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Flank Playoff us Anderssen's 1.a3: Game Collection: Anderssen's 1. a3 Chess Terms: https://chessmart.com/pages/chess-t... Uncommon Openings Flattened: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... Concerto for Oboe in d minor, Adagio, A. Marcello: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWP... Smothered Mate like Bobby Fischer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKl... Bach Adagio BWV 974: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra3... Fast Checkmates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctP... “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 “I've been told a lot worse.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Up... 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. The purest reaction to Beethoven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzJ... Heavenly Looks In surgery for a heart attack, a middle-aged woman has a vision of God by her bedside. “Will I die?” she asks. God says, “No. You have 30 more years to live.” With 30 years to look forward to, she decides to make the best of it. So since she’s in the hospital, she gets breast implants, liposuction, a tummy tuck, hair transplants and collagen injections in her lips. She looks great! The day she’s discharged, she exits the hospital with a swagger, crosses the street and is immediately hit by an ambulance and killed. Up in heaven, she sees God. “You said I had 30 more years to live,” she complains. “That’s true,” says God. “So what happened?” God shrugs. “I didn’t recognize you.” — Submitted by Hank Chawansky Chess Pathways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnI... Sokolsky vs. Strugatsch, 1958: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0l... “La Sonora Santanera” - Pena Negra ft. María José: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWH... Fischer plays the Sokolsky Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNC... Trap in the Tartakower Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbG... Norah Jones - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlV... Robert Plunkett's Chess Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qiw... “Long Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0q... Birmingham Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf8... Chess Noob: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-e... Chess Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-I... Cybill Shepherd performs "Blue Moon" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZj... “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkX... MSK Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v3... Natalia Jiménez, Lila Downs - La Cigarra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIi... Palm Beach Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48f... Hug for Happiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEv... Carlsen's Polish Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s03... <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.)> The Hippopotamus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irq... Hippopotamus Ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB7... Don't Mess with the Hippo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdA... Don't Fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDc... Sturdy or Slow? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUu... Crush the Hippo? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqV... How to Hippo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwn... What's the Pirc? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMY... Instruction in the Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSb... Which side is he? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzV... Destroy the Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq3... Geller System? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyp... Geller System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBP... Carlsen against Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ll... Trap the Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvW... Carlsen defends Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv4... Good Books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7V... Carlsen defends Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nah... NM Ramirez shows Pirc Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lND... Pirc Defense Wins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRs... Dangerous Austrian Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt7... Bach G minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNA... Leningrad Variation of the Dutch Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGf... Ben's Fianchetto Dutch Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTm... What's the Difference? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTm... No-Nonsense Leningrad Dutch Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyp... Opposition Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sat... Don't Mess with the Leningrad Dutch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VER... ChessDojo says 2.Bg5! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dr... Wol says 2.Bg5! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeK... 1.Nf3 Herrstrom Gambit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKy... Duras Gambit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYm... Duras Gambit Chess analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPD... “If” by Rudyard Kipling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqO... Hobbs Gambit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RL... From's Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMe... Beat the Bird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4U... 50 games, 1879-2023 Foxy Openings - King's Gambit 9 games, 1947-1995 French Classical 5.e5 fin This collection of 30 games was compiled by Steenmuur. Fredthebear copied it from Steenmuur, and added more games. Thank you Steenmuur! Romans 12:2, King James Bible And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The laughter of a child lights up the house. ~ Swahili proverb “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson “Win with grace, lose with dignity!” ― Susan Polgar “What does it take to be a champion? Desire, dedication, determination, personal and professional discipline, focus, concentration, strong nerves, the will to win, and yes, talent!” ― Susan Polgar “No matter how successful you are (or will be), never ever forget the people who helped you along the way, and pay it forward! Don’t become arrogant and conceited just because you gained a few rating points or made a few bucks. Stay humble and be nice, especially to your fans!” ― Susan Polgar All that glitters is not gold – this line can be found in a text from c.1220: ‘ Nis hit nower neh gold al that ter schineth.’ A friend in need is a friend indeed – a proverb from c.1035 say this: ‘Friend shall be known in time of need.’ All’s well that ends well – a line from the mid-13th century is similar: ‘Wel is him te wel ende mai.’ Meanwhile, Henry Knighton’s Chronicle from the late 14th-century one can read: ‘ If the ende be wele, than is alle wele.’ Hay dos maneras de hermosura: una del alma y otra del cuerpo; la del alma campea y se muestra en el entendimiento, en la honestidad, en el buen proceder, en la liberalidad y en la buena crianza, y todas estas partes caben y pueden estar en un hombre feo; y cuando se pone la mira en esta hermosura, y no en la del cuerpo, suele nacer el amor con ímpetu y con ventajas. (There are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body; that of the soul shows and demonstrates itself in understanding, in honesty, in good behavior, in generosity and in good breeding, and all these things can find room and exist in an ugly man; and when one looks at this type of beauty, and not bodily beauty, love is inclined to spring up forcefully and overpoweringly.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre. (When one door is closed, another is opened.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) Dijo la sartén a la caldera, quítate allá ojinegra. (The frying pan said to the cauldron, "Get out of here, black-eyed one." This is believed to be the source of the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black.") ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra * One of Pandolfini's Best: Game Collection: Solitaire Chess by Bruce Pandolfini * Two Great Attackers: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... * Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R * Anderssen - Steinitz Match: Anderssen - Steinitz (1866) * Chessmaster 2000 Classic Games: Game Collection: Chessmaster '86 * Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: 0 * Glossary: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/13/... * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * GPA: https://chesstier.com/grand-prix-at... * B20s: Game Collection: Grand Prix (Ginger’s Models) * How dumb is it? Game Collection: Diemer-Duhm Gambit * King Registration: https://www.kingregistration.com/to... * Make a Stand: https://www.history.com/topics/amer... * MC Move-by-Move: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala) * Tactical Games: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics These games feature a piece capturing a queenside pawn or two, for better or worse, and queenside checkmates. This pawn removal may or may not be materially important to the eventual outcome of the game. (The pawn capture sometimes serves as a self-inflicted displacement of the capturing piece leaving it out-of-bounds.) Again, the pawn capture on the queenside may have little or no impact on the outcome. * Overloaded! Game Collection: OVERLOADED! * Famous Chess Photos: https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/585256... * Starting Out: French Defense: Game Collection: Starting out : The French * Gambits against the French Defense: Game Collection: alapin gambit -alapin diemer gambit + reti gam * Common Checkmate Patterns: http://gambiter.com/chess/Checkmate... * Fabulous chess brilliancies: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ * Women: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/wom... * Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018 * Glossary: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar... * Opening Tree: https://www.shredderchess.com/onlin... * Tic-Tac-Toe is Easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNF... * A Brief History of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeB... * A Brief History of the Game of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2a... * Chess for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU6... * Learn Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adY... * Learn Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGu... * Learn ALL the Rules of the Royal Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej_... * Ladder Checkmate with Two Rooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaQ... * Checkmate with King and Rook vs lone King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yf... * Checkmate with Two Bishops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN7... * Chess Equipment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLA... * The Opposition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52y... * King and Pawn vs King (both kings want to be in front of the pawn to affect it's progress): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvB... * Three Dog Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l52... * Son of Three Dog Knight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4N... * Arabian Checkmate Pattern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejh... * Basic Checkmates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y-... * Most Common Opening Mistake (Four Knights, Italian Variation): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrp... * Scotch Game, Four Knights Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcn... * Top 4 Traps in the Center Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8f... * Top 4 Vienna Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb7... * Top 4 Scholar's Mates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr4... * More Scholar's Mates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUN... * Top 4 Fishing Pole Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11N... * Top 4 Excellent Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTS... * 1.d4 Response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ-... * Top 3 Versions of the Italian Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CP... * Top 5 Versions of the Italian Game Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-2... * Top 4 Aggressive 1.e4 e5 Openings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tm... * Top 5 Traps after 1.e4 e5 for White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YW... * 5 Chess traps in Giuoco Piano Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny7... * Italian Game Variations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xh... * Garry Kasparov's Checkmate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuP... * 5 Best Traps for White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5t... * Max Lange Attack instead of the Fried Liver Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI7... * Top 5 Traps in the Bishop's Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9l... * Top 5 King Pawn Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS2... * King's Gambit critique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrW... * Top 5 More Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar9... * Top 5 Famous Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJU... * Top 5 Fastest Traps to Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veZ... * Top 5 Underrated Openings Against the Sicilian Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsh... * 1.d4 d5 Ryder Gambit, Halosar Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZq... * Top 6 Opening Checkmates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRu... * Top 7 Aggressive Chess Openings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib8... * Wing Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODK... * Mengarini Gambit?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecd... * MC plays the Mengarini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XH... * Top 8 Versions of the Scotch Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbu... * Underrated Scotch Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8n... * Scotch Gambit for White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYP... * Scotch Gambit Trap for White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC-... * Learn the Scotch Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nr... * Scotch, Goring Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0F... * Haxo Gambit vs Nge7?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgm... * Haxo Gambit hammer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3om... * Top 10 Fastest Checkmates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctP... * Find Mate-in-One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOa... * 10 Well-Known Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf8... * 10 Most Deadly Opening Traps to Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyE... * 10 Ruy Lopez Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztm... * Common Mistakes in the Ruy Lopez Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y96... * You are going to lose a lot of chess games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W4... * Don't Hang Your Piece! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hz... * DGT North American Chess Clock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkh... * Electronic chessboard isn't necessary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOn... * Elements of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2C... * Easy to Learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--D... * No such thing as "Best Opening": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agU... * Endgame Fundamentals: King & Pawn vs King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLy... * Types of Opposition of the Kings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3o... * Pillsbury's Greek Gift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNC... * Punish Opening Errors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkL... * A Thought Process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rZ... * A Practical Thought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ-... * Quick Smothered Mate in the Budapest Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpe... * Tips for Knights & More: http://www.chesssets.co.uk/blog/tip... * Beautiful Knight Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_3... * Knight's Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab_... * Knight vs Pawn Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4f... * Trompowsky Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrK... * Trompowsky vs Naroditsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILY... * Top 10 Tactics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpl... * Rajnish Das Tips: https://enthu.com/blog/chess/chess-... * Removing the Defender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Y... * Decoy onto the square for ambush there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdI... * All 54 Tactics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY8... * Alapin Sicilian for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY-... * Alapin Sicilian Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezy... * Alapin Sicilian Never Disappoints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzd... * Chess Rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk1... * Chess Clock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a10... * Crazy Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM_... * Cultural History of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWN... * First Chess Game Ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC4... * Nelson explains his thought process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KN... * How the Chess Clock Works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgg... * How to Handle Losing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrg... * His First OTB Chess Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUi... * How Not to Blunder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Y... * A Thought Process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rZ... * Analysis Made Easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y4... * Attack the Fianchetto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF6... * Destroy g6, Bg7 Modern Robatsch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv_... * The Modern Defense: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moder... * Attack w/the London System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmq... * London System vs KID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU2... * Rosen's London System vs KID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W2... * Anti-London System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUB... * Beat the London System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-... * Crush the London System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qg... * London System Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTu... * Beginner Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR-... * Don't Blunder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jO... * Blunder Less: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYy... * Nimzo-Larsen Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwC... * 1.b3: Game Collection: Nimzo Larsen attack (1. b3!) - Opening Ideas * Black against 1.b3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpw... * Owen's Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkf... * Owen's Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF7... * Queen's Fianchetto for White and Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O24... * IM Lawrence Trent (not speaking) advocates 1...b6 against ALL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlW... * More ...b6 against ALL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKn... * Naselwaus Gambit vs Owen's Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBv... * Botvinnik System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmi... * Basics of the Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8a... * Brief Caro-Kann Defense Variations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-... * Black stops losing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgX... * Use the Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtP... * Three Caro-Kann Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNp... * The Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3H... * Beat the Caro-Kann Quickly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhj... * Crush the Caro-Kann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXv... * The Caro-Kann, Advance Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npq... * Gokerkan vs Niemann 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gw... * Classical Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA1... * Main Ideas of the Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pN... * Magnus plays the Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDa... * Karpov's Caro-Kann Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa4... * ...c6 against all by Hansen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZ... * ...c6 speedrun by Hansen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDU... * Instructive Caro-Kann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLp... * Dangerous Caro-Kann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI_... * C-K Advance, Botvinnik-Carls Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWb... * Caro-Kann, Fantasy Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4e... * Caro-Kann, Korchnoi Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF3... * Complete Caro-Kann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZ... * Chessbase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZl... * Chessbase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS_... * Chess Evolution: Game Collection: # Chess Evolution Volumes 1-50 * Faster Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClS... * Flashcards Fix Your Failures by reminding you of the right way to go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvH... * Flashcard Converter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B4... * Flashcard Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isy... * Free Tools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-n... * French Defense, Rubinstein Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jR... * Five Gambits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48W... * King's Gambit, Queen's Gambit in Style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-w... * Halloween Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XK... * Icelandic Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gj... * Improvement is COMMITTMENT, DEDICATION, DESIRE, and PERSEVERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCB... * Improvement Book Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up... This book appears to be for advanced players who already know the material listed above. * Solve Puzzles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWz... * How to Solve (Don't immediately look for your next move -- survey the board instead!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUr... * Save the Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGz... * Magnus sees a way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkq... * Amazing Stafford Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uh... * Killer Stafford Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUL... * Stafford Gambit Tricks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q2... * Stafford Gambit lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFb... * Best Stafford Gambit Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIe... * Improved Stafford Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_p... * The Bob Ross of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag0... * The Pride of the Yankees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPy... * The detailed history of chess: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show... * Englund Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSh... * Crush the Englund Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABg... * Crush the Englund Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5q... * Englund Gambit Queen Sacrifice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcM... * Englund Gambit Famous? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXX... * Englund Gambit Stockholm Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2... * Oh no, my knight! Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oks... * One Year 0-1700: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYC... * Find the Best Move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmF... * Three Most Common: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6x... * d4 Disclaimer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z... * Fundamentals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSv... * Alireza Firouzja Attacks with the Jobava London System! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wG... * Facing ...Bf5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6p... * Learn Danya's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLb... * Magnus sends g4 early: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNE... * Hansen has a go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTG... * Roswell, GA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgE... * Sidelines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-T... * Slav Lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3s... * 3...a6 Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFS... * 3...g6 Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3S... * Naroditsky's Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN8... * New JLo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnG... * Rapport System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBj... * Nutty Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAF... * No such thing as Free ELO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMt... * Rapport Speedrun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGb... * Run to 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBn... * Romanian Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8p... * Benoni Indian ...c5, ...Qb6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2P... * KID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKy... * KID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4O... * Na6 Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhF... * Middlegame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=261... * Jim's Middlegame Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vC... * What happens if...? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnS... * Queen Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxG... * Hubner vs Kasparov 1992: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwR... * Karpov's Immortal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUd... * Queen's Gambit Complete: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfO... * Queen's Gambit Fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEm... * Queen's Gambit According to BoJanglles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXM... * Top 5 Queen's Gambit Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqI... * Queen's Gambit Accepted Tricks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2... * Magnus opens classically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbs... * Kostya's QGD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie_... * Queen's Gambit Concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYB... * Queen's Gambit Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAt... * QGD, Slav D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HT... * The Slav D in 10 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs5... * Slav Main Line dxc4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnH... * 4...Bf5? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDY... * 4...a6 Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcp... * Beginner Mistakes in the Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTL... * Cheery Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq-... * Chessbase Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suk... * Chameleon Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rW... * ...a6 Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsD... * Beat the Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeY... * MC plays the Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAT... * Defeat the Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQX... * Lifetime Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGD... * Unbreakable Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBN... * Ben's QGD lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOW... * Fundamentals of the Semi-Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFc... * Kevin's Semi-Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ll... * Kostya's Semi-Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgy... * MC plays the Semi-Slav: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqT... * Semi-Slav Pathways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB7... * Semi-Slav, Meran Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykn... * Last Play of Every Super Bowl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9J... * Learn the Stonewall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_b... * Pillsbury's Stonewall Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR5... * The Stonewall Sucks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwv... * Stonewall Alteration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzI... * Against the Stonewall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33M... * Black Stonewall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeW... * Simon's Classical Dutch w/d6, not d5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt8... * 2.Bg5 Hopton Attack vs the Dutch Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dr... * Another 2.Bg5 destroys the Dutch Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvo... * Crush 2.Bg5 with the Dutch Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeK... * Prep for a Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpv... * Never Do This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b1... * Unnecessary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz0... * IM Rosen Stalemate Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB_... * How to Sicilian Taimanov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiv... * MC goes nuclear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLo... * Regrettable Pawn Moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI0... * Shortcuts: Game Collection: 21+ Too Fast French Kisses * She's right, but there are plenty of others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw5... * Space Advantages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLL... * Time Controls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljp... * Tricks to Turn It Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxV... * Trading Pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wg... * Trade Queens? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIG... * Evaluate Exchanges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNG... * When to Exchange: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D2... * What is YOUR study plan? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Y... * Wild Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlk... * The Opposition and Outflanking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1... * King and Pawn vs King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z52... * Knight and Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHW... * Queen vs Knight Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex1... * Principles of Rook and Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXl... * Unusual Openings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJQ... * A trap in Grob's Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P50... * Pulverize Grob's Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTs... * Tricks in Grob's Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESt... * The Grob is TERRIBLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wB... * Basman's / Borg's Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThK... * Mike explains Borg's Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Res... * Last Play of the World Series 1943-1973: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzt... * Last Play of Every Modern World Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkD... * Tricks to Trap the Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmU... * Tricks to Win a Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfS... * Queen Traps in the Scandinavian D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syr... * Trap the Queen in the Tennison Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZt... * Top 10 Traps of the Queens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZh... * White, Black Trap the Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olz... * Win the Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ8... * More Tricks to Trap the Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd0... * Qxb2 Poisoned Pawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74h... * Levy shows us more traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fot... * Richard Reti Does It Again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9z... Better be ill spoken of by one before all than by all before one. ~ Scottish Proverb * Weird is what you're not used to: https://chessentials.com/weird-ches... limerick, entitled ‘The Solver’s Plight’ was by ‘A.J.F.’ [A.J. Fink] and was published on page 22 of Chess Potpourri by Alfred C. Klahre (Middletown, 1931): There was a man from Vancouver Who tried to solve a two-mover; But the boob, he said, ‘“Gee”, I can’t find the “Kee”, No matter HOW I manouvre.’ 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. 64All Zajogin cldnt login but sumhou managd tosign outr space, force, time, android K safety b4 Zamikhovsky started the clock o' time: https://24timezones.com/#/map Chess Squares Riddle Question: How many squares are in a chessboard? “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. "It ain't over 'til it's over, no matter how over it looks." ― Yogi Berra Riddle Answer: 204 squares: 64 one-by-one squares, 49 two-by-two, 36 three-by-three, 25 four-by-four, 16 five-by-five, 9 six-by-six, 4 seven-by-seven, and 1 eight-by-eight * https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/oth... Phone scammers are getting smarter with their tactics like AI voice scams. And if you’re not careful, they could make big bucks off of you, the unsuspecting caller. Aside from hanging up if you hear this four-word phrase, there's something else you can do to avoid becoming a victim and to keep up with your smartphone security and privacy. Certain area codes can warn potential targets that the call isn't safe, according to Joseph Steinberg, CEO of SecureMySocial. Although scam callers once used a 900 number, they’ve changed their methods as the general public became aware of their tactic. Now, many scam phone numbers have different area codes, including 809, which originates in the Caribbean. Another area code to look out for may look like it's coming from the United States, but isn't. "Criminals have been known to use caller IDs with the area code 473, which appears to be domestic, but is actually the area code for the island of Grenada," Steinberg says. Watch out for these phone call scams that could steal your money, too. By the way, those calls add up fast. You could be charged for taking a call from any of these foreign countries, according to AARP. Plus, scammers can swindle you out of your money through phony vacation scams and fake stories about danger or money problems. iPhone scams and Uber scams are also on the rise, making Apple fans and Uber users alike more wary. Make sure you know how to avoid Uber scams and how to stop spam texts on your phone. To play it extra safe, Steinberg recommends never answering or returning a call from a number you don't recognize. If you actually know the person, they can always leave a voicemail. "Remember that it's unlikely that someone you do not know—who is in distress at a location with which you are not familiar—would dial a random number in another country and ask you to help them," he says. "They would call the police." It can't hurt to be wary of possible scam phone numbers with the following international area codes. And watch out for these Facebook Marketplace scams before you go shopping. Scam phone numbers: International Area Codes with a +1 Country Code 232—Sierra Leone 242 — Bahamas 246 — Barbados 268 — Antigua 284 — British Virgin Islands 345 — Cayman Islands 441 — Bermuda 473 — Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique 649 — Turks and Caicos 664 — Montserrat 721 — Sint Maarten 758 — St. Lucia 767 — Dominica 784 — St. Vincent and Grenadines 809, 829, and 849 — The Dominican Republic 868 — Trinidad and Tobago 869 — St. Kitts and Nevis 876 — Jamaica It's important to note that scammers can create scam phone numbers by spoofing numbers from many area codes, not just the ones listed above. Remember, a good rule of thumb is if you don't recognize the phone number, don't pick up your phone and let it go to voicemail. This can help you avoid falling for common phone scams, such as those pesky car extended warranty calls. By the way—if you are charged for picking up a scam call, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends contacting your phone company to try and take care of the matter. You can also file a complaint about the scam call with the FCC. Next, read about these online scams you need to be aware of and how to avoid them. Also, read up on what doxxing is and how it sets you up to be hacked. 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: What’s the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? Answer: Graveyards are attached to churches while cemeteries are stand-alone. Patty Loveless "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... 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 “In chess as in life, when defending or attacking, a good chess player understands that one rash, ill-conceived, bad move can worsen the position and lose the game.” ― John Bain, chess author “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 <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/ Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Drive sober or get pulled over. “For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable.” — Assiac Once I asked Pillsbury whether he used any formula for castling. He said his rule was absolute and vital: castle because you will or because you must; but not because you can.’ — W.E. Napier (1881-1952) Connecticut: Windsor Established in: 1633 Windsor was Connecticut's first English settlement, with a perfect location on the water. Today, the city uses its "first town" status to create a historical atmosphere ideal for tourism. * Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-... The Kings of Chess: A History of Chess, Traced Through the Lives of Its Greatest Players by William Hartston William Hartson traces the development of the game from its Oriental origins to the present day through the lives of its greatest exponents - men like Howard Staunton, who transformed what had been a genteel pastime into a competitive science; the brilliant American Paul Morphy, who once played a dozen simultaneous games blindfold; the arrogant and certified insane Wilhelm Steinitz; the philosopher and mathematician Emanual Lasker; Bobby Fischer, perhaps the most brilliant and eccentric of them all; and many other highly gifted individuals. Hartson depicts all their colorful variety with a wealth of rare illustrations. Format: Hardcover Language: English ISBN: 006015358X ISBN13: 9780060153588 Release Date: January 1985 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Length: 192 Pages Weight: 1.80 lbs. Q: What do you call something that goes up when the rain comes down? A: An umbrella. Q: What do you call a doctor who fixes websites? A: A URL-ologist. Q: What do you call a sleeping dinosaur? A: A dinosnore. Q: What do you call a Christmas tree that knows karate A: Spruce Lee. Q: What does a triangle call a circle? A: Pointless. Q: What do you call a piece of sad cheese? A: Blue cheese. Q: What do you call a cow in an earthquake? A: A milkshake. Q: What do you call an M&M that went to college? A: A smarty. * Weird is what you're not used to: https://chessentials.com/weird-ches... limerick, entitled ‘The Solver’s Plight’ was by ‘A.J.F.’ [A.J. Fink] and was published on page 22 of Chess Potpourri by Alfred C. Klahre (Middletown, 1931): There was a man from Vancouver Who tried to solve a two-mover; But the boob, he said, ‘“Gee”, I can’t find the “Kee”, No matter HOW I manouvre.’ 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. 45 games, 1888-2011 french defence of vezzir french defence compiled by vezzir * Tarrasch 3.Nbd2 Be7: Game Collection: French Defense: Tarrasch. Morozevich Variation * Starting Out: French Defense: Game Collection: Starting out : The French * Alekhine's French Def: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... * A few KIAs: Game Collection: Opening Ideas * Advance French: Game Collection: Attacking with the French * Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black * Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES CHESS Meet me then, within this grid, this little wooden battlefield as equals, as we forget our bodies to inhabit these pieces, control these spaces, trade threats and responses, send our thoughts out into possible positions, our eyes imagining nothing but sweet forks and lancing fianchettoes. We chessplayers, pretend enemies, bound to our miniature war inexplicably & inescapably: when did we find ourselves so obsessed, insidiously seduced to advances and exchanges, lost inside this abyss of infinite moves, willing servants of it's rules? - Rael “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, look for a better one.” ― Emanuel Lasker French Proverb: “Ce n’est pas à un vieux singe qu’on apprend à faire la grimace.” ― (There’s no substitute for experience.) * Glossary of Chess Terms: http://www.arkangles.com/kchess/glo... * GOTD Submission Page: Pun Submission Page * Are you broke? https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Brutal Attacking Chess collection: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess * M60MG: Game Collection: My Sixty Memorable Games (Fischer) * Vienna 1903 KG games: Game Collection: Vienna 1903 * Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev) WTHarvey: There once was a website named WTHarvey, Where chess puzzles did daily delay, The brain-teasers so tough, They made us all huff and puff, But solving them brought us great satisfaction today. There once was a website named WTHarvey Where chess puzzles were quite aplenty With knight and rook and pawn You'll sharpen your brain with a yawn And become a master of chess entry There once was a site for chess fun, Wtharvey.com was the chosen one, With puzzles galore, It'll keep you in store, For hours of brain-teasing, none done. There once was a website named wtharvey, Where chess puzzles were posted daily, You'd solve them with glee, And in victory, You'd feel like a true chess prodigy! “Chess is 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. The Human Seasons by John Keats Four Seasons fill the measure of the year; There are four seasons in the mind of man: He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear Takes in all beauty with an easy span: He has his Summer, when luxuriously Spring’s honied cud of youthful thought he loves To ruminate, and by such dreaming high Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings He furleth close; contented so to look On mists in idleness—to let fair things Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook. He has his Winter too of pale misfeature, Or else he would forego his mortal nature. 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. A toast to friendship: ‘Here’s to Tall Ships, Here’s to Small Ships, Here’s to all the Ships at Sea. But the best Ships are Friendships, Here’s to You and Me!’ “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 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 ABSORB: 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! 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. “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 Weiord Funn: 8two After Columbia Zan Francoppa pagan ideology Zajogin free papal map to Zaza Varkondzhova for zborris63 outr space, force, time, andrew j...son K safety. 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. 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 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. “When you’re lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war.” — Aristotle “A bad plan is better than none at all.” — Frank Marshal “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 Chessgames.com will be unavailable August 28, 2023 from 1:00AM through 1:30AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience. 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... 15 games, 1850-2010 French Fried Compiled by Mating Net Originally compiled by Mating Net Instructive French Games. What to do, and not to do, against 1...e6. Some awesome combinations and sacrifices by White in these games. * Starting Out: French Defense: Game Collection: Starting out : The French * Alekhine's French Def: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... * A few KIAs: Game Collection: Opening Ideas * Advance French: Game Collection: Attacking with the French * Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black * Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES * TFD: https://chessentials.com/category/l... * 38 Tactics: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... * Wei Yi spent 48 minutes on a move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF8... * Prize Games: Game Collection: Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the ChessMasters * Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv... * 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... * Vladimir Bagirov Attacks: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ "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 2016, a Michigan-based priest named Gerald Johnson suffered a heart attack. He says he had a near-death experience that sent him somewhere he never thought he’d visit: Hell. Johnson says that immediately after his heart attack in February 2016, his spirit left his physical body and went down to hell, entering through “the very center of the Earth.” Though he says “the things I saw there are indescribable,” he did his best. Johnson claims he saw a man walking on all fours like a dog and getting burned from head to toe: “His eyes were bulging and worse than that: He was wearing chains on his neck. He was like a hellhound. There was a demon holding the chains." 