. You need to be endlessly fascinated by it and see its infinite potential. Be willing to embrace the complexity; enjoy the adventure. Every game should be an education and teach us something. Losing doesn’t matter. Garry Kasparov, another former world champion, likes to say you learn far more from your defeats than your victories. Eventually you will start winning, but there will be a lot of losses on the way. Play people who are better than you, and be prepared to lose. Then you will learn. If you are a beginner, don’t feel the need to set out all the pieces at once. Start with the pawns, and then add the pieces. Understand the potential of each piece – the way a pair of bishops can dominate the board, how the rooks can sweep up pawns in an endgame, why the queen and a knight can work together so harmoniously. Find a good teacher – your own Mr Shaibel, but without the communication issues. Once you have established the basics, start using computers and online resources to play and to help you analyse games. lichess.org, chess.com and chess24.com are great sites for playing and learning. chessbomb.com is a brilliant resource for watching top tournaments. chessgames.com is a wonderful database of games. chesspuzzle.net is a great practice program. decodechess.com attempts to explain chess moves in layperson’s language. There are also plenty of sophisticated, all-purpose programs, usually called chess engines, such as Fritz and HIARCs that, for around £50, help you deconstruct your games and take you deeply into positions. But don’t let the computer do all the work. You need to engage your own brain on the analysis. And don’t endlessly play against the computer. Find human opponents, either online or, when the pandemic is over, in person. Bobby Fischer was stripped of his world title in 1975 after he refused to defend the title due to a row over the format. Photograph: RFS/AP Study the games of great masters of the past. Find a player you like and follow their careers. Fischer is a great starting point – his play is clear and comprehensible, and beautifully described in his famous book My 60 Memorable Games. Morphy (Harmon’s favourite), Alekhine, Capablanca, Tal, Korchnoi and Shirov are other legendary figures with whom the aspiring player might identify. They also have fascinating life stories, and chess is about hot human emotions as well as cold calculation. Modern grandmaster chess, which is based heavily on a deep knowledge of opening theory, is more abstruse and may be best avoided until you have acquired deep expertise. The current crop of leading grandmasters are also, if we are brutally honest, a bit lacking in personality compared with the giants of the past. Children will often find their school has a chess club, and that club may even have links with Chess in Schools and Communities, which supplies expert tutors to schools. Provision tends to be much better at primary than secondary level, and after 11 children will probably be left to their own devices if they want to carry on playing. If a player is really serious, she or he should join their local chess club. There is likely to be one meeting nearby, or there will be once the Covid crisis is over. At the moment, clubs are not meeting and there is very little over-the-board chess being played. Players are keeping their brains active online, where you can meet players from all over the world. That is fun, but be aware that some players are likely to be cheating – using chess engines to help them, making it hard for you to assess how good your play is. And you also get some abuse online from players who want to trash-talk. You are also likely to be playing at very fast time controls – so-called blitz chess – and that is no way to learn to really think about chess. If you want to start playing over-the-board tournaments (when they resume), you will need to join the chess federation in your respective country. After you’ve played the requisite number of official games, you will get a rating – a bit like a handicap in golf – and can then start being paired with players of your own strength in matches. But until then, the key is to keep enjoying chess and searching for the elusive “truth” in a position. If you see a good move, look for a better one. You can always dig a little deeper in the pursuit of something remarkable and counterintuitive. Beauty and truth: the essence of chess. Stephen Moss is the author of The Rookie: An Odyssey through Chess (and Life), published by Bloomsbury The talking dog A guy spots a sign outside a house that reads “Talking Dog for Sale.” Intrigued, he walks in. “So what have you done with your life?” he asks the dog. “I’ve led a very full life,” says the dog. “I lived in the Alps rescuing avalanche victims. Then I served my country in Iraq. And now I spend my days reading to the residents of a retirement home.” The guy is flabbergasted. He asks the dog’s owner, “Why on earth would you want to get rid of an incredible dog like that?” The owner says, “Because he’s a liar! He never did any of that!” —Submitted by Harry Nelson SM. 15 games, 1873-2006 JSicilian 2f4d5 * First of each ECO: Game Collection: First of Each ECO * MT Facts: https://www.chessjournal.com/facts-... “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 "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 "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 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 “Chess is the art of analysis.” ― Mikhail Botvinnik "There is more to life than increasing its speed." ― Mahatma Gandhi "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 "The broader the chess player you are, the easier it is to be competitive, and the same seems to be true of mathematics - if you can find links between different branches of mathematics, it can help you resolve problems. In both mathematics and chess, you study existing theory and use that to go forward." ― Viswanathan Anand "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 “Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.” ― Napoleon Bonaparte, French military and political leader After winning a good game, I always ask myself: "Where did I go right?" ― Tom Wiswell (1910-1988) who made a quote regarding playing checkers worth using in chess circles. Canine concerns A poodle and a collie are walking together when the poodle suddenly unloads on his friend. “My life is a mess,” he says. “My owner is mean, my girlfriend ran away with a schnauzer and I’m as jittery as a cat.” “Why don’t you go see a psychiatrist?” suggests the collie. “I can’t,” says the poodle. “I’m not allowed on the couch.” — Submitted by L.B. Weinstein 11 games, 1946-2014 JSiegbert Tarrasch's Best Games * First of each ECO: Game Collection: First of Each ECO “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 "Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration." ― C.J.S. Purdy “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 "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 "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 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 Knock knock. Who’s there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting c– MOO! Wanna hear two short jokes and a long joke? Joke, joke, jooooooooooooooke. 27 games, 1881-1923 JSpecial Coffee Collection B0 [BLACK] Ev Jo ToL 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 “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 * Good Historical Links: https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/in... * JonathanJ's favorite games 4: Game Collection: JonathanJ's favorite games 4 * elmubarak: my fav games: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games * Assorted Good games Compiled by rbaglini: Game Collection: assorted Good games * GK's Scheveningen: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * LAST COLLECTION Compiled by Jaredfchess: Game Collection: LAST COLLECTION * Internet tracking: https://www.studysmarter.us/magazin... * YS Tactics: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics If you're American when you go in the bathroom… … and American when you come out, what are you in the bathroom? European. 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. What do you do if you see a fireman? Put it out, man! Conceive a man by nature and misfortune prone to a pallid hopelessness, can any business seem more fitted to heighten it than that of continually handling these dead letters and assorting them for the flames? For by the cart-load they are annually burned. Sometimes from out the folded paper the pale clerk takes a ring: - the finger it was meant for, perhaps, moulders in the grave; a bank-note sent in swiftest charity: - he whom it would relieve, nor eats nor hungers any more; pardon for those who died despairing; hope for those who died unhoping; good tidings for those who died stifled by unrelieved calamities. On errands of life, these letters speed to death. Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity! — Herman Melville Q: Why are blonde jokes so short? A: So men can remember them. Drive sober or get pulled over. Q: Where did Noah keep his bees? A: In the Ark Hives. The Triumph of Life Percy Bysshe Shelley Swift as a spirit hastening to his task Of glory & of good, the Sun sprang forth Rejoicing in his splendour, & the mask Of darkness fell from the awakened Earth. The smokeless altars of the mountain snows Flamed above crimson clouds, & at the birth Of light, the Ocean’s orison arose To which the birds tempered their matin lay, All flowers in field or forest which unclose Their trembling eyelids to the kiss of day, Swinging their censers in the element, With orient incense lit by the new ray Burned slow & inconsumably, & sent Their odorous sighs up to the smiling air, And in succession due, did Continent, Isle, Ocean, & all things that in them wear The form & character of mortal mould Rise as the Sun their father rose, to bear Their portion of the toil which he of old Took as his own & then imposed on them; But I, whom thoughts which must remain untold Had kept as wakeful as the stars that gem The cone of night, now they were laid asleep, Stretched my faint limbs beneath the hoary stem Which an old chestnut flung athwart the steep Of a green Apennine: before me fled The night; behind me rose the day; the Deep Was at my feet, & Heaven above my head When a strange trance over my fancy grew Which was not slumber, for the shade it spread Was so transparent that the scene came through As clear as when a veil of light is drawn O’er evening hills they glimmer; and I knew That I had felt the freshness of that dawn, Bathed in the same cold dew my brow & hair And sate as thus upon that slope of lawn Under the self same bough, & heard as there The birds, the fountains & the Ocean hold Sweet talk in music through the enamoured air. And then a Vision on my brain was rolled. As in that trance of wondrous thought I lay This was the tenour of my waking dream. Methought I sate beside a public way Thick strewn with summer dust, & a great stream Of people there was hurrying to & fro Numerous as gnats upon the evening gleam, All hastening onward, yet none seemed to know Whither he went, or whence he came, or why He made one of the multitude, yet so Was borne amid the crowd as through the sky One of the million leaves of summer’s bier.— Old age & youth, manhood & infancy, Mixed in one mighty torrent did appear, Some flying from the thing they feared & some Seeking the object of another’s fear, And others as with steps towards the tomb Pored on the trodden worms that crawled beneath, And others mournfully within the gloom Of their own shadow walked, and called it death … And some fled from it as it were a ghost, Half fainting in the affliction of vain breath. But more with motions which each other crost Pursued or shunned the shadows the clouds threw Or birds within the noonday ether lost, Upon that path where flowers never grew; And weary with vain toil & faint for thirst Heard not the fountains whose melodious dew Out of their mossy cells forever burst Nor felt the breeze which from the forest told Of grassy paths, & wood lawns interspersed With overarching elms & caverns cold, And violet banks where sweet dreams brood, but they Pursued their serious folly as of old …. And as I gazed methought that in the way The throng grew wilder, as the woods of June When the South wind shakes the extinguished day.— And a cold glare, intenser than the noon But icy cold, obscured with [[blank]] light The Sun as he the stars. Like the young moon When on the sunlit limits of the night Her white shell trembles amid crimson air And whilst the sleeping tempest gathers might Doth, as a herald of its coming, bear The ghost of her dead Mother, whose dim form Bends in dark ether from her infant’s chair, So came a chariot on the silent storm Of its own rushing splendour, and a Shape So sate within as one whom years deform Beneath a dusky hood & double cape Crouching within the shadow of a tomb, And o’er what seemed the head, a cloud like crape, Was bent a dun & faint etherial gloom Tempering the light; upon the chariot’s beam A Janus-visaged Shadow did assume The guidance of that wonder-winged team. The Shapes which drew it in thick lightnings Were lost: I heard alone on the air’s soft stream The music of their ever moving wings. All the four faces of that charioteer Had their eyes banded . . . little profit brings Speed in the van & blindness in the rear, Nor then avail the beams that quench the Sun Or that his banded eyes could pierce the sphere Of all that is, has been, or will be done.— So ill was the car guided, but it past With solemn speed majestically on . . . The crowd gave way, & I arose aghast, Or seemed to rise, so mighty was the trance, And saw like clouds upon the thunder blast The million with fierce song and maniac dance Raging around; such seemed the jubilee As when to greet some conqueror’s advance Imperial Rome poured forth her living sea From senatehouse & prison & theatre When Freedom left those who upon the free Had bound a yoke which soon they stooped to bear. Nor wanted here the true similitude Of a triumphal pageant, for where’er The chariot rolled a captive multitude Was driven; althose who had grown old in power Or misery,—all who have their age subdued, By action or by suffering, and whose hour Was drained to its last sand in weal or woe, So that the trunk survived both fruit & flower; All those whose fame or infamy must grow Till the great winter lay the form & name Of their own earth with them forever low, All but the sacred few who could not tame Their spirits to the Conqueror, but as soon As they had touched the world with living flame Fled back like eagles to their native noon, Of those who put aside the diadem Of earthly thrones or gems, till the last one Were there;—for they of Athens & Jerusalem Were neither mid the mighty captives seen Nor mid the ribald crowd that followed them Or fled before . . Now swift, fierce & obscene The wild dance maddens in the van, & those Who lead it, fleet as shadows on the green, Outspeed the chariot & without repose Mix with each other in tempestuous measure To savage music …. Wilder as it grows, They, tortured by the agonizing pleasure, Convulsed & on the rapid whirlwinds spun Of that fierce spirit, whose unholy leisure Was soothed by mischief since the world begun, Throw back their heads & loose their streaming hair, And in their dance round her who dims the Sun Maidens & youths fling their wild arms in air As their feet twinkle; they recede, and now Bending within each other’s atmosphere Kindle invisibly; and as they glow Like moths by light attracted & repelled, Oft to new bright destruction come & go. Till like two clouds into one vale impelled That shake the mountains when their lightnings mingle And die in rain,—the fiery band which held Their natures, snaps . . . ere the shock cease to tingle One falls and then another in the path Senseless, nor is the desolation single, Yet ere I can say where the chariot hath Past over them; nor other trace I find But as of foam after the Ocean’s wrath Is spent upon the desert shore.—Behind, Old men, and women foully disarrayed Shake their grey hair in the insulting wind, Limp in the dance & strain, with limbs decayed, Seeking to reach the light which leaves them still Farther behind & deeper in the shade. But not the less with impotence of will They wheel, though ghastly shadows interpose Round them & round each other, and fulfill Their work and to the dust whence they arose Sink & corruption veils them as they lie And frost in these performs what fire in those. Struck to the heart by this sad pageantry, Half to myself I said, “And what is this? Whose shape is that within the car? & why”- I would have added—”is all here amiss?” But a voice answered . . “Life” . . . I turned & knew (O Heaven have mercy on such wretchedness!) That what I thought was an old root which grew To strange distortion out of the hill side Was indeed one of that deluded crew, And that the grass which methought hung so wide And white, was but his thin discoloured hair, And that the holes it vainly sought to hide Were or had been eyes.—”lf thou canst forbear To join the dance, which I had well forborne,” Said the grim Feature, of my thought aware, “I will now tell that which to this deep scorn Led me & my companions, and relate The progress of the pageant since the morn; “If thirst of knowledge doth not thus abate, Follow it even to the night, but I Am weary” . . . Then like one who with the weight Of his own words is staggered, wearily He paused, and ere he could resume, I cried, “First who art thou?” . . . “Before thy memory “I feared, loved, hated, suffered, did, & died, And if the spark with which Heaven lit my spirit Earth had with purer nutriment supplied “Corruption would not now thus much inherit Of what was once Rousseau—nor this disguise Stained that within which still disdains to wear it.— “If I have been extinguished, yet there rise A thousand beacons from the spark I bore.”— “And who are those chained to the car?” “The Wise, “The great, the unforgotten: they who wore Mitres & helms & crowns, or wreathes of light, Signs of thought’s empire over thought; their lore “Taught them not this—to know themselves; their might Could not repress the mutiny within, And for the morn of truth they feigned, deep night “Caught them ere evening.” “Who is he with chin Upon his breast and hands crost on his chain?” “The Child of a fierce hour; he sought to win “The world, and lost all it did contain Of greatness, in its hope destroyed; & more Of fame & peace than Virtue’s self can gain “Without the opportunity which bore Him on its eagle’s pinion to the peak From which a thousand climbers have before “Fall’n as Napoleon fell.”