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21 dcruggeroli's dcfianchettoes Jir22 It cooks up like soup, slow and steady. Thank you dcruggeroli! “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) “Chess is a simple game, but it is that very simplicity that makes the player’s personalities come out.” — Gamou Jirou “-You have no respect for excessive authority or obsolete traditions. You're dangerous and depraved, and you ought to be taken outside and shot!” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22 “The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” ― Colin Powell “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 "Chess is all about stored pattern recognition. You are asking your brain to spot a face in the crowd that it has not seen." ― Sally Simpson * Checkmate Patterns You Must Recognize Instantly: https://chessfox.com/checkmate-patt... * Charming: Game Collection: 0 * Chessmaster 2000 Classic Games: Game Collection: Chessmaster '86 * Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv... * The games of chess author Bill Wall; many are miniatures: Bill Wall * Rip 'em to shreds! https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m... * How dumb is it? Game Collection: Diemer-Duhm Gambit * KIDs: Game Collection: Kasparov on The King's Indian * Good Historical Links: https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/in... * Internet tracking: https://www.studysmarter.us/magazin... M.Hassan: <Eggman>: Scarborough Chess Club which is said to be the biggest chess club in Canada, arranges tournaments under the name of "Howard Rideout" tournaments. Is he the same Rideout that you are mentioning?. I only know that this is to commemorate "Rideout" who has been a player and probably in that club because the club is over 40 years old. This tournament is repeated year after year and at the beginning of the season when the club resumes activity after summer recession in September. Zxp PeterB: Eggman and Mr. Hassan - you are right, Howard Ridout was a long time member of the Scarborough Chess Club! He was very active even when I joined in 1969, and was still organizing tournaments at the time of his death in the 1990s. This game is a good memorial to him! Theodorovitch was a Toronto master rated about 2250 back then, perhaps about 2350 nowadays. Old Russian Proverb: "Measure seven times, cut once. (Семь раз отмерь — один отрежь.)" Be careful before you do something that cannot be changed. 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. The Ass and the Little Dog One's native talent from its course Cannot be turned aside by force; But poorly apes the country clown The polished manners of the town. Their Maker chooses but a few With power of pleasing to imbue; Where wisely leave it we, the mass, Unlike a certain fabled ass, That thought to gain his master's blessing By jumping on him and caressing. "What!" said the donkey in his heart; "Ought it to be that puppy's part To lead his useless life In full companionship With master and his wife, While I must bear the whip? What does the cur a kiss to draw? Forsooth, he only gives his paw! If that is all there needs to please, I'll do the thing myself, with ease." Possessed with this bright notion, – His master sitting on his chair, At leisure in the open air, – He ambled up, with awkward motion, And put his talents to the proof; Upraised his bruised and battered hoof, And, with an amiable mien, His master patted on the chin, The action gracing with a word – The fondest bray that ever was heard! O, such caressing was there ever? Or melody with such a quaver? "Ho! Martin! here! a club, a club bring!" Out cried the master, sore offended. So Martin gave the ass a drubbing, – And so the comedy was ended. “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” — Siegbert Tarrasch Dec-14-20 Biographer Bistro Tabanus: chessgames.com chessforum (kibitz #21841) <20/20 Technologies is one of the first web development companies, founded in 1995 by Daniel Freeman and Lee Cummings. In 2001 we were commissioned by Albert Artidiello to create a chess site. Albert had limited-funding but big dreams, so in the early years (2002, 2003) 20/20 agreed to do extensive work on Chessgames in exchange for a stake in the website's business (which at the time was zero, as there wasn't even such a thing as a premium membership, and the advertising didn't even cover the hosting fees.) For a while it seemed like a really fun side-project but not a business per se. But then, around 2004-2005, the site launched its premium membership and turned profitable. At that stage, Chessgames was capable of actually paying for its development work, hiring GM commentators, etc. Chessgames could have gone to any web development company in the world at that point, but obviously it was in everybody's best interest to keep working with 20/20 Technologies. In gratitude for all they've done, Chessgames continues to put a link to 20/20 Technologies at the bottom of every page.> “Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” ― Norman Vincent Peale “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. The Hen With The Golden Eggs How avarice loses all, By striving all to gain, I need no witness call But him whose thrifty hen, As by the fable we are told, Laid every day an egg of gold. "She has a treasure in her body," Bethinks the avaricious noddy. He kills and opens – vexed to find All things like hens of common kind. Thus spoiled the source of all his riches, To misers he a lesson teaches. In these last changes of the moon, How often does one see Men made as poor as he By force of getting rich too soon! "Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom." — Charles F. Stanley “To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?” — Queen Elizabeth II <There are distinct situations where a bishop is preferred (over a knight). For example, two bishops are better than two knights or one of each. Steven Mayer, the author of Bishop Versus Knight, contends, “A pair of bishops is usually considered to be worth six points, but common sense suggests that a pair of active bishops (that are very involved in the formation) must be accorded a value of almost nine under some circumstances.” This is especially true if the player can plant the bishops in the center of the board, as two bishops working in tandem can span up to 26 squares and have the capacity to touch every square. Bishops are also preferable to knights when queens have been exchanged because, Grandmaster Sergey Erenburg, who is ranked 11th in the U.S., explains, “[Bishops and rooks] complement each other, and when well-coordinated, act as a queen.” Conversely, a knight is the preferred minor piece when the queen survives until the late-middlegame or the endgame. Mayer explains, “The queen and knight are [able] to work together smoothly and create a greater number of threats than the queen and bishop.” When forced to say one is better than the other, most anoint the bishop. Mayer concludes, “I think it’s true that the bishops are better than the knights in a wider variety of positions than the knights are better than the bishops.” He continues, “Of course, I’m not sure this does us much good, as we only get to play one position at a time.”> "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born, is to remain always a child." — Cicero “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ― Denis Waitley 71L Yella blue genidze glue Zhu sppooky zerow ddie prilous vietn ppie eight Monte Carlo by zborris242 zja * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ Mar-21-23 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! Actions speak louder than words. Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” — Mahatma Gandhi “If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” ― Ancient Chinese Proverb Apr-27-23 WTHarvey: There once was a chess player keen He studied each move he had seen With tactics so clever His games were a pleasure His passion for chess was extreme! There once was a chess player bright Whose moves were a beautiful sight He never lost hope Or his skill, he would mope For he believed in fighting the good fight. There once was a chess player so keen Whose passion for the game was extreme He'd study and strategize And often would visualize His victories, in every daydream. “Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands.” ― Renaud & Kahn “Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem.” ― Saudin Robovic “Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory.” – Max Euwe “Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game.” – Being Caballero “If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” — Dale Earnhardt “In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate.” ― Isaac Asimov “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” — Calvin Coolidge Psalm 96: 1-3 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. JACK BE NIMBLE Jack be nimble Jack be quick Jack jump over The candlestick 16 yellow #2 pencilz This poem is dedicated to all Caissa's members who understand that chess is but a game. Chess is but a Game As he secretly rode his knight out of the castle's gate, still believing that he could escape this inevitable fate, the sky broke open with an array of incredible light. and there smitten to the earth lay nova under his knight. I am who I am and always am, spoke this thundering voice and you, my friend nova, do not at all have another choice but to go forth south and north, west and east loudly proclaiming the good Word to man and beast. Thus beset by the compelling voice from the broken sky nova set about explaining through the word the how and why. He travelled north and south, west and east never losing aim to let all Caissa's members know: chess is but a game. Dream Weaver by Gary Wright I've just closed my eyes again Climbed aboard the dream weaver train Driver take away my worries of today And leave tomorrow behind Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe you can get me through the night Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe we can reach the morning light Fly me high through the starry skies Maybe to an astral plane Cross the highways of fantasy Help me to forget today's pain Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe you can get me through the night Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe we can reach the morning light Though the dawn may be coming soon There still may be some time Fly me away to the bright side of the moon Meet me on the other side Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe you can get me through the night Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe we can reach the morning light Dream weaver Dream weaver Songwriters: Gary Wright. For non-commercial use only. * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McZ... * https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... 26 games, 1946-2018 21 French duanbao's favorite games Lev Back The Deventer Poem dates from the 13th century. Written in Latin, it's probably of French origin although the name was given from the Dutch library where the manuscript was discovered. There have been six other manuscripts since found in various European countries. The poem itself was inteneded to be memorized as an instructional tool. In the poem the board is presented as a red and white chequered platform and interesting enough, the pieces are also called Red and White, though not denoting which side they belong to, but rather what color square they are standing. The pieces are called: rex (king), regina (queen), alphilnus (Bishop), rocus (Rook), miles or eques (Knight) and miles (Pawn). Historian H.J.R. Murray wrote, "The text may be given in brief thus: If anyone wished to know the beautiful game of chess (scacorum ludum decorum), let him learn this poem. The battle takes place upon a square bard, chequered with different colors. The two Kings (rex) arrange their forces in two lines. In the van are the eight Pawns (pedes). Behind are the swift Rooks (rocus). the fierce Knights (eques) who war unfairly, and the King, Queen (regina) and the two bodies of Fools (stolidus). The old archer (architenens vetus=Pawn) begins the battle; he moves aslant to capture, and when he reaches the limit of the board, he is promoted and called Fers (fercia). The Knight (miles) goes obliquely and chages his color. The Rook goes straight, awkwardly and swiftly; he can go forwars and backwards. The Fool (stultus), a leaper of the three ways, is like a thief and a spy; if he is white to begin with, he can never become red. The royal Fers is a leaper of four ways and keeps her color. The King can move to any of the eight surrounding squares, he must move in replies to checks (scaccibus), and if he is unable every one shoutes Mate! mate! mate! (mattum). — batgirl, chess.com “Attack! Always attack!” — Adolph Anderssen “To find something, anything, a great truth or a lost pair of glasses, you must first believe there will be some advantage in finding it.” — Jack Burden, All The King’s Men “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” — Jimmy Dean “Chess is above all, a fight!” — Emanuel Lasker “In chess, at least, the brave inherit the earth.” — Edmar Mednis “We learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs, the habit of hoping for a favorable change, and that of persevering in the search for resources.” ― Benjamin Franklin “When a player keeps a calm demeanor on the court, it's easier for his ability to shine. The best response to an opposing player's physical or psychological tactics is to keep cool and come right back at him with the force of your game, not your fists. Revenge is always sweeter if your team wins the game.” ― Walt Frazier “A passed pawn increase in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca * Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/ * 10 Best to Watch: https://www.chessjournal.com/best-c... * Wilhelm Steinitz: https://www.chessjournal.com/wilhel... Wilhelm Steinitz was the first official world chess champion and the game's all-time best match player. Steinitz played 27 chess matches from 1862 to 1896, and won 25 of the 27. He won 160 games, lost 70, and drew 57. * Starting Out: French Defense: Game Collection: Starting out : The French * Seven Minutes: French Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRU... * FT 0-1: Game Collection: French Tarrasch * Alekhine's French Def: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... Alexander Alekhine, born in 1892 in Moscow, was a Russian-French chess grandmaster who became the fourth World Chess Champion. He defeated Capablanca in 1927 and held the title until 1935, when he lost to Max Euwe. Alekhine regained the championship in 1937 and held it until his death in 1946. * According to... Game Collection: The French According to ... * Advance French: Game Collection: Attacking with the French * Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black * Indestructible French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=192... * KIAs vs French: Game Collection: Opening Ideas * KIAs for White: Game Collection: A08 King's Indian Attack (White) * Unleash the Knight: https://cardclashgames.com/blog/che... * MC Move-by-Move: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala) * Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES * Miniatures: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (III) * POTD 2023: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2023 * Top Players from France: https://www.chessjournal.com/best-f... * Versatile French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3h... * Queen vs Rook Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJn... * Chess in old newspapers: https://www.schach-chess.com/chess-... * Opening Names: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c... * Many gambits from all openings by ECO code: https://www.jimmyvermeer.com/openin... * Nakhmanson Gambit: https://chesstier.com/nakhmanson-ga... * Lots of P-K4 gambits in this portion of the book: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (II) * Matovinsky Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF7... * See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBv... * Open up the French Defense?! http://studimonetari.org/edg/latex/... * Don't Hang Your Pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hz... * Tips for Knights & More: http://www.chesssets.co.uk/blog/tip... * Rajnish Das Tips: https://enthu.com/blog/chess/chess-... * Shortcuts: Game Collection: 21+ Too Fast French Kisses * Special Collection: Game Collection: 0 * This fellow has some creative gambits: http://krolaszachykor.blogspot.com/... * For safe keeping until I need 2 hours of entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CG... * Looking for Unorthodox? Game Collection: 6 GumboG's Unorthodox Games-Names (ECO=A,D, * Looking for Redemption? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykH... * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * Glossary: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar... * 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! Thank you Qindarka! “My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose.” — Bette Davis “If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” — Dale Earnhardt “Those who do not risk, do not benefit.” — Portuguese Proverb “The harder you fall, the heavier your heart; the heavier your heart, the stronger you climb; the stronger you climb, the higher your pedestal.” — Criss Jami <"De Ludo Scachorum" was first translated into French in 1347. In 1474, 2 years before it was printed in French, William Caxton translated the text from the French (of Jean de Vignay) into English and printed it under the title, "The Game of Chess." "The Game of Chess" was the second book ever printed in the English language. The first book, also printed by Claxton was "The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye," also translated from French (of Raoul le Fèvre) and also in 1474. Caxton printed almost 100 books, and of these 20 were translations from French or Dutch into English.> — batgirl, chess.com “Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.” ― Francis Bacon “Discipline is wisdom and vice versa.” ― M. Scott Peck “I was brought up on the games of Capablanca and Nimzowitsch, and they became part of my chess flesh and blood.” ― Tigran Petrosian “Alekhine was the rock-thrower, Capablanca the man who made it all seem easy.” ― Hans Ree “Capablanca possessed an amazing ability to quickly see into a position and intuitively grasp its main features. His style, one of the purest, most crystal-clear in the entire history of chess, astonishes one with its logic.” ― Garry Kasparov “When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one.” ― Emanuel Lasker The Portuguese chess player and author Pedro Damiano (1480–1544) first wrote this in his book "Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti" published in Rome, Italy, in 1512. “Capablanca was among the greatest of chess players, but not because of his endgame. His trick was to keep his openings simple, and then play with such brilliance in the middlegame that the game was decided - even though his opponent didn't always know it - before they arrived at the ending.” — Robert Fischer “If the student forces himself to examine all moves that smite, however absurd they may look at first glance, he is on the way to becoming a master of tactics.” — C.J.S. Purdy “The tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do.” — Gerald Abrahams “Examine moves that smite! A good eye for smites is far more important than a knowledge of strategical principles.” — C.J.S. Purdy Fredthebear says exercise, prayer, and poetry are good for you. Sing in the shower. Take the stairs. Spy on the neighbors. Call your mother every Sunday. Eat leafy greens with each meal. Get your pets spayed or neutered. “Chess is all about stored pattern recognition. You are asking your brain to spot a face in the crowd that it has not seen.” ― Sally Simpson “Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.” ― Seth Godin “Winning is the science of being totally prepared.” — George Allen “Without technique it is impossible to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to borrow from Capablanca his wonderful, subtle technique.” — Mikhail Tal Maximo wrote: My Forking Knight's Mare Gracefully over the squares, as a blonde or a brunette, she makes moves that not even a queen can imitate. Always active and taking the initiative, she likes to fork. She does it across the board, taking with ease not only pawns, but also kings, and a bad bishop or two. Sometimes she feels like making quiet moves, at other times, she adopts romantic moods, and makes great sacrifices. But, being hers a zero-sum game, she often forks just out of spite. An expert at prophylaxis, she can be a swindler, and utter threats, skewering men to make some gains. Playing with her risks a conundrum, and also catching Kotov’s syndrome. Nonetheless, despite having been trampled by her strutting ways my trust in her remains, unwavering, until the endgame. Chessgames.com will be unavailable August 28, 2023 from 1:00AM through 1:30AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience. "Lightning strikes the Earth more than 4 million times a day," said Maher Dayeh, a research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. <This poem is dedicated to Harris my chessplayer friend and literary commentator. Chess The Final Metaphor It was in a cesspool behind the place of his cousin Nick That in this pool of sewage, was born the freak called frick. On dark nights he hysterically wailed in his pool of slimy mess: "Oh why oh why, can't I play the game that humans call chess"? As the morning sun rose, begged the queen of the mighty king: Sire, can you not order the death of this awful filthy thing"? Wisely he replied: "no, I'll let frick live forever in distress While he must watch others enjoy themselves playing chess."> M.Hassan: <Eggman>: Scarborough Chess Club which is said to be the biggest chess club in Canada, arranges tournaments under the name of "Howard Rideout" tournaments. Is he the same Rideout that you are mentioning?. I only know that this is to commemorate "Rideout" who has been a player and probably in that club because the club is over 40 years old. This tournament is repeated year after year and at the beginning of the season when the club resumes activity after summer recession in September. Zxp PeterB: Eggman and Mr. Hassan - you are right, Howard Ridout was a long time member of the Scarborough Chess Club! He was very active even when I joined in 1969, and was still organizing tournaments at the time of his death in the 1990s. This game is a good memorial to him! Theodorovitch was a Toronto master rated about 2250 back then, perhaps about 2350 nowadays. <The youngest Olympian was 10 years old. According to Olympic records, the youngest athlete to ever become a medalist in the Olympics was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who finished third at the 1896 Olympic Games when he was 10 years old. Syria's Hend Zaza, who is 11, was on track to be the youngest Olympian at this year's games, but they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic—and she will be slightly older whenever the Tokyo Olympics do take place.> Alireza Firouzja https://www.chess.com/players/alire... Alireza Firouzja is an Iranian-born grandmaster who now plays for France. He is a world championship candidate and two-time Iranian champion. In late 2019 and early 2020, Firouzja electrified the chess world with his second-place finish in the World Rapid Championship (one point behind World Champion Magnus Carlsen) and his amazing 5/7 start at the 2020 Tata Steel tournament. 'Ask no questions and hear no lies * The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev - https://lichess.org/study/KMMrJvE1 * Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century * Rook ending study composed by Henri Rinck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCF... * Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t... 'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― William Faulkner “Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward.” — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy. Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force. “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ― Leonardo da Vinci William Faulkner publishes The Sound and the Fury in 1929. Steinitz's Theory 1. At the beginning of the game, Black and White are equal. 2. The game will stay equal with correct play on both sides. 3. You can only win by your opponent's mistake. 4. Any attack launched in an equal position will not succeed, and the attacker will suffer. 5. You should not attack until an advantage is obtained. 6. When equal, do not seek to attack, but instead, try to secure an advantage. 7. Once you have an advantage, attack or you will lose it. Feb-02-21 fisayo123: As can be seen, the chessgames.com database is not the end all and be all database for "vs" matchups. In fact, its known for not really being as complete as some other game databases, especially for modern era games. https://2700chess.com/ <‘H.T.B.’ (Henry Thomas Bland) managed to have published on page 64 of the March 1930 American Chess Bulletin: Miss Menchik Miss Menchik is of master rank, It seems Maróczy she’s to thank; Still, there is little doubt of it She owes a deal to native wit. Much knowledge she has garnered in, E’en ’gainst the giants she’ll oft win – No doubt sometimes to their chagrin – Chess champion of the gentler sex Here’s luck to her! Should she annex In her next venture some big prize Keen critics will feel no surprise.> *At some time or other tournament player learns a few opening lines, some tactical ideas, the most basic mating patterns, and a few elementary endgames. As he gets better and more experienced, he significantly adds to this knowledge. However, the one thing that just everybody has problem is planning. From Z to class E (under 1200) D to Master, I get blank stares when asking what plan they had in mind in a particular position. Usually the choice of a plan (if they had any plan at all) is based on emotional rather than chess-specific considerations. By emotional, I mean that the typical player does what he feels like doing rather than the board "telling him what to do. This is somewhat cryptic sentence leads us to the following extremely important concept: if you want to be successful, you have to base your moves and plans on the specific imbalance-oriented criteria that exist in that given position, not your mood, taste and/or feared. Literally every non-master's games are filled with examples of "imbalance avoidance". Beginners, of course, simply don't know what imbalances are. Most experienced players have heard of the term and perhaps even tried to make use of them from time to time, however once the rush of battle takes over, isolated moves and raw aggression (or terror, if you find yourself defending) push any and all thoughts of imbalances out the door. In this case, chess becomes empty move-by-move, threat-by-threat (either making them or responding to them) affair. What is this mysterious allusion of the chessboard's desires (i.e., doing what the chess board wants you to do)? What is this "imbalance-oriented criteria? ― How To Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman Excelsior By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The shades of night were falling fast, As through an Alpine village passed A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice, A banner with the strange device, Excelsior! His brow was sad; his eye beneath, Flashed like a falchion from its sheath, And like a silver clarion rung The accents of that unknown tongue, Excelsior! In happy homes he saw the light Of household fires gleam warm and bright; Above, the spectral glaciers shone, And from his lips escaped a groan, Excelsior! "Try not the Pass!" the old man said; "Dark lowers the tempest overhead, The roaring torrent is deep and wide!" And loud that clarion voice replied, Excelsior! "Oh stay," the maiden said, "and rest Thy weary head upon this breast! " A tear stood in his bright blue eye, But still he answered, with a sigh, Excelsior! "Beware the pine-tree's withered branch! Beware the awful avalanche!" This was the peasant's last Good-night, A voice replied, far up the height, Excelsior! At break of day, as heavenward The pious monks of Saint Bernard Uttered the oft-repeated prayer, A voice cried through the startled air, Excelsior! A traveller, by the faithful hound, Half-buried in the snow was found, Still grasping in his hand of ice That banner with the strange device, Excelsior! There in the twilight cold and gray, Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay, And from the sky, serene and far, A voice fell like a falling star, Excelsior! The 20-40-40 rule in chess is a rule for players rated below 2000 that states 20% of your study should be dedicated to openings, 40% to the middlegame, and 40% to the endgame. Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” — Billy Graham “My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world.” — Billy Graham “Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got.” — Norman Vincent Peale “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” — Ralph Marston * Riddle-ziggy-bean: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch... “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “Never reply to an anonymous letter.” ― Yogi Berra, MLB Hall of Fame catcher “Even Napoleon had his Watergate.” ― Yogi Berra, 10-time World Series champion French Proverb: “Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.” ― (Nothing should be left to chance.) “There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.” ― Pierre Mac Orlan “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.” ― Bobby Fischer “As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight.” — The Revenant worbdftun: R18 Editor Steinitz perjury iz worse than danidze surgery becuz an op fixes yu up ore downtown Freddie Browning bolt-action 4gets thur a tension 4honorable mention but most women donut. The name ‘chess’ is derived from the Sanskrit ‘chaturanga’ which can be translated as “four arms”, referring to the four divisions of the Indian army – elephants, cavalry, chariots and infantry. In this regard, chess is very much a war game that simulates what we would now call the combined arms operations of the ancient world. The Chess Player by Howard Altmann They’ve left. They’ve all left. The pigeon feeders have left. The old men on the benches have left. The white-gloved ladies with the Great Danes have left. The lovers who thought about coming have left. The man in the three-piece suit has left. The man who was a three-piece band has left. The man on the milkcrate with the bible has left. Even the birds have left. Now the trees are thinking about leaving too. And the grass is trying to turn itself in. Of course the buses no longer pass. And the children no longer ask. The air wants to go and is in discussions. The clouds are trying to steer clear. The sky is reaching for its hands. Even the moon sees what’s going on. But the stars remain in the dark. As does the chess player. Who sits with all his pieces In position. <"The Chess Players" was a film written and directed by Satyajit Ray in 1977, based on Munshi Premchand’s short story of the same name. Two chess-mad noblemen, Mir and Mirza, are so obsessed with their game that they refuse to notice the turmoil of the British incursions seething around them, not to mention the disintegration of their marriages. Despite these catastrophes, Ray’s touch in the film is light, as is Howard Altmann’s in the poem of the same name.> H.T. Bland. On page 207 of the December 1929 American Chess Bulletin he exalted the challenger in that year’s world championship match: Bravo ‘Bogol’, you’ve shown pluck. One and all we wish you luck. Gee, some thought you’d barged between Other players who’d have been Less likely straightaway to lose Just as friend Alekhine might choose; Undaunted, ‘Bogol’, you went in Believing you’d a chance to win. Or failing that, to make a fight, Which you are doing as we write. Capitonyms are words which change their meaning if the first letter is capitalized. For example: Turkey (the country) and turkey (the bird). The fear of running out of something to read is called "abibliophobia." Researchers from India recently discovered a new species of green pit vipers. They named the snake after Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter universe. When the first consistent phone service was established in 1878, Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering the phone with “ahoy." The closest relative to bears are seals. Under Joseph Stalin's regime, "Hamlet" was banned. The official reason: Hamlet's indecisiveness and depression were incompatible with the new Soviet spirit of optimism, fortitude, and clarity. Beekeepers in France noticed that their bees were producing honey in unusual shades of green and blue. After investigating, the beekeepers discovered that the bees had been eating remnants of M&M candy shells from a nearby factory. In the late Middle Ages, books were so valuable that libraries would chain them to bookcases. Hummingbirds can't walk or hop. Their tiny legs are only used for perching and moving sideways while perched. Dream Weaver by Gary Wright I've just closed my eyes again Climbed aboard the dream weaver train Driver take away my worries of today And leave tomorrow behind Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe you can get me through the night Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe we can reach the morning light Fly me high through the starry skies Maybe to an astral plane Cross the highways of fantasy Help me to forget today's pain Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe you can get me through the night Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe we can reach the morning light Though the dawn may be coming soon There still may be some time Fly me away to the bright side of the moon Meet me on the other side Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe you can get me through the night Ooh, ooh, dream weaver I believe we can reach the morning light Dream weaver Dream weaver Songwriters: Gary Wright. For non-commercial use only. * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McZ... * https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Dream Lover: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Lonely Boy: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Brandy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFh... * Caught Up in You: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * The Chain: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Dust in the Wind: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * King nothing: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Hallelujah: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Oxymoron... Stonewall Speedrun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uri... The oldest known chess poem is called the Einsiedeln Poem (one copy has the title "Versus de Scachis"). It was discovered first in the Einsiedeln canton of Switzerland. Marilym Yalom in the "Birth of the Chess Queen" tells us the manusript was created by a German-speaking Benedictine monk at the monastery in Einsiedeln. This is a very important chess document since, while the game in the poem is clearly the Muslim game of chess, it contains many modern features. First, it avoids Ababic terms and the "nomenclature of the game is drawn from that of the state, and not from that of the army." It presents chess as "not a dice game," and mentions a chequered board (as opposed to the Arabic unicolored board). The names of the pieces are given as rex (King), regina (Queen), comes or curvus (Count -today's Bishop), eques (Knight), rochus (Rook) and pedes (Pawn). Notice the use of the term "regina;" this is the first mention of, what was previously known as "vizier," the Queen, although this Queen could only move one square diagonally. A Pawn could be promoted to Queen (who was only marginally more powerful than a pawn) but only if the original Queen in off the board. — batgirl, chess.com <Mar-11-05 aw1988: S.W.I.F.T. indeed. Mar-11-05 tpstar: Sokolov Was In For Trouble Suddenly White Initiated Forcing Threats Severe Whipping Into Frenzied Tantrum Shocking When Ivan Fell Through Savvy Winner Ingests French Toast Mar-11-05 aw1988: LOL! I must admit, that is very good. May-27-05 Durandal: AdrianP: SWIFT was the sponsor of the tournament, the company is a cooperative effort to provide secure financial communications between banks worldwide (SWIFT is the acronym for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, see swift.com), based in La Hulpe, near Brussels, Belgium. IIRC, its CEO at the time was Bessel Kok, a well known chess patron. May-27-05 AdrianP: <Durandal> I see - as in SWIFT transfer. May-27-05 arifattar: May not compare with <tpstar>'s effort but, Sweet Win In Five & Twenty.