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. A Game of Chess - by T. S. Eliot II. A GAME OF CHESS The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne, Glowed on the marble, where the glass Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines From which a golden Cupidon peeped out (Another hid his eyes behind his wing) Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra Reflecting light upon the table as The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it, From satin cases poured in rich profusion; In vials of ivory and coloured glass Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes, Unguent, powdered, or liquid — troubled, confused And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air That freshened from the window, these ascended In fattening the prolonged candle-flames, Flung their smoke into the laquearia, Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling. Huge sea-wood fed with copper Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone, In which sad light a carved dolphin swam. Above the antique mantel was displayed As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale Filled all the desert with inviolable voice And still she cried, and still the world pursues, " Jug Jug " to dirty ears. And other withered stumps of time Were told upon the walls; staring forms Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed. Footsteps shuffled on the stair. Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair Spread out in fiery points Glowed into words, then would be savagely still. " My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me. " Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak. — " What are you thinking of? What thinking? What? " I never know what you are thinking. Think. " I think we are in rats' alley Where the dead men lost their bones. " What is that noise? " The wind under the door. " What is that noise now? What is the wind doing? " Nothing again nothing. " Do " You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember " Nothing? " — I remember Those are pearls that were his eyes. " Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head? " But O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag — It's so elegant So intelligent " What shall I do now? What shall I do? " " I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street " With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow? " What shall we ever do? " The hot water at ten. And if it rains, a closed car at four. And we shall play a game of chess, Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door. When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said — I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, H URRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart. He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there. You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set, He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you. And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert, He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time, And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said. Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said. Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look. H URRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said. Others can pick and choose if you can't. But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling. You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique. (And her only thirty-one.) I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face, It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said. (She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.) The chemist said it would be all right, but I've never been the same. You are a proper fool, I said. Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said, What you get married for if you don't want children? H URRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon, And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot — H URRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME H URRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight. Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight. Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night. “Rooks need each other in the middlegame. This is why one should keep their rooks connected until the opposing queen is off the board. She'll snare 'em (usually from a centralized square on an open diagonal or perhaps a poisoned pawn approach of the unprotected b2/b7 and g2/g7 square next to the occupied corner) if the two rooks aren't protecting each other.” ― Fredthebear “In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted; if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.” ― Tom Seaver "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 * Riddle-zapapa-dee: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch... “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. "Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours." ― Yogi Berra, one of the greatest Yankees of all time Dick Cavitt: "And you like that moment of just crushing the guy?" RJ Fischer: "Right *nodding and smiling*, yeah." St. Marher, 1225: "And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet." woordyfuun: 08hor AbouT Zojer permafrost Z Fresca Bloody chanted good nurserey rhyemes above Zazo Narkundzhiya fore zborris67 rode thru countrside attk. 15 games, 1896-2006 French Two Knights Ideas “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass “Nothing is dearer to a chess player's heart than his rating. Well, of course everyone knows he's under-rated, but his rating, its ups and downs, however miniscule, are his ego's stock-market report.” ― Lev Alburt “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 No hiding the evidence A man, shocked by how his buddy is dressed, asks him, “How long have you been wearing that bra?” The friend replies, “Ever since my wife found it in the glove compartment.” — Submitted by Braeden Silvermist Smelly... Q: Why did Pinocchio’s nose grow every time he slept? A: Because he was lying all the time. I thought his nose jokes stink, but his eye jokes were even cornea. I enrolled in a nose-whipping competition but was disqualified. I definitely blew it. I asked my friend if he ever thought about how a nose smells. He told me that it doesn’t. My friend was accused of lying about how much snot came out of his nose when he sneezed. He was blowing it out of proportion. 30 games, 1949-2014 French Winawer. Poisoned Pawn Thank you Trimagna (9 games) <14 million-year-old vehicle tracks According to a researcher called Dr. Koltypin, millions of years ago advanced technologies existed on Earth, and the traces we see in the above image were left behind by vehicles 14 million years ago As noted by Russian Geologists, these mysterious traces are at least 14 million old and were left behind by “vehicles” that belonged to a currently “unknown ancient civilization” that inhabited our planet in the past. Many researchers believe that we are not the first society to rule over this planet. In fact, a number of authors have claimed that many other advanced civilizations called this planet home in the past. According to Dr. Koltypin and many other archaeologists, which have adopted new ways of thinking, these ancient “car tracks” are one of the best-preserved pieces of evidence which undoubtedly prove the existence of highly advanced ancient civilizations that inhabited our planet in the distant past.> Pawns are the soul of chess. Move too many pawns and you are toast. If you don't move enough pawns, you are cramped for space. Thank you Jake, lomez. See French Defence compiled by ChessPraxis. Opening repertoire key games compiled by chessbuzz See Play the French 4th Edition by John Watson compiled by shoshonte Another chess creation by Fred Iyak <Mohenjo-Daro The archaeological site of Mohenjo Daro is considered by many ancient astronaut theorists as one of the best examples of ancient alien contact. The destruction of this once great city has been a mystery for archaeologists and experts for decades. Ancient Astronaut theorists claim that thousands of years ago, advanced alien civilizations visited Earth, and nuclear bombs were used to destroy this city. The city was discovered in 1992 when Indian archaeologist R. Banardzhi found the ancient ruins on the banks of the Indus River. Questions such as the cause of the destruction and the fate of its inhabitants remain a mystery to scholars. Some researchers have postulated theories that this city was destroyed by the gods, with “advanced nuclear weapons.”> “Un croquis vaut mieux qu” — Napoleon Bonaparte “The World is not ruined by the wickedness of the wicked, but by the weakness of the good.” — Napoleon Bonaparte “You don't reason with intellectuals. You shoot them.” — Napoleon Bonaparte * French Rep: Game Collection: French Defense * Hans On French: Game Collection: French Defense * French Victories: Game Collection: French - Advance/Tarrasch/Exchange/etc * TFD: https://chessentials.com/category/l... <The underground city of Derinkuyu Another incredible feat of ancient engineering. Thousands of years ago, ancient people excavated hundreds of meters into the Earth, building one of the greatest ancient underground cities on Earth. This incredible underground city has challenged the views and theories of archaeologists and engineers ever since its discovery. Many mysteries engulf this underground city. No one has been able to understand why and how it was built. While some authors indicate it was created to protect its inhabitants from climate change, extreme temperatures or even war, there are others who believe that its purpose is far more mysterious.> C02 French, advance variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 French, advance, Steinitz variation 3...c5 4.dxc5 French, advance, Nimzovich variation 3...c5 4.Qg4 French, advance, Nimzovich system 3...c5 4.Nf3 French, advance variation (3...c5 4.c3) 3...c5 4.c3 French, advance, Wade variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4...Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7 French, advance variation (4...Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7) 4...Nc6 French, advance, Paulsen attack 5.Nf3 French, advance, Milner-Barry gambit 5...Qb6 6.Bd3 French, advance, Euwe variation 5...Bd7 * Theory: http://162.203.35.1:78/mediawiki/in... <A Massive knife discovered underwater Not much can be found about this mysterious image, but we’ll include it just for fun. We see a massive knife, held by three scuba drivers somewhere on Earth’s ocean. The image has been widely shared among people on social networks, and many consider it evidence that, before written history, perhaps tens of thousands of years ago, giants walked on Earth. More than likely, it’s a prop that ended up somehow in the ocean, but who knows for sure?> 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 7,000 year-old road found under the Mediterranean Sea in Croatia <Sacsayhuamán Sacsayhuamán is without a doubt one of the most incredible ancient sites ever discovered on the planet. Why? Not only because of the history of this ancient city but because of the supermassive stones used in its construction. The ceremonial complex is well-known for its impeccable masonry that is so precise that engineers today have no clue how it was made. Some of the stones at Sacsayhuamán are so perfectly fitted that not a single sheet of paper can fit in between.> The Fashion of the Champion by Wayne Proudlove Posted: Aug-26-09 The success of the victor depends on the factors that take shape after the dream/ Obstacles that prevent him from confirming the win are like walking a thin and high beam/ For the opponent is prepared and often uses his skills in ways that are not quite what they seem/ This holds true for both those working alone and members of some kind of team/ But one thing remains certain and it's through much experience I've deemed/ It takes not just understanding or mastery even, but to perform under pressure extreme. <The Gate of The Sun ( Puerta del Sol) The Gate of the Sun is a megalithic solid stone arch or gateway located in Tiwanaku, an ancient mysterious city located in Bolivia. Archaeologists believe this ancient city was the center of a vast empire during the first millennium AD. And despite the fact that we know a lot about South American ancient civilizations, researchers are still not able to figure out the meaning of some of the drawings that are enshrined in the monuments of the ancient city. Some experts believe these depictions have a great astrological and astronomical value, while other authors believe it is a gateway to another world.> 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 Longyou Caves The Longyou Caves are out of this world. This incredible set of caves is little talked about. The Longyou Caves are a set of artificial caves that are believed to be at least 2000 years old and happen to be one of the largest structures ever excavated by man. Researchers have been baffled by the size and precision of the caves. Archaeologists, engineers, architects, and geologists from around the world have tried to figure out how, why and when were these artificial caves were built, but no one has offered a single solution to the many mysteries surrounding the caves.> The Fireside Book of Chess is a huge grab bag, accenting the lighter side of chess. It is a reservoir into which the reader can dip to provide countless hours of relaxation and entertainment. Since it makes few demands on the reader, it is a virtually perfect gift for Christmas or any other time of the year. Messers. Chernev and Reinfeld have stuffed their grab bag with golden nuggets. They have included stories and articles by unsung chess heroes like Billy Rose, veteran experts like Alfred Kreymborg, and devoted lovers of the game like Gerald Kersh and Solomon Hecht. The chess games contained were selected for their brevity as well as brilliance; some are amusing, others as devastating as an avalanche. There are sections on “Remarkable Games and the Stories Behind Those Games”, “Combinations”, “Quickies”. “Simultaneous Exhibitions”, “Women in Chess”, “Slugging Matches”, and twenty other such diversions. In brief, The Fireside Book of Chess contains everything necessary to delight the reader who knows that this ancient game is the most exciting and entertaining of all civilized sports. The Fireside Book of Chess is the World's Greatest Collection of stories, cartoons and amusing anecdotes about the game of chess. It also has curious and interesting chess games such as the game where the Champion of France lost in four moves, which is the quickest loss in chess history by a master. This book is famous not for the games it contains but for the stories, fiction and cartoons about chess. However, included is a selection of the games converted into Algebraic Notation in the back pages of this book. Nimzowitsch vs J Szekely, 1927 <The underwater city of Yonaguni – Japan Referred to as Japans Atlantis, some authors argue the Yonaguni complex is an ancient monument left behind by an ancient civilization that existed on Earth before the last Ice Age. These alleged ancient remains were discovered accidentally by scuba instructor Khachiro Arataki. Some underwater archaeologists, as well as many authors, refer to this ancient complex as one of the most important underwater discoveries in recent years. The discovery of the Yonaguni complex has questioned several scientific theories. The incredibly carved rock sank is believed to have sunken more than 12,000 years ago, much before the Ancient Egyptians built the Pyramids. Mainstream archaeology and science argue that no advanced civilizations existed on Earth before the last Ice Age and that ancient mankind was not able to carve such a complex structure.