—I felt my cheek Alter to see the great form pass away Whose grasp had left the giant world so weak That every pigmy kicked it as it lay— And much I grieved to think how power & will In opposition rule our mortal day— And why God made irreconcilable Good & the means of good; and for despair I half disdained mine eye’s desire to fill With the spent vision of the times that were And scarce have ceased to be . . . “Dost thou behold,” Said then my guide, “those spoilers spoiled, Voltaire, “Frederic, & Kant, Catherine, & Leopold, Chained hoary anarch, demagogue & sage Whose name the fresh world thinks already old— “For in the battle Life & they did wage She remained conqueror—I was overcome By my own heart alone, which neither age “Nor tears nor infamy nor now the tomb Could temper to its object.”—”Let them pass”— I cried—”the world & its mysterious doom “Is not so much more glorious than it was That I desire to worship those who drew New figures on its false & fragile glass “As the old faded.”—”Figures ever new Rise on the bubble, paint them how you may; We have but thrown, as those before us threw, “Our shadows on it as it past away. But mark, how chained to the triumphal chair The mighty phantoms of an elder day— “All that is mortal of great Plato there Expiates the joy & woe his master knew not; That star that ruled his doom was far too fair— “And Life, where long that flower of Heaven grew not, Conquered the heart by love which gold or pain Or age or sloth or slavery could subdue not— “And near [[blank]] walk the [[blank]] twain, The tutor & his pupil, whom Dominion Followed as tame as vulture in a chain.— “The world was darkened beneath either pinion Of him whom from the flock of conquerors Fame singled as her thunderbearing minion; “The other long outlived both woes & wars, Throned in new thoughts of men, and still had kept The jealous keys of truth’s eternal doors “If Bacon’s spirit [[blank]] had not leapt Like lightning out of darkness; he compelled The Proteus shape of Nature’s as it slept “To wake & to unbar the caves that held The treasure of the secrets of its reign— See the great bards of old who inly quelled “The passions which they sung, as by their strain May well be known: their living melody Tempers its own contagion to the vein “Of those who are infected with it—I Have suffered what I wrote, or viler pain!— “And so my words were seeds of misery— Even as the deeds of others.”—”Not as theirs,” I said—he pointed to a company In which I recognized amid the heirs Of Caesar’s crime from him to Constantine, The Anarchs old whose force & murderous snares Had founded many a sceptre bearing line And spread the plague of blood & gold abroad, And Gregory & John and men divine Who rose like shadows between Man & god Till that eclipse, still hanging under Heaven, Was worshipped by the world o’er which they strode For the true Sun it quenched.—”Their power was given But to destroy,” replied the leader—”I Am one of those who have created, even “If it be but a world of agony.”— “Whence camest thou & whither goest thou? How did thy course begin,” I said, “& why? “Mine eyes are sick of this perpetual flow Of people, & my heart of one sad thought.— Speak.”—”Whence I came, partly I seem to know, “And how & by what paths I have been brought To this dread pass, methinks even thou mayst guess; Why this should be my mind can compass not; “Whither the conqueror hurries me still less. But follow thou, & from spectator turn Actor or victim in this wretchedness, “And what thou wouldst be taught I then may learn From thee.—Now listen . . . In the April prime When all the forest tops began to burn “With kindling green, touched by the azure clime Of the young year, I found myself asleep Under a mountain which from unknown time “Had yawned into a cavern high & deep, And from it came a gentle rivulet Whose water like clear air in its calm sweep “Bent the soft grass & kept for ever wet The stems of the sweet flowers, and filled the grove With sound which all who hear must needs forget “All pleasure & all pain, all hate & love, Which they had known before that hour of rest: A sleeping mother then would dream not of “The only child who died upon her breast At eventide, a king would mourn no more The crown of which his brow was dispossest “When the sun lingered o’er the Ocean floor To gild his rival’s new prosperity.— Thou wouldst forget thus vainly to deplore “Ills, which if ills, can find no cure from thee, The thought of which no other sleep will quell Nor other music blot from memory— “So sweet & deep is the oblivious spell.— Whether my life had been before that sleep The Heaven which I imagine, or a Hell “Like this harsh world in which I wake to weep, I know not. I arose & for a space The scene of woods & waters seemed to keep, “Though it was now broad day, a gentle trace Of light diviner than the common Sun Sheds on the common Earth, but all the place “Was filled with many sounds woven into one Oblivious melody, confusing sense Amid the gliding waves & shadows dun; “And as I looked the bright omnipresence Of morning through the orient cavern flowed, And the Sun’s image radiantly intense “Burned on the waters of the well that glowed Like gold, and threaded all the forest maze With winding paths of emerald fire—there stood “Amid the sun, as he amid the blaze Of his own glory, on the vibrating Floor of the fountain, paved with flashing rays, “A shape all light, which with one hand did fling Dew on the earth, as if she were the Dawn Whose invisible rain forever seemed to sing “A silver music on the mossy lawn, And still before her on the dusky grass Iris her many coloured scarf had drawn.— “In her right hand she bore a crystal glass Mantling with bright Nepenthe;—the fierce splendour Fell from her as she moved under the mass “Of the deep cavern, & with palms so tender Their tread broke not the mirror of its billow, Glided along the river, and did bend her “Head under the dark boughs, till like a willow Her fair hair swept the bosom of the stream That whispered with delight to be their pillow.— “As one enamoured is upborne in dream O’er lily-paven lakes mid silver mist To wondrous music, so this shape might seem “Partly to tread the waves with feet which kist The dancing foam, partly to glide along The airs that roughened the moist amethyst, “Or the slant morning beams that fell among The trees, or the soft shadows of the trees; And her feet ever to the ceaseless song “Of leaves & winds & waves & birds & bees And falling drops moved in a measure new Yet sweet, as on the summer evening breeze “Up from the lake a shape of golden dew Between two rocks, athwart the rising moon, Moves up the east, where eagle never flew.— “And still her feet, no less than the sweet tune To which they moved, seemed as they moved, to blot The thoughts of him who gazed on them, & soon “All that was seemed as if it had been not, As if the gazer’s mind was strewn beneath Her feet like embers, & she, thought by thought, “Trampled its fires into the dust of death, As Day upon the threshold of the east Treads out the lamps of night, until the breath “Of darkness reillumines even the least Of heaven’s living eyes—like day she came, Making the night a dream; and ere she ceased “To move, as one between desire and shame Suspended, I said—’If, as it doth seem, Thou comest from the realm without a name, ” ‘Into this valley of perpetual dream, Shew whence I came, and where I am, and why— Pass not away upon the passing stream.’ ” ‘Arise and quench thy thirst,’ was her reply, And as a shut lily, stricken by the wand Of dewy morning’s vital alchemy, “I rose; and, bending at her sweet command, Touched with faint lips the cup she raised, And suddenly my brain became as sand “Where the first wave had more than half erased The track of deer on desert Labrador, Whilst the fierce wolf from which they fled amazed “Leaves his stamp visibly upon the shore Until the second bursts—so on my sight Burst a new Vision never seen before.— “And the fair shape waned in the coming light As veil by veil the silent splendour drops From Lucifer, amid the chrysolite “Of sunrise ere it strike the mountain tops— And as the presence of that fairest planet Although unseen is felt by one who hopes “That his day’s path may end as he began it In that star’s smile, whose light is like the scent Of a jonquil when evening breezes fan it, “Or the soft note in which his dear lament The Brescian shepherd breathes, or the caress That turned his weary slumber to content.— “So knew I in that light’s severe excess The presence of that shape which on the stream Moved, as I moved along the wilderness, “More dimly than a day appearing dream, The ghost of a forgotten form of sleep A light from Heaven whose half extinguished beam “Through the sick day in which we wake to weep Glimmers, forever sought, forever lost.— So did that shape its obscure tenour keep “Beside my path, as silent as a ghost; But the new Vision, and its cold bright car, With savage music, stunning music, crost “The forest, and as if from some dread war Triumphantly returning, the loud million Fiercely extolled the fortune of her star.— “A moving arch of victory the vermilion And green & azure plumes of Iris had Built high over her wind-winged pavilion, “And underneath aetherial glory clad The wilderness, and far before her flew The tempest of the splendour which forbade Shadow to fall from leaf or stone;—the crew Seemed in that light like atomies that dance Within a sunbeam.—Some upon the new “Embroidery of flowers that did enhance The grassy vesture of the desart, played, Forgetful of the chariot’s swift advance; “Others stood gazing till within the shade Of the great mountain its light left them dim.