> “A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.” — Richard M. Nixon “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.” — Albert Einstein Proverbs 14:29-35 29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered * exalts folly. 30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones. 31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. 32 The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies. 33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the hearts of fools it is made known. 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people. 35 The king's favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully. Eilfan ywmodryb dda Meaning: A good aunt is a second mother 13 games, 1907-2016 21 Skandinavn / Chigorn for Black A fringe, somewhat flaky, but minimalist opening repertoire for Black. Compiled by katar “Chess isn’t for the timid.” — Irving Chernev “You cannot play at chess if you are kind-hearted.” ― French Proverb “The first principle of attack–Don’t let the opponent develop!” ― Reuben Fine “You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove you the better player.” ― English Proverb “For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion.” ― Bobby Fischer “I believe that true beauty of chess is more than enough to satisfy all possible demands.” ― Alexander Alekhine “We cannot resist the fascination of sacrifice, since a passion for sacrifices is part of a chessplayer's nature.” ― Rudolf Spielmann “To play for a draw, at any rate with white, is to some degree a crime against chess.” ― Mikhail Tal “Boring? Who's boring? I am Fredthebear. My mind is always active, busy.” “When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one.” ― Emanual Lasker Capablanca had that art which hides art to an overwhelming degree. – Harry Golombek I have known many chess players, but only one chess genius, Capablanca. – Emanuel Lasker I think Capablanca had the greatest natural talent. – Mikhail Botvinnik Capablanca was possibly the greatest player in the entire history of chess. – Bobby Fischer. Beautiful, cold, remorseless chess, almost creepy in its silent implacability. – Raymond Chandler (on a Capablanca game) What others could not see in a month's study, he saw at a glance. – Reuben Fine (on Capablanca) I see only one move ahead, but it is always the correct one. – Jose R. Capablanca Capablanca invariably chose the right option, no matter how intricate the position. – Garry Kasparov. Capablanca's games generally take the following course: he begins with a series of extremely fine prophylactic maneuvers, which neutralize his opponent's attempts to complicate the game; he then proceeds, slowly but surely, to set up an attacking position. This attacking position, after a series of simplifications, is transformed into a favorable endgame, which he conducts with matchless technique. – Aaron Nimzowitsch He had the totally undeserved reputation of being the greatest living endgame player. His trick was to keep his openings simple and then play with such brilliance that it was decided in the middle game before reaching the ending - even though his opponent didn't always know it. His almost complete lack of book knowledge forced him to push harder to squeeze the utmost out of every position. – Bobby Fischer (on Capablanca) I honestly feel very humble when I study Capablanca's games. – Max Euwe You cannot play chess unless you have studied his games. – Mikhail Botvinnik (on Capablanca) Capablanca was a genius. He was an exception that did not obey any rule. - Vladimir Kramnik “It is impossible to keep one's excellence in a glass case, like a jewel, and take it out whenever it is required.” ― Adolf Anderssen, 1858 “It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse.” ― Paul Dietzel "The harder you fall, the heavier your heart; the heavier your heart, the stronger you climb; the stronger you climb, the higher your pedestal." — Criss Jami “Tactics is knowing what to do when there’s something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there’s nothing what to do.” — Savielly Tartakower “There are two kinds of idiots - those who don't take action because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym “We live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns.” ― Aaron Sorkin, A Few Good Men “Winning is about commitment, discipline, hard work, dedication, determination, courage and sometimes even luck!” ― Susan Polgar “Every defeat is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes! Every victory is a confirmation of our hard work!” ― Susan Polgar “A chess player uses his/her knowledge to prepare for next game while a passionate coach prepares for next generation!” ― Susan Polgar The Fowler, the Hawk, and the Lark From wrongs of wicked men we draw Excuses for our own: Such is the universal law. Would you have mercy shown, Let yours be clearly known. A fowler's mirror served to snare The little tenants of the air. A lark there saw her pretty face, And was approaching to the place. A hawk, that sailed on high Like vapour in the sky, Came down, as still as infant's breath, On her who sang so near her death. She thus escaped the fowler's steel, The hawk's malignant claws to feel. While in his cruel way, The pirate plucked his prey, On himself the net was sprung. "O fowler," prayed he in the hawkish tongue, "Release me in your clemency! I never did a wrong to you." The man replied, "It's true; And did the lark to you?" Q: What do you call an illegally parked frog? A: Toad! Q: What do you call twin dinosaurs? A: A pair-odactyls! Q: What do you call a pile of cats? A: A meow-ntain! Q: What do you call a row of rabbits hopping away? A: A receding hare line! Q: What do you call the wife of a hippie? A: A Mississippi! Q: What do you call a monkey that loves Doritos? A: A chipmonk! Q: What do you call a mac 'n' cheese that gets all up in your face? A: Too close for comfort food! Q: What do you call a cow in an earthquake? A: A milkshake! Lichess has all the same basic offerings as Chess.com: a large community, many game types, tutorials, puzzles, and livestreams. The site has a simple appearance, and it seems built to get you where you want to go in as few clicks as possible. You can create an account, but if you’re not concerned with tracking your games and finding other players at your level, there’s no need to log in. Just fire up a new game, try some puzzles, or watch a chess streamer play three-minute games while listening to techno and chatting with the comments section. “From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.” ― William Shakespeare, Henry V “They made us many promises, but they kept only one. They promised to take our land -- and they did.” — Chief Red Cloud, Oglala-Lakota Sioux, 1822-1909. “There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better.” ― Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker * 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" * Roger that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S... “The only way to change anything in Russia is a revolution” ― Daniil Dubov https://en.chessbase.com/post/dubov... Old Russian Proverb: "Measure seven times, cut once. (Семь раз отмерь — один отрежь.)" Be careful before you do something that cannot be changed. <....Here is an excerpt from Sergeant's book Championship Chess, with Alekhine's view of Fine, as early as 1933: 'Before (Alekhine) left the States the Champion was induced to say whom he thought likely challengers for his title in the future. He named two Americans, Kashdan, who was favourably known in Europe already, and R Fine, whose achievements so far were mainly in his own country, and the Czecho-Slovakian, Flohr.'> “Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways.” ― Vladimir Kramnik “If you’re too open-minded; your brains will fall out.” ― Lawrence Ferlinghetti This poem is dedicated to all female chessplayers on Caissa's Web. Sweet Caissa Oh, Sweet Caissa, Goddess of chess in the name of this holistic game I pray Thee: bless my noble aim to render all my opponents lame in my holy quest for worldly fame, to be Supreme no more no less. In awe I heard this Sweet Caissa say "Daughter go forth and smite them all, stoutly charge your knight sitting tall while flying over the castle's wall to slay all men in your deadly call." Now in fear I hide and will no longer play. “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― William Faulkner “Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward.” — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy. Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force. “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ― Leonardo da Vinci <Tips to calm down Here are some helpful, actionable tips you can try the next time you need to calm down. 1. Breathe “Breathing is the number one and most effective technique for reducing anger and anxiety quickly,” says Scott Dehorty, LCSW-C, of Delphi Behavioral Health. When you’re anxious or angry, you tend to take quick, shallow breaths. Dehorty says this sends a message to your brain, causing a positive feedback loop reinforcing your fight-or-flight response. That’s why taking long, deep calming breaths disrupts that loop and helps you calm down. There are various breathing techniques to help you calm down. One is three-part breathing. Three-part breathing requires you to take one deep breath in and then exhale fully while paying attention to your body. Once you get comfortable with deep breathing, you can change the ratio of inhalation and exhalation to 1:2 (you slow down your exhalation so that it’s twice as long as your inhalation). Practice these techniques while calm so you know how to do them when you’re anxious. 2. Admit that you’re anxious or angry Allow yourself to say that you’re anxious or angry. When you label how you’re feeling and allow yourself to express it, the anxiety and anger you’re experiencing may decrease. 3. Challenge your thoughts Part of being anxious or angry is having irrational thoughts that don’t necessarily make sense. These thoughts are often the “worse-case scenario.” You might find yourself caught in the “what if” cycle, which can cause you to sabotage a lot of things in your life. When you experience one of these thoughts, stop and ask yourself the following questions: Is this likely to happen? Is this a rational thought? Has this ever happened to me before? What’s the worst that can happen? Can I handle that? After you go through the questions, it’s time to reframe your thinking. Instead of “I can’t walk across that bridge. What if there’s an earthquake, and it falls into the water?” tell yourself: “There are people that walk across that bridge every day, and it has never fallen into the water.” 4. Release the anxiety or anger Dehorty recommends getting the emotional energy out with exercise. “Go for a walk or run. [Engaging] in some physical activity [releases] serotonin to help you calm down and feel better.” However, you should avoid physical activity that includes the expression of anger, such as punching walls or screaming. “This has been shown to increase feelings of anger, as it reinforces the emotions because you end up feeling good as the result of being angry,” Dehorty explains. 5. Visualize yourself calm This tip requires you to practice the breathing techniques you’ve learned. After taking a few deep breaths, close your eyes and picture yourself calm. See your body relaxed, and imagine yourself working through a stressful or anxiety-causing situation by staying calm and focused. By creating a mental picture of what it looks like to stay calm, you can refer back to that image when you’re anxious. 6. Think it through Have a mantra to use in critical situations. Just make sure it’s one that you find helpful. Dehorty says it can be, “Will this matter to me this time next week?” or “How important is this?” or “Am I going to allow this person/situation to steal my peace?” This allows the thinking to shift focus, and you can “reality test” the situation. “When we’re anxious or angry, we become hyper-focused on the cause, and rational thoughts leave our mind. These mantras give us an opportunity to allow rational thought to come back and lead to a better outcome,” Dehorty explains. 7. Change your focus Leave the situation, look in another direction, walk out of the room, or go outside. Dehorty recommends this exercise so you have time for better decision making. “We don’t do our best thinking when anxious or angry; we engage in survival thinking. This is fine if our life is really in danger, but if it isn’t life threatening, we want our best thinking, not survival instincts,” he adds. 8. Have a centering object When you’re anxious or angry, so much of your energy is being spent on irrational thoughts. When you’re calm, find a “centering object” such as a small stuffed animal, a polished rock you keep in your pocket, or a locket you wear around your neck. Tell yourself that you’re going to touch this object when you’re experiencing anxiety or frustration. This centers you and helps calm your thoughts. For example, if you’re at work and your boss is making you anxious, gently rub the locket around your neck. 9. Relax your body When you’re anxious or angry, it can feel like every muscle in your body is tense (and they probably are). Practicing progressive muscle relaxation can help you calm down and center yourself. To do this, lie down on the floor with your arms out by your side. Make sure your feet aren’t crossed and your hands aren’t in fists. Start at your toes and tell yourself to release them. Slowly move up your body, telling yourself to release each part of your body until you get to your head. 10. Drop your shoulders If your body is tense, there’s a good chance your posture will suffer. Sit up tall, take a deep breath, and drop your shoulders. To do this, you can focus on bringing your shoulder blades together and then down. This pulls your shoulders down. Take a few deep breaths. You can do this several times a day. 11. Identify pressure points to calm anger and anxiety Going for a massage or getting acupuncture is a wonderful way to manage anxiety and anger. But it’s not always easy to find time in your day to make it happen. The good news is, you can do acupressure on yourself for instant anxiety relief. This method involves putting pressure with your fingers or your hand at certain points of the body. The pressure releases the tension and relaxes your body. One area to start with is the point where the inside of your wrist forms a crease with your hand. Press your thumb on this area for two minutes. This can help relieve tension. 12. Get some fresh air The temperature and air circulation in a room can increase your anxiety or anger. If you’re feeling tense and the space you’re in is hot and stuffy, this could trigger a panic attack. Remove yourself from that environment as soon as possible and go outside — even if it’s just for a few minutes. Not only will the fresh air help calm you down, but also the change of scenery can sometimes interrupt your anxious or angry thought process. 13. Fuel your body Being hangry never helps. If you’re hungry or not properly hydrated, many relaxation techniques won’t work. That’s why it’s important to slow down and get something to eat — even if it’s just a small snack. Try nibbling on some dark chocolate. ResearchTrusted Source shows it can help boost brain health and reduce stress. Wash it down with a cup of green tea and honey. Studies show green tea can help reduce the body’s stress response. Research has found that honey can help relieve anxiety. 14. Chew gum Chewing on a piece of gum can help reduce anxiety (and even boost mood and productivity). In fact, research shows people who chew gum regularly are typically less stressed than non-gum chewers. 15. Listen to music The next time you feel your anxiety level cranking up, grab some headphones and tune in to your favorite music. Listening to music can have a very calming effect on your body and mind. 16. Dance it out Get moving to your favorite tunes. Dancing has traditionally been used as a healing art. ResearchTrusted Source shows it’s a great way to combat depression and anxiety and increase quality of life. 17. Watch funny videos Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. Research has found that laughing provides therapeutic benefits and can help relieve stress and improve mood and quality of life. Do a quick internet search to find funny videos for an instant mood boost. 18. Write it down If you’re too angry or anxious to talk about it, grab a journal and write out your thoughts. Don’t worry about complete sentences or punctuation — just write. Writing helps you get negative thoughts out of your head. 19. Squeeze a stress ball When you’re feeling stress come on, try interacting with a stress-relief toy. Options include: stress ball magnetic balls sculpting clay puzzles Rubik’s cube fidget spinner 20. Try aromatherapy Aromatherapy, or the use of essential oils, may help alleviate stress and anxiety and boost mood. Those commonly used in aromatherapy include: bergamot cedarwood chamomile geranium ginger lavender lemon tea tree Add a few drops of essential oil to a diffuser, or mix it with a carrier oil (like coconut oil) and apply to your skin for quick relief. 21. Seek social support Venting to a trusted friend, family member, or coworker can do wonders. Even if you don’t have time for a full play-by-play phone call, a quick text exchange can help you let it all out and help you feel heard. Bonus points if you engage with a funny friend who can help you laugh for added stress relief. 22. Spend time with a pet Interacting with your favorite furry friend can decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower blood pressure. Quality time with a pet can also help you feel less alone and boost your overall mood.> “....his countrymen, Kolisch and Steinitz, are greatly indebted for their later success to their having enjoyed early opportunities of practicing with the departed amateur whose death is also greatly deplored amongst all who knew him personally.” — Wilhelm Steinitz, regarding Karl Hamppe The first appearance of the (John) Cochrane gambit against Petrov's defense C42 was in the year 1848 against an Indian master Mohishunder Bannerjee. “Sorry don't get it done, Dude!” — John Wayne, Rio Bravo “Gossip is the devil’s telephone. Best to just hang up.” — Moira Rose pages 24-25 of The Year Book of the United States Chess Federation 1944 (Chicago, 1945), which published ‘Brave Heart’, Anthony Santasiere’s tribute to Frank J. Marshall. Written in August 1942 for Marshall’s 65th birthday, it began: Brave Heart – We salute you! Knowing neither gain nor loss, Nor fear, nor hate –; But only this – To fight – to fight – And to love. Santasiere then gushes on in a similar vein for another 40 lines or so, and we pick up the encomium for its final verse: For this – dear Frank – We thank you. For this – dear Frank – We love you! Brave heart – Brave heart – We love you! The Wolf Accusing The Fox Before The Monkey A wolf, affirming his belief That he had suffered by a thief, Brought up his neighbour fox – Of whom it was by all confessed, His character was not the best – To fill the prisoner's box. As judge between these vermin, A monkey graced the ermine; And truly other gifts of Themis Did scarcely seem his; For while each party plead his cause, Appealing boldly to the laws, And much the question vexed, Our monkey sat perplexed. Their words and wrath expended, Their strife at length was ended; When, by their malice taught, The judge this judgment brought: "Your characters, my friends, I long have known, As on this trial clearly shown; And hence I fine you both – the grounds at large To state would little profit – You wolf, in short, as bringing groundless charge, You fox, as guilty of it." Come at it right or wrong, the judge opined No other than a villain could be fined. According to Chessmetrics, Lasker was #1 for longer than anyone else in history: 292 different months between June 1890 and December 1926. That's a timespan of 36 1/2 years, in which Lasker was #1 for a total of 24 years and 4 months. Lasker was 55 years old when he won New York 1924. “Just because you know stuff doesn't mean you are smart... You have to know how to use that information.” ― Josh Keller The Three Kings By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Three Kings came riding from far away, Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar; Three Wise Men out of the East were they, And they travelled by night and they slept by day, For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star. The star was so beautiful, large and clear, That all the other stars of the sky Became a white mist in the atmosphere, And by this they knew that the coming was near Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy. Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows, Three caskets of gold with golden keys; Their robes were of crimson silk with rows Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows, Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees. And so the Three Kings rode into the West, Through the dusk of the night, over hill and dell, And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast, And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest, With the people they met at some wayside well. “Of the child that is born,” said Baltasar, “Good people, I pray you, tell us the news; For we in the East have seen his star, And have ridden fast, and have ridden far, To find and worship the King of the Jews.” And the people answered, “You ask in vain; We know of no King but Herod the Great!” They thought the Wise Men were men insane, As they spurred their horses across the plain, Like riders in haste, who cannot wait. And when they came to Jerusalem, Herod the Great, who had heard this thing, Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them; And said, “Go down unto Bethlehem, And bring me tidings of this new king.” So they rode away; and the star stood still, The only one in the grey of morn; Yes, it stopped—it stood still of its own free will, Right over Bethlehem on the hill, The city of David, where Christ was born. And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard, Through the silent street, till their horses turned And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard; But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred, And only a light in the stable burned. And cradled there in the scented hay, In the air made sweet by the breath of kine, The little child in the manger lay, The child, that would be king one day Of a kingdom not human, but divine. His mother Mary of Nazareth Sat watching beside his place of rest, Watching the even flow of his breath, For the joy of life and the terror of death Were mingled together in her breast. They laid their offerings at his feet: The gold was their tribute to a King, The frankincense, with its odor sweet, Was for the Priest, the Paraclete, The myrrh for the body’s burying. And the mother wondered and bowed her head, And sat as still as a statue of stone, Her heart was troubled yet comforted, Remembering what the Angel had said Of an endless reign and of David’s throne. Then the Kings rode out of the city gate, With a clatter of hoofs in proud array; But they went not back to Herod the Great, For they knew his malice and feared his hate, And returned to their homes by another way. The first chess legend, called the wheat and chessboard problem, illustrates the power of exponential growth. The first chess movie, called Chess Fever, was a silent comedy released in 1925 in the Soviet Union. The word checkmate comes from the Persian phrase shah mat, meaning "the king is helpless". The Lion Beaten By The Man A picture once was shown, In which one man, alone, On the ground had thrown A lion fully grown. Much gloried at the sight the rabble. A lion thus rebuked their babble: "That you have got the victory there, There is no contradiction. But, gentles, possibly you are The dupes of easy fiction: Had we the art of making pictures, Perhaps our champion had beat yours!" Fools look to tomorrow. Wise men use tonight. ~ Scottish Proverb “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ― Denis Waitley * Riddle-fire-poof: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid... “Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” ― Norman Vincent Peale “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect and my family and my Lord. And I’m perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir.” —John Durham Amanda Kay wrote: Checkmate You were my knight Shining armor Chess board was our home Queen's fondness you garnered A kiss sweeter than honeycomb “My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring.” ― Prince William Psalm 96: 1-3 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. LONDON BRIDGE London Bridge is falling down Falling down Falling down London Bridge is falling down My Fair Lady. 52 games, 1855-2011 21 The Réti System Phil66 Compiled by nkvd “Winning needs no explanation, losing has no alibi.” ― Greg Baum “A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop.” ― Robert Hughes “Chess is a fairy tale of 1,001 blunders.” ― Savielly Tartakower “Pawns are the soul of the game.” ― François-André Danican Philidor “The king pawn and the queen pawn are the only ones to be moved in the early part of the game.” ― Wilhelm Steinitz “There is no such thing as an absolutely freeing move. A freeing move in a position in which development has not been carried far always proves illusory, and vice versa, a move which does not come at all in the category of freeing moves can, given a surplus of tempi to our credit, lead to a very free game.” ― Aron Nimzowitsch “The future reshapes the memory of the past in the way it recalibrates significance: some episodes are advanced, others lose purchase.” ― Gregory Maguire, A Lion Among Men “Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” ― Douglas MacArthur * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ Mar-21-23 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! Actions speak louder than words. Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” — Mahatma Gandhi “If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” ― Ancient Chinese Proverb Apr-27-23 WTHarvey: There once was a chess player keen He studied each move he had seen With tactics so clever His games were a pleasure His passion for chess was extreme! There once was a chess player bright Whose moves were a beautiful sight He never lost hope Or his skill, he would mope For he believed in fighting the good fight. There once was a chess player so keen Whose passion for the game was extreme He'd study and strategize And often would visualize His victories, in every daydream. “Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands.” ― Renaud & Kahn “Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem.” ― Saudin Robovic “Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory.” ― Max Euwe “Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game.” ― Being Caballero “If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” — Dale Earnhardt “In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate.” ― Isaac Asimov A04 - A09 Reti Openings A04 Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 That’s the real McCoy! Polish Opening: Zukertort System 1.b4 Nf6 2.Nf3 Zukertort Opening: All knight openings 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.Nc3 Nc6 Up the creek without a paddle! Zukertort Opening: Quiet system 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.e3 Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense 1.Nf3 Nc6 He spilled the beans! Zukertort Opening: Dutch Variation 1.Nf3 f5 Zukertort Opening 1.Nf3 Zukertort Opening: Herrstrom Gambit 1.Nf3 g5 Zukertort Opening: Lemberg Gambit 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.e4 You can’t get blood from a turnip! Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit 1.Nf3 f5 2.e4 You all are like two peas in a pod. Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit Deferred 1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 Nf6 3.e4 That will happen when pigs fly! Zukertort Opening: Paschmann Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 c5 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 Take it with a grain of salt. Zukertort Opening: Shabulov Gambit 1.Nf3 e6 2.c4 a6 3.Nc3 c5 4.g3 b5 Snug as a bug in a rug. Zukertort Opening: Speelsmet Gambit 1.Nf3 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.e3 Laughter is the best medicine! Zukertort Opening: Symmetrical Variation 1.Nf3 Nf6 Were you born in a barn? Zukertort Opening: Vos Gambit 1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 e5 Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense 1.Nf3 d6 2.e4 Bg4 That just takes the cake! Zukertort Opening: Regina-Nu Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 c5 3.c4 dxc4 4.Nc3 Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! Zukertort Opening: Ross Gambit 1.Nf3 e5 Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense 1.Nf3 a5 Zukertort Opening: Myers Polish Attk 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.a4 g6 3.b4 A stitch in time saves nine. Zukertort Opening: St. George Def 1.Nf3 a6 Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense 1.Nf3 b5 Zukertort Opening: Queenside Fianchetto Var 1.Nf3 b6 A rose by any other name is still a rose. Zukertort Opening: Slav Invitation 1.Nf3 c6 Zukertort Opening: Sicilian Invitation 1.Nf3 c5 Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation 1.Nf3 d6 Zukertort Opening: Q’s Gambit Invitation 1.Nf3 e6 One pickle short of a full jar. Zukertort Opening: Kingside Fianchetto 1.Nf3 g6 Zukertort Opening: Basman Defense 1.Nf3 h6 Zuklertort Opening: Arctic Defense 1.Nf3 f6 Zukertort Opening: Arctic Def, Drunken Knight 1.Nf3 f6 2.e4 Nh6 3.d4 Nf7 I love you a bushel and a peck! Zukertort Defense: Kingside Variation 1.Nf3 Nh6 2.d4 g6 Heavens to Betsy! Zukertort Defense: Drunken Cavalry Variation 1.Nf3 Na6 2.e4 Nh6 She’s no spring chicken! Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Var 1.Nf3 Na6 2.e4 c5 A watched pot never boils! Zukertort Opening: The Walrus 1.Nf3 e5 2.Nxe5 Nc6 3.Nxc6 dxc6 A05 King’s Indian Attack: Smyslov Variation 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.b4 Clear as a bell. King’s Indian Attack: Spassky Variation 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b5 Hotter than hell. King’s Indian Attack: Symmetrical Defense 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 Sweeter than honey. King’s Indian Attack: Wahls Defense 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.O-O O-O 5.d3 d5 A06 Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 Zukertort Opening: Ampel Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.Rg1 Cute as a button. Zukertort Opening: Old Indian Attack 1.Nf3 d5 2.d3 Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! Zukertort Opening: Queen Pawn Defense 1.Nf3 d5 Zukertort Opening: Reversed Mexican Defense 1.Nf3 d5 2.Nc3 I guess it grew legs and walked away! Zukertort Opening: Santasiere’s Folly 1.Nf3 d5 2.b4 I feel finer than a frog’s hair split four ways! Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.e4 Can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Zukertort Opening: The Potato 1.Nf3 d5 2.a4 A07 King’s Indian Attack: Double Fianchetto 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 King’s Indian Attack 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 King’s Indian Attack: Keres Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Bg4 3.Bg2 Nd7 I wouldn’t touch that with a ten foot pole! King’s Indian Attack: Omega-Delta Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 e5 I can’t get a word in edgeways. King’s Indian Attack: Pachman System 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Ne7 Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? King’s Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 If the good Lord is willing and the creek don’t rise! King’s Indian Attack: Yugoslav Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.O-O Bg4 A08 King’s Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 I’m pleased as punch! King’s Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.e4 O-O 8.Re1 A09 Reti Opening: Advance Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 I can’t get a word in edgeways. Reti Opening: Advance Variation, Michel Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 c5 That just takes the cake! Reti Opening 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 She showed her true colors. You are as handy as a pocket on a shirt! Reti Opening: Penguin Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.Rg1 Money doesn’t grow on trees! Reti Opening: Reti Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 Reti Opening: Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.e3 c5 4.b4 Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite! Reti Opening: Zilbermints Gambit 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 b5 The proof is in the pudding. Reti Opening: Reti Gambit, Keres Variation 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 Be6 It’s time to bite the bullet! <How many chess openings are there? Well, White has 20 possible 1st moves. Black can respond with 20 of its own. That’s 400, and we’re ready for move 2. I don’t know them, but I would not be at all surprised if there was a name for each of them. People are like that. You really, really don’t need to know them all. If you follow the rules of thumb for good opening play, I promise you that you’ll be playing a named opening. Just put the 1st 3 moves in google, and you’ll get the opening’s name. With that information you can find other games that started the way your game started, likely by some very good players. Also, with the name you can read about it on Wikipedia, and find out what people think of it, who plays it, and its particular traps and idiosyncrasies. Once again, The Rules of Thumb for Good Opening Play: - Develop your pieces quickly with an eye towards controlling the center. Not necessarily occupying the center but controlling it certainly. - Castle your king just as soon as it’s practical to do so. - Really try not to move a piece more than once during the opening, it’s a waste of valuable time. - Connect your rooks. This marks the end of the opening. Connected rooks means that only your rooks and your castled king are on the back rank. - Respond to threats appropriately, even if you have to break the rules. They’re rules of thumb, not scripture, or physical laws. If you and your opponent follow these rules of thumb, you’ll reach the middle game ready to fight. If only you follow these rules of thumb, you’re already winning! Good Hunting. -- Eric H.> This poem is dedicated to all Caissa's members who understand that chess is but a game. Chess is but a Game As he secretly rode his knight out of the castle's gate, still believing that he could escape this inevitable fate, the sky broke open with an array of incredible light. and there smitten to the earth lay nova under his knight. I am who I am and always am, spoke this thundering voice and you, my friend nova, do not at all have another choice but to go forth south and north, west and east loudly proclaiming the good Word to man and beast. Thus beset by the compelling voice from the broken sky nova set about explaining through the word the how and why. He travelled north and south, west and east never losing aim to let all Caissa's members know: chess is but a game. Feb-22-23 stone free or die: Thanks Fred for that note. At some point this topic should get brought up on the Bistro, and a proper survey of de facto usage of the various other db's made. Feb-23-23 petemcd85: <FSR: btw, has the site stopped uploading games submitted by users?