> Delaware: Lewes Established in: 1631 As the first town in the first state, Lewes enjoys a special sort of charming history. The quaint town is full of historical touches and is a great place to visit. Located where the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean meet, there is also plenty of nature to be found. * Brief History of Chess: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... <Giant Stone Spheres These giant stone spheres have been present from Costa Rica to Bosnia & Herzegovina, they come in all sorts of sizes. They were first found in South America in the 1930s by workers who were clearing jungle to make way for a plantation of bananas. South American legends say that hidden within the rocks are unimaginable treasures. This has led to the destruction of many of these spheres by people who did not recognize their historical value. Despite the fact that many of these spheres were destroyed, no one has ever found anything inside them. Similar spheres can be found in Europe in Bosnia & Herzegovina near Visoko. No one can explain what these giant stone spheres are made for.> 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. “When you’re lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play Chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war.” ― Aristotle “The habit of holding a Man in the hand, and moving it first to one square and then to another, in order to engage the assistance of the eye in deciding where it shall actually be placed, is not only annoying to the adversary but a practical infraction of the touch-and-move principle.” ― Howard Staunton “A bad plan is better than none at all.” ― Frank Marshall <2 billion-year-old Natural Nuclear Reactor In 1972, researchers confirmed the discovery of a set of Natural Nuclear Reactors in Gabon. Ever since, scientists have scratched their heads trying to understand how it is possible that these nuclear reactors developed in Gabon two billion years ago, and did not come into existence at any other place on the Planet. As claimed by experts, more than two billion years ago, parts of the African uranium deposit spontaneously underwent nuclear fission. According to scientists, this mysterious “natural” nuclear reactor had the ability to produce modest energy. Scientists estimate the Oklo reactors would have had samples with roughly 3.6% uranium-235 — that’s close to the enrichment threshold of modern nuclear reactors.> Scented... I complimented my dad that he smells good the other day. He replied, “Maybe it’s because I use both my nostrils.” I went out with some of my friends and one of them had a runny nose. I know it sounds funny, but it’s snot. The pair of eyes were having a chat. One eye tells the other, “There is something that smells between me and you.” We went to visit the meadow where we used to play when we were kids. The scents all over were familiar. It was very nose-talgic. She bought a gold-scented candle and burned it. It had a very rich aroma. Q: What do people do when they walk past snobby vegetables in the market? A: Turnip their noses. The prayerful nose always knew that an angel was watching over him. The angel was heaven-scent. 16 games, 1881-2007 Frencied X “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 271 games, 1841-2023 Frenh Prov: Tarrasch. Chistyakov5 Worlds Isa V * FT 0-1: Game Collection: French Tarrasch “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 sit down to play a game you should think only about the psotion, but not about the opponent. Whether chess is regarded as a science, or an art, or a sport, all the same psychology bears no relation to it and only stands in the way of real chess. Jose Raul Capablanca It is astonishing how carefully Capablanca's combinations are calculated. Turn and twist as you will, search the variations in every way possible, you come to the inevitable conclusion that the moves all fit in with the utmost precision. – Max Euwe I think Capablanca had the greatest natural talent. – Mikhail Botvinnik We can compare Capablanca with Mozart, whose charming music appeared to have been a smooth flow. I get the impression that Capablanca did not even know why he preferred this or that move, he just moved the pieces with his hand. If he had worked a lot on chess, he might have played worse because he would have started to try to comprehend things. But Capablanca did not have to comprehend anything, he just had to move the pieces! - Vladimir Kramnik "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 Sidewalk playin': https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * Old P-K4 Miniatures: Game Collection: Games for Classes * Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems * 21st Century: Game Collection: 0 * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * TIP: Click on the e8 square to see a computer engine analysis of the position. * Hans On French: Game Collection: French Defense * Alapins: Game Collection: Alapin * Chess Records: https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/record... * Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc... * Flip the Finish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWH... “Once in a lobby of the Hall of Columns of the Trade Union Center in Moscow a group of masters were analyzing an ending. They could not find the right way to go about things and there was a lot of arguing about it. Suddenly Capablanca came into the room. He was always find of walking about when it was his opponent's turn to move. Learning the reason for the dispute the Cuban bent down to the position, said 'Si, si,' and suddenly redistributed the pieces all over the board to show what the correct formation was for the side trying to win. I haven't exaggerated. Don Jose literally pushed the pieces around the board without making moves. He just put them in fresh positions where he thought they were needed. Suddenly everything became clear. The correct scheme of things had been set up and now the win was easy. We were delighted by Capablanca's mastery.” ― Alexander Kotov “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 “Funny, funny Jude (The Man in the Red Beret). You play with little pieces all day long, and you know what? You’ll live to be an old, old man someday. And here I am.” — Janis Joplin Jude Acers set a Guinness World Record for playing 117 people in simultaneous chess games on April 21, 1973 at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon. On July 2-3, 1976 Jude played 179 opponents at Mid Isle Plaza (Broadway Plaza) in Long Island, New York for another Guinness record. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER 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. “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 “In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent.” — Vasily Smyslov “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 Fooles Mate Black Kings Biſhops pawne one houſe. White Kings pawne one houſe. Black kings knights pawne two houſes White Queen gives Mate at the contrary kings Rookes fourth houſe — Beale, The Royall Game of Chesse-Play Beale's example can be paraphrased in modern terms where White always moves first, algebraic notation is used, and Black delivers the fastest possible mate after each player makes two moves: 1.f3 e6 2.g4 Qh4# There are eight distinct ways in which Fool's Mate can be reached in two moves. White may alternate the order of f- and g-pawn moves, Black may play either e6 or e5, and White may move their f-pawn to f3 or f4.> “Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles.” — Garry Kasparov “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. “Don’t blow your own trumpet.” — Australian Proverb Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force. “Continuing to play the victim is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Blaming others for your station in life will indeed make you a victim but the perpetrator will be your own self, not life or those around you.” — Bobby Darnell <“Sestrilla, hafelina Jue amourasestrilla Awou jue selaviena En patre jue Translation: Beloved one, little cat I love you for all time In this time And all others” ― Christine Feehan> Alabama: Mobile Established in: 1702 The city of Mobile is a port city on the Gulf Coast in Alabama that has a lot of French influence (which makes sense, since it was founded by the French). Mardi Gras celebrations originated there, and you can experience the history of the holiday at the Mobile Carnival Museum. WTHarvey: There once was a website named WTHarvey, Where chess puzzles did daily delay, The brain-teasers so tough, They made us all huff and puff, But solving them brought us great satisfaction today. There once was a website named WTHarvey Where chess puzzles were quite aplenty With knight and rook and pawn You'll sharpen your brain with a yawn And become a master of chess entry There once was a site for chess fun, Wtharvey.com was the chosen one, With puzzles galore, It'll keep you in store, For hours of brain-teasing, none done. There once was a website named wtharvey, Where chess puzzles were posted daily, You'd solve them with glee, And in victory, You'd feel like a true chess prodigy! “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” — Mahatma Gandhi “Never be bullied into silence, never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, define yourself.” — Robert Frost “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” — Mahatma Gandhi "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. 'As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it The Horse and the Wolf A wolf, what time the thawing breeze Renews the life of plants and trees, And beasts go forth from winter lair To seek abroad their various fare, – A wolf, I say, about those days, In sharp look-out for means and ways, Espied a horse turned out to graze. His joy the reader may opine. "Once got," said he, "this game were fine; But if a sheep, it were sooner mine. I can't proceed my usual way; Some trick must now be put in play." This said, He came with measured tread, As if a healer of disease, – Some pupil of Hippocrates, – And told the horse, with learned verbs, He knew the power of roots and herbs, – Whatever grew about those borders, – And not at all to flatter Himself in such a matter, Could cure of all disorders. If he, Sir Horse, would not conceal The symptoms of his case, He, Doctor Wolf, would gratis heal; For that to feed in such a place, And run about untied, Was proof itself of some disease, As all the books decide. "I have, good doctor, if you please," Replied the horse, "as I presume, Beneath my foot, an aposthume." "My son," replied the learned leech, "That part, as all our authors teach, Is strikingly susceptible Of ills which make acceptable What you may also have from me – The aid of skillful surgery; Which noble art, the fact is, For horses of the blood I practise." The fellow, with this talk sublime, Watched for a snap the fitting time. Meanwhile, suspicious of some trick, The wary patient nearer draws, And gives his doctor such a kick, As makes a chowder of his jaws. Exclaimed the wolf, in sorry plight, "I own those heels have served me right. I erred to quit my trade, As I will not in future; Me nature surely made For nothing but a butcher." * The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev - https://lichess.org/study/w2JcfP5K * Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century Isaiah 66:24 24 "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER <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.”> Drive sober or get pulled over. “For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable.” — Assiac * Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv... “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. “You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” ― Indira Gandhi 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 FACTRETRIEVER 2020: Pablo Picasso would often carry around a pistol loaded with blanks. He would fire it at people he found boring or anyone who insulted the Post-Impressionist painter, Paul Cézanne. Dick Cavitt: "And you like that moment of just crushing the guy?" RJ Fischer: "Right *nodding and smiling*, yeah." “Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways.” ― Vladimir Kramnik “Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.” ― Elizabeth Green 'A stitch in time saves nine' “You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds.” * 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: "The elbow is close but you cannot bite it. (Близок локоток, да не укусишь.)" Close is no cigar. Ya might be ah redneck if'n ya thunk "lol" means low on liquor. “If you ain’t the lead dog, the view never changes.” “Here’s a two-step formula for handling stress... Step number one: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Step number two: Remember it’s all small stuff.” ― Tony Robbins 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. “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 Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. ~ Voltaire “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” ― Siegbert Tarrasch “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman Ah, St. Marher, 1225: "And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet." wordsyfun 48xp L Zaid Tacocchio peeked up eza wally's pride b4 HOCF askd CIOD to open athe zodiacaleon bad zappasta gaspd last requested Dzagnidze instead of Dzindzi's line of playday. 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. Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' 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. French Proverbs That Will Inspire You “Paris ne s’est pas fait en un jour!” ― (Paris was not made in a day!) “Il vaut mieux prévenir que guérir.” ― (It is better to prevent than to heal.) “Tout est bien qui finit bien.” ― (All’s well that ends well.) “Qui vivra verra.” ― (The future will tell.) “Qui veut voyager loin ménage sa monture.” ― (He who takes it slow and steady travels a long way.) “Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre.” ― (All things come to those who wait.) “Qui terre a, guerre a.” ― (He who has land has quarrels.) “Ce n’est pas à un vieux singe qu’on apprend à faire la grimace.” ― (There’s no substitute for experience.) “Tout ce qui brille n’est pas or.” ― (All that glitters isn’t gold.) “À bon chat bon rat.” ― (Tit for tat.) “Nécessité fait loi.” ― (Beggars can’t be choosers.) “Un chien vivant vaut mieux qu’un lion mort.” ― (A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.) “Battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud.” ― to strike while the iron is hot.) “Chat échaudé craint l’eau froide.” ― (Once bitten, twice shy.) “Donne au chien l’os pour qu’il ne convoite pas ta viande.” ― (Give some and keep the rest.) “On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne.” ― (One does not change a winning team.” In other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.) “Qui n’avance pas, recule.” ― (Who does not move forward, recedes.) “Quand on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a.” ― (When one doesn’t have the things that one loves, one must love what one has.) “Il n’y a pas plus sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre.” ― (Commonly applied french proverbs flair beauty impress.) “Il n’y a pas plus sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre.” ― (No one is as deaf as the one who does not want to listen.) “Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait.” ― (No sooner said than done.) “Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.” ― (Little by little, the bird makes its nest.) “Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire.” ― (Once the first step is taken, there’s no going back.) “Qui casse les verres les paie.” ― (You pay for your mistakes.) “Tel père, tel fils.” ― (Like father like son.) “Qui ne dit mot consent.” ― (Silence implies consent.) “Rira bien qui rira le dernier.” ― (Whoever laughs last laughs best.) “L’habit ne fait pas le moine.” ― (Don’t judge a book by its cover.) “Autres temps, autres mœurs.” ― (Other times, other customs.) “Le temps, c’est de l’argent.” ― (Time is money.) “Chacun voit midi à sa porte.” ― (Everyone sees noon at his own door, or Everyone sees things their own way.) “Après la pluie, le beau temps.” ― (Every cloud has a silver lining.) “Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières.” ― (Small streams form great rivers.) “On ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser des œufs.” ― (You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.) “Mieux vaut tard que jamais.” ― (Better late than never.) “Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir à point.”