— Others outspeeded it, and others made “Circles around it like the clouds that swim Round the high moon in a bright sea of air, And more did follow, with exulting hymn, “The chariot & the captives fettered there, But all like bubbles on an eddying flood Fell into the same track at last & were “Borne onward.—I among the multitude Was swept; me sweetest flowers delayed not long, Me not the shadow nor the solitude, “Me not the falling stream’s Lethean song, Me, not the phantom of that early form Which moved upon its motion,—but among “The thickest billows of the living storm I plunged, and bared my bosom to the clime Of that cold light, whose airs too soon deform.— “Before the chariot had begun to climb The opposing steep of that mysterious dell, Behold a wonder worthy of the rhyme “Of him whom from the lowest depths of Hell Through every Paradise & through all glory Love led serene, & who returned to tell “In words of hate & awe the wondrous story How all things are transfigured, except Love; For deaf as is a sea which wrath makes hoary “The world can hear not the sweet notes that move The sphere whose light is melody to lovers—- A wonder worthy of his rhyme—the grove “Grew dense with shadows to its inmost covers, The earth was grey with phantoms, & the air Was peopled with dim forms, as when there hovers “A flock of vampire-bats before the glare Of the tropic sun, bring ere evening Strange night upon some Indian isle,—thus were “Phantoms diffused around, & some did fling Shadows of shadows, yet unlike themselves, Behind them, some like eaglets on the wing “Were lost in the white blaze, others like elves Danced in a thousand unimagined shapes Upon the sunny streams & grassy shelves; “And others sate chattering like restless apes On vulgar paws and voluble like fire. Some made a cradle of the ermined capes “Of kingly mantles, some upon the tiar Of pontiffs sate like vultures, others played Within the crown which girt with empire “A baby’s or an idiot’s brow, & made Their nests in it; the old anatomies Sate hatching their bare brood under the shade “Of demon wings, and laughed from their dead eyes To reassume the delegated power Arrayed in which these worms did monarchize “Who make this earth their charnel.—Others more Humble, like falcons sate upon the fist Of common men, and round their heads did soar, “Or like small gnats & flies, as thick as mist On evening marshes, thronged about the brow Of lawyer, statesman, priest & theorist, “And others like discoloured flakes of snow On fairest bosoms & the sunniest hair Fell, and were melted by the youthful glow “Which they extinguished; for like tears, they were A veil to those from whose faint lids they rained In drops of sorrow.—I became aware “Of whence those forms proceeded which thus stained The track in which we moved; after brief space From every form the beauty slowly waned, “From every firmest limb & fairest face The strength & freshness fell like dust, & left The action & the shape without the grace “Of life; the marble brow of youth was cleft With care, and in the eyes where once hope shone Desire like a lioness bereft “Of its last cub, glared ere it died; each one Of that great crowd sent forth incessantly These shadows, numerous as the dead leaves blown “In Autumn evening from a popular tree— Each, like himself & like each other were, At first, but soon distorted, seemed to be “Obscure clouds moulded by the casual air; And of this stuff the car’s creative ray Wrought all the busy phantoms that were there “As the sun shapes the clouds—thus, on the way Mask after mask fell from the countenance And form of all, and long before the day “Was old, the joy which waked like Heaven’s glance The sleepers in the oblivious valley, died, And some grew weary of the ghastly dance “And fell, as I have fallen by the way side, Those soonest from whose forms most shadows past And least of strength & beauty did abide.”— “Then, what is Life?” I said . . . the cripple cast His eye upon the car which now had rolled Onward, as if that look must be the last, And answered …. “Happy those for whom the fold Of … The only thing flat earthers have to fear... ...is sphere itself. 41 games, 2016-2018 JTarrasch Defense GTM Queen's Gambit Declined 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin "Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration." ― C.J.S. Purdy You don’t have to be a polymath like Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit to improve your game Stephen Moss Sat 14 Nov 2020 01.56 EST The first thing to say about chess is that we are not all natural geniuses like Beth Harmon, the star of The Queen’s Gambit, who is taught the game by grumpy but lovable janitor Mr Shaibel at the age of nine and is very soon beating him. The daughter of a maths PhD, she sees the patterns and movement in chess immediately, can visualise effortlessly – being able to memorise moves and play without a board is the sign of chess mastery – and sees whole games on the ceiling of her orphanage dormitory. She is a prodigy, just like world champion Bobby Fischer, on whom Walter Tevis based the novel from which the TV series is drawn. We are mere mortals. So how do we get good? First, by loving chess. “You can only get good at chess if you love the game,” Fischer said. You need to be endlessly fascinated by it and see its infinite potential. Be willing to embrace the complexity; enjoy the adventure. Every game should be an education and teach us something. Losing doesn’t matter. Garry Kasparov, another former world champion, likes to say you learn far more from your defeats than your victories. Eventually you will start winning, but there will be a lot of losses on the way. Play people who are better than you, and be prepared to lose. Then you will learn. If you are a beginner, don’t feel the need to set out all the pieces at once. Start with the pawns, and then add the pieces. Understand the potential of each piece – the way a pair of bishops can dominate the board, how the rooks can sweep up pawns in an endgame, why the queen and a knight can work together so harmoniously. Find a good teacher – your own Mr Shaibel, but without the communication issues. Once you have established the basics, start using computers and online resources to play and to help you analyse games. lichess.org, chess.com and chess24.com are great sites for playing and learning. chessbomb.com is a brilliant resource for watching top tournaments. chessgames.com is a wonderful database of games. chesspuzzle.net is a great practice program. decodechess.com attempts to explain chess moves in layperson’s language. There are also plenty of sophisticated, all-purpose programs, usually called chess engines, such as Fritz and HIARCs that, for around £50, help you deconstruct your games and take you deeply into positions. But don’t let the computer do all the work. You need to engage your own brain on the analysis. And don’t endlessly play against the computer. Find human opponents, either online or, when the pandemic is over, in person. Bobby Fischer was stripped of his world title in 1975 after he refused to defend the title due to a row over the format. Photograph: RFS/AP Study the games of great masters of the past. Find a player you like and follow their careers. Fischer is a great starting point – his play is clear and comprehensible, and beautifully described in his famous book My 60 Memorable Games. Morphy (Harmon’s favourite), Alekhine, Capablanca, Tal, Korchnoi and Shirov are other legendary figures with whom the aspiring player might identify. They also have fascinating life stories, and chess is about hot human emotions as well as cold calculation. Modern grandmaster chess, which is based heavily on a deep knowledge of opening theory, is more abstruse and may be best avoided until you have acquired deep expertise. The current crop of leading grandmasters are also, if we are brutally honest, a bit lacking in personality compared with the giants of the past. Children will often find their school has a chess club, and that club may even have links with Chess in Schools and Communities, which supplies expert tutors to schools. Provision tends to be much better at primary than secondary level, and after 11 children will probably be left to their own devices if they want to carry on playing. If a player is really serious, she or he should join their local chess club. There is likely to be one meeting nearby, or there will be once the Covid crisis is over. At the moment, clubs are not meeting and there is very little over-the-board chess being played. Players are keeping their brains active online, where you can meet players from all over the world. That is fun, but be aware that some players are likely to be cheating – using chess engines to help them, making it hard for you to assess how good your play is. And you also get some abuse online from players who want to trash-talk. You are also likely to be playing at very fast time controls – so-called blitz chess – and that is no way to learn to really think about chess. If you want to start playing over-the-board tournaments (when they resume), you will need to join the chess federation in your respective country. After you’ve played the requisite number of official games, you will get a rating – a bit like a handicap in golf – and can then start being paired with players of your own strength in matches. But until then, the key is to keep enjoying chess and searching for the elusive “truth” in a position. If you see a good move, look for a better one. You can always dig a little deeper in the pursuit of something remarkable and counterintuitive. Beauty and truth: the essence of chess. Stephen Moss is the author of The Rookie: An Odyssey through Chess (and Life), published by Bloomsbury A grumpy monk Every 10 years, the monks in the monastery are allowed to break their vow of silence to speak two words. Ten years go by and it’s one monk’s first chance. He thinks for a second before saying, “Food bad.” Ten years later, he says, “Bed hard.” It’s the big day, a decade later. He gives the head monk a long stare and says, “I quit.” “I’m not surprised,” the head monk says. “You’ve been complaining ever since you got here.” — Submitted by Alan Lynch "Havana" by Camila Cabello https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3v... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... <Principles of Chess 01. Develop your pieces quickly. 02. Control the center. 03. Try to put your pieces on squares that give them maximum space. 04. Try to develop your knights towards the center. 05. A knight on the rim is dim. 06. Don't take unnecessary chances. 07. Play aggressive. 08. Calculate forced moves first. 09. Always ask yourself, "Can he put me in check or win a piece?" 10. Have a plan. Every move should have a purpose. 11. Assume your opponent's move is his best move. 12. Ask yourself, "why did he move there?" after each opponent move. 13. Play for the initiative and contolling the board. 14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can. 15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces. 16. If you are losing, don't give up fighting. Look for counterplay. 17. Don't play unsound moves unless you are losing badly. 18. Don't sacrifice a piece without good reason. 19. If you are in doubt of an opponent's sacrifice, accept it. 20. Attack with more that just one or two pieces. 21. Do not make careless pawn moves. They cannot move back. 22. Do not block in your bishops. 23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing. 24. Try not to move the same piece twice or more times in a row. 25. Exchange pieces if it helps your development. 26. Don't bring your queen out early. 27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook. 28. Develop rooks to open files. 29. Put rooks behind passed pawns. 30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common and most complicated. 31. Don't let your king get caught in the center. 32. Don't castle if it brings your king into greater danger from attack. 33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king. 34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color. 35. Trade pawns pieces when ahead in material or when under attack. 36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material. 37. If your opponent is cramped, don't let him get any freeing exchanges. 38. Study openings you are comfortable with. 39. Play over entire games, not just the opening. 40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often. 41. Study annotated games and try to guess each move. 42. Stick with just a few openings with White, and a few openings with Black. 43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost. 44. Show your games to higher rated opponents and get feedback from them. 45. Use chess computers and databases to help you study and play more. 46. Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often. 47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations. 48. Try to double rooks or double rook and queen on open files. 49. Always ask yourself, "Does my next move overlook something simple?" 50. Don't make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent's threats. 51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent's piece. 52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View thw whole board. 53. Write down your move first before making that move if it helps. 54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines. 55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings. 56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play. 57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble. 58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in. 59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight. 60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up endgame. 61. Have confidence in your game. 62. Play in as many rated events as you can. 63. Try not to look at your opponent's rating until after the game. 64. Always play for a win. (If a win is no longer possible, then play for a draw.)> 5 games, 1907-2023 K Ind Att games us “A game played by men of equal strength, if played accurately, will end in a draw, and it is apt to be dull.” — Emanuel Lasker “Fischer is like Zeus; he is the God of the gods.” — Nigel Short “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ― Stephen King * Suggested book: King's Indian Attack: Move by Move by Neil McDonald, Everyman Chess 2014 * Chessable KIA: https://www.chessable.com/blog/the-... * D. Kelly introduces the KIA: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Mato replays legendary matchup: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Good instruction: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Jerry plays KIA online: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Roman explains: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Renaissance Lute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G2... * Pathways 1.Nf3: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * The Ghasi Trap (trap no. 1146): https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Simplest Opening 1.Nf3: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * IM Alex Banzea ratings climb: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Black's plan: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Black's update: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * GM Dariusz Swiercz instructs: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... “Life is a gameboard. Time is your opponent. If you procrastinate, you will lose the game. Make a move to be victorious.” ― Napolean Hill “When your house is on fire, you cannot be bothered with the neighbors. Or, as we say in chess, if your King is under attack, do not worry about losing a pawn on the queenside.” ― Garry Kasparov “The consensus seemed to be that if really large numbers of men were sent to storm the mountain, then enough might survive the rocks to take the citadel. This is essentially the basis of all military thinking.” ― Terry Pratchett, Eric “Chess is a miniature version of life. To be successful, you need to be disciplined, assess resources, consider responsible choices, and adjust when circumstances change.” ― Susan Polgar "We do not remember days, we remember moments." ― Cesare Pavese * Black Repertoire: Game Collection: Black Repertoire: Flank Openings * If White knows the way: https://www.chessable.com/blog/mati... * C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game * RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures * Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems * Clean, Clear: https://chess-site.com/ * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * LG - White wins: Game Collection: Latvian Gambit-White wins * Plenty to see: http://www.schackportalen.nu/Englis... * 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! 'A rising tide lifts all boats' 'Don't put the cart before the horse' Create protected outposts for your knights. "Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game." ― Voltaire "What we think, we become." ― Buddha "Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." ― Michael Jordan "Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." ― Johann Friedrich Von Schiller "There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." ― Nelson Mandela “Attack! Always Attack!” ― Adolf Anderssen “A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it.” ― Wilhelm Steinitz “Chess is a matter of delicate judgment, knowing when to punch and how to duck.” ― Bobby Fischer “It’s a great huge game of chess that’s being played—all over the world—if this is the world at all, you know. Oh, what fun it is! How I wish I was one of them! I wouldn’t mind being a Pawn, if only I might join—though of course I should like to be a Queen, best.” — Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898) The Doctors The selfsame patient put to test Two doctors, Fear-the-worst and Hope-the-best. The latter hoped; the former did maintain The man would take all medicine in vain. By different cures the patient was beset, But erelong cancelled nature's debt, While nursed As was prescribed by Fear-the-worst. But over the disease both triumphed still. Said one, "I well foresaw his death." "Yes," said the other, "but my pill Would certainly have saved his breath." Tall When Young Riddle: I'm tall when I'm young and I'm short when I'm old. What am I? Answer: Candle or Pencil. PROVERBS 3 Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart 1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. 3Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 9Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom 13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 15She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. 19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 20by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, 26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, 32for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. 