> The link below explains how to upload or request, to upload games: PGN Upload Utility Usually, if its a lot of games or a tournament, You can let me know on the support forum and i will get to it as soon as possible: support forum: chessgames.com chessforum Please include the link to where I can find the games in PGN format. It will help get the games up quicker Some of the sites I recommend to find reliable PGNs would be: TheWeek In Chess: https://theweekinchess.com/a-year-o... chess24.com: https://chess24.com/en/dashboard' **** P.S. The FIDE rating of the player must be over 2200 for us to upload games . Feb-23-23 FSR: <petemcd85> I know how to upload games to the site. Hundreds of games on this site were submitted by me. However, for the past week or so, some of the games that I have submitted have not been added to the database for some reason. Is this because the games were played by me or another player whose FIDE rating is below 2200? If so, that is a departure from prior practice of many years standing. Who authorized this? "We do not remember days, we remember moments." ― Cesare Pavese “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” ― Benjamin Franklin “My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect and my family and my Lord. And I’m perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir.” —John Durham “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ― Denis Waitley 027 Oh-oh say canu see by the pawn's early plight whatso perilous redz gleaming and bombz bursting need zittire care zwage ina knight tried Zaitsev's sytem but to no avail Colorado. That started the buy one, get one 50 cent off the wallpaper. Dear Dad, $chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can’t think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you. Love, Your $on Dear Son, I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh. Love, Dad “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” — Calvin Coolidge Psalm 96: 1-3 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. LONDON BRIDGE London Bridge is falling down Falling down Falling down London Bridge is falling down My Fair Lady. 16 yellow #2 pencilz 27 games, 1923-2002 22 Athens “One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation evermore!” — Oliver Wendell Holmes “I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.” — Theodore Roosevelt “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” — John F. Kennedy “The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.” — Frederick Douglass “Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” — Gen. Douglas Macarthur “From every mountainside, let freedom ring.” — Martin Luther King Jr. “Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.” — Ronald Reagan “Freedom is never given; it is won.” — A. Philip Randolph “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt “That is the truly beautiful and encouraging aspect of freedom; no one struggles for it just for himself.” — Fanny Lewald “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.” — Mark Twain “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” — Adlai Stevenson “All we use or know -- this our fathers bought for us long ago.” — Rudyard Kipling “May we never forget our fallen comrades. Freedom isn't free.” — Sgt. Major Bill Paxton “It's better to fight for something in life than to die for nothing.” — Gen. George S. Patton “America without her soldiers would be like God without his angels.” — Claudia Pemberton “Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness.” — Louis D. Brandeis “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” — Harry S. Truman “In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you.” — Amy Tan “America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.” — Paul Tsongas “America is another name for opportunity.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “Dreams can grow wild born inside an American child.” — Phil Vassar “Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” — Al Bernstein “In the summer I was a wild child in the woods, with no shoes, and in the fall it was back to the city, shoe shops and school.” — Margaret Atwood “In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible.” — Sarah Dessen “In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explode, and every sunset is different.” — John Steinbeck “Green was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly.” — Pablo Neruda “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald “Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun.” — Brian Wilson “Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun-kissed hair. That endless summer, take me there.” — Michele Elder “Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” — Van Morrison “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawnmower is broken.” — James Dent “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.” — Nat King Cole “One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” — Jeannette Walls “If summer had one defining scent, it’d definitely be the smell of barbecue. The grill is the summer equivalent of a fireplace; everyone gravitates to it.” — Katie Lee “If it could only be like this always—always summer, always alone, the fruit always ripe.” — Evelyn Waugh “Summer's lease hath all too short a date.” — William Shakespeare “When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble is too difficult to overcome.” — Wilma Rudolph “Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the tree house; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...” — Harper Lee “Some of the best memories are made in flip-flops.” — Kellie Elmore “Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.” — Langston Hughes “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” — John Steinbeck “One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” — Henry David Thoreau * FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... * Diagrammed Checkmate Patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns * KingG brilliant miniatures: Game Collection: Brilliant Miniatures The Power Of Tables To M. De Barillon. Can diplomatic dignity To simple fables condescend? Can I your famed benignity Invoke, my muse an ear to lend? If once she dares a high intent, Will you esteem her impudent? Your cares are weightier, indeed, Than listening to the sage debates Of rabbit or of weasel states: So, as it pleases, burn or read; But save us from the woful harms Of Europe roused in hostile arms. That from a thousand other places Our enemies should show their faces, May well be granted with a smile, But not that England's Isle Our friendly kings should set Their fatal blades to whet. Comes not the time for Louis to repose? What Hercules, against these hydra foes, Would not grow weary? Must new heads oppose His ever-waxing energy of blows? Now, if your gentle, soul-persuasive powers, As sweet as mighty in this world of ours, Can soften hearts, and lull this war to sleep, I'll pile your altars with a hundred sheep; And this is not a small affair For a Parnassian mountaineer. Meantime, (if you have time to spare,) Accept a little incense-cheer. A homely, but an ardent prayer, And tale in verse, I give you here. I'll only say, the theme is fit for you. With praise, which envy must confess To worth like yours is justly due, No man on earth needs propping less. In Athens, once, that city fickle, An orator, awake to feel His country in a dangerous pickle, Would sway the proud republic's heart, Discoursing of the common weal, As taught by his tyrannic art. The people listened – not a word. Meanwhile the orator recurred To bolder tropes – enough to rouse The dullest blocks that ever did drowse; He clothed in life the very dead, And thundered all that could be said. The wind received his breath, As to the ear of death. That beast of many heads and light, The crowd, accustomed to the sound Was all intent on a sight – A brace of lads in mimic fight. A new resource the speaker found. "Ceres," in lower tone said he, "Went forth her harvest fields to see: An eel, as such a fish might he, And swallow, were her company. A river checked the travellers three. Two crossed it soon without ado; The smooth eel swam, the swallow flew. – " Outcried the crowd With voices loud – "And Ceres – what did she?" "Why, what she pleased; but first Yourselves she justly cursed – A people puzzling aye your brains With children's tales and children's play, While Greece puts on her steel array, To save her limbs from, tyrant chains! Why ask you not what Philip does?" At this reproach the idle buzz Fell to the silence of the grave, Or moonstruck sea without a wave, And every eye and ear awoke To drink the words the patriot spoke. This feather stick in Fable's cap. We're all Athenians, mayhap; And I, for one, confess the sin; For, while I write this moral here, If one should tell that tale so queer Ycleped, I think, "The Ass's Skin," I should not mind my work a pin. The world is old, they say; I don't deny it; – But, infant still In taste and will, Whoever would teach, must gratify it. * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ Mar-21-23 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! Actions speak louder than words. Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” — Mahatma Gandhi “If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” ― Ancient Chinese Proverb Apr-27-23 WTHarvey: There once was a chess player keen He studied each move he had seen With tactics so clever His games were a pleasure His passion for chess was extreme! There once was a chess player bright Whose moves were a beautiful sight He never lost hope Or his skill, he would mope For he believed in fighting the good fight. There once was a chess player so keen Whose passion for the game was extreme He'd study and strategize And often would visualize His victories, in every daydream. “Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands.” ― Renaud & Kahn “Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem.” ― Saudin Robovic “Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory.” – Max Euwe “Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game.” – Being Caballero “If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” — Dale Earnhardt “In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate.” ― Isaac Asimov The Memory Pillow Those We Love Don't Go Away They Walk Beside Us Everday Unseen Unheard, But Always Near, Still Loved, Still Missed And Very Dear Thinking of You Always Great Grandma Simultaneous “Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadows.” ― Helen Keller “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” — Calvin Coolidge Psalm 96: 1-3 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT Star light, star bright First star I see tonight I wish I may, I wish I might Have this wish I wish tonight JACK BE NIMBLE Jack be nimble Jack be quick Jack jump over The candlestick MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells And pretty maids all in a row A TISKET A TASKET A tisket, a tasket A green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my love And on the way I dropped it. I dropped it, I dropped it And on the way I dropped it. A little boy he picked it up And put it in his pocket. BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP Baa Baa Black Sheep Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for the master And one for the dame. And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane. JACK AND JILL Jack and Jill Went up the hill To fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down And broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after. LONDON BRIDGE London Bridge is falling down Falling down Falling down London Bridge is falling down My Fair Lady. RING AROUND THE ROSIE Ring around the rosie A pocket full of posies Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down. WISE OLD OWL A wise old owl lived in an oak. The more he saw the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard. Why can't we all be like that wise old bird? HUMPTY DUMPTY Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty Together again. WGM Anna Rudolf 12 November 1987 The Hungarian People's Republic was a one-party socialist state from 20 August 1949 to 23 October 1989. It was governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, which was under the influence of the Soviet Union. Pursuant to the 1944 Moscow Conference, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin had agreed that after the war Hungary was to be included in the Soviet sphere of influence. The HPR remained in existence until 1989, when opposition forces brought the end of communism in Hungary. Proverbs 20:7: "The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him." Proverbs 22:6: "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Proverbs 17:6: "Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." Proverbs 23:24: "The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him." Psalm 103:13: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him." 2 Samuel 7:14-15: "I will be a father to him, and he'll be a son to me. When he does wrong, I'll discipline him in the usual ways, the pitfalls and obstacles of this mortal life. But I'll never remove my gracious love from him." Luke 15:20: "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Proverbs 1:8: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching." Genesis 18:19: "I have formed a relationship with him so that he will instruct his children and his household after him. And they will keep to the Lord’s path, being mortal and just so that the Lord can do for Abraham everything he said he would." Ephesians 5:25-29: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church." Matthew 19:4-6: "Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Ecclesiastes 4:9: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." 1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." Psalm 133:1: "Look at how good and pleasing it is when families live together as one." Mark 10:9: "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." 1 Corinthians 7:14: "For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Proverbs 30:18-19: "There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don't understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman." 1 Peter 4:8: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." Song of Solomon 3:4: "I have found the one whom my soul loves." Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Corinthians 13:13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Joshua 24:15: "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Acts 10:2: "He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." Proverbs 3:11-12: "My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." 3 John 1:4: "It is the greatest joy of my life to hear that my children are consistently living their lives in the ways of truth." 1 Corinthians 16:13: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." Proverbs 14:26: "Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge" 1 Timothy 5:8: "But if someone doesn’t provide for their own family, and especially for a member of their household, they have denied the faith. They are worse than those who have no faith." 499 games, 1620-2021 3 benoni and benko gambit by mathlover 101 games- benoni and benko gambit by mathlover Benko for White: Game Collection: Benko Gambit for White Beat the QGD Exchange: Game Collection: Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... Fine's Passion: Game Collection: Passion for Chess (Fine) Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 MT Facts: https://www.chessjournal.com/facts-... Play Stockfish 1-10: https://labinatorsolutions.github.i... Russians Play: Game Collection: Chernev: The Russians Play Chess Tal games- Game Collection: Tal - The Modern Benoni Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... 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 Three Dutch Girls, One Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHI... “Walking On Sunshine” By Katrina And The Waves (1983): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPU... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... NIÑO GENIO nos da UNO de los MEJORES MOMENTOS de la HISTORIA del AJEDREZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ps... <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 controlling 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.)> 133 games, 1912-2023 3 Shah Mat 20+ words “You cannot play at chess if you are kind-hearted.” ― French Proverb “The first principle of attack–Don’t let the opponent develop!” ― Reuben Fine “You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove you the better player.” ― English Proverb “For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion.” ― Bobby Fischer “I believe that true beauty of chess is more than enough to satisfy all possible demands.” ― Alexander Alekhine “We cannot resist the fascination of sacrifice, since a passion for sacrifices is part of a chessplayer's nature.” ― Rudolf Spielmann “To play for a draw, at any rate with white, is to some degree a crime against chess.” ― Mikhail Tal “Boring? Who's boring? I am Fredthebear. My mind is always active, busy.” “When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one.” ― Emanual Lasker “There are two kinds of idiots - those who don't take action because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym “It is impossible to keep one's excellence in a glass case, like a jewel, and take it out whenever it is required.” ― Adolf Anderssen, 1858 “It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse.” ― Paul Dietzel * Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R * Robert Fischer's Best Games by KingG (127 games, a ton of quotes): Game Collection: Robert Fischer's Best Games * Bobby Fischer Rediscovered/Andrew Soltis (97 games): Game Collection: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (Andy Soltis) * 1992: Game Collection: Spassky-Fischer Match 1992 * Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black * Aggressive Gambits: https://thechessworld.com/articles/... * 10 Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655... * Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category... * Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES * Nakhmanson Gambit: https://chesstier.com/nakhmanson-ga... * C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game * RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures * Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems * 21st Century: Game Collection: 0 * B20s: Game Collection: Grand Prix (Ginger’s Models) * GPA: https://chesstier.com/grand-prix-at... * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * Can you whip Taimanov's Sicilian? http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Glossary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloss... * CFN: https://www.youtube.com/@CFNChannel * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ “Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands.” ― Renaud & Kahn “Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem.” ― Saudin Robovic “Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory.” ― Max Euwe “Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game.” ― Being Caballero “If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” — Dale Earnhardt “In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate.” ― Isaac Asimov I have a fear of speed bumps. But I am slowly getting over it. * Riddle-e-dee: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid... I was wondering why the frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me. Кто не рискует, тот не пьет шампанского Pronunciation: KTOH ni risKUyet, tot ni pyot shamPANSkava) Translation: He who doesn’t take risks doesn’t drink champagne Meaning: Fortune favours the brave "Tal has a terrifying style. Soon even grandmasters will know of this." - Vladimir Saigin (after losing to 17-year-old Tal in a qualifying match for the master title) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5S... “I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind.” — Mikhail Tal "Ponder and deliberate before you make a move." – Sun Tzu "Concentration is the secret of strengths in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs." – Ralph Waldo Emerson "To avoid mistakes is the beginning, as it is the end, of mastery in chess." – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky "[Chess] is the finest mental exercise. It develops concentration and logical reasoning; and it is one of the few games in which you cannot rectify a mistake. If you make a mistake, you lose, unless your opponent makes a worse mistake." – José Raúl Capablanca "Few things are as psychologically brutal as chess." – Garry Kasparov "Inclined to simplicity, I always play carefully and try to avoid unnecessary risks. I consider my method to be right as any superfluous “daring” runs counter to the essential character of chess, which is not a gamble but a purely intellectual combat conducted in accordance with the exact rules of logic." – Capablanca "Oh! this opponent, this collaborator against his will, whose notion of Beauty always differs from yours and whose means (strength, imagination, technique) are often too limited to help you effectively! What torment, to have your thinking and your fantasy tied down by another person!" – Alexander Alekhine "Independence of thought is a (most) valuable quality in a chess-player, both at the board and when preparing for a game." – David Bronstein "I claim that nothing else is so effective in encouraging the growth of chess strength as such independent analysis, both of the games of the great players and your own." – Mikhail Botvinnik "Analysis is a glittering opportunity for training: it is just here that capacity for work, perseverance and stamina are cultivated, and these qualities are, in truth, as necessary to a chess player as a marathon runner." – Lev Polugaevsky "Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind." – Bobby Fischer "I spend around one hour per day on physical exercise. Exercise is a must for every chess player. As the proverb says, 'A sound mind in a sound body.' " – Humpy Koneru "Your practical results will improve when you play what you know, like and have confidence in." – Edmar Mednis "Pawns: they are the soul of this game, they alone form the attack and defense." – François-André Danican Philidor "The most important feature of the chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame and especially Endgame. The primary constraint on a piece’s activity is the Pawn structure." – Michael Stean "The first principle of attack - Don't let the enemy develop!" – Rueben Fine "...only the player with the initiative has the right to attack." – William Steinitz "Weak points or holes in the opponent’s position must be occupied by pieces not pawns." – Siegbert Tarrasch "Do you realize Fischer almost never has any bad pieces? He exchanges them, and the bad pieces remain with his opponents." – Yuri Balashov "Any material change in a position must come about by mate, a capture, or a Pawn promotion." – C.J.S. Purdy (Thus, search for a mate-in-two, a beneficial capture, or the creation of a passed pawn that can be protected, pushed.) "A Threat is more powerful than its execution." – Savielly Tartakower or Aron Nimzowitsch? "A chess game is a dialogue, a conversation between a player and his opponent. Each move by the opponent may contain threats or be a blunder, but a player cannot defend against threats or take advantage of blunders if he does not first ask himself: What is my opponent planning after each move?" – Bruce A. Moon "Examine moves that smite! A good eye for smites is far more important than a knowledge of strategical principles." – C.J.S. Purdy "Concentrate on material gains. Whatever your opponent gives you take, unless you see a good reason not to." – Bobby Fischer "The combination player thinks forward; he starts from the given position, and tries the forceful moves in his mind." – Emanuel Lasker "Combinations have always been the most intriguing aspect of chess. The masters look for them, the public applauds them, the critics praise them. It is because combinations are possible that chess is more than a lifeless mathematical exercise. They are the poetry of the game; they are to chess what melody is to music. They represent the triumph of mind over matter." – Rueben Fine "It has been stated that a characteristic mark of a combination is surprise; surprise for the defender, not for the assailant, since otherwise the combination will probably be unsound." – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky "The pleasure to be derived from a chess combination lie in the feeling that a human mind is behind the game, dominating the inanimate pieces ... and giving them breath of life." – Richard Reti "According to such great attacking players as Bronstein and Tal, most combinations are inspired by the player's memories of earlier games." – Pal Benko "… in chess – as in any conflict – success lies in the attack." – Max Euwe "A player surprised is half beaten." – Chess Proverb "What would chess be without silly mistakes?" – Kurt Richter "You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly." – Genrikh Chepukaitis "The task of the positional player is systematically to accumulate slight advantages and try to convert temporary advantages into permanent ones, otherwise the player with the better position runs the risk of losing it." – Wilhelm Steinitz "It is not a move, even the best move that you must seek, but a realizable plan." – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky "A bad plan is better than none at all." – Frank J. Marshall "It is better to follow out a plan consistently even if it isn't the best one than to play without a plan at all. The worst thing is to wander about aimlessly." – Alexander Kotov "In almost any position the boundless possibilities of chess enable a new or at least a little-studied continuation to be found." – Tigran Petrosian "Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan." – Alexander Alekhine "No matter how much theory progresses, how radically styles change, chess play is inconceivable without tactics." – Samuel Reshevsky "Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation." – Max Euwe "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." – Sun Tzu "Strategically important points should be overprotected. If the pieces are so engaged, they get their regard in the fact that they will then find themselves well posted in every respect." – Aaron Nimzowitsch "The best form of defense is attack." – Karl von Clausewitz "It is dangerous to maintain equality at the cost of placing the pieces passively." – Anatoly Karpov "Nothing so easily ruins a position as pawn moves." – Siegbert Tarrasch "To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game." – Savielly Tartakover "Once we have chosen the right formation in the centre we have created opportunities for our pieces and laid the foundation of subsequent victory." – Alexander Kotov "Chess is a terrible game. If you have no center, your opponent has a freer position. If you do have a center, then you really have something to worry about!" – Siegbert Tarrasch "He who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively and more boldly than his antagonist who either takes it easy or aspires after too much. Thus a slight disadvantage is very frequently seen to convert into a good, solid advantage." – Emanuel Lasker "You have to have the fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances." – Bobby Fischer "Later, ... I began to succeed in decisive games. Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my opponent." – Mikhail Tal "In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent." – Vasily Smyslov "The older I grow, the more I value pawns." – Paul Keres "One charming characteristic of many flank attacks I could mention is that they do not very often lead to simplification: if the attack is parried, there usually are still opportunities left for initiating action in another sector." – Bent Larsen "… the old aphorism holds good, that after the attack has been repulsed, the counterattack is generally decisive." – Richard Reti "Though most people love to look at the games of the great attacking masters, some of the most successful players in history have been the quiet positional players. They slowly grind you down by taking away your space, tying up your pieces, and leaving you with virtually nothing to do!" – Yasser Seirawan " … a 'quiet' move is the epitome of finesse. A soft answer turns away wrath, but its subdued quality makes it no less efficient." – Hans Kmoch "If your opponent cannot do anything active, then don't rush the position; instead you should let him sit there, suffer, and beg you for a draw." – Jeremy Silman "A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes." – José Raúl Capablanca "In the endgame, the most common errors, besides those resulting from ignorance of theory, are caused by either impatience, complacency, exhaustion, or all of the above." – Pal Benko "The technical phase can be boring because there is little opportunity for creativity, for art. Boredom leads to complacency and mistakes." – Garry Kasparov "I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style." – Magnus Carlsen "Chess is infinite, and one has to make only one ill-considered move, and one`s opponent`s wildest dreams will become reality." – David Bronstein "People who want to improve should take their defeats as lessons, and endeavor to learn what to avoid in the future. You must also have the courage of your convictions. If you think your move is good, make it." – Jose Capablanca "Winning is not a secret that belongs to a very few, winning is something that we can learn by studying ourselves, studying the environment and making ourselves ready for any challenge that is in front of us." – Garry Kasparov "No one ever won a game by resigning." – Savielly Tartakower "Winning isn't everything... but losing is nothing." – Edmar Mednis, on the importance of fighting for a draw "All obvious moves look dubious in analysis after the game." – Viktor Korchnoi "It is hardly useful if you trustingly play through variation after variation from a book. It is a great deal more useful and more interesting if you take part actively in the analysis, find something yourself, and try to refute some of the author's conclusions." – Mark Dvoretsky "The key to ultimate success is the determination to progress day by day." – Edmar Mednis Oscar Chajes (pronounced "HA-yes") (December 14, 1873 – February 28, 1928) was an American chess player. Chajes was Jewish and was born in Brody, Galicia, Austria-Hungary, in what is now Ukraine. Chajes was the last person to defeat José Raúl Capablanca, at New York 1916, prior to Capablanca's eight-year undefeated stretch from 1916 to 1924. <Sp-30-22 ZoboBear 000000001: Who deleted my previous post about mating patterns, and why? That post had good content - and a very measured tone. And yes, it was totally factual - I did invent the "Railroad Mate", as well as the "Balestra", "Escalator" and others. I would like an explanation please.> Sock puppet got caught lying again is the correct explanation. * * * Nv-12-22 stone free or die: Normally a <Railroad Mate> involves driving the king along either a file or a rank. Over at <ChessTrax>, or even <chessfox>, they would call this a <Killbox Mate> https://old.chessman.com/tactical... Everything I know about <Railroad Mates> I learned from <ZLegend of CG> - including his (slight) regret over the <Killbox Mate> naming. * * * Nv-13-22 stone free or die: . <"Beware misinformation, and keep on the right track" * * * * * So, let's ignore the diversionary fireworks and again reiterate that this game does NOT end in a railroad mate (RRM). The railroad mate involves trapping the enemy king between the "rails". The queen travels on one rail, the rook on the other, chug-chug-chugging the king straight along either a file or rank. It ends up as an edge mate position, or with a stop (the original nomenclature for the final position was either RRM-diag or RRM-ortho, now more commonly called a Kill Box or Triangle Mate [I forget which is which]). The mate was "invented" by <ZLegend> (in one or another of his many guises!), along with Balestra and Escalator Mates, over on Chess Tempo. Here's a good RRM description (one that can be trusted for accuracy): * * * <Missy> get on it! * Common Sense book: Game Collection: Common Sense in Chess (Lasker) * Capa's Fundamentals: Game Collection: Chess Fundamentals (Capablanca) * Golombek's book: Game Collection: Game of Chess (Golombek) * Encyclopedia: https://thechesspedia.net * For Italian Newbiez: https://chessquestions.com/the-ital... * Chess Praxis: Game Collection: Chess Praxis (Nimzowitsch) * Chernev's Golden Dozen: Game Collection: Golden Dozen (Chernev) * Tartakover's 500 MGOC: Game Collection: Master Games - Chess (Tartakower/du Mont) * Match Botvinnik: Game Collection: Match Botvinnik! * Tiny French Def: Game Collection: French Defence repertoire * French, Tarrasch: Game Collection: French Defense: Tarrasch Variation * Development of Style: Game Collection: Development of Chess Style (Euwe) * Fischer World Champion: Game Collection: Fischer World Champion (Timman/Euwe) * How to Beat BF: Game Collection: How to Beat Bobby Fischer (Mednis) * Seirawan's Duels: Game Collection: Chess Duels (Seirawan) * Nunn's Chess Course: Game Collection: Lasker JNCC * Secret Weapon: Game Collection: Lasker's Secret Weapon * Edward's Secrets: Game Collection: Chess Secrets (Ed.Lasker) "In war, truth is the first casualty." – Aeschylus "I start out by believing the worst." – Napoleon "Fortune, which has a great deal of power in other matters but especially in war, can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces." – Julius Caesar "Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon." – Horatio Nelson "Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination." – Clausewitz "The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points." – Sun Tzu "The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy's." – Napoleon Bonaparte "Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things." – Musashi Rule #29: "Always make your opponent think you know more than you really know." ― General Phil Sheridan "Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive." – Sun Tzu "In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack — the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers." – Sun Tzu "When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise." – Sun Tzu "One must indeed be ignorant of the methods of genius to suppose that it allows itself to be cramped by forms. Forms are for mediocrity, and it is fortunate that mediocrity can act only according to routine. Ability takes its flight unhindered." – Napoleon "To ensure attaining an objective, one should have alternate objectives. An attack that converges on one point should threaten and be able to diverge against another. Only by this flexibility of aim can strategy be attuned to the uncertainty of war." – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954) "So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak." – Sun Tzu "Select the tactic of seeming to come from the East and attacking from the West; avoid the solid, attack the hollow; attack; withdraw; deliver a lightning blow, seek a lightning decision. When guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances; harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws." – Mao Tse-Tung (On Guerrilla Warfare, 1937) "Opportunities multiply as they are seized." – Sun Tzu “Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way.” ― General George S. Patton Jr., Patton "You're never beaten until you admit it." ― General George S. Patton, Jr. "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory." – Napoleon "If you want to know how the Battle of the Bulge was won, ask my G4 (Logistics) Officer..." – Patton (A successful army needs leadership, training, timing scouting, weather, terrain, deception, etc., transportation, all kinds of equipment and re-supplies, and perhaps reinforcements.) * Beauty Prizes: Game Collection: Les Prix de Beauté aux Echecs (I) * 1908 WC Match: Game Collection: Lasker vs Tarrasch WCM 1908 * Link to Frank Marshall - Edward Lasker 1923 Match: Game Collection: Marshall -- Ed. Lasker 1923 match * Fred's Fame: Fred Slingerland * Here's a link to Center Game miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Old Gambits: Game Collection: Gambit Lines (Old) * 1892 WCC: Game Collection: 1892 World Chess Championship * Fried Liver for Black: Game Collection: Two Knights' Defense Fried Liver for Black * Traxler Counterattack: Game Collection: takchess italian's Traxler Counter Attack after * Ataman's Miniatures: Game Collection: Instructive Chess Miniatures (Ataman) * Sicily Starters: https://chessklub.com/the-sicilian-... * Variety Pack: Game Collection: Sicilian * By the Numbers: Game Collection: tpstar 4N * 40 games of the Sicilian Four Knights: Game Collection: 0 * Moderns: Game Collection: Modern Defenses * MG Magic: Game Collection: middle game magic * Crush 'em: Game Collection: How to Crush Your Chess Opponents (Williams) * Taking En Passant: Game Collection: Two or More En-Passant Captures The new pawn move, advancing the pawn two squares on its first move instead of one, was first introduced in Spain in 1280. * Chinese School: Game Collection: Chinese School of Chess (Liu Wenzhe) * Linares 1997: Game Collection: Linares 1997 * Mammoth Book: Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms) * Great Endgames: Game Collection: Greatest Endgames (Giddins) Thank you Qindarka!! A is the Gambit, by Allgaier found out, B is the Bishop, so warlike and stout; C is our Chess – the glorious game, D is Defeat, with its sorrow and shame; E is the Evans, a famous attack, F is the False-move we wish to take back; G is a Gambit, full of startling delight, H is the Houses of black and of white, I is to Interpose in the midst of the fight; J is J’adoube, which the careless must say, K is the King, the soul of the play; L is the López, the Gambit so old, M is the Muzio, adventurous and bold; N is the Notes, explaining our play, O is the Opening, at the first of the fray; P is a Pawn, marching boldly ahead, Q is the Queen, mighty and dread; R is the Rook, a warrior of weight, S is a Stale, an unfortunate Mate; T is a Tournay, where the weakest must yield, U is to Unite our pawns in the field; V is Variation, which black overlooks, W is White, who moves first in the books; X is Xantippe, the meanest of mates, Y is to Yield, resigned to our fates; Z is Zatrikiology, a game, & an art of endurable fame. Source: Chess Monthly, November 1860, page 348. The Members and the Belly Perhaps, had I but shown due loyalty, This book would have begun with royalty, Of which, in certain points of view, Boss Belly is the image true, In whose bereavements all the members share: Of whom the latter once so weary were, As all due service to forbear, On what they called his idle plan, Resolved to play the gentleman, And let his lordship live on air. "Like burden-beasts," said they, "We sweat from day to day; And all for whom, and what? Ourselves we profit not. Our labour has no object but one, That is, to feed this lazy glutton. We'll learn the resting trade By his example's aid." So said, so done; all labour ceased; The hands refused to grasp, the arms to strike; All other members did the like. Their boss might labour if he pleased! It was an error which they soon repented, With pain of languid poverty acquainted. The heart no more the blood renewed, And hence repair no more accrued To ever-wasting strength; Whereby the mutineers, at length, Saw that the idle belly, in its way, Did more for common benefit than they. For royalty our fable makes, A thing that gives as well as takes Its power all labour to sustain, Nor for themselves turns out their labour vain. It gives the artist bread, the merchant riches; Maintains the diggers in their ditches; Pays man of war and magistrate; Supports the swarms in place, That live on sovereign grace; In short, is caterer for the state. Menenius told the story well: When Rome, of old, in pieces fell, The commons parting from the senate. "The ills," said they, "that we complain at Are, that the honours, treasures, power, and dignity, Belong to them alone; while we Get nothing our labour for But tributes, taxes, and fatigues of war." Without the walls the people had their stand Prepared to march in search of other land, When by this noted fable Menenius was able To draw them, hungry, home To duty and to Rome. “Pawns are such fascinating pieces, too...So small, almost insignificant, and yet--they can depose kings." ― Lavie Tidhar, The Bookman One mind, any weapon. – Hunter B. Armstrong 32. The pupil wants not so much to learn, as to learn how to learn. – Samuel Boden I’m not a materialistic person, in that, I don’t suffer the lack or loss of money. The absence of worldly goods I don’t look back on. For chess is a way I can be as materialistic as I want without having to sell my soul. – Jamie Walter Adams 35. Great results can be achieved with small forces. – Sun Tzu 36. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. – Musashi Grandmasters No chess grandmaster is normal; they only differ in the extent of their madness. – Viktor Korchnoi 38. Just as the pianist practices the most complicated pieces to improve the technique of his fingers, so too a grandmaster must keep his vision in trim by daily analysis of positions with sharp possibilities, and this applies whether he prefers such positions in his play or not. – Alexander Kotov 39. Play the move that forces the win in the simplest way. Leave the brilliancies to Alekhine, Keres and Tal. – Irving Chernev 40. Alekhine is a poet who creates a work of art out of something that would hardly inspire another man to send home a picture post card. – Max Euwe 41. It would be idle, and presumptuous, to wish to imitate the achievements of a Morphy or an Alekhine; but their methods and their manner of expressing themselves are within the reach of all. – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovski 42. Truth Chess problems demand from the composer the same virtues that characterize all worthwhile art: originality, invention, conciseness, harmony, complexity, and splendid insincerity. – Vladimir Nabokov, Poems and Problems, 1969 43. Chess, like any creative activity, can exist only through the combined efforts of those who have creative talent, and those who have the ability to organize their creative work. – Mikhail Botvinnik 44. I have always had a very vivid imagination, which I have, after a long struggle, partly succeeded in controlling in order to use it to better purpose, according to the requirements of the occasion. – Capablanca 45. No fantasy, however rich, no technique, however masterly, no penetration into the psychology of the opponent, however deep, can make a chess game a work of art, if these qualities do not lead to the main goal - the search for truth. – Vasily Smyslov 46. The process of making pieces in chess do something useful (whatever it may be) has received a special name: it is called the attack. The attack is that process by means of which you remove obstructions. – Emanuel Lasker 47. On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. The creative combination lays bare the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culminating in a checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite. – Emanuel Lasker 48. Truth derives its strength not so much from itself as from the brilliant contrast it makes with what is only apparently true. This applies especially to chess, where it is often found that the profoundest moves do not much startle the imagination. – Emanuel Lasker Study The concept of 'talent' is formed under completely abstract criteria, having nothing in common with reality. But the reality is such that I don’t understand chess as a whole. But then again no one understands chess in its entirety. Perhaps talent is something else, in chess it is conditionality. – Alexander Morozevich 65. Our knowledge of circumstances has increased, but our uncertainty, instead of having diminished, has only increased. The reason of this is, that we do not gain all our experience at once, but by degrees; so our determinations continue to be assailed incessantly by fresh experience; and the mind, if we may use the expression, must always be under arms. – Clausewitz 66. The laws of circumstance are abolished by new circumstances. – Napoleon 67. Nothing is so healthy as a trashing at the proper time, and from few won games have I learned as muchas I have from most of my defeats. – Capablanca 68. Do not mind losing, for it is only by learning that you will improve, and by losing, if you use theknowledge you gained, you will improve rapidly. If you play with a much better player, so much morelikely that you will learn. Any ordinary man can learn a great deal of chess just as of music, art orscience, if he cares to devote his time and attention to study of the game. – Capablanca 69. In order to make progress in chess, it is necessary to pay special attention to all the general principles, spending a little less time on the openings. Play the openings on the basis of your general knowledge of how to mobilize pieces and do not become involved in technicalities about whether the books recommend this or that move; to learn the openings by heart it is necessary to study a great number of books which, moreover, are sometimes wrong. However, if you study from the point of view of the general principles you are taking a more certain path for although a player’s intellect can fail at a given moment, principles well used never fail. – Capablanca 70. If the point of playing chess is as a battle of the intellect then most people would say that the memorization of other peoples ideas is something that is anathema to the spirit of chess. – Nigel Davies 71. Lead the ideas of your time and they will accompany and support you; fall behind them and they drag you along with them; oppose them and they will overwhelm you. – Napoleon 72. The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. – Thucydides 73. It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability, he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way. – Miyamoto Musashi 74. You work for a long period of time and the results don't really show, but at some point everything just comes together and you start to play better, or get more confidence. – Fabiano Caruana In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make youreveryday stance your combat stance. You must research this well. – Miyamoto Musashi 76. The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. – George Hyman Rickover 77. Books It has been said that man is distinguished from animal in that he buys more books than he can read. Ishould like to suggest that the inclusion of a few chess books would help to make the distinctionunmistakable. – Edward Lasker 78. Chess books should be used as we use glasses: to assist the sight, although some players make use ofthem as if they conferred sight. – Jose Capablanca 79. Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others' experience. – Otto von Bismark 80. …It is hardly useful if you trustingly play through variation after variation from a book. It is a great dealmore useful and more interesting if you take part actively in the analysis, find something yourself, andtry to refute some of the author's conclusions. – Mark Dvoretsky 81. Ninety percent of the book variations have no great value, because either they contain mistakes or they are based on fallacious assumptions; just forget about the openings and spend all that time on the endings. – Jose Capablanca 82. …The most intelligent inspection of any number of fine paintings will not make the observer a painter, nor will listening to a number of operas make the hearer a musician, but good judges of music and painting may so be formed. Chess differs from these. The intelligent perusal of fine games cannot fail to make the reader a better player and a better judge of the play of others. – Emanuel Lasker 83. The young people have read my book. Now I have no chance. – Efim Bogolubow 84. Part Two: Playing On Play Act like a man of thought. Think like a man of action. – Thomas Mann 85. Just as one man can beat ten, so a hundred men can beat a thousand, and a thousand men can beat ten thousand. In my strategy, one man is the same as ten thousand, so this strategy is the complete warrior's craft. – Miyamoto Musashi 86. 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 87. Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind. – Ts'ao Kung 88. Question to Rubinstein: "Who is your opponent tonight?" Answer: "Tonight I am playing against the black pieces." – Akiba Rubinstein 89. Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive. – Sun Tzu 90. Every move creates a weakness. – Siegbert Tarrasch 91. Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack. – Sun Tzu 92. Chess is eminently and emphatically the philosopher's game. – Paul Morphy 93. During a chess tournament a master must envisage himself as a cross between an ascetic monk and a beast of prey. – Alexander Alekhine 94. 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 95. For success I consider three factors are necessary: firstly, an awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses; secondly, an accurate understanding of my opponent's strengths and weaknesses; thirdly, a higher aim than momentary satisfaction. I see this aim as being scientific and artistic achievements, which place the game of chess on a par with other arts. – Alexander Alekhine 96. Whoever sees no other aim in the game than that of giving checkmate to one's opponent will never become a good chess player. – Max Euwe 97. ... The main thing that develops positional judgment, that perfects it and makes it many-sided, is detailed analytical work, sensible tournament practice, a self-critical attitude to your games and rooting out of all the defects in your play. – Alexander Kotov 98. From triumph to downfall there is but one step. I have noted that, in the most momentous occasions, mere nothings have always decided the outcome of the greatest events. – Napoleon To lose one's objective attitude to a position, nearly always means ruining your game. – DavidBronstein 100. Chess teaches you to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks goodand it trains you to think objectively when in you're trouble. – Stanley Kubrick 101. When you see a good move, look for a better one. – Emanuel Lasker 102. I often play a move I know how to refute. – Bent Larsen 103. You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly. – Genrikh Chepukaitis 104. When you have finished analyzing all the variations and gone along all the branches of the tree of analysis you must first of all write the move down on your score sheet, before you play it. – Alexander Kotov 105. Winning You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what Chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it's really a good idea and whether there are other better ideas. – Stanley Kubrick The sign of a great master is his ability to win a won game quickly and painlessly. – Irving Chernev 108. Under no circumstances should you play fast if you have a winning position. Forget the clock, use all your time and make good moves. – Pal Benko 109. Losing 110. However hopeless the situation appears to be there yet always exists the possibility of putting up a stubborn resistance. – Paul Keres 111. Don't be afraid of losing, be afraid of playing a game and not learning something. – Dan Heisman 112. Nothing is so healthy as a trashing at the proper time, and from few won games have I learned as much as I have from most of my defeats. – Capablanca 113. I prefer to lose a really good game than to win a bad one. – David Levy You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player. – Jose Capablanca 115. Most players ... do not like losing and consider defeat as something shameful. This is a wrong attitude. Those who wish to perfect themselves must regard their losses as lessons and learn from them what sorts of things to avoid in the future. – Jose Capablanca 116. Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in the key battles. – Garry Kasparov 117. Losing can persuade you to change what doesn't need to be changed, and winning can convince you everything is fine even if you are on the brink of disaster. – Garry Kasparov 118. Loss generally occurs when a player overrates his advantage or for other reasons seeks to derive from a minute advantage a great return such as a forced win. – Emanuel Lasker 119. Part Three: The Mental Game Psychology All action takes place, so to speak, in a kind of twilight, which like a fog or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are. – Clausewitz You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one. – Mikhail Tal You must not let your opponent know how you feel. – Alexander Kotov 124. When your opponent can easily anticipate every move you make, your strategy deteriorates and becomes commoditized. – Garry Kasparov 125. You can't overestimate the importance of psychology in chess, and as much as some players try to downplay it, I believe that winning requires a constant and strong psychology not just at the board but in every aspect of your life. – Garry Kasparov 126. 128. Psychology is the most important factor in chess. – Alexander Alekhine 129. Emotional instability can be one of the factors giving rise to a failure by chess players in important duels. Under the influence of surging emotions (and not necessarily negative ones) we sometimes lose concentration and stop objectively evaluating the events that are taking place on the board. – Mark Dvoretsky 130. ...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective. – Clausewitz 131. My most difficult opponent is myself. When I am playing I often involuntarily make a world champion out of a candidate master. – Lev Polugaevsky 135. Mistrust is the most necessary characteristic of the chess player. – Siegbert Tarrasch 136.Drawing general conclusions about your main weaknesses can provide a great stimulus to further growth. – Alexander Kotov The fear of war is worse than war itself. – Seneca 140. 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 ...man is a frivolous, a specious creature, and like a chess-player cares more for the process of attaining his goal than for the goal itself. – Dostoyevsky 142. In life, as in chess, one's own Pawns block one's way. A man's very wealth, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him to win, more often checkmate him. – Charles Buxton Botvinnik tried to take the mystery out of chess, always relating it to situations in ordinary life. He used to call chess a typical inexact problem similar to those which people are always having to solve in everyday life. – Garry Kasparov 145. Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things. – Musashi 146. All great events hang by a single thread. The clever man takes advantage of everything, neglects nothing that may give him some added opportunity; the less clever man, by neglecting one thing, sometimes misses everything. – Napoleon 147. To know ten thousand things, know one well. – Miyamoto Musashi 148. Optimism As has happened so often in history, victory had bred a complacency and fostered an orthodoxy which led to defeat in the next war. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954; on the French military development between the World Wars) 149. I've seen - both in myself and my competitors - how satisfaction can lead to a lack of vigilance, then to mistakes and missed opportunities. – Garry Kasparov Pessimism All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time. – Lt Gen Lewis B. Puller, USMC 152. A defeatist spirit must inevitably lead to disaster. – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovski If a mistake or an inaccuracy occurs, there is no need to assume 'all is lost' and mope - one must reorient oneself quickly and find a new plan to fit the new situation. – David Bronstein 155. How come the little things bother you when you are in a bad position? They don't bother you in good positions. – Yasser Seirawan Opponents 159. Nowadays grandmasters no longer study their opponent's games so much, but they study his character, his behavior and his temperament in the most thorough fashion. – David Bronstein 161. The effect to be sought is the dislocation of the opponent's mind and dispositions -- such an effect is the true gauge of an indirect approach. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954) 162. When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise. – Sun Tzu Ultimately, what separates a winner from a loser at the grandmaster level is the willingness to do the unthinkable. A brilliant strategy is, certainly, a matter of intelligence, but intelligence without audaciousness is not enough. Given the opportunity, I must have the guts to explode the game, to upend my opponent’s thinking and, in so doing, unnerve him. So it is in business: One does not succeed by sticking to convention. – Garry Kasparov 165. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. – Sun Tzu It is a mistake, too, to say that the face is the mirror of the soul. The truth is, men are very hard to know, and yet, not to be deceived, we must judge them by their present actions, but for the present only. – Napoleon 168. Some Warriors look fierce, but are mild. Some seem timid, but are vicious. Look beyond appearances; position yourself for the advantage. – Deng Ming-Dao 169. You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. – an anonymous politician 170. Physical Health 171. Above all else, before playing in competitions a player must have regard to his health, for if he is suffering from ill-health he cannot hope for success. In this connection the best of all tonics is 15 to 20 days in the fresh air, in the country. – Mikhail Botvinnik 172. Since your mental state can have such dramatic effects on your body, obviously your physical condition can affect your mental well-being. It follows that regular physical conditioning should be part of your overall chess training. – Pal Benko Method rules his training, which blends the physical with the mental. How many chess masters put in, prior to an important match, an allotted time daily to bicycling and shadow-boxing, followed by a cold douche and a brisk rub down? – Hans Kmoch, on Max Euwe 175. The stomach is an essential part of the Chess master. – Bent Larsen 176. Part Four: On Strategy Strategy vs Tactics The laws of chess do not permit a free choice: you have to move whether you like it or not. – Emanuel Lasker 177. In short, the ideal way of playing a game would be rapid development of the pieces of strategic use for attack or defense, taking into account the fact that the two elements are Time and Position. Calm in defense and decisiveness in attack. – José Raúl Capablanca He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. – Sun Tzu 180. However, if you study from the point of view of the general principles you are taking a more certain path for although a player’s intellect can fail at a given moment, principles well used never fail. – José Raúl Capablanca 182. The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing; the strategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing. – Savielly Tartakower We often hear the terms 'positional' and 'tactical' used as opposites. But this is as wrong as to consider a painting's composition unrelated to its subject. Just as there is no such thing as 'artistic' art, so there is no such thing as 'positional' chess. – Samuel Reshevsky In general, I consider that in chess everything rests on tactics. If one thinks of strategy as a block of marble, then tactics are the chisel with which a master operates, in creating works of chess art. – Tigran Petrosian 187. Tactics flow from a superior position. – Bobby Fischer Every move creates a weakness. – Siegbert Tarrasch 191. Position The criterion of real strength is a deep penetration into the secrets of a position. – Tigran Petrosian 194. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country -- its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. – Sun Tzu 195. The laws of circumstance are abolished by new circumstances. – Napoleon 196. It is the aim of the modern school, not to treat every position according to one general law, but according to the principle inherent in the position. – Richard Reti 197. Bring all your pieces out! Give them scope! Occupy the central squares! – Siegbert Tarrasch If the defender is forced to give up the center, then every possible attack follows almost of itself. – Siegbert Tarrasch 201. By reinforcing every part, (the opponent) weakens every part. – Sun Tzu The winning of a pawn among good players of even strength often means the winning of the game. – José Raúl Capablanca 211. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. – Henry David Thoreau The highest art of the chess player lies in not allowing your opponent to show you what he can do. – Garry Kasparov 214. [The] aim is not so much to seek battle as to seek a strategic situation so advantageous that if it does not of itself produce the decision, its continuation by a battle is sure to achieve this. In other words, dislocation is the aim of strategy. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy) I love all positions. Give me a difficult positional game, I will play it. Give me a bad position, I will defend it. Openings, endgames, complicated positions, dull draws, I love them and I will do my very best. But totally won positions, I cannot stand them. – Hein Donner 217. It is rightly said that the most difficult thing in chess is winning a won position. – Vladimir Kramnik 218. Plans Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory is won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. – Sun Tzu To find the right plan is just as hard as looking for its sound justification. – Emanuel Lasker 223. The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan. – Clausewitz 224. A plan is made for a few moves only, not for the whole game. – Reuben Fine 225. Capture of the adverse King is the ultimate but not the first object of the game. – Wilhelm Steinitz 226. Whoever sees no other aim in the game than that of giving checkmate to one's opponent will never become a good chess player. – Max Euwe The study of typical plans is something that the leading grandmasters devote a great deal of time to. I would say that the most far-seeing of them devote as much time to this as to the study of openings. – Alexander Kotov Analysis If we wish to wrest an advantage from the enemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow for the possibility of the enemy also doing some harm to us, and let this enter as a factor into our calculations. – Sun Tzu What is the Threat?? – Anon (a question to always ask of both your own and the opponent's moves...) So do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat. – Sun Tzu White lost because he failed to remember the right continuation and had to think up the moves himself. – Siegbert Tarrasch 245. The most difficult art is not in the choice of men, but in giving to the men chosen the highest service of which they are capable. – Napoleon 246. Dazzling combinations are for the many, shifting wood is for the few. – George Kieninger 247. Human affairs are like a chess game: only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players. – Hung Tzu Ch'eng 248. Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. – Clausewitz Never do an enemy a small injury. – Niccolo Machiavelli Speed is fine but accuracy is final. – Bill Jordan Combinations A combination is a blend of ideas – pins, forks, discovered checks, double attacks – which endow the pieces with magical powers. – Irving Chernev 254. It is a profound mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot be learned. Every player knows that all (or almost all) combinations arise from a recollection of familiar elements. – Richard Reti A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost a matter of course. – Siegbert Tarrasch A win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror. – Wilhelm Steinitz By positional play a master tries to prove and exploit true values, whereas by combinations he seeks to refute false values ... A combination produces an unexpected re-assessment of values. – Emanuel Lasker 261. This high proportion of history's decisive campaigns, the significance of which is enhanced by the comparative rarity of the direct approach, enforces the conclusion that the indirect is by far the most hopeful and economic form of strategy. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954) Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half. – Jan Tinman The most difficult art is not in the choice of men, but in giving to the men chosen the highest service of which they are capable. – Napoleon 267. Impossible is the word found only in a fool's dictionary. Wise people create opportunities for themselves and make everything possible... – Napoleon 268. Preponderance of Force So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak. – Sun Tzu 269. If in a battle, I seize a bit of debatable land with a handful of soldiers, without having done anything to prevent an enemy bombardment of the position, would it ever occur to me to speak of a conquest of the terrain in question? Obviously not. Then why should I do so in chess? – Aaron Nimzowitsch 270. Strategically important points should be overprotected. If the pieces are so engaged, they get their regard in the fact that they will then find themselves well posted in every respect. – Aaron Nimzowitsch If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak. – Sun Tzu Attacking The process of making pieces in chess do something useful (whatever it may be) has received a special name: it is called the attack. The attack is that process by means of which you remove obstructions. – Emanuel Lasker The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move. – David Bronstein Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him. – Sun Tzu 283. Logistics is the Soul of War. – Napoleon 285. In maneuver warfare, we attempt not to destroy the entire enemy force but to render most of it irrelevant. – Lt. Col. Robert R. Leonhard, U.S.A. 287.When you have an enemy in your power, deprive him of the means of ever injuring you. – Napoleon 288. The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions. – Musashi 289. The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points. – Sun Tzu 290. The highest generalship is to compel the enemy to disperse his army, and then to concentrate superior force against each fraction in turn. – Col. Henderson 291. Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war. – Clausewitz 292. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak. – Sun Tzu Brilliancies Without error there can be no brilliancy. – Emanuel Lasker A game is always won through a mistake. – Tartakower 296. The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made. – Savielly Tartakower . Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack. – Sun Tzu A quiet move in the midst of an attack is the master's trademark. – Anon 301. Not all artists may be chess players, but all chess players are artists. – Marcel Duchamp Confidence is very important – even pretending to be confident. If you make a mistake but do not letyour opponent see what you are thinking then he may overlook the mistake. – Viswanathan Anand One bad move nullifies forty good ones. – I.A. Horowitz 309. A descriptive justification can be given for almost every mistake. – adapted from Nigel Davies 310. Errors have nothing to do with luck; they are caused by time pressure, discomfort or unfamiliarity with a position, distractions, feelings of intimidation, nervous tension, overambition, excessive caution, and dozens of other psychological factors. – Pal Benko Some things are really hard to do, almost impossible to do, like playing perfectly in extremely complicated positions. But it really bugs me when I miss things that I really shouldn't have. I am always going to make mistakes. I don't have any illusions that my understanding of chess is perfect or anything like that. It's just that I have to work on relatively simple mistakes. When I can lower the percentage of such mistakes then things are going to be much better. – Magnus Carlsen 313. Defense The first order of business for a General is to secure himself against defeat. – Sun Tzu To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. – Sun Tzu 316. When you don’t know what to play, wait for an idea to come into your opponent’s mind. You may be sure that idea will be wrong. – Siegbert Tarrasch 317. When you defend, try not to worry or become upset. Keep your cool and trust your position - it's all you've got. – Pal Benko 318. Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in the key battles. – Garry Kasparov 319. A defensive war is apt to betray us into too frequent detachment. Those generals who have had but little experience attempt to protect every point, while those who are better acquainted with their profession, having only the capital object in view, guard against a decisive blow, and acquiesce in small misfortunes to avoid greater. – Frederick the Great Every action is seen to fall into one of three main categories, guarding, hitting, or moving. Here, then, are the elements of combat, whether in war of pugilism. – B. H. Liddell-Hart 323. Do nothing which is of no use. – Musashi 324. ...only the player with the initiative has the right to attack. – Wilhelm Steinitz 325. It's less about physical training, in the end, than it is about the mental preparation: boxing is a chess game. You have to be skilled enough and have trained hard enough to know how many different ways you can counterattack in any situation, at any moment. – Jimmy Smits when to complicate In modern praxis lost positions are salvaged most often when the play is highly complicated with many sharp dynamic variations to be calculated. – Leonid Shamkovich A good sacrifice is one that is not necessarily sound but leaves your opponent dazed and confused. – Rudolph Spielmann 331. Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. – Clausewitz 332. From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step. – Napoleon 333. There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom. – Clausewitz, (On War) z64All free bumd one off puffy went out 4A smoke saw a UFOA outr space, force, time, android K safety Wesley So Zamikhovsky pauzed clock o' time: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/ <Like new-laid eggs Chess Problems are, Though very good, they may be beaten; And yet, though like, they’re different far, They may be cooked, but never eaten. Source: page 58 of Poems and Chess Problems by J.A. Miles (Fakenham, 1882).> "You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds." Red State: https://www.redhotpawn.com/ Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R Golden Treasury of Chess: - Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz) - https://lichess.org/study/KMMrJvE1 - https://archive.org/details/mostins... Glossary: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar... Classic games by great players: Game Collection: Guinness Book - Chess Grandmasters (Hartston) "What goes around, comes around." Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Chessgames.com will be unavailable Friday, February 17, 2023 from 11AM through 11:30AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience. 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Fools look to tomorrow. Wise men use tonight. ~ Scottish Proverb Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER Be slow in choosing a friend but slower in changing him. ~ Scottish Proverb <Pastime with good company I love and shall, until I die. Grudge who list, but none deny! So God be pleased, thus live will I. ― Henry VIII of England> 179 games, 1580-2009 3# Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 us Cloned from Qindarka 'Chess Evolution Weekly Newsletter' by Arkadij Naiditsch and Csaba Balogh. Best games of Volumes 51-100. Q: How many therapists to do you need to change a light bulb? A: Just one. But the light bulb has to really want to change. Adhiban's "Night at The Opera" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyd... Always Attack! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWA... Anand: Move by Move Game Collection: Move by Move - Anand (Franco) Attitude is the difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEI... Baking Soda could be the fix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iv... Banjo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR3... “Bloody Mary”: https://www.historyhit.com/facts-ab... Bluffing his way along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gs... Brother and Sister: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pY6f... Carnegie Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyb... Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... Chess Informant 21: Game Collection: Chess Informant 21 CNN Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLP... Defense - See it approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPn... Effective Study: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/73TZ... Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 Exercise for the Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0A... Fails Competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AH... Festival 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=691... Fighting Chess with MCarlsen: Game Collection: Fighting Chess with Magnus Carlsen Fine's Passion: Game Collection: Passion for Chess (Fine) Fischer Builds the Position: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_u... Five Easy Magic Trix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9P... The Game of Chess by HGolombek: Game Collection: Game of Chess (Golombek) "Golden Brown" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy8... Vidit Gujrathi game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qe... Hand Clap Skit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDv... Harp in Nature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xd... Haxo Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6v... Italian Game, Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack on f7: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... Italian Game, Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack gets eaten up by the Traxler Counterattack! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sp... 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ $3 6. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7. Ke3 Qh4 8. Nxh8 Qf4+ 9. Ke2 Qf2+ 10. Kd3 Nc5+ 11. Kc3 Qd4# 0-1 What if 5.Bxf7+ against the Traxler Counterattack? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vg... Italian Game Beginner Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aM... Italian Game 5 Must-Know Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8B... Italian Game Course Crash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhN... Italian Traps Unknown? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSM... Italian Game Ultimate Beginner Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXI... Italian Game, Giuoco Piano Defense, Center Attack Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcR... Italian Game, Two Knights Defense, Lolli Attack Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0d... Italian Game Plans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_V... Jailhouse Rocker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvr... Lipnitsky Theory: Game Collection: Lipnitsky Modern Chess Theory The Lion Kings "Circle of Life": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ege... Loserz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSR... Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES More Jailhouse Rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39x... MT Facts: https://www.chessjournal.com/facts-... Nezhmetdinov breaks the Berlin in 25 moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnS... Nineteen-year-olds at the 1962 Varna Olympiad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oL... Old P-K4 Miniatures: Game Collection: Games for Classes Oh Darling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUe... One Note Samba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojQ... Philidor Defense No Fear Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAS... Attack like Piranhas - sudden, sharp, fast, fearless, relentless, in full force until finished: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeh... Punish the Pirc Modern Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIE... Play Stockfish 1-10: https://labinatorsolutions.github.i... Pranks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMa... Queen Instrumental! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8... Queen Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nue... Q's Gambit for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwP... "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sr... Russians - Chernev: Game Collection: The Russians Play Chess by Irving Chernev Ruy Lopez Thunderbolt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVe... Shirov Minis: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures Smyslov Brevities: Game Collection: Smyslov brevities Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8... Stand By: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmN... Story of the Polgar Sisters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZi... Tal go's Benoni Game Collection: Tal - The Modern Benoni Mikhail Tal vs Fredrick Rhine ◇ Chicago 1988: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfk... Tune Your Chess Atena: Game Collection: Tune your chess antenna The Yerkes-Dodson Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT9... "Twitter" Chess Controversy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hd... Unbelievable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-m... Unorthodox Styles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EB... Virtual Trio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixq... Wayfaring Stranger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWI... When they stop to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRB... Winter's Chess Thoughts: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter... World chess championship 1984 Karpov vs Kasparov Game 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbj... eXquisite harmony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBn... Yugoslav Triumphs: Game Collection: 0 Zwischenzug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ft... “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 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. 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 183 games, 2013-2014 31 Deseado * Beat the QGD Exchange: Game Collection: Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation * Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 * FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... * 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 * Shirov Minis: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures * Tactics Explained: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * Winter's Chess Thoughts: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter... 316 games, 1620-2023 3101 greatest moves ever played (by krabbe) * Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 * FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... * 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 * Shirov Minis: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures * Tactics Explained: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * Winter's Chess Thoughts: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter... 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; analyzing 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 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 "Havana" by Camila Cabello https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3v... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... “Bloody Mary”: https://www.historyhit.com/facts-ab... <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 controlling 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.)> 88 games, 1858-1998 33 Papi's Pirc, Robat for reference... “Chess does not only teach us to analyse the present situation, but it also enables us to think about the possibilities and consequences. This is the art of forward-thinking.” ― Shivanshu K. Srivastava “Chess is all about maintaining coherent strategies. It’s about not giving up when the enemy destroys one plan but to immediately come up with the next. A game isn’t won and lost at the point when the king is finally cornered. The game's sealed when a player gives up having any strategy at all. When his soldiers are all scattered, they have no common cause, and they move one piece at a time, that’s when you’ve lost.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, A Pale View of Hills “On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. The creative combination lays bare the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culminating in a checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite.” ― Emanuel Lasker “Fighting was chess, anticipating the move of one's opponent and countering it before one got hit.” ― Holly Black, The Wicked King “Excelling at chess has long been considered a symbol of more general intelligence. That is an incorrect assumption in my view, as pleasant as it might be.” ― Garry Kasparov “The most helpful thing I learnt from chess is to make good decisions on incomplete data in a limited amount of time.” ― Magnus Carlsen “I am not the piece, I am not of the piece, I am not in the piece. I am the move” ― Niranjan Navalgund “Gameplay is all our life. Either we guard, attack or develop pieces.” ― Vineet Raj Kapoor, UNCHESS: Untie Your Shoes and Walk on the Chessboard of Life “Remember that in chess, it's only the square you land on that matters.” ― Bill Robertie, Beginning Chess Play “The pieces are connected to each other and the King and they are in this dynamic rhythm amongst themselves and with the opponent’s pieces, wherein lies their purpose. Each move is an attempt to change that balance and to establish a new, more favorable balance and that is why in chess (and in life) we are most vulnerable when we are most aggressive—the aggressive move essentially causes us to lose balance.” ― Roumen Bezergianov, Character Education with Chess "To free your game, take off some of your adversary's men, if possible for nothing." ― Captain Bertin, The Noble Game of Chess (1735) “Chess enjoys a not wholly undeserved reputation for psychic derangement. It is an endeavor associated, when not with frank madness, with oddness and isolation. I remember a psychiatrist friend visiting me at a chess club in downtown Boston once. He walked in, sat down, looked around and said, ‘Jeez, I could run a group here.” ― Charles Krauthammer, The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors “There is profound meaning in the game of chess. The board itself is life and death, painted as such in black and white. The pieces are those that make a life fundamentally healthy. The pawns are attributes we gather with nourishment and significance. The knight is our ability to be mobile and travel in whatever form it takes. The rook or castle is a place we can call home and protect ourselves from the elements. The bishop is that of our community and our belonging. The king is our mortal body; without it, we can no longer play the game. The queen is the spirit of the body - what drives our imagination, urges, a life force. A captured queen removes energy from the game, and the player may become complacent. A crowning reminder of the game is that the spirit can be possessed again through our attributes.” ― Lorin Morgan-Richards “I thought you wanted me to teach you how to play. (Chess) Each possible move represents a different game - a different universe in which you make a better move. By the second move there are 72,084 possible games. By the 3rd - 9 million. By the 4th…. There are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe. No one could possibly predict them all, even you. Which means that first move can be terrifying. It’s the furthest point from the end of the game. There’s a virtually infinite sea of possibilities between you and the other side but it also means that if you make a mistake, there’s a nearly infinite amount of ways to fix it so you should simply relax and play.” ― Person of Interest s04e11 “At the beginning of a game, there are no variations. There is only one way to set up a board. There are nine million variations after the first six moves. And after eight moves there are two hundred and eighty-eight billion different positions. And those possibilities keep growing. [...] In chess, as in life, possibility is the basis of everything. Every hope, every dream, every regret, every moment of living. (p.195)” ― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library “Truth derives its strength not so much from itself as from the brilliant contrast it makes with what is only apparently true. This applies especially to Chess, where it is often found that the profoundest moves do not much startle the imagination.” ― Emanuel Lasker, Common Sense in Chess “In life, as in chess, learning must be constant - both new things and fresh ways of learning them. The process will invariably involve a certain degree of unlearning, and possessing the readiness to that is utterly important. If your way of doing things isn't working, clinging to your conclusions is only going to hold you back. You have to get to the root of a snag in order to make a breakthrough, because it's possible that what you thought you knew isn't actually the way it is. Unlearning is perhaps the hardest thing to do, but it is a necessity if growth and success are your goals.” ― Vishwanathan Anand “Life is like a game where pawns can become queens, but not everyone knows how to play. Some people stay pawn their whole lives because they never learned to make the right moves.” ― Alice Feeney, Rock Paper Scissors “I always plan for longterm, life to me is a never ending chess match” ― James D. Wilson “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “It's an entire world of just 64 squares. I feel safe in it. I can control it; I can dominate it. And it's predictable. So, if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame.” ― Walter Tevis, The Queen's Gambit “It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go “She had heard of the genetic code that could shape an eye or hand from passing proteins. Deoxyribonucleic acid. It contained the entire set of instructions for constructing a respiratory system and a digestive one, as well as the grip of an infant's hand. Chess was like that. The geometry of a position could be read and reread and not exhausted of possibility. You saw deeply into the layer of it, but there was another layer beyond that, and another, and another.” ― Walter Tevis, The Queen's Gambit “If one reads attentively, Wittgenstein writes as much in one of the rare pas- sages in which he makes use (in English) of the term “to constitute” with respect to the rules of chess: What idea do we have of the king of chess, and what is its relation to the rules of chess? . . . Do these rules follow from the idea? No, the rules are not something contained in the idea and got by analyzing it. They constitute it. . . . The rules constitute the “freedom” of the pieces. (Wittgenstein 5, p. 86) Rules are not separable into something like an idea or a concept of the king (the king is the piece that is moved according to this or that rule): they are immanent to the movements of the king; they express the autoconstitution process of their game. In the autoconstitution of a form of life what is in question is its freedom.” ― Giorgio Agamben, The Omnibus Homo Sacer “What I wanted to tell you about Philidor was that Diderot wrote him a letter. You know Diderot?" "The French Revolution?" "Yeah. Philidor was doing blindfold exhibitions and burning out his brain, or whatever it was they thought you did in the eighteenth century. Diderot wrote him: 'It is foolish to run the risk of going mad for vanity's sake.' I think of that sometimes when I'm analyzing my ass over a chessboard.” ― Walter Tevis, The Queen's Gambit “I prefer to make my annotations 'hot on the heels', as it were, when the fortunes of battle, the worries, hopes and disappointments are still sufficiently fresh in my mind. Much as I would like to, I cannot say this about these few games which will be given below. In fact, if the annotator should begin to use phrases of the type: 'in reply to...I had worked out the following variation...', the reader will rightly say 'Grandmaster, you are showing off', since the 'oldest' of these games is now more than 25 years old, and even the 'newest' more than 20. Therefore, I would ask you not to regard the following 'stylised' annotations too severely. ” ― Mikhail Tal, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal Doinysius1: I had basil on the pub's potage du jour yesterday. Soup herb! * 99 Luft Balloons: Game Collection: 99 Schönheitspreise (Steinkohl) * Colorado Gambit: https://chessmood.com/blog/complete... * 200 Modern Brilliancies: Game Collection: 0 * 2000#: Game Collection: Checkmate 2000 * Informant 22: Game Collection: Chess Informant 22 * 2002#: Game Collection: Checkmate 2002 * Short History: https://chessmart.com/pages/history... * Informant 21: Game Collection: Chess Informant 21 * 2001#: Game Collection: Checkmate 2001 * Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... * Informant 23: Game Collection: Chess Informant 23 * 2003#: Game Collection: Checkmate 2003 * Three of the Greatest: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-m... * 2004#: Game Collection: Checkmate 2004 * 2005#: Game Collection: Checkmate 2005 “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) “Tis action moves the world....[in] the game of chess, mind that: ye cannot leave your men to stand unmoving on the board and hope to win. A soldier must first step upon the battlefield if does mean to cross it.” ― Susanna Kearsley, The Winter Sea “They say that chess was born in bloodshed.” ― Paolo Maurensig, La variante di Lüneburg "No battle can be won in the study, and theory without practice is dead." ― Alexander Suvarov “The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” ― Colin Powell “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.” ― George S. Patton Jr. “One more dance along the razor's edge finished. Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today.” ― Robert Jordan, Lord of Chaos “World-class chess players, in addition to being considered awesomely smart, are generally assumed to have superhuman memories, and with good reason. Champions routinely put on exhibitions in which they play lesser opponents while blindfolded; they hold the entire chessboard in their heads. Some of these exhibitions strike the rest of us as simply beyond belief. The Czech master Richard Reti once played twenty-nine blindfolded games simultaneously. (Afterward he left his briefcase at the exhibition site and commented on what a poor memory he had.)” ― Geoff Colvin, Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else "We do not remember days, we remember moments." ― Cesare Pavese “I believe that, not only in chess, but in life in general, people place too much stock in ratings – they pay attention to which TV shows have the highest ratings, how many friends they have on Facebook, and it’s funny. The best shows often have low ratings and it is impossible to have thousands of real friends.” ― Boris Gelfand “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” – Siegbert Tarrasch “Chess, it’s the struggle against error.” ― Johannes Zukertort “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.” ― Bobby Fischer “Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways.” ― Vladimir Kramnik “When you don’t know what to do, wait for your opponent to get an idea — it’s sure to be wrong!” ― Siegbert Tarrasch “What is a weak pawn? A pawn that is exposed to attack and also difficult to defend is a weak pawn. There are several varieties: isolated, doubled, too advanced, retarded.” ― Samuel Reshevsky, Art of Positional Play “You need to realise something if you are ever to succeed at chess,’ she said, as if Nora had nothing bigger to think about. ‘And the thing you need to realise is this: the game is never over until it is over. It isn’t over if there is a single pawn still on the board. If one side is down to a pawn and a king, and the other side has every player, there is still a game. And even if you were a pawn – maybe we all are – then you should remember that a pawn is the most magical piece of all. It might look small and ordinary but it isn’t. Because a pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward. One square after another. And you can get to the other side and unlock all kinds of power.' Mrs. Elm” ― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library “The game gives us a satisfaction that Life denies us. And for the Chess player, the success which crowns his work, the great dispeller of sorrows, is named 'combination'.” ― Emanuel Lasker “It is a profound mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot be learned.” ― Richard Reti “Tactics is knowing what to do when there’s something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there’s nothing what to do.” ― Savielly Tartakower “A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it.” ― Wilhelm Steinitz “Chess is all about stored pattern recognition. You are asking your brain to spot a face in the crowd that it has not seen.” ― Sally Simpson “The Pin is mightier than the sword” ― Fred Reinfeld “There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.” ― Pierre Mac Orlan “He examined the chess problem and set out the pieces. It was a tricky ending, involving a couple of knights. 'White to play and mate in two moves.' Winston looked up at the portrait of Big Brother. White always mates, he thought with a sort of cloudy mysticism. Always, without exception, it is so arranged. In no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won. Did it not symbolize the eternal, unvarying triumph of Good over Evil? The huge face gazed back at him, full of calm power. White always mates.” ― George Orwell, 1984 “I remember, back in college, how many possibilities life seemed to hold. Variations. I knew, of course, that I'd only live one of my fantasy lives, but for a few years there, I had them all, all the branches, all the variations. One day I could dream of being a novelist, one day I would be a journalist covering Washington, the next - oh, I don't know, a politician, a teacher, whatever. My dream lives. Full of dream wealth and dream women. All the things I was going to do, all the places I was going to live. They were mutually exclusive, of course, but since I didn't have any of them, in a sense I had them all. Like when you sit down at a chessboard to begin a game, and you don't know what the opening will be. Maybe it will be a Sicilian, or a French, or a Ruy Lopez. They all coexist, all the variations, until you start making the moves. You always dream of winning, no matter what line you choose, but the variations are still … different." … "Once the game begins, the possibilities narrow and narrow and narrow, the other variations fade, and you're left with what you've got - a position half of your own making, and half chance, as embodied by that stranger across the board. Maybe you've got a good game, or maybe you're in trouble, but in any case there's just that one position to work from. The might-have-beens are gone." (Unsound Variations)” ― George R.R. Martin, Dreamsongs, Volume II “Life is an exchange; you'd think a chess player would know that.” ― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land “Whereas a novice makes moves until he gets checkmated (proof), a Grand Master realizes 20 moves in advance that it’s futile to continue playing (conceptualizing).” ― Bill Gaede “A great chessplayer is not a great man, for he leaves the world as he found it.” ― William Hazlitt, Table-Talk, Essays on Men and Manners “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born, is to remain always a child.” ― Cicero A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, "Don Quixote" “There is no moral outcome of a chess match or a poker game as long as skill and stealth rather than cheating have been used.” ― Francis P. Karam, The Truth Engine: Cross-Examination Outside the Box “Papi taught me every piece has its own space. Papi taught me every piece moves in its own way. Papi taught me every piece has its own purpose. The squares do not overlap. & neither do the pieces. The only time two pieces stand in the same square is the second before one is being taken & replaced.” ― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land “The final aim of all of us playing on the board of life is to somehow break out of this board and be free” ― Vineet Raj Kapoor, UNCHESS: Untie Your Shoes and Walk on the Chessboard of Life Chessgames.com will be unavailable Friday, February 17, 2023 from 11AM through 11:30AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience. A piece of cake: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/che... "Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got." — Norman Vincent Peale "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." — Ralph Marston * Riddle-free-zool: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid... “Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways.” ― Vladimir Kramnik “If you’re too open-minded; your brains will fall out.” ― Lawrence Ferlinghetti Psalm 96: 1-3 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. WISE OLD OWL A wise old owl lived in an oak. The more he saw the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard. Why can't we all be like that wise old bird? 10 games, 1850-2020 3A vigorous chess opening for black 1.e4-1.e5 sidelines “Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.” ― Sun Tzu “Is there any instinct more deeply implanted in the heart of man than the pride of protection, a protection which is constantly exerted for a fragile and defenceless creature?” ― Honoré de Balzac, Père Goriot The compulsion to defend ourselves is always stronger than the desire to conquer.” ― Theodor Kallifatides, Slaget om Troja “The home to everyone is to him his castle and fortress, as well for his defence against injury and violence, as for his repose.” ― Edward Coke “Raising the sword aloft is sometimes the only way to make the other side stand down.” ― Rehan Khan, A Tudor Turk “The best defense was your own, and you should never rely on chance or other people.” ― Terry Brooks, The Measure of the Magic “This is the problem with playing defense-- you can never be sure where your enemy will strike, so you expend more resources trying to cover every eventuality.” ― Holly Black, The Queen of Nothing “Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War “Knowledge is a weapon to defend yourself and your rights.” ― Kamaran Ihsan Salih “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 “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.” * Akobian teaches kids: https://saintlouischessclub.org/blo... * Attack by Black: Game Collection: Attacking with the French * Byron Jacobs book: Game Collection: Starting out : The French * Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... * French videos: https://www.chess.com/openings/Fren... * Key Games: Game Collection: Opening repertoire key games * Rubinstein: Game Collection: Rubinstein French * tpstar: Game Collection: tpstar FD * World Champions: Game Collection: World champions play the French * French Defense Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQ... Bookie Challenge “The best book on chess? The question blossoms afresh with every new student of the game, and the answer, if candid, is ever the same: “Gather all you can from every good source, and let experience prove the worth or worthlessness of your harvest.” As in other things, mere bookishness is not knowledge, nor on the other hand is a fine disregard of chess literature a key to proficiency; and the beginner drinking in the plausible hallucinations of a Gossip or a Staunton is quite as misguided as he who heeds the warning of a Lasker to give the chess book a wide berth.” — W.E. Napier Two Old Books (and one new) Koltanowski, George, and Milton Finkelstein. Checkmate! The Patterns of the Winning Mating Attacks and How to Achieve Them. New York: Doubleday and Co., 1978. Tal, Mikhail, and Victor Khenkin. Tal’s Winning Chess Combinations: The Secrets of Winning Chess Combinations Described and Explained by the Russian Grandmaster Mikhail Tal, trans. Hanon W. Russell. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979. Checkmate! (1978) and Tal’s Winning Chess Combinations (1979) are remarkably similar in approach. Each takes an individual piece and offers game conclusions where that piece delivers the check that is mate. Then, individual chapters concern certain groups of pieces: both texts have chapters on two rooks, rook and bishop, rook and knight, two bishops, two knights, and queen and knight. Tal and Khenkin* continue this scheme with queen and bishop, queen and knight, and three pieces. In contrast, Koltanowski and Finkelstein offer chapters on certain patterns—Boden’s Mate, Epaulettes Mate, Long Diagonal Mates, Greco and Damiano Mates, and a chapter on double check. These pattern-oriented chapters are followed by chapters arranged by the piece that is sacrificed to set-up checkmate. There are additional chapters on pawn promotion, drawing resources, and how masters use checkmate threats. There is a difference in the expectation of the target audience evident in advice about how to read the books. Koltanowski and Finkelstein repeatedly suggest that a reader should set up the position on a board and play through the moves in order to plant the patterns into memory. Tal and Khenkin, in contrast, suggest that readers study the book without a chess board to improve visualization skills, using a chess board "when you're really stymied" (14). Legall’s Mate appears in both books. Tal and Khenkin have it in the chapter on three pieces, while Koltanowski and Finkelstein place it under queen sacrifices. These books differ on the game score of Legall — St. Brie, as well as the date. Tal’s Winning Chess Combinations has the game played in 1787 when Legall was 85 years old (351). Checkmate! states that the opening trap was first recorded about 1750, but does not explicitly state the game was played then (197-198). Koltanowski’s penchant for dubious stories makes its appearance here in the claim, “Légal was one of the first players to record his games” (197). If he recorded his games, what happened to them? Today, we cannot even be certain of the moves in the sole surviving example of Legall's play. Checkmate! Checkmate! was brought to my attention in response to my assertion in the Facebook group Chess Book Collectors that the best books for teaching checkmate patterns are George Renaud and Victor Kahn, The Art of the Checkmate; and Victor Henkin, 1000 Checkmate Combinations (see below). My claim provoked some interesting discussion. One commenter identified Checkmate! as a book that helped him learn these skills. Bruce Pandolfini also commented that Milton Finkelstein "was a wonderful chess teacher". On the strength of such recommendations, I found a copy and bought it. The chapters in Checkmate! typically begin with some elementary illustrations and an impressive combination from master play. The authors describe conditions and rules for executing the checkmate in question, often producing numbered lists. For instance, the "four conditions necessary for mate with a rook": 1. The enemy king lacks escape squares. 2. A rook can attack it on a rank or a file. 3. The rook is immune from capture. 4. The rook check cannot be blocked by the interposing of a protected piece or pawn. (41) The bulk of each chapter consists of exercises with a number of blanks on which a student can write the moves--workbook style. The introduction of each exercise typically offers clues, and in some cases the final position is shown. The book contains a bit over 550 exercises in total. Answers are in the back of the book. Here is an example from the chapter, "Boden's Mate", that is simple when you know the pattern, but has vexed many of my students over the years (151). White to move Often there are historical anecdotes about a player whose combination is featured. These anecdotes in Checkmate! are entertaining, but unreliable. We learn, for instance, that Akiba Rubinstein was confined to Berlin during World War I, "went bankrupt and then developed a persecution mania that broke his powers of concentration" (47). A more credible work, Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King (1994) by John Donaldson and Nikolay Minev, places Rubinstein in Warsaw, limited to a playing local opponents in that city and in Lodz. Donaldson and Minev offer crosstables and games from the war period. They also note that Rubinstein married in 1917 and had a son born in 1918, both events taking place in German occupied Warsaw (254). There should be no question that Rubinstein's postwar play was inconsistent, as suggested by Koltanowski and Finkelstein, but they leave the impression that he did not play at all after the war. In fact, he won several strong tournaments in the 1920s. His performance in St. Petersburg in 1914 suggests that inconsistency cannot be wholly pinned on difficulties during the war years. Historical errors are distracting, but do not destroy the book's pedagogical value for learning checkmate patterns. Nor do the errors in Checkmate! make the book unique. The list of errors that could be produced from thorough fact checking of Renaud and Kahn also would be lengthy (see "Pillsbury's Mate"). One of the simple illustrations of a final check by a rook in Checkmate! is identical in concept to one that I use often with my beginning students, and with which I became acquainted through Bruce Pandolfini, Pandolfini's Endgame Course (1988). White to move Classifying and organizing checkmate patterns is not a simple matter. In my own efforts, guided by half a dozen books and a few websites, I separated the dovetail and swallowtail checkmates from epaulette, listing all three as checkmates with the queen. Renaud and Kahn use the term Guéridon for the two bird mates and include this pattern with epaulette. Koltanowski and Kinkelstein lump them together under epaulette mate, but do not limit the pattern to a final check with the queen. This position credited to a Russian player surnamed Usachev illustrates (67-68). Black to move 1...Bc3 2.Ke2 Black could avoid checkmate at the cost of a rook, the authors note. Stockfish shows that both rooks will disappear if Black plays the superior move 2.Kc1. After 2.Ke2, Black has a mate in two that starts with a queen sacrifice and ends with a knight check. Four White pieces occupy the king's escape squares, serving as ornament rather than protection. Checkmate! includes a substantial number of checkmate examples. Had I acquired it when it was first published during my teen years and devoted myself to working through the book, I may have become a much stronger player. Unfortunately, whatever the merits of the book, the authors were ill-served by their publisher. The very first diagram in the text is wrong (2). It appears that the image negative was flipped before printing--there is a dark square in the lower-right corner. Black's 4...K-K4 is an illegal move as there is a pawn on that square. The mismatch between the original position and the final position showing checkmate with a pawn alerts the attentive reader to the problem, so the error can be overcome. The publisher also exercised poor quality control over the printing process. Too much ink was allowed to flow, creating many pages where the dark squares are so dark that the Black pieces on them nearly disappear. Many pages have crystal clear diagrams, but a large percentage are dark and even blurred from inattention by the printer. These problems will be even worse in the Ishi Press reprints, which are notorious for poor print quality. Tal's Winning Chess Combinations My Facebook assertion in favor of the value of Henkin, 1000 Checkmate Combinations was grounded in study of Tal and Khenkin, Tal's Winning Chess Combinations, which I have found quite good. My view also stems from superficial examination of the newer translation in Kindle format. Others have assured me that the newer edition is a better translation of The Last Check (more on that below). Tal's Winning Chess Combinations is more challenging than Checkmate! This position from Adams -- Torre, New Orleans 1920 (given as 1921 in the text) and the winning idea is richer than most of the combinations in Koltanowski and Finkelstein (19).** White to move White offered his queen for six consecutive moves in the effort to divert Black's queen from the defense of e8. The idea reappears as exercise 8 (37) from Guldin -- Bagdatev (1963), a position I remember from Lev Alburt, Chess Training Pocket Book, 2nd ed. (2000). The initial example in each chapter of Checkmate! is usually comparable, but the rest of each chapter is less demanding. It did not take me more than ten minutes to blaze through the 13 exercises in the rook chapter, and every example was a forced checkmate. In many of the examples in Tal's Winning Chess Combinations, mate threats can be parried with significant sacrifice, still leading to a lost game. Tal's Winning Chess Combinations also has a clearer demarcation between the instructive section and the exercises. Each chapter begins with diagrams showing the elementary pattern, and then proceeds through instructive and entertaining examples. Most chapters repeat this sequence with more checkmate patterns and game fragments. The object is showing a range of possibilities with the piece or pieces in question. As in Checkmate!, Tal's Winning Chess Combinations presents game endings where a queen did not deliver the final check in an epaulette mate. This one is presented as Korchnoy -- Petrosyan 1965 (281). White to move White has a forced checkmate in four moves with a queen sacrifice on the second. The bulk of the book is devoted to instructive examples. An idea is presented, then a few position, then a variations on the idea and more illustrations. The Adams -- Torre position above is the ninth instance of a combination exploiting a weak back rank in the chapter on the rook. This chapter begins with a simple illustration of a back rank checkmate. The instructive portion offers fifteen combinations to divert defenders from protecting the vulnerability. Diversion is combined with a second threat in some combinations. Further examples offer other tactical ideas, such as "line interference" in Reti -- Bogoljubow 1924 (22). White to move After 24.Bf7+ Kh8 25.Be8, Black resigned. Tal's Winning Chess Combinations is notable for how it builds understanding of many possibilities related to a simple pattern. Applying what we know from backrank checkmates, the author notes that kings can be hemmed in by their own pieces on a file as well as rank. Even a file away from the edge of the board can become a deadly corridor. Goldenov -- Zakharian 1960 is a memorable example (34). Black to move 1...g4 2.Kf4 Ra5 3.e5 Ra4+ 4.e4 Ra3 and White resigned. Tal and Khenkin's chapter on the rook offers 45 instructive positions and then 17 exercises at the end of the chapter for the reader to solve. This abundance contrasts with a total of 13 exercises following four instructive examples in Koltanowski and Finkelstein. Checkmate!, however, offers 25 chapters to the 14 in the other text. The total of 271 exercises in Tal's Winning Chess Combinations are far fewer than more than 550 found in Checkmate!, but many offer greater challenge. On balance, I prefer Tal's Winning Chess Combinations, but expect to lift some examples from Checkmate! while creating worksheets for my students. The New Book Henkin, Victor. 