― (Slow and steady wins the race.) “Les murs ont des oreilles.” ― (Walls have ears.) “Impossible n’est pas français.” ― (Impossible isn’t French.) “Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.” ― (Nothing should be left to chance.) “Il n’y a pas de fumée sans feu.” ― (There’s no smoke without fire.) “Souris qui n’a qu’un trou est bientôt prise.” ― (Better safe than sorry.) “Qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf.” ― (He who steals an egg will steal an ox.) “Qui se ressemble s’assemble.” ― (Birds of a feather flock together.) “Ne réveillez pas le chat qui dort.” ― (Don’t wake the sleeping cat.) “Le loup retourne toujours au bois.” ― (One always goes back to one’s roots.) “Il y a plus d’un âne à la foire qui s’appelle Martin.” ― (Don’t jump to conclusions.) “Il ne faut jamais courir deux lièvres à la fois.” ― (Don’t try to do two things at once.) “Les gros poissons mangent les petits.” ― (Big fish eat little fish.) “Faire d’une pierre deux coups.” ― (To kill two birds with one stone.) “Les chiens aboient, la caravane passe.” ― (To each his own.) “Funny, funny Jude (The Man in the Red Beret). You play with little pieces all day long, and you know what? You’ll live to be an old, old man someday. And here I am.” — Janis Joplin Jude Acers set a Guinness World Record for playing 117 people in simultaneous chess games on April 21, 1973 at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon. On July 2-3, 1976 Jude played 179 opponents at Mid Isle Plaza (Broadway Plaza) in Long Island, New York for another Guinness record. If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize. ~ Voltaire Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. ~ Voltaire If there’s life on other planets, then the earth is the Universe’s insane asylum. ~ Voltaire The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom. ~ Voltaire So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men. ~ Voltaire The right to free speech is more important than the content of the speech. ~ Voltaire It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. ~ Voltaire You have no control over the hand that life deals you, but how you play that hand is entirely up to you. ~ Voltaire Those who can be made to believe absurdities can be made to commit atrocities. ~ Voltaire Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said. ~ Voltaire The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood. ~ Voltaire It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong. ~ Voltaire Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason. ~ Voltaire The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor. ~ Voltaire The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes. ~ Voltaire We are all guilty of the good we did not do. ~ Voltaire The more a man knows, the less he talks. ~ Voltaire The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity. ~ Voltaire Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it. ~ Voltaire Je ne suis pas d'accord avec ce que vous dites, mais je d‚fendrai jusqu'... la mort le droit que vous avez de le dire/ I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. ~ Voltaire Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. ~ Voltaire The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. ~ Voltaire Give me the patience for the small things of life, courage for the great trials of life. Help me to do my best each day and then go to sleep knowing God is awake. ~ Voltaire Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. ~ Voltaire * 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: "The elbow is close but you cannot bite it. (Близок локоток, да не укусишь.)" Close is no cigar. Ya might be ah redneck if'n ya thunk "lol" means low on liquor. “If you ain’t the lead dog, the view never changes.” “Here’s a two-step formula for handling stress... Step number one: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Step number two: Remember it’s all small stuff.” ― Tony Robbins 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. “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 “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” ― Siegbert Tarrasch “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman 'A stitch in time saves nine' “You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds.” wordsyfun 48xp L Zaid Tacocchio peeked up eza wally's pride b4 HOCF askd CIOD to open athe zodiacaleon bad zappasta gaspd last requested Dzagnidze instead of Dzindzi's line of playday. 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. 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. Q: What is money called in space? A: Star bucks. Q: Where do the stars go to get their milk? A: The Milky Way. Q: Why didn’t the Dog Star laugh at the joke? A: It was too Sirius. ] 6 games, 1989-2001 Friday Puzzles, 2011-2017 Copied <Difficult> See Game Collection: Game of the Day & Puzzle of the Day Collections for complete lists of my Game of the Day and Puzzle of the Day collections. <Missing Entries> (May-[Note: No puzzle is given for May-17-13, 2013. That day's puzzle had already been used on Friday, July 8, 2011, and a game can appear only once in a collection.] A game may appear only once in a collection, so if one is repeazted during the time span covered by a collction, only the first instance will appear. In this collection, the following games are affected: Fischer vs W Beach, 1963 (Jul-08-11, May-13-13) Mamedyarov vs A Timofeev, 2004 (Mar-11-11, Mar-31-17) 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 * 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 “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 “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 363 games, 1884-2017 g Black Repertoire: 1.d4 d5 Compiled by libertyj Copy Dear reader, Not everyone knows that mastering the queen's gambit declined is essential for anyone wanting to become a strong positional player. But I realized it and I will continue to play it until I become a strong player. It is based mostly on Matthew Sadler's book 'The Queen's Gambit Declined', except for chapter 3 where I did a bit of research on the internet and with the chessgames.com opening explorer. Specialists of the Queen's Gambit Declined that you will follow are Nigel Short, Efim Geller and Alexander Beliavsky <1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7> It's the idea of <Geller> to play this move. It stops any exchange variation with Bg5, notably the most dangerous for black of them all. I) Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation <4. cxd5 exd5> click for larger view ------------ II) Queen's Gambit Declined Bf4 click for larger view A very fashionable and complicated variation for both sides ------------ III) Queen's Gambit Declined Tartakower Variation Main Line <4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. e3 0-0 7. Bh6 b6> click for larger view ------------ IV) Playing against d pawn rare systems a) Stonewall attack. click for larger view A Abdul Rahman vs M Aboudi, 2010 is a very concrete example of the risks for white in this (too) slow opening b) Colle-Zukertort system click for larger view The white player wants to hack your kings but as usual central counterplay is the key answer W John vs A Nimzowitsch, 1910 c) Pure Colle System <2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6> click for larger view "The deadly pawn triangle", as Kingscrusher says, is not that deadly but is certainly to be considered seriously E El Gindy vs S Halkias, 2003, E P Nirmal vs P Mohana, 2008 d) Levitsky attack <2. Bg5 Nf6> click for larger view A favorite of Hodgson that aims to bring unusual positions to the board * <3. Bxf6> Van der Wiel vs Timman, 1990 R Djurhuus vs Carlsen, 2006, I Rogers vs Kasparov, 2001, H Borchgrevink vs V Akobian, 1996 e) The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit < 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 c6> dx click for larger view A crazy opening that it quite unsound. Castling queenside will annoy white over-agressive players. 9 games, 1873-2011 g Italian Game: Modern Variation Mig3 Bac Q: How do poets say hello? A: "Hey, haven’t we metaphor?" Thank you Qindarka! Q: What do you call a cow jumping on a trampoline? A: A milkshake. It’s no time to play chess when the house is on fire. ~ Italian Proverbs If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. ~ Chinese Proverb The one who wins plays best. ~ German Proverbs Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” "You must play boldly to win." ― Arnold Palmer "Champions keep playing until they get it right." ― Billie Jean King Fred Wellmuth was a strong amateur from California Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Sir, if you could beat me, I would know you. – Jose Raul Capablanca (to an unknown player who had rejected Capablanca's offer of queen odds, on the grounds that Capablanca didn't know him, and might lose) Young man, you play remarkable chess! You never make a mistake! – Emanuel Lasker (after losing most of the games in a 10 game rapid transit match against a very young Capablanca) Capablanca's planning of the game is so full of that freshness of his genius for position play, that every hypermodern player can only envy him. – Alexander Alekhine It is astonishing how carefully Capablanca's combinations are calculated. Turn and twist as you will, search the variations in every way possible, you come to the inevitable conclusion that the moves all fit in with the utmost precision. – Max Euwe “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. “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 “I was brought up on the games of Capablanca and Nimzowitsch, and they became part of my chess flesh and blood.” — Tigran Petrosian “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 “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 “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 All that glitters is not gold – this line can be found in a text from c.1220: ‘ Nis hit nower neh gold al that ter schineth.’ A friend in need is a friend indeed – a proverb from c.1035 say this: ‘Friend shall be known in time of need.’ All’s well that ends well – a line from the mid-13th century is similar: ‘Wel is him te wel ende mai.’ Meanwhile, Henry Knighton’s Chronicle from the late 14th-century one can read: ‘ If the ende be wele, than is alle wele.’ Matthew 17:20 Our faith can move mountains. Other people’s wisdom prevents the king from being called a fool. ~ Nigerian Proverb Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand. ~ Guinean Proverb Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author. ~ Twi Proverb The laughter of a child lights up the house. ~ Swahili proverb Hay dos maneras de hermosura: una del alma y otra del cuerpo; la del alma campea y se muestra en el entendimiento, en la honestidad, en el buen proceder, en la liberalidad y en la buena crianza, y todas estas partes caben y pueden estar en un hombre feo; y cuando se pone la mira en esta hermosura, y no en la del cuerpo, suele nacer el amor con ímpetu y con ventajas. (There are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body; that of the soul shows and demonstrates itself in understanding, in honesty, in good behavior, in generosity and in good breeding, and all these things can find room and exist in an ugly man; and when one looks at this type of beauty, and not bodily beauty, love is inclined to spring up forcefully and overpoweringly.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre. (When one door is closed, another is opened.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) Dijo la sartén a la caldera, quítate allá ojinegra. (The frying pan said to the cauldron, "Get out of here, black-eyed one." This is believed to be the source of the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black.") ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Compiled by nbabcox Enhanced by Fredthebear Modern line: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d3 a6 6 Bb3 Ba7 7 h3 Variations: A. 5...0-0 6 Bg5 B. 5...d6 C. 5...d5? 6 exd5 Nxd5 7 Qb3! D. 6...0-0 E. 6...d6 7 Ndf1 F. 6...Bg4?! G. 7 Nbd2 0-0 G1. 8 Nc4!? G2. 8 h3 d5 “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 Apr-08-23 Nepomniachtchi vs R Praggnanandhaa, 2023 freddiebear: Oops, another blubbering blunder in a rush to judgement. Clearly, the Italian Game has always been an insidious struggle. There's "Quiet" and there's "Very Quiet." Instead of picking on experts and defying computers, that silence would be the best path forward. “I've never met a checkers player I didn't like; they're all even-tempered. Chess players are egotistical. They think they're intellectuals and that everyone else is beneath them.” ― Don Lafferty, draughts grandmaster “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 “Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways.” ― Vladimir Kramnik “Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.” ― Elizabeth Green 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 "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 * Brutal Attacking Chess: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess * Bishop's Opening Miniatures: https://www.chessonly.com/bishop-op... * Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R * Simple tactics course using miniatures: http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/x/FTP... * IECC: https://www.chess-iecc.com/ * Brilliant (and mostly famous)! Game Collection: Brilliant Miniatures * Blackburne strikes! games annotated by Blackburne * Checkmate brevities: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate * Checkmate patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns * Morphy Miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Nakhmanson Gambit: https://chesstier.com/nakhmanson-ga... * Old P-K4 Miniatures: Game Collection: Games for Classes * One Game Shy: Game Collection: 107 Great Chess Battles: 1939-45 Alekhine * Oskar plays 1e4: Oskar Oglaza * Alapins: Game Collection: Alapin * Aggressive Gambits: https://thechessworld.com/articles/... * 10 Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655... * Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category... * C21-C22 miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Danish Gambits: Game Collection: Danish Gambit Games 1-0 * LG - White wins: Game Collection: Latvian Gambit-White wins * Javed's way: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... * King's Gambit start-up: Game Collection: Batsford's MCO 14 King's Gambit * King Bishop's Gambit: Game Collection: rajat21's kings gambit * KG Video: Game Collection: Foxy Openings - King's Gambit * GM Gallagher is an author: Game Collection: 0 * Ponziani Games: Game Collection: PONZIANI OPENING * Uncommon KP Gambits: Game Collection: Unusual Gambits * Volo plays the KP faithfully: Volodymyr Onyshchuk * 20 Various Italian Games: Game Collection: Italian Game * C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game * The Italian Game, Classical: Game Collection: Giuco Piano * Annotated Evans Gambits: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... * 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... * RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures * Russian Ruys: Game Collection: Chess in the USSR 1945 - 72, Part 2 (Leach) * Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems * 21st Century: Game Collection: 0 * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * Rubinstein: Game Collection: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces * The Unthinkable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9z... * Will Power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S... * Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev) * Z Vol 105: Game Collection: 0ZeR0's collected games volume 105 * Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz) * TIP: Click on the e8 square to see a computer engine analysis of the position. * tacticmania - Game Collection: tacticmania * Sports Clichés: http://www.sportscliche.com/ * Sacs on f7/f2: Game Collection: Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sac on f7 (f2) * Sicilian Face Plants: Game Collection: sicilian defense(opening traps) * Hans On French: Game Collection: French Defense * Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc... * Chess Records: https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/record... * Top Chessgames by ECO Code: http://schachsinn.de/gamelist.htm "One of the supreme paradoxes of baseball, and all sports, is that the harder you try to throw a pitch or hit a ball or accomplish something, the smaller your chances are for success. You get the best results not when you apply superhuman effort but when you let the game flow organically and allow yourself to be fully present. You'll often hear scouts say of a great prospect, "The game comes slow to him." It means the prospect is skilled and poised enough to let the game unfold in its own time, paying no attention to the angst or urgency or doubt, funneling all awareness to the athletic task at hand." — R.A. Dickey 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) <chess writer and poet Henry Thomas Bland. Another example of his way with words is the start of ‘Internal Fires’, a poem published on page 57 of the March 1930 American Chess Bulletin: I used to play chess with the dearest old chap, Whom naught could upset whatever might hap. He’d oft lose a game he might well have won But made no excuse for what he had done. If a piece he o’er looked and got it snapped up He took it quite calmly and ne’er ‘cut up rough’.