35The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace. Aristotle once asked "What is it about a thing that makes a thing what it is?" "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born, is to remain always a child." ― Cicero Spooky music A man is walking in a graveyard when he hears the Third Symphony played backward. When it’s over, the Second Symphony starts playing, also backward, and then the First. “What’s going on?” he asks a cemetery worker. “It’s Beethoven,” says the worker. “He’s decomposing.” — Submitted by Jeremy Hone * Renaissance Lute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G2... * A 400-year-old Scottish tune on the Lute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I27... * Relax by the Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-g... 1.e4 e5 Ponziani Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxK... 1.e4 e5 Halloween Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzi... 1.e4 e5 Evans Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vss... 1.e4 e6 French Defense Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQ... 1.e4 e6 French Defense, Classical Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz0... Burn the midnight oil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhu... 1.d4 Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMg... Modern Dutch Stonewall Defense, Greco's Mate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rr... “A game played by men of equal strength, if played accurately, will end in a draw, and it is apt to be dull.” — Emanuel Lasker 53 games, 1890-2023 K Uncastled X Cloned “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius “My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy.” — William Shakespeare “An important rule for the beginner is the following: if it were possible to develop the pieces without the aid of pawn moves, the pawnless advance would be the correct one, for, as suggested, the pawn is not a fighting unit until in the sense that his crossing of the frontier is to be feared by the enemy, since obviously the attacking force of the pawns is small compared with that of the pieces.” — Aron Nimzowitsch “Chess is a great game. It’s a lot of fun, but sometimes you wonder what else is out there.” — Hikaru Nakamura “Reading can take you places you have never been before.” — Dr. Seuss “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ― Anna Quindlen “The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” — Joshua Waitzkin “Sometimes the hardest thing to do in a pressure situation is to allow the tension to persist. The temptation is to make a decision, any decision, even if it is an inferior choice.” — Garry Kasparov “There are two classes of men; those who are content to yield to circumstances and who play whist; those who aim to control circumstances, and who play chess.” — Mortimer Collins “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” — Mark Twain “I like colorful tales with black beginnings and stormy middles and cloudless blue-sky endings. But any story will do.” ― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan “The older I grow, the more I value Pawns.” — Paul Keres “The path to glory is rough, and many gloomy hours obscure it. May the Great Spirit shed light on your path, so that you may never experience the humility that the power of the American government has reduced me to. This is the wish of a man who, in his native forests, was once as proud and bold as yourself.” — Chief Black Hawk “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass “Nothing is dearer to a chess player's heart than his rating. Well, of course everyone knows he's under-rated, but his rating, its ups and downs, however miniscule, are his ego's stock-market report.” ― Lev Alburt “Counterattack is the soul of the game,” wrote Vera Menchik. “In the times of need when we are faced with a very cramped or even a lost game, our best chance of recovering the balance is to introduce complications.” "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 * Good Historical Links: https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/in... * JonathanJ's favorite games 4: Game Collection: JonathanJ's favorite games 4 * elmubarak: my fav games: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games * assorted Good games Compiled by rbaglini: Game Collection: assorted Good games * LAST COLLECTION Compiled by Jaredfchess: Game Collection: LAST COLLECTION * Internet tracking: https://www.studysmarter.us/magazin... * YS Tactics: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics * Easy 1.d4: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... 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. Q: Where does the sheep go to get a haircut? A: The baa baa shop. 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. Q: What genre are national anthems? A: Country. Jack Be Nimble Lyrics Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack jump over the candlestick Jack be nimble, Jack be spry Jack jump over the apple pie Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Skipping skipping like a kite Bouncing bouncing with delight Every leap is leaping right Jack is happy, Jack is spry Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Skipping skipping like a kite Jack jump over the apple pie Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jump jump Jack jump! Jack is happy, Jack is spry Every leap is leaping right Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jump! Jack be nimble, Jack be light Way way up into the sky Tumbles up and touches down Landing like a butterfly Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Jump jump Jack jump! Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack jump over the candlestick Jack be nimble, Jack be spry Jack jump over the apple pie Jack be nimble, Jack jump high! Jack fly up into the sky Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Q: What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A: A can’t opener! “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” By Hall & Oates (1980): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEr... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... <Principles of Chess 01. Develop your pieces quickly. 02. Control the center. 03. Try to put your pieces on squares that give them maximum space. 04. Try to develop your knights towards the center. 05. A knight on the rim is dim. 06. Don't take unnecessary chances. 07. Play aggressive. 08. Calculate forced moves first. 09. Always ask yourself, "Can he put me in check or win a piece?" 10. Have a plan. Every move should have a purpose. 11. Assume your opponent's move is his best move. 12. Ask yourself, "why did he move there?" after each opponent move. 13. Play for the initiative and contolling the board. 14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can. 15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces. 16. If you are losing, don't give up fighting. Look for counterplay. 17. Don't play unsound moves unless you are losing badly. 18. Don't sacrifice a piece without good reason. 19. If you are in doubt of an opponent's sacrifice, accept it. 20. Attack with more that just one or two pieces. 21. Do not make careless pawn moves. They cannot move back. 22. Do not block in your bishops. 23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing. 24. Try not to move the same piece twice or more times in a row. 25. Exchange pieces if it helps your development. 26. Don't bring your queen out early. 27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook. 28. Develop rooks to open files. 29. Put rooks behind passed pawns. 30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common and most complicated. 31. Don't let your king get caught in the center. 32. Don't castle if it brings your king into greater danger from attack. 33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king. 34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color. 35. Trade pawns pieces when ahead in material or when under attack. 36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material. 37. If your opponent is cramped, don't let him get any freeing exchanges. 38. Study openings you are comfortable with. 39. Play over entire games, not just the opening. 40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often. 41. Study annotated games and try to guess each move. 42. Stick with just a few openings with White, and a few openings with Black. 43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost. 44. Show your games to higher rated opponents and get feedback from them. 45. Use chess computers and databases to help you study and play more. 46. Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often. 47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations. 48. Try to double rooks or double rook and queen on open files. 49. Always ask yourself, "Does my next move overlook something simple?" 50. Don't make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent's threats. 51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent's piece. 52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View thw whole board. 53. Write down your move first before making that move if it helps. 54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines. 55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings. 56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play. 57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble. 58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in. 59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight. 60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up endgame. 