1000 Checkmate Combinations, trans. Jimmy Adams and Sarah Hurst. London: Batsford Chess, [2011] 2022. 1000 Checkmate Combinations is a newer translation of the same Russian book as Tal’s Winning Chess Combinations. As such, the two books have considerable overlap. However, the differences are extensive. Both books have the same fourteen chapters, although the sequence differs. Each chapter offers a series of instructive game fragments and studies and then conclude with exercises at the end of the chapter. Tal’s Winning Chess Combinations has a total of 271 exercises, but the newer translation expands these to 456. 1000 Checkmate Combinations was published just over ten years ago, but has been out of print most of that time, although a Kindle edition was available. It was brought back into print in February 2022. I cannot assess the quality of the translation. I lack both the resources (a copy of the Russian edition of The Last Check) and the competence (knowledge of Russian). However, I prefer the recent Batsford edition for several reasons. Tal's Winning Chess Combinations blurs the lines between Khenkin's work and Tal's contribution. 1000 Checkmate Combinations explicitly states that the book is Henkin's work. The title page reveals that Victor Henkin owns the text copyright. Batsford also asserts copyright ownership. The publisher owns all rights in the 1979 translation by Hanon Russell; there is no mention of the authors on the copyright page. Tal’s Winning Chess Combinations begins with an Introduction: “Don’t Reinvent the Wheel”, co-authored by Tal and Khenkin (9-14). 1000 Checkmate Combinations has “Don’t Reinvent the Bicycle” by Tal (5-6) followed by “Before You Open the Book” by Henkin (7-9). The joint introduction in the earlier translation contains most of the content presented in the two introductions in the later text. In addition to clarifying authorship, the most notable differences are that Tal ended his introduction in the Batsford edition with a quote from Richard Réti, Masters of the Chessboard. This quote is absent from Russell’s translation. Russell also inserts Legall’s game into the introduction, while Adams and Hurst do not. In Tal's introduction to the Batsford edition, we find: There hasn't been a book like this before in our chess literature. The author has done an enormous amount of work selecting and systematizing the material. An experienced master, who in the recent past himself participated in competitions and had a reputation as a staunch tactician, he has retained a particular taste for the last check. (6) This text is absent from Tal's Winning Chess Combinations. 1000 Checkmate Combinations is clearly the work of Henkin, lauded by Tal. Henkin's authorship is attested in Vladimir Barsky, A Modern Guide to Checkmating Patterns (2020), which is dedicated to Viktor Khenkin, whose pioneering organization in The Last Check is the model for Barsky's text. Tal's Winning Chess Combinations presents a decisive mating combination played by Vera Menchik against George Thomas in 1932, and then imitated by David Bronstein against Paul Keres 18 years later (32-33). In both books this combination follows Capablanca -- Raubitschek 1906, to which it is comparable. 1000 Checkmate Combinations adds Tal -- Andersson 1976, where Tal's threats to bring about Menchik's combination provoked a series of exchanges that simplified into an ending with queen against knight and rook (25). White to move After the immediate 25.Qh6, the combination falters because Black's resources with 25...Rg8 and 26...Nf8 hold the position together. Tal first set out to remove the knight. 25.Bb6 Rc8 26.Qh6 Rg8 27.Rd4! Henkin writes, "So Ulf Andersson gives up his queen for rook and bishop, which, however, doesn't save the game" (25). 27...Nxb6 28.Rxd5 Nxd5 29.Rf3 With Tal renewing the mating threat, Anderrson is forced to exchange rooks. 29...Rc3 30.Rxc3 Nxc3 31.Qe3 b4 32.Qa7 Rf8 33.Qc5 Rb8 34.Qd6 1-0 This long combination with checkmate threats parried, but still leading to a decisive advantage is a characteristic of Henkin's work. Both translations of his work bring this out, but the more recent text does so in greater abundance. Detailed comparison of the first chapter of both books shows that the 45 positions in Tal and Khenkin expands to 62 in 1000 Checkmate Combinations. I count five in the older translation that are missing from the newer edition. My count of 15 in the Batsford edition that are absent from Tal's Winning Chess Combinations reveals there is something askew with my counting (15+5 > 17). But there is no doubt that the newer edition has more material. The 1979 text has three sets of basic patterns followed by examples from games and studies. The Batsford edition has four. Above, I credit Tal's Winning Chess Combinations with showing corridor mates on files as well as ranks. The idea is there, but is is made more explicit in the section found only in the newer book. Mating situations in which the rook delivers a linear blow can also arise on the files. In these cases it is as if the board does a 90-degree turn. (20). At the end of the chapter on rooks, the exercises have expanded from 17 to 43 in 1000 Checkmate Combinations. Although many passages in the two books make it abundantly clear that they are derived from the same Russian text, the language employed differs. The familiar term luft is found in Russell's translation, but becomes "the little window" in the work of Adams and Hurst. Diversion becomes deflection. Line interruption becomes interference. Some readers will object to the small size of the diagrams in 1000 Checkmate Combinations. They are indeed small at 35 mm. Only a few books have smaller diagrams, such as the training positions in Antonio Gude, Fundamental Checkmates (2016), measuring 34 mm. Other chess books typically have diagrams from 40-50 mm, and the main part of Gude's book comes in at 45 mm. Diagrams in Tal's Winning Chess Combinations are 41 mm. They are 43 mm in Checkmate! In the Kindle edition of Henkin, the figurines in the notation are a larger font than the text. I have found this ebook difficult to read, but the print text is a delight, even with the small diagrams. At least the diagrams are very clear with appropriate shading of the dark squares and clear pieces. Notes *Both Khenkin and Henkin appear as the spelling of this writer's name in different places. I favor the spelling used by the book under discussion. Vladimir Barsky dedicates A Modern Guide to Checkmating Patterns (2020) to Viktor Lvovich Khenkin and offers The Last Check as the English title of the Russian work upon which both Tal's Winning Chess Combinations and 1000 Checkmate Combinations are based. Barsky's book follows the general outline of these two, but with far less instructive material. Rather the instruction is provided as exercises. While Khenkin is the spelling on the cover and title page of Tal's Winning Chess Combinations, games played by the author are presented in the text with the spelling Henkin. **In all likelihood, this game was analysis, possibly by the alleged victim of the combination as instruction for the alleged victor. See Edward Winter, "Adams v Torre -- A Sham?" Chess Notes (updated 14 December 2022). Posted by James Stripes at 6:44 AM No comments: “The boy (referring to a 12-year-old boy named Anatoly Karpov) doesn't have a clue about chess, and there's no future at all for him in this profession.” — Mikhail Botvinnik “I like 1.e4 very much but my results with 1.d4 are better.” — Anatoly Karpov “Style? I have no style.” — Anatoly Karpov “Let us say that a game may be continued in two ways: one of them is a beautiful tactical blow that gives rise to variations that don't yield to precise calculations; the other is clear positional pressure that leads to an endgame with microscopic chances of victory. I would choose the latter without thinking twice. If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic.” — Anatoly Karpov “Chess is everything: art, science and sport.” — Anatoly Karpov “I simply developed that universal style which dominated with the arrival of Spassky and then Fischer. But all the same we were different chess players, of course. Both Spassky and Fischer were brilliant at developing and sensing the initiative. In that regard I was, perhaps, a little inferior, but on the other hand I stood out by having excellent technique for converting an advantage, positional sense and an ability to maneuver positionally – in that area I was clearly superior to Spassky, and Fischer, and perhaps everyone, except Petrosian.” — Anatoly Karpov “At first, I found some of his moves not altogether understandable, and only after careful analysis did I discover their hidden strength.” — Ljubomir Ljubojevic (on Karpov) “When observing Karpov's play or playing against him, one cannot help thinking that all his pieces are linked by invisible threads. This net moves forward unhurriedly, gradually covering the enemy squares, but, amazingly, not relinquishing its own.” — Alexander Roshal “When having an edge, Karpov often marked time and still gained the advantage! I don't know anyone else who could do that, it's incredible. I was always impressed and delighted by this skill. When it looked like it was high time to start a decisive attack, Karpov played a3, h3, and his opponent's position collapsed.” — Vladimir Kramnik “There are very few madmen who risk employing Pirc or King's Indian against Karpov.” — Alexsander Shashin “Many of Karpov's intentions become understandable to his opponents only when salvation is no longer possible.” — Mikhail Tal “Known as a negative player, Karpov sets up deep traps and creates moves that seem to allow his opponent possibilities - but that really don't. He takes no chances, and he gives his opponents nothing. He's a trench-warfare fighter who keeps the game moving just an inch at a time.” — Bruce Pandolfini “Karpov defeated me in Linares-94 where he scored 11 out of 13. I got into an inferior endgame. However, it did not seem awful. Then I made some appropriate moves and could not understand how I had managed to get into a losing position. Although I was already in the world top ten, I failed to understand it even after the game. This was one of the few games after which I felt like a complete idiot with a total lack of chess understanding! Such things happen very rarely to top level players. Usually you realise why you have lost. This moment defies description - there is something almost imperceptible about it and so characteristic of Karpov.” — Vladimir Kramnik “Life is like a chess game. Every decision, just like every move, has consequences. Therefore, decide wisely!” ― Susan Polgar “When people insult and disrespect you, the best revenge is to continue to win, and win, and win….” ― Susan Polgar “The mind has no restrictions. The only restriction is what you believe you cannot do. So go ahead and challenge yourself to do one thing every day that scares you.” ― Susan Polgar “Taking Responsibility Is The Best Form Of Defense. Never defend without taking responsibility” ― Vineet Raj Kapoor “Don't argue with a fool, future will teach him some lessons.” ― Bamigboye Olurotimi * Wikipedia on Computer Chess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compu... * A piece of cake: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/che... William Ewart Napier Although W.E. Napier (1881-1952) was a highly quotable writer, he produced only one chess work, Napier’s Amenities and Background of Chess-Play (published in three ‘units’, the first two in 1934 and the third the following year). After his death they were adapted into a single volume entitled Paul Morphy and The Golden Age of Chess (New York, 1957 and 1971). In the quotations below (some of which have entered chess lore) the figures refer to the item numbers in the Amenities work, the pages of which were unnumbered: 3. ‘In the laboratory, the gambits all test unfavourably, but the old rule wears well, that all gambits are sound over the board.’ 18. ‘Once I asked Pillsbury whether he used any formula for castling. He said his rule was absolute and vital: castle because you will or because you must; but not because you can.’ 22. ‘John McCutcheon, of Pittsburgh and undying fame for his research in the French Defense, often said about opening moves, “Not new, but old enough to be new.”’ 28. [On Bird] ‘He earned the rebuke of playing impulsively in tournaments. It was disrespect and scandalous, some thought; but if there is genius in chess, Bird of all players had it, I think, in greatest abundance.’ 32. [On Mason] ‘As player, he had the unique quality of competently simmering thru six aching hours and scintillating in the seventh. Others resembled him but forgot to scintillate.’ 52. ‘Once in chatting with Janowsky at Lake Hopatcong, he referred to Maróczy as the gentle iron-man of Hungary, which was accurate as to both specifications.’ 67. ‘Some of Marshall’s most sparkling moves look at first like typographical errors.’ 72. ‘I knew Dr Tarrasch pleasantly at Monte Carlo, 1902. One day the fates had gone against me, malevolently, I felt, in a game against a man I had counted on beating. I got, by way of spur, this vitamin from the Doctor: “In these tournaments it is never enough to be a connoisseur of chess; one must also play well.”’ 75. ‘The super-men of chess come by that distinction through two rare capacities, an inscrutable vision in end play and a bland sense of well-being in what, to lesser men, look like predicaments.’ 78. ‘No chess book, I think, can be complete without a page of homage to Master Bird. If I had only one page to rejoice in, it should own up to a kindly veneration for all his adventures and misadventures, his farce and comedy and drama of the chess board. The roots of his chess were deep sunk in the tradition of Labourdonnais and McDonnell; he played Morphy; and half a lifetime afterwards we see him at Hastings, playing a thorough-bred game which Pillsbury declared was too beautiful to annotate. A long stretch, that – and brim-full of enthusiasm. He adored chess, – the play itself, I mean, which is not common among masters. I saw him once at Simpson’s Divan but not to speak to. I brought away an impression of fulminating chess, of hearty laughter and liberty and beefsteak. He romped. Once I asked Teichmann what he thought of Bird’s chess; “Same as his health”, he replied, – “always alternating between being dangerously ill and dangerously well.” England will not know his like again.’ 85. [On the game Sim v Morrison, Toronto, 1918.] ‘This is a Canadian game of exceptional worth in my collection, as resembling, as few games do, a sustained, Charousek attack. That slow-burning type of invasion, not essentially dependent on preserving the queen, implies a grasp of endings and a willingness to play them. As Pillsbury once said, “So set up your attacks that when the fire is out, it isn’t out”.’ 93. ‘Pillsbury was present [at Thousand Islands, 1897] on other business, and I remember his taking me for a row on the river, in the morning, before play started. He lectured a bit on Steinitz’ opening vagaries; when we separated, he said – revealing perhaps a glimpse of his ruling philosophy, “Be steady, but not to the point of morbid restraint.”’ 96. ‘Louis Paulsen. It was surely a frolic of fate that translated an enviable potato planter of sedate Dubuque, Iowa, to that evergreen, mellow fame he achieved in chess. Paulsen was the landscape of that pioneer period from Morphy to the early nineties, not given to gay, aggressive outbursts, but a quiet pastoral ideal of sufficiency.’ 115. [On the game Důras v Teichmann, Ostend, 1906]: ‘Důras needs no better monument to his genius than this lofty and exciting struggle with an eminent opponent. In my catalogue of genuinely great contests it rises up close to the top. It is chess all the way, but from move 43 it goes in a dignity unsurpassed.’ 128. ‘A genial disposition shines in all Tartakower’s chess. It is infectious fun. And when he loses a game, he writes sincere eulogies, fit for an epitaph, of the victor. He is very unusual.’ 166. ‘It has been my observation all through the years that the master player nearly always makes lively games at correspondence, even tho his play vis-à-vis is governed by more conservative models. The paradox is baffling. The only theory I have adduced is that the social nature of mail exchanges quite subordinates mere winning to joyful, yawing chess. In match games over the board, the killing instinct necessary to success is the same that men take into Bengal jungles, – for a day. A killing instinct which survives the day and endures month in and month out, is stark pantomime; and mail chess is the gainer by it.’ 180. ‘Among tournament masters, Marshall has had few superiors, and, as to style, has clearly been in a class of his own, without forerunner or disciple. He is a whole school.’ 191. ‘I have met no critic who could not detect, in Torre, a potential world’s champion.’ 196. [On Nimzowitsch’s win over Yates at Carlsbad, 1923]: ‘It is witch chess, heathen and beautiful.’ 225. ‘Once while walking over Waterloo Bridge, in London, with stout-hearted Teichmann, we conversed of the ingredients that associate to make a chessplayer. I ventured a remark that, if he would name one indispensable ingredient, I would name an able player wholly destitute of it. And Richard very tolerantly said, “Have you given any thought to ‘vanity’?”’ 230. [Of Lasker’s play beginning 17…Rxc3 against Pillsbury at St Petersburg, 1895-96]: ‘Pillsbury told me that the exquisite combination here initiated was the only startling and utterly diabolical surprise he suffered in all his career abroad.’ 237. ‘Spielmann plays always like an educated cave-man, who fell asleep several thousand years ago, – and woke up quite lately in the Black Forest.’ 243. ‘The greatest difficulty of the game is to play it as well as one knows how.’ 253. ‘F.M. Teed, of Brooklyn, was one of America’s most powerful master players. Business kept him out of match play; and he describes well as a master “without portfolio”.’ 253. [On Winawer v Englisch, London, 1883. Napier had given the game as item six of unit one, where he stated that ‘it was a revelation when first I studied its deliberate beauty while a boy enthusiast; and it never seems to stale.’]: ‘The most important single game ever played, I think.’ 262. ‘It is astonishing how much hot water a master can wade into within the first dozen moves, despite a century of opening exploration.’ 264. ‘I never see a King’s Bishop Opening without thinking of the first of several lessons I took, when a youngster, from Steinitz. He said, “No doubt you move your knight out on each side before the bishop? And do you know why?” I was stuck for an intelligent answer. He went on to say, “One good reason is that you know where the knight belongs before you know that much of your bishop; certainty is a far better friend than doubt.”’ 268. ‘It has always been my doctrine that chess is easier to play with many pieces than few; that ending play more strains the mind than a middle-game involvement. Of many options, one may be fit. Resource is likely to be present in a tangled, critical situation.’ 297. ‘Zugzwang is a very useful term. I sometimes think it is best defined by the story of the negro who drew a razor across the enemy throat: Said the enemy, “I’m not cut.” And the knight of the razor replied, “Just wait till you turn yo’ head, before guessing at it.”’ ‘What he was in the ’80s and ’90s he [Tarrasch] is now and seemingly ever will be, one of the best. Only this and nothing more. He is a vastly learned chess master, which quality, coupled with stamina worthy of a Marathon runner, renders him superior to everything but the pelting of downright genius.’ % % % % % % % % DoJo's Partial Discussion: Favorites w/an instructional value How to Play Chess for Kids: Simple Strategies to Win by Jessica E Martin Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess by Bobby Fischer , Stuart Margulies, et al. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess by Murray Chandler Life Skills for Kids: How to Cook, Clean, Make Friends, Handle Emergencies, Set Goals, Make Good Decisions, and Everything in Between by Karen Harris Learn Chess the Right Way: Book 1 (of 5): Must-know Checkmates by Susan Polgar A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario 1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners: The Tactics Workbook that Explains the Basic Concepts, Too by Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa Everyone's Second Chess Book by Dan Heisman Chess The Easy Way by Reuben Fine The Art of the Checkmate by Renaud & Kahn Best Lessons of a Chess Coach by Sunil Weeramantry Improve Your Chess in Seven Days by Gary Lane Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games by László Polgár New York 1924 by Alexander Alekhine Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Reti Carlsbad 1929 by Nimzovich Simple Chess by Michael Stean Chess Fundamentals by Jose R. Capablanca (this book requires much prior game experience to appreciate the subtleties of defeat shown) The Art of Attack by Vladimir Vukovic My Best Games of Chess 1908-1937 by Alexander Alekhine Modern Ideas in Chess by Richard Reti Chess Praxis by Nimzovich Mastering Chess Strategy by John Hellsten My System by Nimzovich Silman's Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul Van der Sterren 500 Master Games of Chess by Tartakower and du Mont Capablanca's Best Chess Endings by Irving Chernev Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 by David Bronstein Pump Up Your Rating by Axel Smith Tal-Botvinnik 1960 by Mikhail Tal Understanding Chess Move by Move by John Nunn My Life and Games by Mikhail Tal Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Sherevshesky My Sixty Memorable Games by Robert J. Fischer The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by Jonathan Rowson How I Beat Fischer's Record by Polgar 100 Endgames You Must Know: Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player by Jesus de la Villa Think Like a Super-GM by Michael Adams The Test of Time by Garry Kasparov The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games by Graham Burgess, John Nunn, and John Emms. My Great Predecessors by Garry Kasparov Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual by Mark Dvoretsky “The beautiful wooden board on a stand in my father’s study. The gleaming ivory pieces. The stern king. The haughty queen. The noble knight. The pious bishop. And the game itself, the way each piece contributed its individual power to the whole. It was simple. It was complex. It was savage; it was elegant. It was a dance; it was a war. It was finite and eternal. It was life.” ― Rick Yancey, The Infinite Sea <“I thought you wanted me to teach you how to play. (Chess) Each possible move represents a different game - a different universe in which you make a better move. By the second move there are 72,084 possible games. By the 3rd - 9 million. By the 4th…. There are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe. No one could possibly predict them all, even you. Which means that first move can be terrifying. It’s the furthest point from the end of the game. There’s a virtually infinite sea of possibilities between you and the other side but it also means that if you make a mistake, there’s a nearly infinite amount of ways to fix it so you should simply relax and play.” ― Person of Interest s04e11> “You’re just a pawn on the chessboard, Leo Valdez. I was referring to the player who set this ridiculous quest in motion, bringing the Greeks and Romans together.” ― Rick Riordan, The Mark of Athena “Agreement is the best weapon of defense―and the matter would be buried.” ― Franz Kafka, Investigations of a Dog “At the beginning of a game, there are no variations. There is only one way to set up a board. There are nine million variations after the first six moves. And after eight moves there are two hundred and eighty-eight billion different positions. And those possibilities keep growing. [...] In chess, as in life, possibility is the basis of everything. Every hope, every dream, every regret, every moment of living. (p.195)” ― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library “Life is like a game where pawns can become queens, but not everyone knows how to play. Some people stay pawn their whole lives because they never learned to make the right moves.” ― Alice Feeney, Rock Paper Scissors “...you could never be completely sure of the other person, so never make a move until you were sure of yourself.” ― Liz Braswell, Part of Your World “Coaching is more like chess; it’s about out-thinking and outsmarting the other team.” ― C. Vivian Stringer, Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph “Fighting was chess, anticipating the move of one's opponent and countering it before one got hit.” ― Holly Black, The Wicked King “Best to live and love by the maxim that 'silence in the face of evil is evil itself', but when it's evil fighting evil, let evil kill itself.” ― Criss Jami, Healology “There is no moral outcome of a chess match or a poker game as long as skill and stealth rather than cheating have been used.” ― Francis P. Karam, The Truth Engine: Cross-Examination Outside the Box “Chess does not only teach us to analyse the present situation, but it also enables us to think about the possibilities and consequences. This is the art of forward-thinking.” ― Shivanshu K. Srivastava “Behind every move I make on the chess board lies a story of calculation, intuition, and passion. With every game, I discover more about myself and the endless possibilities of the game.” ― medicosaurabh “That is the trick of it. You see, Time works differently in Chess.” He pulled out his pocket watch and let it dangle like a pendulum over his desk. “Sometimes he moves forward and sometimes he moves backward, sometimes he goes fast or slow and sometimes he pauses altogether. But as long as I keep moving, as long as I am always moving in the opposite direction from Time, he can never find me, and I can never meet my fate.” ― Marissa Meyer, Heartless “There is profound meaning in the game of chess. The board itself is life and death, painted as such in black and white. The pieces are those that make a life fundamentally healthy. The pawns are attributes we gather with nourishment and significance. The knight is our ability to be mobile and travel in whatever form it takes. The rook or castle is a place we can call home and protect ourselves from the elements. The bishop is that of our community and our belonging. The king is our mortal body; without it, we can no longer play the game. The queen is the spirit of the body - what drives our imagination, urges, a life force. A captured queen removes energy from the game, and the player may become complacent. A crowning reminder of the game is that the spirit can be possessed again through our attributes.” ― Lorin Morgan-Richards “Chess is all about maintaining coherent strategies. It’s about not giving up when the enemy destroys one plan but to immediately come up with the next. A game isn’t won and lost at the point when the king is finally cornered. The game's sealed when a player gives up having any strategy at all. When his soldiers are all scattered, they have no common cause, and they move one piece at a time, that’s when you’ve lost.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, A Pale View of Hills “It's usually the father who teaches the child his first moves in the game. And the dream of any son who plays chess is to beat his father. To kill the king. Besides, it soon becomes evident in chess that the father, or the king, is the weakest piece on the board. He's under continual act, in constant need of protection, of such tactics as castling, and he can only move one square at a time. Paradoxically, the king is also indispensable. The king gives the game its name, since the word 'chess' derives from the Persian word shah meaning king, and is pretty much the same in most languages.” ― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Flanders Panel “Playing chess with my father is torture. I have to sit very upright on the edge of my chair and respect the rules of impassivity while I consider my next move. I can feel myself dissolving under his stare. When I move a pawn he asks sarcastically, 'Have you really thought about what you're doing?' I panic and want to move the pawn back. He doesn't allow it: 'You've touched the piece, now you have to follow through. Think before you act. Think.” ― Maude Julien, The Only Girl in the World “A deep laugh stirred in his chest, and his thumb brushed over the backs of her fingers before he withdrew his hand. She felt the rasp of a callus on his thumb, the sensation not unlike the tingling scrape of a cat’s tongue. Bemused by her own response to him, Annabelle looked down at the chess piece in her hand. “That is the queen—the most powerful piece on the board. She can move in any direction, and go as far as she wishes.” There was nothing overtly suggestive in his manner of speaking …but when he spoke softly, as he was doing at that moment, there was a husky depth in his voice that made her toes curl inside her slippers. “More powerful than the king?” she asked. “Yes. The king can only move one square at a time. But the king is the most important piece.” “Why is he more important than the queen if he’s not the most powerful?” “Because once he is captured, the game is over.” ― Lisa Kleypas, Secrets of a Summer Night “You and I should play sometime. I think you would like it,' she said." It's a game of strategy, mostly. The strong pieces are in the back row, while the weak pieces - the pawns - are all in the front, ready to take the brunt of the attack. Because of their limited movement and vulnerability, most people underestimate them and only use them to protect the more powerful pieces. But when I play I protect my pawns.'... 'They may be weak when the game begins, but their potential is remarkable. Most of the time, they'll be taken by the other side and held captive until the end of the game. But if you're careful - if you keep your eyes open and pay attention to what your oppenent is doing, if you protect your pawns and they reach the other side of the board, do you know what happens then?' I shook my head, and she smiled. "Your pawn becomes a queen."... 'Because they kept moving forward and triumphed against impossible odds, they become the most powerful piece in the game.” ― Aimee Carter, Pawn “Chess is a game with simple rules and pieces, a small sixty-four-space board, but there are more possible chess games than there are atoms in the universe.” ― Austin Grossman, You “Tablebases [logs of complete chess games played backwards from the end-state of checkmate] are the clearest case of human chess vs. alien chess. A decade of trying to teach computers how to play endgames was rendered obsolete in an instant thanks to a new tool. This is a pattern we see over and over again in everything related to intelligent machines. It's wonderful if we can teach machines to think like we do, but why settle for thinking like a human if you can be a god? (jm3: Frustratingly for the humans, it was not disclosed whether IBM's Deep Blue stored and consulted endgame tablebases during competition).” ― Garry Kasparov, Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins “I learned about opening moves and why it's important to control the center early on; the shortest distance between two points is straight down the middle.” ― Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club “The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face. It is the most absorbing of occupations. The least satisfying of desires. A nameless excrescence upon life. It annihilates a man. You have, let us say, a promising politician, a rising artist that you wish to destroy. Dagger or bomb are archaic and unreliable - but teach him, inoculate him with chess.” ― H.G. Wells Question: What do you call a woman that knows where her husband is, at all times? Answer: A widow Question: What is the only number spelled out in English that has the same number of letters as its value? Answer: Four “It's not how you start that matters, it's how you finish.” “Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom.” ― Charles F. Stanley Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. If the game is well-played, the rook's first move is usually sideways. Oct-04-10 I play the Fred: said... You're distraught because you're not able to cope feel like a dope when Lasker hits Puttin on (the Fritz) “Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got.” — Norman Vincent Peale “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” — Ralph Marston “A wise man never knows all; only a fool knows everything.” — African Proverb 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. The wedding was so beautiful. Even the cake was in tiers. “Thank God I don't have to pass judgement! Lord Geoffrey's accusations are troubling, and hard to disprove. But Count Alain is no fool. King Henry respected Lavastine, and as Alain said, it is harder to pass judgement on the actions of a dead man than on the worthiness of a living one." "Do you think so? The dead man can't defend himself." "But a good reputation is its own defense. It's harder to pass judgement exactly because he can't defend himself, because the whole of his life is laid out before you. Who are we, then, to decide we would have acted differently, and that our actions would have turned out for the better?” ― Kate Elliott, The Burning Stone “Men of honor, men of God in a healthy society, stand in defense of justice.” ― Sunday Adelaja “A late justice is a lame justice.” ― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words “Truth is its own defense, therefore if something can’t speak for itself, it’s not truth.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough “Everything is like a wall. Said a scholar to the troll. Bang your head to go on through. Then you'll see, there is no queue.” ― Will Advise, Nothing is here... 11 games, 1919-2020 3Acevedo X El pájaro voló a Francia. Accidents: Game Collection: Accidents in the opening Anderssen's 1.a3: Game Collection: Anderssen's 1. a3 16 Reti: Game Collection: Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Petrovic) 100 Brilliancy: Game Collection: hans bouwmeesters 100 briljante partijen Carlsen: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala) Checkmates: Game Collection: Checkmate miniatures Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... Dynamic: Game Collection: Dynamic Chess - R. N. Coles Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... Kasparov's Greatest: Game Collection: Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games (Stohl) Lasker: Game Collection: World Champion - Lasker (I.Linder/V.Linder) Logical Thinking: Game Collection: Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking Grandmasters: Game Collection: Grandmasters of Chess Grob Trap: Game Collection: Grob Trap Old Chess Masters: Game Collection: Reinfeld: Chess Masters on Winning Chess Miniatures: Game Collection: miniatures All Reti: Game Collection: Reti Reti's Best: Game Collection: Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek Play Stockfish 1-10: https://labinatorsolutions.github.i... Styles: Game Collection: Development of Chess Style (Euwe) She stopped and turned back... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J9... Russians Play: Game Collection: Chernev: The Russians Play Chess Tactics Explained: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... Q: What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A: A can’t opener! Three Dutch Girls, One Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHI... “Walking On Sunshine” By Katrina And The Waves (1983): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPU... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... NIÑO GENIO nos da UNO de los MEJORES MOMENTOS de la HISTORIA del AJEDREZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ps... <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 controlling 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.)> 252 games, 1845-2023 3Dutch Defense: Hopton At by mloya0 1 d4 f5 2 Bg5 A. 2...g6 3 Nc3 A1. 3...d5 4 h4 Bg7 5 Nh3 A2. 3...Bg7 4 h4 A2a. 4...d5 5 e3 A2b. 4...h6 5 Bf4 A2c. 4...Nh6 5 e3 A3. 3...Nf6 4 Bxf6 exf6 5 e3 A4. 3...Nh6 4 e4 Nf7 5 Be3 A5. 3...Bh6 4 h4 Bxg5 5 hxg5 B. 2...h6 B1. 3 Bf4 B1a. 3...Nf6 4 e3 g5 5 Be5 B1b. 3...g6 4 Be5 Nf6 5 Bxf6 B1c. 3...g5 4 Bg3 f4 5 e3 B2. 3 Bh4 B2a. 3...g5 4 e3 Nf6 5 Bg3 B2b. 3...c5 4 e3 Qb6 5 Nc3 B2c. 3...Nf6 4 Bxf6 exf6 5 e3 B2d. 3...d5 4 e4 g6 5 exf5 C. 2...Nf6 3 Bxf6 exf6 4 e3 d5 5 Nc3 D. 2...c6 3 c4 d6 4 e3 g6 5 Nc3 E. 2...d5 3 e3 E1. 3...c6 4 c4 Nf6 5 Bxf6 E2. 3...Nf6 4 Bxf6 exf6 5 Bd3 F. 2...c5 3 dxc5 F1. 3...Na6 4 e4 fxe4 5 Nc3 F2. 3...Qa5+ 4 Nc3 e6 5 e4 “Playing with less space is one of the hardest things to do in chess.” – IM John Watson * Black Victories: Game Collection: Dutch defense Hopton attack * 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 Three Dutch Girls, One Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHI... “Walking On Sunshine” By Katrina And The Waves (1983): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPU... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... NIÑO GENIO nos da UNO de los MEJORES MOMENTOS de la HISTORIA del AJEDREZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ps... <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 controlling 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.)> 23 games, 1870-2017 44 Minutes from correspondence WCC Cloned “No kingdom on Earth can surpass the great outdoors.” ― Tamanend “Custa muito caro fosse não saber o valor da natureza, da sua rica essência e beleza das pessoas e da natureza em si. O olhar refinado naquilo que aprendeu. Uma vez que caia em si mesmo... Poderá já ser tarde buscar a esmo voltar no tempo e valorizar o que perdeu.” ― Ana Claudia Antunes, Amor de Pierrot “It is better to be lowly among men and exalted in the sight of God than to be honored by men and small in the kingdom of God.” ― Brother Pedro “For everything there is a season, and a time for very purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” — King Solomon “En ocasiones, la sola voluntad no es suficiente para cambiar las cosas; son imprescindibles el trabajo, la constancia y, no pocas veces, el valor.” ― Brenna Watson, Tierra de nieve y fuego “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” — Leo Tolstoy “Don't punch at all if you can help it, he heard his father's voice, clear as if he were standing next to him, but if you must, punch first and punch hardest.” ― John Gwynne, Valor “Tu valor no está en lo que consigas o no, tu valor está en quién eres.” ― Emma Winter, Prohibido besar a Dexter Royal “We should always allow some time to elapse, for time discloses the truth.” — Seneca “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.” — Carl Sandburg “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin “En los días que corren la gente sabe el precio de todo y el valor de nada.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray “Chess, it’s the struggle against error.” — Johannes Zukertort “La frustración es el inicio del fin. Entre más aguda es la pesadilla más cercanos estamos a despertar. Entre más intensas son nuestras tormentas, mejores serán nuestros cielos. Me hubiera gustado saberlo antes. En los peores momentos, en los rincones más obscuros, hubiera reído históricamente al verla llegar: la frustración fue la fuerza silenciosa que provocó mis grietas más luminosas.” ― Ahtziri Lagarde, Las Cenizas de Ícaro “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” — Lao Tzu “Nadie sabe en qué parte del camino se encuentra, cuando lo transita por primera vez, hasta que alcanza el destino. ¡Es normal dudar y tener miedo durante el trayecto!” ― Miguel Fresno, Lo que sabré de Ariadne “He that can’t endure the bad, will not live to see the good.” — Jewish Proverb “One gets to know people well when playing at chess and on journeys.” — Russian Proverb “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ― Anna Quindlen “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” — Plato “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” — William Shakespeare “Never leave ’till tomorrow which you can do today.” — Benjamin Franklin “Avoid exposing your king to check.” — Yasser Seirawan, paraphrased “El peso, la necesidad y el valor son tres conceptos internamente unidos: solo aquello que es necesario, tiene peso; solo aquello que tiene peso, vale” ― Milan Kundera “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” — William Shakespeare “El miedo no debe gobernar ni a los gobernantes ni a los gobernados.” ― Martín Balarezo García “A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.” – Frederick the Great “Creo que con el tiempo, tú serás o bien mi mayor error o la mayor de mis victorias.” ― Virginia Boecker, The King Slayer “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” — William Penn “Pero sobre todo les pedía a sus alumnos que fueran valerosos. Sin valor, les enseñaba, nunca serían capaces de desarrollar sus habilidades al máximo. Sin valor no llegarían a conocer el mundo con la profundidad con que este ansía ser conocido. Sin valor sus vidas seguirían siendo pequeñas, mucho más pequeñas probablemente de lo que querían.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Libera tu magia “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein “The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” ― Winston Churchill “He is a better man than you are. […] His ‘human fictions,’ as you choose to call them, make for nobility and manhood. You have no fictions, no dreams, no ideals. You are a pauper.” ― Jack London, The Sea Wolf “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling “As you teach, you learn.” — Jewish Proverb “Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.” — Nelson Mandela “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.” — King Solomon “Vengeance clouded my mind. It would have consumed me, had it not been for the wisdom of a few strangers, who taught me to look beyond my instincts. They never preached answers, but guided me to learn from myself.” ― Oliver Bowden, Renaissance “We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.” — Khalil Gibran “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” — Indira Gandhi “Life is like chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game.” — Being Caballero “La vida no es más que un momento. Todo lo que importa es para que usas ese momento. - La Sombra de Ender” ― Orson Scott Card “Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind.” — William Shakespeare “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” — Ephesians 4:29 "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 “Vê o que criaste E quem ajudaste Pensa nos que amas, No quanto lhes dás Não tens de ir longe Nem mudar o mundo Podes fazer muito No muro onde estás” ― Débora Henriques, O musgo Tobias “Love is as strong as death; its jealousy as unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire; like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away.” — King Solomon “The real secret of success is enthusiasm.” — Walter Chrysler “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” — Socrates How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" — Isaiah 52:7 “When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.” — Thomas Paine “When a man's mind rides faster than his horse can gallop they quickly both tire.” — John Webster “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” — Nelson Mandela “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 “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” — King Solomon “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 “I've run into more discrimination as a woman than as an Indian.” — Wilma Mankiller “Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time.” — Arnold H. Glasow “When valor preys on reason, it eats the sword it fights with.” ― William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra “Valor consists in the power of self-recovery.” ― Peter Rock, My Abandonment “God gave man two ears and one mouth, so listen more and talk less.” — Jewish Proverb “Learn to play many roles, to be whatever the moment requires. Adapt your mask to the situation.” — Robert Greene “Reading can take you places you have never been before.” — Dr. Seuss “During a chess competition a chessmaster should be a combination of a beast of prey and a monk." — Alexander Alekhine “It is easy to speak of bravery, but it is difficult to live the words.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough “No man is free who is not master of himself.” — Epictetus “Todo necio confunde valor y precio” ― Antonio Machado “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” — Gustave Flaubert “Chess isn’t for the timid.” — Irving Chernev “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” — King Solomon “What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your mouth.” — Jewish Proverb “Fishes live in the sea, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the little ones.” — William Shakespeare “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” — Charles R. Swindoll “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” — Ernest Hemingway “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca “Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory.” — Max Euwe “Success is dependent on effort.” — Sophocles “No fantasy, however rich, no technique, however masterly, no penetration into the psychology of the opponent, however deep, can make a chess game a work of art, if these qualities do not lead to the main goal – the search for truth." — Vasily Smyslov “Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” — Madam C. J. Walker “When my opponent’s clock is going I discuss general considerations in an internal dialogue with myself. When my own clock is going I analyze concrete variations." — Mikhail Botvinnik “Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” — Winston Churchill “Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.” — Jewish Proverb “Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell “Attack! Always Attack!” — Adolf Anderssen “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” — William Shakespeare “Chess is 99 percent tactics” — Richard Teichmann “What we think, we become." — Buddha “There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” — Alexander Hamilton “Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey." — Urijah Faber “There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself.” — Louis XIV “The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. “A true king is neither tyrant nor pawn. He is more than the sum of his ambitions.” — Mark Lawrence “Lose with truth and right rather than gain with falsehood and wrong.” — Jewish Proverb “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” — Arthur Ashe “After we have paid our dutiful respects to such frigid virtues as calculation, foresight, self-control and the like, we always come back to the thought that speculative attack is the lifeblood of chess.” — Fred Reinfeld “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” — Eleanor Roosevelt “Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.” — Martha Graham “The single most important thing in life is to believe in yourself regardless of what everyone else says.” — Hikaru Nakamura “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” — William Shakespeare “A man of high principles is someone who can watch a chess game without passing comment.” — Chinese Proverb “Wise men store up learning, but the foolish will be destroyed with their mouths.” — King Solomon “Do not be wise in words – be wise in deeds.” — Jewish Proverb “The beauty of a game of chess is usually assessed according to the sacrifices it contains.” — Rudolf Spielmann “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." — Jesus Christ “They do not love that do not show their love.” — William Shakespeare “Some part of a mistake is always correct.” — Savielly Tartakower “The most important feature of the chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame and especially Endgame. The primary constraint on a piece’s activity is the Pawn structure.” — Michael Stean “Pawns are born free, yet they are everywhere in chains.” — Rick Kennedy “Every Pawn is a potential Queen.” — James Mason “The passed pawn is a criminal, who should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient.” — Aron Nimzowitsch “The task of the positional player is systematically to accumulate slight advantages and try to convert temporary advantages into permanent ones, otherwise the player with the better position runs the risk of losing it.” — Wilhelm Steinitz “It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” — Samuel Adams “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” — Booker T. Washington “Simple plans are best. Tactics will prevail.” — C.J.S. Purdy “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower “One bad move nullifies forty good ones.” — Bernhard Horwitz “The defensive power of a pinned piece is only imaginary." — Aaron Nimzovich “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 “He who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively and more boldly than his antagonist who either takes it easy or aspires after too much. Thus a slight disadvantage is very frequently seen to convert into a good, solid advantage.” — Emanuel Lasker “If you don't know what to do, find your worst piece and look for a better square.” — Gerald Schwarz “If I see something dirty or untidy, I have to clean it up.” — Indira Gandhi “Up to this point, White has been following well-known analysis. But now he makes a fatal error: he begins to use his own head.” — Siegbert Tarrasch “After a bad opening, there is hope for the middle game. After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame. But once you are in the endgame, the moment of truth has arrived.” — Edmar Mednis “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.” — King Solomon “If you have made a mistake or committed an inaccuracy there is no need to become annoyed and to think that everything is lost. You have to reorientate yourself quickly and find a new plan in the new situation.” — David Bronstein “Things often did not reach the endgame!” — Boris Spassky “Never trust the man who tells you all his troubles but keeps from you all his joys.” — Jewish Proverb “Winning is not a secret that belongs to a very few, winning is something that we can learn by studying ourselves, studying the environment, and making ourselves ready for any challenge that is in front of us.” — Garry Kasparov “To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” — Buddha “I see only one move ahead, but always the best move.” — Charles Jaffe “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.” — Jewish Proverb “Chess is a matter of delicate judgment, knowing when to punch and how to duck.” — Bobby Fischer “As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself.” ― Leonardo da Vinci “It is never safe to take the queen knight pawn with the queen – even when it is safe.” — Hungarian proverb “What one has, one doesn’t want, and what one wants, one doesn’t have.” — Jewish Proverb “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” —Harvey Mackay “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass “Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — King Solomon “Creating little plans. Now, when we think about plans in chess, we think about [grand] grandmaster plans. You have to calculate ten moves deep. You have to know what's going to happen in ten moves, know that strong. What Jonathan Hawkins talks about [IM Hawkins book: Amateur to IM] is you have to create small plans which are doable which you can execute easily. One, two, three move plans which your opponent is not going to be able to prevent, which are easy to visualize and execute.” — @HangingPawns “Chess is rarely a game of ideal moves. Almost always, a player faces a series of difficult consequences whichever move he makes.” — David Shenk “First-class players lose to second-class players because second-class players sometimes play a first-class game.” — Siegbert Tarrasch “Consistency is the x to every y.” ― Monaristw “The lesser of two evils is still evil.” — King Solomon “Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice.” — Virginia Woolf “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca “Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” — Buddha "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." — Proverbs 16:24 “Success is the achievement of a desired goal, such as for obtaining name and fame or wealth or a higher degree, for which a person has tried his level best. It is the positive consequence of one's achievement.” — John Wooden “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” — Albert Schweitzer “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” — Dale Carnegie “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” — John Wooden “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” — Nelson Mandela “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 “It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn't want our success; He wants us. He doesn't demand our achievements; He demands our obedience. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.” — Charles Colson “Growth is a painful process.” — Wilma Mankiller “But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes.” — William Shakespeare “I go over many games collections and pick up something from the style of each player.” — Mikhail Tal “Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. “Self-confidence is very important. If you don’t think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them.” — Magnus Carlsen “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring.” — King Solomon “Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.” — Buddha "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 “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 “Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.” — Buddha “If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?” — Rebbe Nachman of Breslov "Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it." — Proverbs 8:32-33 “Build a worthy family, stay on the path of virtue, and you shall be rewarded.” —Elana Roth “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” — Jonas Salk “Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.” — Nelson Mandela * Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... * FIDE Laws of Chess: https://rcc.fide.com/2023-laws-of-c... * Records: http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/records... * “Good Life’ By One Republic (2009): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZh... * Tactics Explained: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * Wikipedia on Computer Chess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compu... * Susan Polgar Daily: https://chessdailynews.com/ * Prep for Ivan: http://gettingto2000.blogspot.com/ * John's brother Lee: https://hotoffthechess.com/ * Children's Chess: https://chessimprover.com/category/... * Amateur / Pins: http://amateur-chess.blogspot.com/ * Improver: https://chessimprover.com/author/br... * Jimmy's place: http://www.jimmyvermeer.com/ * Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 51-100 * GPA: https://chesstier.com/grand-prix-at... * “I Gotta Feeling” By The Black Eyed Peas (2009): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwd... InkHarted wrote: Checkmate. I started off as an equal I have everything that they do my life was one and the same as my foe childish battles of lesser I won baring cost of a little but as time outgrew my conscience I found that the pieces were moving against me with time my company reduced they left one by one all in time forgetting me my castles collapsed my religion dissuaded my protectors in hiding I could not run anymore I have been cornered to a wall as the queen left silently without saying goodbye I could not live any longer she was most precious to me I could not win without her by my side so the king knelt down and died. “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” — Socrates “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.” — William Shakespeare “I wonder is it because men are cowards in heart that they admire bravery so much, and place military valour so far beyond every other quality for reward and worship?” ― William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair “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 “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” — Benjamin Franklin “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 “The ideas which now pass for brilliant innovations and advances are in fact mere revivals of ancient errors, and a further proof of the dictum that those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it.” ― Henry Hazlitt “Better to be king of your silence than slave of your words.” ― William Shakespeare “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination; Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” — Lord Chesterfield Q: What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A: A can’t opener! Spooky music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIv... 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 “Playing with less space is one of the hardest things to do in chess.” – IM John Watson * Black Victories: Game Collection: Dutch defense Hopton attack * 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 NIÑO GENIO nos da UNO de los MEJORES MOMENTOS de la HISTORIA del AJEDREZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ps... "Havana" by Camila Cabello https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3v... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... “Bloody Mary”: https://www.historyhit.com/facts-ab... <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 controlling 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.)> “Humans Are Defined (The Sonnet) Vegetables are defined, By the comfort they crave, Humans are defined, By the obstacles they brave. Absence of obstacles, Is not a sign of achievement. Absence of obstacles, Indicates a lack of movement. Even the mountains bow, But not for self-absorbed snobs. Oceans part making way, Only for those not afraid of storms. Awake, arise o soldier of valiance and valor. Sleep not, slacken not, the world is in your care.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Mücadele Muhabbet: Gospel of An Unarmed Soldier 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. “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 “Casi el único valor de las grandes obras maestras del ingenio humano consiste en haber provocado un libro de crítica o de comentario.” ― Miguel de Unamuno, Niebla “Teach your tongue to say “I don’t know” instead of to make up something.” — Jewish Proverb “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” — Sun Tzu “Protect your pieces.” — John Herron “Safety first is fine, but first, last and always is fatal" — Al Horowitz “It is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is close upon you.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes “Life is a chess match. Every decision you make has a consequence to it.” — P.K. Subban “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” — Mark Twain “Under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor wealth to the intelligent, nor success to the skillful, but time and chance govern all. For man does not know his time.” — King Solomon “People often complain about lack of time when lack of direction is the real problem.” — Zig Ziglar “Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.” — Alexander Hamilton “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” — Theodore Roosevelt “Nothing will work unless you do.” — Maya Angelou “Talking isn't doing. It is a kind of good deed to say well; and yet words are not deeds.” — William Shakespeare “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 “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” — Vince Lombardi “But you don't get the wolf by the tongue without reaching through its teeth.” ― Pierce Brown, Dark Age “The secret of our success is that we never, never give up.” — Wilma Mankiller “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” — Lyndon B. Johnson “¡Asumid vuestro destino con valor!” ― Ricarda Jordan, La canción de los caballos “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” — Samuel Goldwyn “The level of our success is limited only by our imagination and no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” — Aesop “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” — Gloria Steinem “It is the man or woman of wisdom who will recognize that to embrace the consequences of our choices, and to own the outcome of our behaviors is the single path to freedom, and that any other path will always, always, lead to enslavement.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough “True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” — Buddha “Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave." Patrick Henry, St. John's Church, Richmond, VA, 1775” ― Patrick Henry, American Patriot “Language is wine upon the lips.” — Virginia Woolf “A bird that you set free may be caught again, but a word that escapes your lips will not return.” — Jewish Proverb “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” — George Washington “A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man.” — Turkish Proverb “El miedo es solo una emoción, un artificio de tu mente.” ― Rut Nieves, Cree en ti “Valor consists in the power of self-recovery, so that a man cannot have his flank turned, cannot be out-generaled, but put him where you will, he stands. This can only be by his preferring truth to his past apprehension of truth; and his alert acceptance of it, from whatever quarter; the intrepid conviction that his laws, his relations to society, his Christianity, his world may at any time be superseded and decease.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson “Discretion is the better part of valor.” ― William Shakespeare “You men that be known from these others by your Christian profession. Take heed, you bear in mind the piety you owe unto your country and unto your fellow countrymen, whose slaughter by the treachery of the Payneham shall be unto your disgrace everlasting. Unless you press hardily forward to defend them. Fight therefore for your country, and if it be that death overtake you, suffer it willingly for your country’s sake. For death itself is victory, and a healing unto the soul. In as much as he that shall have died for his brethren offers himself as a living sacrifice unto God, nor is it doubtful that herein he follows in the footsteps of Christ, who distained not to lay down his own soul for his breatharian. Who therefore amongst you shall be slain in this battle, unto him shall that death be as full penance and absolution of all his sins, if so be he receive it willingly on this way.” ― Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain “Comprendan el valor del tiempo usándolo bien. Así la juventud será encantadora, la vejez traerá pocas lamentaciones y la vida será dichosa y hermosa” ― Louisa May Alcott, Mujercitas 70 games, 1950-2011 47 Opening Repertoire for Black -- Marovic/Parma This was a modest but good repertoire book -- it recommends the QGD and a variation of the Benoni against 1 d4 and the French and the Pirc against 1 e4 (the idea is to give one solid and one sharp alternative against any approach by white). It includes a nice collection of games to illustrate the various white and black plans in each opening. * Alpha Glossary: https://www.chess-poster.com/englis... * Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018 * Brevity Attacking Chess collection: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess * Bearly Thinking: https://www.etsy.com/listing/972054... Gummy bears were originally called "dancing bears." * Checkmate Art: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate * Checkmate patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns * Chess Secrets: Great Attackers by Colin Crouch Game Collection: Chess Secrets - Attackers (Crouch) White-faced capuchin monkeyz greet each other by sticking their fingers up each others’ nosez. Soundz much like web troll behavior. * Dr. Edmund Adam Miniatures: Edmund Adam * Epic: Game Collection: Battles Royal of the Chessboard by R.N. Coles * Extinguish the Dragon: Game Collection: 1.e4 explorations * Fabulous brilliancies: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * Glossary of Chess Terms: http://www.arkangles.com/kchess/glo... * GOTD Submission Page: Pun Submission Page * KID 0-1s: Game Collection: K.I.D B wins E98 * M60MG: Game Collection: My Sixty Memorable Games (Fischer) * Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc... * RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures * RU broke like Joe? https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Sacs on f7/f2: Game Collection: Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sac on f7 (f2) * Sicilian B23-B25: Game Collection: Sicilian Closed / Grand Prix Attack * Six Ways: https://takelessons.com/blog/6-tips... * Sports Clichés: http://www.sportscliche.com/ * Starting Out 1d4: Game Collection: Starting Out: 1 d4! * Bg2 vs Sicilian: Game Collection: Grand Prix Attack without early Bc4 * Can you whip Taimanov's Sicilian? http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Tal Storms: Game Collection: Tal - The Modern Benoni * Vienna 1903 KG games: Game Collection: Vienna 1903 * Wall's APCT Miniatures: http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/c... * Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev) * 21st Century: Game Collection: 0 * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ “Si vis pacem, para bellum” ― Cicero “Attackers may sometimes regret bad moves, but it’s much worse to forever regret an opportunity you allowed to pass you by.” ― Garry Kasparov “Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of a double check.” ― Aron Nimzowitsch “If you see a good move -- WAIT -- look for a better one.” ― Emanuel Lasker Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. “Winning is about commitment, discipline, hard work, dedication, determination, courage and sometimes even luck!” ― Susan Polgar “Every defeat is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes! Every victory is a confirmation of our hard work!” ― Susan Polgar “A chess player uses his/her knowledge to prepare for next game while a passionate coach preparez for next generation!” ― Susan Polgar French Proverb: “Ce n’est pas à un vieux singe qu’on apprend à faire la grimace.” ― (There’s no substitute for experience.) American flags left on the moon will eventually get bleached white by the sun. While they are hibernating, bears do not urinate. Their bodies convert waste into protein. “Be your own Sunshine. Always.” ― Purvi Raniga “Luckily, there is a way to be happy. It involves changing the emphasis of our thinking from what we want to what we have.” ― Richard Carlson “Most promises featuring the word 'always' are unkeepable.” ― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed “You should never say never. Just like you should never say always; because, always and never are always never true.” ― J. R. Krol “Never and Always Never take advantage of someone whom loves you Never avoid someone whom needs you Never betray anyone whom has trust in you Never forget the people that always remember you Never speak ill of a person who is not present Never support something you know is wrong or unethical Always speak to your parents on their birthday and anniversary Always defend those who cannot defend themselves Always forgive those you love whom have made mistakes Always give something to those less fortunate than you Always remember to look back at those who helped you succeed Always call your parents and siblings on New Year’s Eve.” ― R.J. Intindola 'April showers bring forth May flowers 'An army marches on its stomach 'As thick as thieves 'As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it 'As you sow so shall you reap 'Ashes to ashes dust to dust 'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer 'Ask no questions and hear no lies 'Attack is the best form of defence People believe what they want to believe, truth or not. “Search for the grain of truth in other opinions.” ― Richard Carlson The Bear ~ Author Unknown ~ Here is a cave, (make a fist) Inside is a bear. (put a thumb inside fist) Now he comes out To get some fresh air. (pop out thumb) He stays out all summer In sunshine and heat. He hunts in the forest For berries to eat. (move thumb in circle) When snow starts to fall, He hurries inside His warm little cave, And there he will hide. (put thumb back inside fist) Snow covers the cave Like a fluffy white rug. Inside the bear sleeps All cozy and snug. (cover fist with other hand) Old Russian Proverb: Чему́ быть, того́ не минова́ть Pronunciation: ChiMU BYT’, taVOH ni mihnoVAT’ Translation: You can’t avoid that which is meant to happen Meaning: Whatever shall be, will be. <King Tutankhamun had lots of cool toys, but one of his most intriguing may have been a dagger, discovered in his tomb in 1925, made of meteoric metal. It wasn't until recently that scientists were able to confirm the material, using a technique called portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. They determined that the dagger's composition of iron, nickel, and cobalt "strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin." * Riddle-zeez-piddle: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch... Immortal jellyfish There is a species of jellyfish that never dies. Known as Turritopsis dohrnii—or colloquially, the immortal jellyfish—this sea creature is able to revert back into its adolescent state after going through adulthood, a "process that looks remarkably like immortality."> The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882 The tide rises, the tide falls, The twilight darkens, the curlew calls; Along the sea-sands damp and brown The traveller hastens toward the town, And the tide rises, the tide falls. Darkness settles on roofs and walls, But the sea, the sea in darkness calls; The little waves, with their soft, white hands, Efface the footprints in the sands, And the tide rises, the tide falls. The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls; The day returns, but nevermore Returns the traveller to the shore, And the tide rises, the tide falls. “There are good ships, and there are wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, and may they always be.” — Anonymous The figurehead on the dime, the United States’ 10-cent coin, is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president. FDR’s portrait is on the dime because of his association with the March of Dimes charity. What began in 1938 with President Roosevelt's personal struggle with polio led to the creation of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, better known as March of Dimes. The MOD pioneered the vaccine research leading to the eradication of polio in the U.S., and later expanded their mission to address issues of birth defects. In most recent decades, their mission shifted focus to healthy pregnancy and ending the preterm birth crisis, with innovations like folic acid, newborn screening and surfactant therapy. The Turks call the turkey an “American bird.” H.T. Bland. On page 207 of the December 1929 American Chess Bulletin he exalted the challenger in that year’s world championship match: Bravo ‘Bogol’, you’ve shown pluck. One and all we wish you luck. Gee, some thought you’d barged between Other players who’d have been Less likely straightaway to lose Just as friend Alekhine might choose; Undaunted, ‘Bogol’, you went in Believing you’d a chance to win. Or failing that, to make a fight, Which you are doing as we write. Snow White & the Huntsman by Evan Daugherty “Who will you be when faced with the end? The end of a kingdom, The end of good men, Will you run? Will you hide? Or will you hunt down evil with a venomous pride? Rise to the ashes, Rise to the winter sky, Rise to the calling, Make heard the battle cry. Let it scream from the mountains From the forest to the chapel, Because death is a hungry mouth And you are the apple. So who will you be when faced with the end? When the vultures are circling And the shadows descend Will you cower? Or will you fight? Is your heart made of glass? Or a pure Snow White?” ― Lily Blake, Snow White & the Huntsman Lichess has all the same basic offerings as Chess.com: a large community, many game types, tutorials, puzzles, and livestreams. The site has a simple appearance, and it seems built to get you where you want to go in as few clicks as possible. You can create an account, but if you’re not concerned with tracking your games and finding other players at your level, there’s no need to log in. Just fire up a new game, try some puzzles, or watch a chess streamer play three-minute games while listening to techno and chatting with the comments section. Question: What is considered the first reality TV show? Answer: The Real World Question: Who was Russia's first elected president? Answer: Boris Yeltsin the limerick. Here is one from page 25 of the Chess Amateur, October 1907: A solver, who lived at Devizes, Had won a great number of prizes – A dual or cook, He’d detect at a look, And his head swelled up several sizes. Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Кто не рискует, тот не пьет шампанского Pronunciation: KTOH ni risKUyet, tot ni pyot shamPANSkava) Translation: He who doesn’t take risks doesn’t drink champagne Meaning: Fortune favours the brave “Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.” — Blasie Pascal “Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward.” — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy. In God we trust; all others pay cash. ~ American Proverb Trusting in wealth is like looking for feathers on turtles. ~ Senegalese Proverb The City Rat and the Country Rat A city rat, one night, Did, with a civil stoop, A country rat invite To end a turtle soup. On a Turkey carpet They found the table spread, And sure I need not harp it How well the fellows fed. The entertainment was A truly noble one; But some unlucky cause Disturbed it when begun. It was a slight rat-tat, That put their joys to rout; Out ran the city rat; His guest, too, scampered out. Our rats but fairly quit, The fearful knocking ceased. "Return we," cried the cit, To finish there our feast. "No," said the rustic rat; "Tomorrow dine with me. I'm not offended at Your feast so grand and free, – "For I have no fare resembling; But then I eat at leisure, And would not swap, for pleasure So mixed with fear and trembling." French Proverb: “Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.” ― (Nothing should be left to chance.) “There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.” ― Pierre Mac Orlan “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.” ― Bobby Fischer “As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight.” — The Revenant Z is for Zipper (to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) Zipper starts with letter Z, Letter Z, letter Z, Zipper starts with Letter Z, /z/, /z/, /z/, /z/! umfz (). 96 games, 1908-1977 48 Freshly Made Pipin' Hot Winawers on a Bun A quirky, strategic opening with fractured pawns. Things can get rather complex and often neither side castles. Thank you Zhbugnoimt, sigi, unavenisluncem, FTB, and prime rib. See French Defense compiled by builttospill. Note to self: See Corky's G1511 * Geordieray's Winawers: Game Collection: French Winawer * ISeth's French Winawer Poisoned Pawn: Game Collection: French Defense: Winawer. Poisoned Pawn Variation * Therio what? Game Collection: Theriomorphic French Games ECO Codes - French Defence * C00 - 1.e4 e6 without 2.d4 (early deviations) * C01 - 2.d4 d5 (includes the Exchange Variation, 3.exd5) * C02 - 3.e5 (Advance Variation) * C03 - 3.Nd2 (includes 3...Be7; C03-C09 cover the Tarrasch Variation) * C04 - 3.Nd2 Nc6 (Guimard Variation) * C05 - 3.Nd2 Nf6 * C06 - 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 * C07 - 3.Nd2 c5 (includes 4.exd5 Qxd5) * C08 - 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 * C09 - 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 * C10 - 3.Nc3 (includes the Rubinstein Variation, 3...dxe4) * C11 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 (includes the Steinitz Variation, 4.e5; C11-C14 cover the Classical Variation) * C12 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 (includes the MacCutcheon Variation, 4...Bb4) * C13 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 (Burn Variation) * C14 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 * C15 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 (C15-C19 cover the Winawer Variation) * C16 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 * C17 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 * C18 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 (includes the Armenian Variation, 5...Ba5) * C19 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Nf3 and 7.a4 * Ideas: Game Collection: Ideas In The French Defense * Additional French Defense games: Game Collection: French Defense * Well-rounded coverage: Game Collection: French Defense * Hans On French: Game Collection: French Defense * TFD: https://chessentials.com/category/l... * Therio what? Game Collection: Theriomorphic French Games * Emre: https://chessdoctrine.com/chess-ope... [Event "Rated Bullet game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/nlrrOnSO"] [Date "2021.12.14"] [White "taskampomou"] [Black "Isaykin_Artem"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2206"] [BlackElo "2361"] [UTCDate "2022.10.29"] [UTCTime "17:07:34"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C01"] [Opening "French Defense: Exchange Variation, Monte Carlo Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Remote_Chess_..."] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/XbHbOKiN/..."] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Re8+ 9. Be3 Ng4 10. O-O Nxe3 11. fxe3 Rxe3 12. Bxf7+ Kxf7 13. Ne5+ Kg8 14. Qb3+ Kh8 15. Nf7+ Kg8 16. Nxd8+ Kh8 17. Nf7+ Kg8 18. Nh6+ Kh8 19. Qg8# 1-0 White wins. 1-0 Question: , What’s the brightest star in the sky? Answer: Sirius – also known as the Dog Star or Sirius A, Sirius is the brightest star in Earth’s night sky. The star is outshone only by several planets and the International Space Station. Question: The world’s first speeding ticket was issued in 1896. Where did it happen? Answer: London, England Walter Arnold was driving four times the limit, at an astonishing speed of 8 miles per hour. Back in those days, the speed limit was 2 miles per hour – you could easily walk faster. The driver was eventually arrested after being chased by a police officer on a bicycle. Confessed faults are half mended. ~ Scottish Proverb “Winning is about commitment, discipline, hard work, dedication, determination, courage and sometimes even luck!” ― Susan Polgar “Every defeat is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes! Every victory is a confirmation of our hard work!” ― Susan Polgar “A chess player uses his/her knowledge to prepare for next game while a passionate coach prepares for next generation!” ― Susan Polgar * Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black Franco-Indian Defense 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb3+ French Defense 1. e4 e6 French Defense (Advance Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 French Defense (Alekhine-Chatard Attack) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 French Defense (Burn Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 French Defense (Chigorin Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. Qe2 French Defense (Classical Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 French Defense (Exchange Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 French Defense (Extended Bishop Swap) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 Bb5 French Defense (Franco-Benoni) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. d5 French Defense (Guimard Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 French Defense (MacCutcheon Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 French Defense (Marshall Defense) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c5 French Defense (Milner-Barry Gambit) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 French Defense (Reti) 1. e4 e6 2. b3 French Defense (Reversed Philidor) 1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. Be2 French Defense (Rubinstein Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 French Defense (Steinitz Attack) 1. e4 e6 2. e5 French Defense (Steinitz Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 French Defense (Tarrasch Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 French Defense (Two Knights Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 French Defense (Winawer Variation) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 French Defense (Winawer Variation-Poisoned Pawn) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 French Defense (Wing Gambit) 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. b4 French Defence Gambits: Milner-Barry Gambit – C02 – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 Nimzowitsch Gambit – C02 – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 Alapin Gambit – C00 – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Be3 Winawer, Alekhine (Maroczy) gambit - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 Winawer, Alekhine gambit - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Bxc3+ Winawer, Alekhine gambit, Kan variation - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Nxc3 Nc6 Winawer, Alekhine gambit, Alatortsev variation - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4 Nf6 7.N2g3 O-O 8.Be2 Nc6 Diemer-Duhm Gambit - C00 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c4 French: Wing gambit - C00 - 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 * Gambits against the French Defense: Game Collection: alapin gambit -alapin diemer gambit + reti gam See FRENCH DEFENCE (Advance, Exchange, Schlechter,.. compiled by gambitfan Thank you Honza Cervenka. “I've played a number of interesting novelties lately. Mostly that's because I haven't got a clue what I am doing in the opening.” ― Nigel Short “When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one.” ― Emanuel Lasker The Portuguese chess player and author Pedro Damiano (1480–1544) first wrote this in his book "Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti" published in Rome, Italy, in 1512. “Against Alekhine you never knew what to expect. Against Capablanca, you knew what to expect, but you couldn't prevent it!” ― George Thomas “Whereas Anderssen and Chigorin looked for accidental positions, Capablanca is guided by the logicality of strong positions. He values only that which is well-founded: solidity of position, pressure on a weak point, he does not trust the accidental, even if it be a problem-like mate, at the required moment he discovers and carries out subtle and far-sighted combinations...” ― Emanuel Lasker “Capablanca possessed an amazing ability to quickly see into a position and intuitively grasp its main features. His style, one of the purest, most crystal-clear in the entire history of chess, astonishes one with its logic.” ― Garry Kasparov “It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse.” ― Paul Dietzel “Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.” ― Francis Bacon “Discipline is wisdom and vice versa.” ― M. Scott Peck “The punishment of every disordered mind is its own disorder.” ― St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions “In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent.” — Vasily Smyslov (1921-2010), 7th World Chess Champion “For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion.” ― Bobby Fischer Question: What did clocks never have before 1577? Answer: Minute hands – it was eventually invented by Jost Burgi for, it is believed, Tycho Brahe, an astronomer who needed an accurate clock for stargazing. Question: What is the most frequently sold item at Walmart? Answer: Bananas – although Walmart never disclosed how many bananas they sell each year, the number has to be immense considering that over 200 million people shop in its stores worldwide every single week. “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” ― Nora Ephr Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER “The Seven Social Sins are: Wealth without work. Pleasure without conscience. Knowledge without character. Commerce without morality. Science without humanity. Worship without sacrifice. Politics without principle. From a sermon given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson in Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925.” ― Frederick Lewis Donaldson * Crafty Endgame Trainer: https://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-... A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, "Don Quixote" Old Russian Proverb: "Measure seven times, cut once. (Семь раз отмерь — один отрежь.)" Be careful before you do something that cannot be changed. “I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009, and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.” — Hulk Hogan “Old habits die hard, especially for soldiers.” ― Jocelyn Murray, The Roman General: A Novel 'Don't shut the stable door after the horse has bolted' 'Don't throw good money after bad' 'Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater' <This poem is dedicated to all female chessplayers on Caissa's Web. Sweet Caissa Oh, Sweet Caissa, Goddess of chess in the name of this holistic game I pray Thee: bless my noble aim to render all my opponents lame in my holy quest for worldly fame, to be Supreme no more no less. In awe I heard this Sweet Caissa say "Daughter go forth and smite them all, stoutly charge your knight sitting tall while flying over the castle's wall to slay all men in your deadly call." Now in fear I hide and will no longer play.> “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― William Faulkner “Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward.” — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy. Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force. “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ― Leonardo da Vinci InkHarted wrote: Checkmate. I started off as an equal I have everything that they do my life was one and the same as my foe childish battles of lesser I won baring cost of a little but as time outgrew my conscience I found that the pieces were moving against me with time my company reduced they left one by one all in time forgetting me my castles collapsed my religion dissuaded my protectors in hiding I could not run anymore I have been cornered to a wall as the queen left silently without saying goodbye I could not live any longer she was most precious to me I could not win without her by my side so the king knelt down and died. “Everyone should know how to play chess.” — José Raúl Capablanca "We do not remember days, we remember moments." ― Cesare Pavese "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 'Ashes to ashes dust to dust Specific Game Example: Paul Keres vs Vladimir Petrov USSR Championship (1940), Moscow URS, rd 19, Oct-02 Keres vs Petrov, 1940 FIDE Master Valeri Lilov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ts... Self-Talk: "Was that move legal?" If so, write it down. "Where/what is my opponent aiming at now? How many times?" "Am I in check now? How can I be put in check on the next turn? How would I respond to check?" Checklist - Response to the King in Check - CBA: C) CAPTURE the checker, B) interpose BETWEEN (self-pin), * If a knight gives check, interposing between is not possible. A) fly AWAY to a safe square? * Double check requires the King to move out of both checks. "What can my opponent capture?" etc. etc. GM Lilov mentions counting the material as part of the evaluation process. Do be sure to count the number of attackers against the number of defenders where checks, captures, and pawn advances/promotions are threatened. Can more attackers be added? Can defenders be removed, obstructed, pinned, etc.? This forcing assessment is vital before every move. The value of the pieces involved, and the move order in which the pieces capture and re-capture also matters. In <tpstar's diagram above>, White has three attackers aiming at the g6-pawn, that is protected by only two defenders. However, the attackers are more valuable pieces, and the defenders are lowly pawns, so capturing on g6 with a White piece will lose material value even though White has Black outnumbered there. GM Lilov does mention the unprotected a2-pawn as a weakness. Thus, it had one attacker (the Black queen) and no defender. Then he shows that White has an adequate response to the ... Qxa2 capture by counterattacking. One must not be baited into capturing for free or material gain without knowing what will happen AFTER the capture is made. “Simply plans are best. Tactics will prevail.” ― C.J.S. Purdy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil... IM Zaur Tekeyev: https://thechessworld.com/articles/... More Tactics: https://www.chessjournal.com/chess-... To improve your chess, improve your tactics: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... Become a Predator at the Chessboard: https://www.chesstactics.org/introd... Fredthebear created this collection. It has been hacked. Endgames focus on creating and promoting a passed pawn, then checkmating with the new piece, usually a queen. Endgames have reoccurring patterns too, so study your endings! Your endgame knowledge will assist your ability to assess trades in the opening and middlegame, what appears to be an even exchange. One color or the other often benefits slightly more when an even exchange is made. If your opponent knows that one doesn't know endings, s/he'll swap off the pieces (avoiding tactical play) and head for positions with greatly reduced material. For example, many young players panic without their beloved queen on board, so the experienced player will trade off the queens and some other like pieces and drag the young player into an undesired endgame. The point is, knowledge of middlegame tactics can be dissolved into an uncomfortable endgame through exchanges, so the study of endgames is also vital. Endgame knowledge will be rewarded time and time again over the course of one's chess career, particularly in hard fought games where it's been difficult to find an advantage. * Here's an easy, chatty start: Easy Endgame Strategies by Bill Robertie (Cardoza publishing, 2003). This combines his earlier books into one. https://www.abebooks.com/book-searc... * How to Beat Your Kids at Chess by David MacEnulty explains the endgame thoroughly: https://books.google.com/books/abou... Note that MacEnulty's other topical books are excellent instruction; most have been re-printed with different titles and covers -- same book, different look. * Turnabout is fair play: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/chess... Chess is chess -- it's the same game regardless of your age. If it's good for kids to know, then it's good for grown-ups to know. * Sign up for free and you can read Polgar's guide for FREE: https://archive.org/details/worldch... Section I is all about tactics, Section II is the endgame. Gotta recognize all these patterns! Her other books are good too. * Winning Chess Endings by Yasser Seirawan is easily available from used book sources: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/winni... That was my attempt at saying that I wouldn't pay $25 for the latest edition. * Openings? You worried about openings? This opening puzzle book is more than enough to get one going for a few years: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-w... If you miss these tactical opportunities, there's no point studying anything more advanced. Way too many chess players study long lines of grandmaster variations and miss the basics. It's far better for the average Joe Sixpack to never-miss-an-opportunity-to-punish-simple-mista- kes by rehearsing common patterns and blunders quickly and repeatedly. <Oct-04-23 HeMateMe: I play 3/2 blitz occasionally on Lichess. I find it an excellent site, none of the delays/cancellations that ruined chess.com (for me). Oct-04-23 Cassandro: Yes, lichess is by far the best site for online chess. And you never know, apparently you may even get to play against a living legend like the highly esteemed Leonard Barden there!> FTB plays all about but has always been happy with FICS: https://www.freechess.org/ Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” ― attributed to Aristotle “Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.” ― Elizabeth Green “It ain't over 'til it's over, no matter how over it looks.” ― Yogi Berra “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” ― Frederick Douglass “Thirty Days Hath September” Lyrics Thirty days hath September, April, June and November; All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone. Which only has but twenty-eight days clear And twenty-nine in each leap year. Lichess has all the same basic offerings as Chess.com: a large community, many game types, tutorials, puzzles, and livestreams. The site has a simple appearance, and it seems built to get you where you want to go in as few clicks as possible. You can create an account, but if you’re not concerned with tracking your games and finding other players at your level, there’s no need to log in. Just fire up a new game, try some puzzles, or watch a chess streamer play three-minute games while listening to techno and chatting with the comments section. “Only those who want everything done for them are bored.” — Billy Graham “My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world.” — Billy Graham “Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.” ― Yogi Berra, one of the greatest Yankees of all time Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! Psalm 96: 1-3 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” ― Voltaire “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “Forget the past – the future will give you plenty to worry about.” — George Allen “Luckily, there is a way to be happy. It involves changing the emphasis of our thinking from what we want to what we have.” ― Richard Carlson <Hawaiin Proverbs of Love Kahuna Nui Hale Kealohalani Makua – “Love all you see, including yourself.” — Hale Makua E Hoomau Maua Kealoha – (May our love last forever.) Aloha Aku No, Aloha Mai No – (I give my love to you, you give your love to me.) `A`ohe loa i ka hana a ke aloha – (Distance is ignored by love.) Ua ola loko i ke aloha – (Love gives life within.) He kehau ho`oma`ema`e ke aloha – (Love is like a cleansing dew.) He ‘Olina Leo Ka Ke Aloha – (Joy is in the voice of love.) Ho’i Hou Ke Aloha – (Let us fall in love all over again.) No Keia La, No Keia Po, A Mau Loa – (From this day, from this night, forever more.) Hele mai ho’ohiwahiwa – (To honor.) Noho me ka hau’oli – (Be happy.) Kuhi no ka lima, hele no ka maka. – (Where the hands move, there let the eyes follow.)> French Proverb: “Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.” ― (Nothing should be left to chance.) “There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.” ― Pierre Mac Orlan “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.” ― Bobby Fischer “As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight.” — The Revenant wordputty: 04ty ezo Zucci Darko perilous skiz rbought wone thndrstrmz two Paris uzja. Robert zanded last in Ice cycle land 4bttr weather 4casting. Hiz hed hurt. WISE OLD OWL A wise old owl lived in an oak. The more he saw the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard. Why can't we all be like that wise old bird? Give a HOOT ― Don't Pollute! 499 games, 1865-2021 5. b4 makes Stan snore Compiled by Chess Guard! "What is the object of playing a gambit opening? To acquire a reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing a game." — Siegbert Tarrasch * Marshall Gambit? https://faithsaves.net/scandinavian... * List of gambits: https://detailedpedia.com/wiki-List... * Freaky Fridays: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c... * Glossary of Chess Terms: http://www.arkangles.com/kchess/glo... * Chess Links: http://www.chessdryad.com/links/ind... * Tactical Mix: Game Collection: mastering Tactical ideas by minev * Greatest Hits: Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms) * The Best of... Game Collection: World Champions' Best Games “Chess first of all teaches you to be objective.” – Alexander Alekhine “Among a great many other things that chess teaches you is to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks good. It trains you to think before grabbing and to think just as objectively when you’re in trouble.” -- Stanley Kubrick “Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules, take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment.” – Garry Kasparov “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe “To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game.” – Savielly Tartakower “Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter.” ― Winston S. Churchill <Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Bombardment of Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, New York, 1865 The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in the middle of the Civil War, wrote this poem which has more recently been adapted as a modern Christmas classic. Longfellow wrote this on Christmas Day in 1863, after his son had enlisted in the Union's cause and had returned home, seriously wounded. The verses which he included and are still generally included, speak of the despair of hearing the promise of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" when the evidence of the world is clearly that war still exists. And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said; "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men." The original also included several verses referring specifically to the Civil War. Before that cry of despair and answering cry of hope, and after verses describing the long years of hearing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" (a phrase from the Jesus birth narratives in the Christian scriptures), Longfellow's poem includes, describing the black cannons of the war: Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!> Drive sober or get pulled over. "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 The Bear and the Amateur Gardener A certain mountain bear, unlicked and rude, By fate confined within a lonely wood, A new Bellerophon, whose life, Knew neither comrade, friend, nor wife, – Became insane; for reason, as we term it, Dwells never long with any hermit. It's good to mix in good society, Obeying rules of due propriety; And better yet to be alone; But both are ills when overdone. No animal had business where All grimly dwelt our hermit bear; Hence, bearish as he was, he grew Heart-sick, and longed for something new. While he to sadness was addicted, An aged man, not far from there, Was by the same disease afflicted. A garden was his favourite care, – Sweet Flora's priesthood, light and fair, And eke Pomona's – ripe and red The presents that her fingers shed. These two employments, true, are sweet When made so by some friend discreet. The gardens, gaily as they look, Talk not, (except in this my book;) So, tiring of the deaf and dumb, Our man one morning left his home Some company to seek, That had the power to speak. – The bear, with thoughts the same, Down from his mountain came; And in a solitary place, They met each other, face to face. It would have made the boldest tremble; What did our man? To play the Gascon The safest seemed. He put the mask on, His fear contriving to dissemble. The bear, unused to compliment, Growled bluntly, but with good intent, "Come home with me." The man replied: "Sir Bear, my lodgings, nearer by, In yonder garden you may spy, Where, if you'll honour me the while, We'll break our fast in rural style. I have fruits and milk, – unworthy fare, It may be, for a wealthy bear; But then I offer what I have." The bear accepts, with visage grave, But not unpleased; and on their way, They grow familiar, friendly, gay. Arrived, you see them, side by side, As if their friendship had been tried. To a companion so absurd, Blank solitude were well preferred, Yet, as the bear scarce spoke a word, The man was left quite at his leisure To trim his garden at his pleasure. Sir Bruin hunted – always brought His friend whatever game he caught; But chiefly aimed at driving flies – Those hold and shameless parasites, That vex us with their ceaseless bites – From off our gardener's face and eyes. One day, while, stretched on the ground The old man lay, in sleep profound, A fly that buzz'd around his nose, – And bit it sometimes, I suppose, – Put Bruin sadly to his trumps. At last, determined, up he jumps; "I'll stop your noisy buzzing now," Says he; "I know precisely how." No sooner said than done. He seized a paving-stone; And by his modus operandi Did both the fly and man die. A foolish friend may cause more woe Than could, indeed, the wisest foe. 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! 504 Gateway Time-out "The qiuck brwon foxfire jupms upover the lassie doggie" NN NYC ohRpb4 no a zsfodr z4oh mod zoo free zanzifart z shtoner wants perdi a. messy misster max green yellow red read book Petroffpeta paulo marry susanna Krisowen yep refused pe sarah a samwich soupie St. Pete Paris Chicago screen 27 Rosso Railingroad triedangle tabatha perchasely patzern psycho samel jon luck robertsen trusted dont bitten hunting tiger snail paranoia trolly researcher 'Nomen nominandum' a.k.a 'the name to be named' 15 games, 1620-2018 6 A Try for White Cloned “Reading can take you places you have never been before.” — Dr. Seuss “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 “The ideas which now pass for brilliant innovations and advances are in fact mere revivals of ancient errors, and a further proof of the dictum that those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it.” ― Henry Hazlitt This is a collection of games from Sam Collins's excellent book, "A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White," which presents a complete king's pawn repertoire focused around the isolated queen's pawn (IQP) and related lines -- generally where White plays for dark square control and attack in an open position. This is a very good repertoire for ambitious young players because it teaches an important pawn structure that can arise in a wide range of both d-pawn or e-pawn openings, and it therefore creates the basis for assimilating a wide range of opening ideas. Though I am personally interested in some variations in the book more than others, I have long been interested in the IQP structure and have found much of value in the book on the IQP generally -- as I had from Collins's earlier opening repertoire for White titled "An Attacking Repertoire for White" (which also focused on the IQP but with rather less "simple" lines). Ambitious players would do well to also spend some time studying the isolated queen pawn structure. I would especially recommend finding GM Alexandr Baburin's now classic "Winning Pawn Structures"; the book is out of print and often available only at inflated prices, but a number of .pdf copies can readily be found on the web, including at Scribd. I have also found the book "Isolani Strategy" by Alexander Beliavsky, Oleg Stetsko, and Adrian Mikhalchishin of use, though it is also becoming more rare. For those less interested in books, there are a number of online videos and articles that can be of help as well. One useful resources is titled "1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 White Repertoire Webliography," which links to videos and articles on lines very similar to those discussed by Collins in his 1.e4 e5 repertoire. The weakest part of the repertoire is the French Defense, which is based on ideas developed by Denis Yevseev in Fighting the French: A New Concept (nearly 400 pages of dense analysis on this line). Though playable at the amateur level, there are lots of ways for Black to do well if he knows the theory. I would simplify the repertoire more by recommending the Monte Carlo Exchange French with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 (you can find good analysis online). This way White can transpose to familiar territory from the Scandinavian as well after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4!? with the idea of returning the pawn to 3...c6 (Panov-Botvinnik) or 3...e6 (Monte Carlo Exchange French - Game Collection: French Defense, Monte Carlo Exchange Variation or https://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/...). You can also simplify more by playing the Hunt or Chase Variation against the Alekhine (1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.c5!?), which can transpose to the c3 Sicilian (though White has other ideas too -- see the game Mazukewitsch - Kandaurov, Tula 1967, for example). And it would be good to learn the main line Panov-Botvinnik against the Caro-Kann -- though that does not simplify White's task - see http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2.... “Playing with less space is one of the hardest things to do in chess.” – IM John Watson * All Openings: Game Collection: Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, Section 1 * Black Victories: Game Collection: Dutch defense Hopton attack * Beauty Prizes Game Collection: Les Prix de Beauté aux Echecs (I) * Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... * 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 * Morphy pounds Philidor's Defense: Game Collection: White - Philidor: Morphy * Play Stockfish 1-10: https://labinatorsolutions.github.i... * 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 Hunting accident Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He’s not breathing, and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911. “I think my friend is dead!” he yells. “What can I do?” The operator says, “Calm down. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There’s a silence, then a shot. Back on the phone, the guy says, “Okay, now what?” — Submitted by Gerald Doka NIÑO GENIO nos da UNO de los MEJORES MOMENTOS de la HISTORIA del AJEDREZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ps... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” By Bobby Mcferrin (1988): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-d... “Bloody Mary”: https://www.historyhit.com/facts-ab... Feb-10-24 karik: Can someone say how to get rid of ads from chessgames. Feb-10-24 MissScarlett: Premium Membership Help Page <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 controlling 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.)> 60 games, 1964-2017 6 c4d4 “Playing with less space is one of the hardest things to do in chess.” – IM John Watson * All Openings: Game Collection: Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, Section 1 * Beat the QGD Exchange: Game Collection: Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation * Black Victories: Game Collection: Dutch defense Hopton attack * Beauty Prizes Game Collection: Les Prix de Beauté aux Echecs (I) * Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... * 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 * Morphy pounds Philidor's Defense: Game Collection: White - Philidor: Morphy * Play Stockfish 1-10: https://labinatorsolutions.github.i... * Russians - Chernev: Game Collection: The Russians Play Chess by Irving Chernev * Shirov miniatures: Game Collection: Shirov miniatures * Smyslov Brevities: Game Collection: Smyslov brevities * 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 “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling 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. 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 NIÑO GENIO nos da UNO de los MEJORES MOMENTOS de la HISTORIA del AJEDREZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ps... "Havana" by Camila Cabello https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3v... New Best Game of 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Q... “Bloody Mary”: https://www.historyhit.com/facts-ab... Feb-10-24 karik: Can someone say how to get rid of ads from chessgames. Feb-10-24 MissScarlett: Premium Membership Help Page <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 controlling 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.)> 99 games, 1861-2019

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