> * Crafty Endgame Trainer: https://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-... Old Russian Proverb: "Measure seven times, cut once. (Семь раз отмерь — один отрежь.)" Be careful before you do something that cannot be changed. Drive sober or get pulled over. “For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable.” — Assiac “There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.” ― Pierre Mac Orlan The Two Bulls and the Frog Two bulls engaged in shocking battle, Both for a certain heifer's sake, And lordship over certain cattle, A frog began to groan and quake. "But what is this to you?" Inquired another of the croaking crew. "Why, sister, don't you see, The end of this will be, That one of these big brutes will yield, And then be exiled from the field? No more permitted on the grass to feed, He'll forage through our marsh, on rush and reed; And while he eats or chews the cud, Will trample on us in the mud. Alas! to think how frogs must suffer By means of this proud lady heifer!" This fear was not without good sense. One bull was beat, and much to their expense; For, quick retreating to their reedy bower, He trod on twenty of them in an hour. Of little folks it often has been the fate To suffer for the follies of the great. “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 Q: How does Moses make tea? A: He brews. <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.”> Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER <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/ “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. April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici by Lauro Martines One of the world's leading historians of Renaissance Italy brings to life here the vibrant--and violent--society of fifteenth-century Florence. His disturbing narrative opens up an entire culture, revealing the dark side of Renaissance man and politician Lorenzo de' Medici. On a Sunday in April 1478, assassins attacked Lorenzo and his brother as they attended Mass in the cathedral of Florence. Lorenzo scrambled to safety as Giuliano bled to death on the cathedral floor. April Blood moves outward in time and space from that murderous event, unfolding a story of tangled passions, ambition, treachery, and revenge. The conspiracy was led by one of the city's most noble clans, the Pazzi, financiers who feared and resented the Medici's swaggering new role as political bosses--but the web of intrigue spread through all of Italy. Bankers, mercenaries, the Duke of Urbino, the King of Naples, and Pope Sixtus IV entered secretly into the plot. Florence was plunged into a peninsular war, and Lorenzo was soon fighting for his own and his family's survival. The failed assassination doomed the Pazzi. Medici revenge was swift and brutal--plotters were hanged or beheaded, innocents were hacked to pieces, and bodies were put out to dangle from the windows of the government palace. All remaining members of the larger Pazzi clan were forced to change their surname, and every public sign or symbol of the family was expunged or destroyed. April Blood offers us a fresh portrait of Renaissance Florence, where dazzling artistic achievements went side by side with violence, craft, and bare-knuckle politics. At the center of the canvas is the figure of Lorenzo the Magnificent--poet, statesman, connoisseur, patron of the arts, and ruthless "boss of bosses." This extraordinarily vivid account of a turning point in the Italian Renaissance is bound to become a lasting work of history. Q: How do poets say hello? A: "Hey, haven’t we metaphor?" On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified prohibiting any U.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. Q: What do you call a cow jumping on a trampoline? A: A milkshake. Charles Lindbergh lands "Spirit of St. Louis" in Paris on May 21, 1927, successfully completing the first trans-Atlantic flight. '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 * Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t... 'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer The Words Of Socrates A house was built by Socrates That failed the public taste to please. Some blamed the inside; some, the out; and all Agreed that the apartments were too small. Such rooms for him, the greatest sage of Greece! "I ask," said he, "no greater bliss Than real friends to fill even this." And reason had good Socrates To think his house too large for these. A crowd to be your friends will claim, Till some unhandsome test you bring. There's nothing plentier than the name; There's nothing rarer than the thing. Tennessee schoolteacher John T. Scopes' trial for teaching Darwin's "Theory of Evolution" begins July 1925. “Funny, funny Jude (The Man in the Red Beret). You play with little pieces all day long, and you know what? You’ll live to be an old, old man someday. And here I am.” — Janis Joplin Jude Acers set a Guinness World Record for playing 117 people in simultaneous chess games on April 21, 1973 at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon. On July 2-3, 1976 Jude played 179 opponents at Mid Isle Plaza (Broadway Plaza) in Long Island, New York for another Guinness record. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER A. A. Milne publishes his first collection of stories about the character Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. <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.> Audiences see the first motion picture with sound The Jazz Singer in 1927. Q: Why can’t you explain puns to kleptomaniacs? A: They always take things, literally. Ford Motor Company celebrates as the 15 millionth Model T rolls off its Highland Park, MI, assembly line on May 26, 1927. “When you have the better of it, play simply. When the game is going against you, look for complications.” — Frank J. Marshall * Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUq... * 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" Cajun: Joie de vivre (Jhwa da veev) – Joy of living. <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 “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 “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” ― Frederick Douglass wordzzz need actionzzz Two artists had an art contest. It ended in a draw. “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. 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. ]. 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 Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER 21 games, 1891-2021 g KGD C32 Falkbeer counter gambit 1-0 5 stars “In a gambit you give up a Pawn for the sake of getting a lost game.” — Samuel Standidge Boden “I believe that it is best to know a 'dubious' opening really well, rather than a 'good' opening only slightly.” ― Simon Williams “The game might be divided into three parts: the opening, the middle-game and the endgame. There is one thing you must strive for, to be equally efficient in the three parts.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca “Chess is above all, a fight!” — Emanuel Lasker “The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess, in which we have points to gain, and competition or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effect of prudence, or want of it. By playing at Chess then, we may learn: First, Foresight; Second, Circumspection; Third, Caution; And lastly, 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 chance, and that of persevering in the secrets of resources.” — Benjamin Franklin, 1779 “Of chess it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess.” — William Ewart Napier “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass “Learn from the masters, learn from your contemporaries. Always try to update yourself.” ― James Stewart “Presumption should never make us neglect that which appears easy to us, nor despair make us lose courage at the sight of difficulties.” — Benjamin Banneker “Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.” — Lowell Thomas “If I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.” — Madam C. J. Walker “The stock market and the gridiron and the battlefield aren't as tidy as the chessboard, but in all of them, a single, simple rule holds true: make good decisions and you'll succeed; make bad ones and you'll fail.” — Garry Kasparov “All that matters on the chessboard is good moves.” — Bobby Fischer “Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but the irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the pool, and that is the test of generals.” — T. E. Lawrence “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” — George Hyman Rickover “The laws of circumstance are abolished by new circumstances.” — Napoleon “No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.” — William Penn “That's what chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.” — Bobby Fischer “Chess holds its master in its own bonds, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer.” — Albert Einstein “Tough times don't last, tough people do, remember?” — Gregory Peck “Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration.” — C.J.S. Purdy. “Telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do can't be far behind.” — Charlton Heston All that glitters is not gold – this line can be found in a text from c.1220: ‘ Nis hit nower neh gold al that ter schineth.’ Matthew 17:20 Our faith can move mountains. Other people’s wisdom prevents the king from being called a fool. ~ Nigerian Proverb Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand. ~ Guinean Proverb Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author. ~ Twi Proverb The laughter of a child lights up the house. ~ Swahili proverb A friend in need is a friend indeed – a proverb from c.1035 say this: ‘Friend shall be known in time of need.’ Hay dos maneras de hermosura: una del alma y otra del cuerpo; la del alma campea y se muestra en el entendimiento, en la honestidad, en el buen proceder, en la liberalidad y en la buena crianza, y todas estas partes caben y pueden estar en un hombre feo; y cuando se pone la mira en esta hermosura, y no en la del cuerpo, suele nacer el amor con ímpetu y con ventajas. (There are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body; that of the soul shows and demonstrates itself in understanding, in honesty, in good behavior, in generosity and in good breeding, and all these things can find room and exist in an ugly man; and when one looks at this type of beauty, and not bodily beauty, love is inclined to spring up forcefully and overpoweringly.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre. (When one door is closed, another is opened.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) Dijo la sartén a la caldera, quítate allá ojinegra. (The frying pan said to the cauldron, "Get out of here, black-eyed one." This is believed to be the source of the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black.") ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra <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 coolest LUTE I've ever seen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ym... The House of the Rising Sun--trad. blues, Daniel Estrem, baroque lute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJh... System of a Down - Toxicity - Medieval Style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5d... Ten Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655... The strongest Chess Hustler in New York! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXP... Francis Cutting - Packington's Pound (renaissance lute): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G2... Between You & Me by Oliver Anthony Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dJ... Wilson's Wilde - Renaissance Lute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udK... The Oldest (Known) Song of All Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEl... Doth My Lute Hath The Courage To Shred? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iG... Crush the King's Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQp... Crush the King's Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvV... Falkbeer Counter-Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQA... Bizarre Opening Trap: Falkbeer Countergambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVj... Easy Guide Against the King's Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErH... King's Gambit for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2h... King's Gambit content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5I... King's Gambit Declined for White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RI... King's Gambit Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgy... King’s Gambit Opening Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDf... King's Gambit Declined - 3.fxe5?? is a big mistake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDx... Destroy the King’s Gambit with the PICKLER GAMBIT!?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-B... Double, Double: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8U... King's Gambit Speedrun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qx... Many Kinds of King's Gambit Gambits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbM... 2020 King's Gambit Accepted Battle of Champions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsk... Counter-Counter Gambit?!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi_... CRUSH the Caro Kann with the VON HENNIG GAMBIT!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XC... Or the Rasa-Studier gambit?!