61. Have confidence in your game. 62. Play in as many rated events as you can. 63. Try not to look at your opponent's rating until after the game. 64. Always play for a win. (If a win is no longer possible, then play for a draw.)> 27 games, 1804-2020 KThe Once librarian Mate “Life is a gameboard. Time is your opponent. If you procrastinate, you will lose the game. Make a move to be victorious.” ― Napolean Hill “When your house is on fire, you cannot be bothered with the neighbors. Or, as we say in chess, if your King is under attack, do not worry about losing a pawn on the queenside.” ― Garry Kasparov “The consensus seemed to be that if really large numbers of men were sent to storm the mountain, then enough might survive the rocks to take the citadel. This is essentially the basis of all military thinking.” ― Terry Pratchett, Eric “Chess is a miniature version of life. To be successful, you need to be disciplined, assess resources, consider responsible choices, and adjust when circumstances change.” ― Susan Polgar “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” ― Cesare Pavese “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ― Stephen King * If White knows the way: https://www.chessable.com/blog/mati... * C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game * RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures * Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems * Clean, Clear: https://chess-site.com/ * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * LG - White wins: Game Collection: Latvian Gambit-White wins * The Halloween Gambit performs surprisingly well in practice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3l... * Plenty to see: http://www.schackportalen.nu/Englis... “Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.” ― Voltaire “What we think, we become.” ― Buddha “Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” ― Michael Jordan “Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays.” ― Johann Friedrich Von Schiller “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” ― Nelson Mandela “Attack! Always Attack!” ― Adolf Anderssen “A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it.” ― Wilhelm Steinitz “To all players I can recommend the following: simplicity and economy. These are the characteristics of the opening systems of many great masters... A solid opening repertoire fosters self-confidence.” ― Lajos Portisch “Chess is a matter of delicate judgment, knowing when to punch and how to duck.” ― Bobby Fischer “I think that an opponent who relies only on the choice of a computer, and does not start from his own "natural" resources, will very quickly reach his chess-heights with no room for improvement.” ― Jan Timmerman “It’s a great huge game of chess that’s being played—all over the world—if this is the world at all, you know. Oh, what fun it is! How I wish I was one of them! I wouldn’t mind being a Pawn, if only I might join—though of course I should like to be a Queen, best.” — Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898) Aristotle once asked "What is it about a thing that makes a thing what it is?" “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born, is to remain always a child.” ― Cicero Two muffins were sitting in an oven. One turned to the other and said, “Wow, it’s pretty hot in here.” The other one shouted, “Wow, a talking muffin!” The Doctors The selfsame patient put to test Two doctors, Fear-the-worst and Hope-the-best. The latter hoped; the former did maintain The man would take all medicine in vain. By different cures the patient was beset, But erelong cancelled nature's debt, While nursed As was prescribed by Fear-the-worst. But over the disease both triumphed still. Said one, "I well foresaw his death." "Yes," said the other, "but my pill Would certainly have saved his breath." In 1852, a retelling of the fable entitled "Solomon's Seal" by the English poet Edward FitzGerald. In the fable, a sultan requests of King Solomon a sentence that would always be true in good times or bad. Solomon responds, "This too will pass away". When the British still had an Empire (ruled by Queen Victoria) and a weak China was forced down on its knees (Opium wars), a rising Republican politician climbed the stage to hold a speech in the U.S. His name was Abraham Lincoln (not yet elected president, at this point on September 30, 1859. In fact, Lincoln thought that his career had been – in his own words – “a failure, a flat failure.”). Addressing a large gathering of entrepreneurs and farmers in Wisconsin (1859), here is what Lincoln said: “Some of you will be successful, and such will need but little philosophy to take them home in cheerful spirits; others will be disappointed and will be in a less happy mood. To such, let it be said, “Lay it not too much to heart.” Let them adopt the maxim, “Better luck next time;” and then, by renewed exertion, make that better luck for themselves. And by the successful, and the unsuccessful, let it be remembered, that while occasions like the present bring their sober and durable benefits, the exultations of them are but temporary (…); and that the vanquished this year, may be victor the next, in spite of all competition. It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: “And this, too, shall pass away.” How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction! “And this, too, shall pass away.” No hiding the evidence A man, shocked by how his buddy is dressed, asks him, “How long have you been wearing that bra?” The friend replies, “Ever since my wife found it in the glove compartment.” — Submitted by Braeden Silvermist The Most DEVILISHLY Tricky Chess Player In The World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFH... Magnus Carlsen vs Alireza Firouzja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYa... 8 games, 1981-2023 KWiener Schachzeitung Chess is an abstract strategy game and involves no hidden information. Chess has six different kinds of pieces, and they all interact in myriad ways. Your opponent’s own pieces can often be used against him. While the Queen is the strongest piece, it is the weakest defender; and while the pawn is the weakest piece, it is the strongest defender. * Encyclopaedia Brit: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch... “Life is a chess match. Every decision you make has a consequence to it.” ― P.K. Subban “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius “Chess is like life. To succeed in either one takes patience, planning, concentration, the willingness to set goals, and an inclination to see deeply into things. You have to go for the thing beyond. Chess is about seeing the underlying reality.” — Maurice Ashley “Chess is 99 percent tactics.” — Richard Teichmann “It is only after our basic needs for food and shelter have been met that we can hope to enjoy the luxury of theoretical speculations.” — Aristotle. “Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.” — Sai Baba “Chess is a miniature version of life. To be successful, you need to be disciplined, assess resources, consider responsible choices, and adjust when circumstances change.” — Susan Polgar “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” ― Buddha “Chess is a war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.” ― Bobby Fischer “It is never safe to take the queen knight pawn with the queen – even when it is safe.” — Hungarian proverb “Those who think that it’s easy to play chess are mistaken. During a game, a player lives on his nerves, and at the same time he must be perfectly composed.” — Victor Korchnoi “The beauty of a move lies not in its appearance but in the thought behind it.” ― Aron Nimzowitsch “Chess is rarely a game of ideal moves. Almost always, a player faces a series of difficult consequences whichever move he makes.” ― David Shenk “Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey.” — Urijah Faber “We should praise, rather, the courage of the player who, relying only on his intuition, plunges into a brilliant combination of which the issue does not appear to him too clear.” ― Eugene Znosko-Borovsky “The hardest game to win is a won game.” ― Emanuel Lasker “Simple plans are best. Tactics will prevail.” ― C.J.S. Purdy “If you wish to succeed you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov “All things being equal, the player will prevail who first succeeds in uniting the efforts of both rooks in an important direction.” ― Eugene Znosko-Borovsky “The winner of the game is the player who makes the next to last mistake.” ― Savielly Tartakower “People who want to improve should take their defeats as lessons, and endeavor to learn what to avoid in the future. You must always have the courage of your convictions. If you think your move is good, make it.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Confucius “For quite a number of games on the highest level, half of the game—sometimes a full game—is played out of memory.” ― Vladimir Kramnik “Chess spread rapidly around 500 years ago after European players promoted a slow-moving piece into the powerful modern-day queen, giving the game more zip. In 1996, one year before IBM’s Deep Blue defeated Kasparov, chess wunderkind-turned-fugitive Bobby Fischer called a press conference in Buenos Aires and complained that chess needed a redesign to demote computer-enhanced memorization and encourage creativity. He unveiled Fischer Random Chess, which preserves the usual rules of play but randomizes the starting positions of the powerful pieces on the back rank of the board each game. Fischer Random, also known as Chess960, slowly earned a niche in the chess world and now has its own tournaments.” ― wired.com “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” — Jonas Salk I sold my vacuum the other day. All it was doing was collecting dust. 1855 http://books.google.com/books?id=wR... 1898 Vol 1 http://books.google.com/books?id=Pi... 1899 Vol II http://books.google.com/books?id=nR... 1900 http://books.google.com/books?id=vy... 1901 http://books.google.com/books?id=lR... 1902 http://books.google.com/books?id=sh... 1903 http://books.google.com/books?id=7x... 1904 http://books.google.com/books?id=eh... 1905 http://books.google.com/books?id=nR... 1906 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.3901... 1907 http://books.google.com/books?id=t2... 1908 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.3901... 1909 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210... 1910 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210... 1911 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210... 1912 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210... 1913 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210... 1914 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210... 1915 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1916 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1917-1922 not published 1923 resumed as "(Neue) Wiener Schachzeitung" http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1924 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1925 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1926 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1927 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1928 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... Q: What genre are national anthems? A: Country. 1929 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1930 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1931 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1932 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1933 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1934 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1935 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1936 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1937 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... 1938 http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... "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 * Beauty Prizes Game Collection: Les Prix de Beauté aux Echecs (I) * Double B sacrifices: Game Collection: Double Bishop Sacrifices (dedicated to Anatoly K * Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 * FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... * Lasker's Best: https://thechessworld.com/articles/... * Lasker Matters: Game Collection: Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis * Shirov miniatures: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures * SMG Miniatures: Game Collection: Brrilant ideas * Tactics Explained: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev) * GoY's 40 Favs: Game Collection: GoY's favorite games “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) By Kelly Clarkson (2011): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6... “Life is like a chess game. If you play the right move, at the right time you’ll win the game.” ― says Sruti “I prefer to lose a really good game than to win a bad one.” ― David Levy “As proved by evidence, it (chess) is more lasting in its being and presence than all books and achievements; the only game that belongs to all people and all ages; of which none knows the divinity that bestowed it on the world, to slay boredom, to sharpen the senses, to exhilarate the spirit.” — Stefan Zweig “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain “Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier “You must work and do good, not be lazy and gamble, if you wish to earn happiness. Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.... I can’t understand people who don’t like work ...” — Anne Frank (1929–1945) “Satisfaction consists in freedom from pain, which is the positive element of life.” — Arthur Schopenhauer My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. … Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. — Proverbs 4:20, 23 NLT “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 “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” — Ronald Reagan “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” — Soren Kierkegaard “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” — Socrates A man walks into a pet store and asks for a dozen bees. The clerk carefully counts 13 bees out onto the counter. “That’s one too many!” says the customer. The clerk replies “It’s a freebie.” The Coach and the Fly On a sandy, uphill road, Which naked in the sunshine glowed, Six lusty horses drew a coach. Dames, monks, and invalids, its load, On foot, outside, at leisure trode. The team, all weary, stopped and blowed: Whereon there did a fly approach, And, with a vastly business air. Cheered up the horses with his buzz, – Now pricked them here, now pricked them there, As neatly as a jockey does, – And thought the while – he knew It was so – He made the team and carriage go, – On carriage-pole sometimes alighting – Or driver's nose – and biting. And when the whole did get in motion, Confirmed and settled in the notion, He took, himself, the total glory, – Flew back and forth in wondrous hurry, And, as he buzz'd about the cattle, Seemed like a sergeant in a battle, The files and squadrons leading on To where the victory is won. Thus charged with all the commonweal, This single fly began to feel Responsibility too great, And cares, a grievous crushing weight; And made complaint that none would aid The horses up the tedious hill – The monk his prayers at leisure said – Fine time to pray! – the dames, at will, Were singing songs – not greatly needed! Thus in their ears he sharply sang, And notes of indignation ran, – Notes, after all, not greatly heeded. Erelong the coach was on the top: "Now," said the fly, "my hearties, stop And breathe; – I have got you up the hill; And Messrs. Horses, let me say, I need not ask you if you will A proper compensation pay." Thus certain ever-bustling noddies Are seen in every great affair; Important, swelling, busy-bodies, And bores It's easier to bear Than chase them from their needless care. Q: What’s the leading cause of dry skin? A: Towels. Drive sober or get pulled over. Oct-27-23 TimmyDurty: Hi, I am new here. I paid for the premium subscription but am still receiving ads and pop ups every time I do something. Is there something I need to do to stop these ads??? Thank you! Best, Tim Oct-27-23 MissScarlett: Click on Prefs in the top left banner, select <Do not display 3rd party ads> and see what happens. Q: How do you make holy water? A: You boil the hell out of it. 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! “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.” ― Bobby Fischer * Learn Chess: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/learn... * 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. John 3:16 “For God so loved the World that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” — Jesus Christ * https://www.hearthymn.com/john-3-16... “There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.” ― Pierre Mac Orlan “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.” — William Shakespeare Q: What did the frustrated cat say? A: Are you kitten me right meow? Cat hiss ridiculous. 2 games, 1862-2001 La Magia del Ajedrez Ejemplos y Partidas seleccionadas para la obra "La magia del ajedrez: Historia, tactica y estrategias del juego ciencia" de J. Miguel Yepes y L. Eduardo Yepes, 1999. ♘ 48 games, 1620-1999 Lasker's Secret Weapon A collection of games where Lasker plays f4-f5, leaving a backward pawn on e4. Some annotators comment rather dramatically on Lasker-Capablanca 1914 when Lasker makes this move. In reality, the idea was part of his repertoire nearly from the beginning. Copy. Boris Pasternak In every thing I want to grasp... In every thing I want to grasp Its very core. In work, in searching for the path, In heart's uproar. To see the essence of my days, In every minute To see its cause, its root, its base, Its sacred meaning. Perceiving constantly the hidden Thread of fate To live, to think, to love, to feel And to create. If I was able, I would write, I'd try to fashion The eight of lines, the eight of rhymes On laws of passion, On the unlawfulness and sins, On runs and chases, On palms and elbows, sudden somethings, Chances, mazes. I'd learn the passion's rules and ways, Its source and matter, I would repeat its lovely names, Each single letter. I’d plant a verse as park to grow. In verbs and nouns Lime-trees would blossom in a row, Aligning crowns. I’d bring to verses scents and forms Of mint and roses, Spring meadows, bursts of thunderstorms, Hay stacks and mosses. This way Chopin in the old days Composed, infusing The breath of parks and groves and graves Into his music. The triumph — agony and play — The top, the brink. The tightened bow-string vibrates — The living string. 1956 17 games, 1858-1934

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