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0j... CM Traps: Game Collection: Opening Traps Collection Du Mont I: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (I) Du Mont II: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (II) Evan's Gambit Ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkm... Fried Liver Attack introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IT... Kasparov Favorites: Game Collection: His absolute favorites: GK's Golden Chess Stock Latvian Gambit intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fl... The Opposition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfV... Queen's Gambit Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ7... Stafford Gambit Accepted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcE... Stafford Gambit Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7R... Tactics Explained: https://www.chess.com/article/view/... Urusov Gambit introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akt... Bill Wall: Game Collection: Chess Miniatures, Collection XVIII MT Facts: https://www.chessjournal.com/facts-... 50 Games to Know: https://en.chessbase.com/post/50-ga... Black ...d6 Resources: Game Collection: 1...d6. A very interesting opening with no name Top Chessgames by ECO Code: http://schachsinn.de/gamelist.htm Fried Fox is awful: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c... There are exceptions: https://academicchess.com/worksheet... Good historical links: https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/in... Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc... Collection assembled by Fredthebear. Miniatures: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (III) Monday Puzzles: Game Collection: Monday Puzzles, 2011-2017 Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t... POTD 2023: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2023 2023 in Review: https://www.chess.com/news/view/202... Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/ WTHarvey: There once was a website named WTHarvey, Where chess puzzles did daily delay, The brain-teasers so tough, They made us all huff and puff, But solving them brought us great satisfaction today. There once was a website named WTHarvey Where chess puzzles were quite aplenty With knight and rook and pawn You'll sharpen your brain with a yawn And become a master of chess entry There once was a site for chess fun, Wtharvey.com was the chosen one, With puzzles galore, It'll keep you in store, For hours of brain-teasing, none done. There once was a website named wtharvey, Where chess puzzles were posted daily, You'd solve them with glee, And in victory, You'd feel like a true chess prodigy! 'A rising tide lifts all boats' 'Don't put the cart before the horse' Create protected outposts for your knights. Take care of your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves. ~ Scottish Proverb The Thieves and the Ass Two thieves, pursuing their profession, Had of a donkey got possession, Whereon a strife arose, Which went from words to blows. The question was, to sell, or not to sell; But while our sturdy champions fought it well, Another thief, who chanced to pass, With ready wit rode off the ass. This ass is, by interpretation, Some province poor, or prostrate nation. The thieves are princes this and that, On spoils and plunder prone to fat, – As those of Austria, Turkey, Hungary. (Instead of two, I have quoted three – Enough of such commodity.) These powers engaged in war all, Some fourth thief stops the quarrel, According all to one key, By riding off the donkey. “Funny, funny Jude (The Man in the Red Beret). You play with little pieces all day long, and you know what? You’ll live to be an old, old man someday. And here I am.” — Janis Joplin Jude Acers set a Guinness World Record for playing 117 people in simultaneous chess games on April 21, 1973 at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon. On July 2-3, 1976 Jude played 179 opponents at Mid Isle Plaza (Broadway Plaza) in Long Island, New York for another Guinness record. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER <chess writer and poet Henry Thomas Bland. Another example of his way with words is the start of ‘Internal Fires’, a poem published on page 57 of the March 1930 American Chess Bulletin: I used to play chess with the dearest old chap, Whom naught could upset whatever might hap. He’d oft lose a game he might well have won But made no excuse for what he had done. If a piece he o’erlooked and got it snapped up He took it quite calmly and ne’er ‘cut up rough’.> Confessed faults are half mended. ~ Scottish Proverb “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 They that will not be counselled cannot be helped. ~ Scottish Proverb <“Risk” by Anais Nin And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.> Q: How do poets say hello? A: "Hey, haven’t we metaphor?" Thank you Qindarka! Q: What do you call a cow jumping on a trampoline? A: A milkshake. The Will Explained By Aesop If what old story says of Aesop's true, The oracle of Greece he was, And more than Areopagus he knew, With all its wisdom in the laws. The following tale gives but a sample Of what has made his fame so ample. Three daughters shared a father's purse, Of habits totally diverse. The first, bewitched with drinks delicious; The next, coquettish and capricious; The third, supremely avaricious. The sire, expectant of his fate, Bequeathed his whole estate, In equal shares, to them, And to their mother just the same, – To her then payable, and not before, Each daughter should possess her part no more. The father died. The females three Were much in haste the will to see. They read, and read, but still Saw not the willer's will. For could it well be understood That each of this sweet sisterhood, When she possessed her part no more, Should to her mother pay it over? It was surely not so easy saying How lack of means would help the paying. What meant their honoured father, then? The affair was brought to legal men, Who, after turning over the case Some hundred thousand different ways, Threw down the learned bonnet, Unable to decide on it; And then advised the heirs, Without more thought, t" adjust affairs. As to the widow's share, the counsel say, "We hold it just the daughters each should pay One third to her on demand, Should she not choose to have it stand Commuted as a life annuity, Paid from her husband's death, with due congruity." The thing thus ordered, the estate Is duly cut in portions three. And in the first they all agree To put the feasting-lodges, plate, Luxurious cooling mugs, Enormous liquor jugs, Rich cupboards, – built beneath the trellised vine, – The stores of ancient, sweet Malvoisian wine, The slaves to serve it at a sign; In short, whatever, in a great house, There is of feasting apparatus. The second part is made Of what might help the jilting trade – The city house and furniture, Exquisite and genteel, be sure, The eunuchs, milliners, and laces, The jewels, shawls, and costly dresses. The third is made of household stuff, More vulgar, rude, and rough – Farms, fences, flocks, and fodder, And men and beasts to turn the sod over. This done, since it was thought To give the parts by lot Might suit, or it might not, Each paid her share of fees dear, And took the part that pleased her. It was in great Athens town, Such judgment gave the gown. And there the public voice Applauded both the judgment and the choice. But Aesop well was satisfied The learned men had set aside, In judging thus the testament, The very gist of its intent. "The dead," Said he, "could he but know of it, Would heap reproaches on such Attic wit. What! men who proudly take their place As sages of the human race, Lack they the simple skill To settle such a will?" This said, he undertook himself The task of portioning the pelf; And straightway gave each maid the part The least according to her heart – The prim coquette, the drinking stuff, The drinker, then, the farms and cattle; And on the miser, rude and rough, The robes and lace did Aesop settle; For thus, he said, "an early date Would see the sisters alienate Their several shares of the estate. No motive now in maidenhood to tarry, They all would seek, post haste, to marry; And, having each a splendid bait, Each soon would find a well-bred mate; And, leaving thus their father's goods intact, Would to their mother pay them all, in fact," – Which of the testament Was plainly the intent. The people, who had thought a slave an ass, Much wondered how it came to pass That one alone should have more sense Than all their men of most pretence. '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 * Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t... 'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer 5 stars Chess to Enjoy! Irving Chernev is, along with Fred Reinfeld, Edward Lasker, and Al Horowitz, one of the great popularizers of chess. None of these fine chess writers have much to teach the elite classes of players rated 1900 and above, although even strong players will enjoy the sparkling wit and breezy style for which these authors are admired. What these writers offer is their infectious enthusiasm, and their talent to entertain, inform, and instruct painlessly. It has been pointed out by other readers that this book falls short in the accuracy and bias of its annotations. If accuracy and unbiased annotation is what you need, then perhaps you should pass on this title. But, if you are like me and enjoy a little drama and color and yes, even one-sided praise for the winner, then this book should delight you. Monsieur Chernev writes for the average player, and he understands the fine art of chess annotation. He doesn't burden his reader with deep ramified variations. Such ponderous analysis tends to do little more than suggest to the reader that the Master is omniscient. Instead, this author strives to present only the salient points; the strategic themes, the immediate tactical considerations, and sometimes the missed opportunities in the game. By sticking to the main ideas, the reader is better able to grasp the material and to enjoy it, for enjoyment is the real point, and Chernev never loses sight of that fact. The games in this collection are chosen especially for their strategic instructional value. Strategy implies a closed game (usually a d-pawn or hypermodern opening). Consequently, these games are not fulminating with wild tactics and dazzling combinations. The tactics tend to lie under the surface but nonetheless influence the play. To call any of these games boring is to miss the whole point. From a strategic viewpoint all these games are beautiful, exciting, and instructive. The introductory text for each game gives a sense of the human element; a mix of history, personality profiles, time, place, and event, and an overall description of the struggle about to commence. I have a lot of games collections in my chess library, but I have not been able to finish many of them. I couldn't put this one down. Have fun while you improve. Read this book. Rated 5 stars Gem of a book! This book, along with Chernev's "Logical Chess Move by Move" is clearly the author's Magnum Opus. The book features 62 chapters (i.e. games) played by the "older masters" like Tarrasch, Lasker, Capablanca, Rubenstein, Fischer (I know - not that old), Botvinnik, Nimzowitsch, Petrosian, etc. etc. The games are dissected at a level comfortable for club level players. Each game focuses on a theme (i.e. outpost, weak square, bishop pair, rook ending, Occupation of 7th rank, isolated pawn, etc. I highly recommend this book (along with the other book mentioned) to anyone rated between 1100 - 1600. I can think of few other titles that will return as much value for the modest time investment to read them! Chernev has an infectious love for the game of chess paralleled by few (if any) chess writers, past or present. He was probably around International Master Playing strength. Each game hammers on one particular positional theme. This book is incredibly instructive. The Words Of Socrates A house was built by Socrates That failed the public taste to please. Some blamed the inside; some, the out; and all Agreed that the apartments were too small. Such rooms for him, the greatest sage of Greece! "I ask," said he, "no greater bliss Than real friends to fill even this." And reason had good Socrates To think his house too large for these. A crowd to be your friends will claim, Till some unhandsome test you bring. There's nothing plentier than the name; There's nothing rarer than the thing. Sep-21-23 smoke free or die: Obviously I'm involved in several on-going "controversies" here on CG, so take my advice with a grain of salt. A self-admitted problem troll giving advice?? Such a desperate need for attention. "Zeitnot" is German for "time pressure." “....his countrymen, Kolisch and Steinitz, are greatly indebted for their later success to their having enjoyed early opportunities of practicing with the departed amateur whose death is also greatly deplored amongst all who knew him personally.” — Wilhelm Steinitz, regarding Karl Hamppe The first appearance of the (John) Cochrane gambit against Petrov's defense C42 was in the year 1848 against an Indian master Mohishunder Bannerjee. “Sorry don't get it done, Dude!” — John Wayne, Rio Bravo “Gossip is the devil’s telephone. Best to just hang up.” — Moira Rose greersome wrote: There once was a woman from Mizes Who had chess sets of two different sizes One was quite small Almost nothing at all But the other was large and won prizes! Chessgames.com will be unavailable January 16, 2024 from 12:15PM through 12:45PM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience. <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.”> Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea, But we loved with a love that was more than love— I and my Annabel Lee— With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsmen came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, Went envying her and me— Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we— Of many far wiser than we— And neither the angels in Heaven above Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, In her sepulchre there by the sea— In her tomb by the sounding sea. "God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with." — Billy Graham "I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right." — 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 Deuteronomy 6:6-9: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Isaiah 66:24 24 "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' 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 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) * Riddle-xp-scree: 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 Z is for Zookeeper (to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”) Oh do you know the zookeeper, The zookeeper, the zookeeper? Oh, do you know the zookeeper Who works down at the zoo? Q: Why did the cow cross the road? A: To get to the udder side. “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind. ~ Scottish Proverb Luck never gives; it only lends. ~ Scottish Proverb Better be ill spoken of by one before all than by all before one. ~ Scottish Proverb Take care of your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves. ~ Scottish Proverb French Proverb: “Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.” ― (Nothing should be left to chance.) The closest relative to bears are seals. Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. "It ain't over 'til it's over, no matter how over it looks." ― Yogi Berra All’s well that ends well – a line from the mid-13th century is similar: ‘Wel is him te wel ende mai.’ Meanwhile, Henry Knighton’s Chronicle from the late 14th-century one can read: ‘ If the ende be wele, than is alle wele.’ 8 games, 1862-1988 g RickL's favorite games Reti Dzagnidze Compiled by RickL Additional games are being added. “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 Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue. – Richard Reti Capa's games looked as though they were turned out by a lathe, while Alekhine's resembled something produced with a mallet and chisel. – Charles Yaffe 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 it's logic. - Garry Kasparov “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 * 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 * 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... * 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 “The chess heroes nowadays should not forget that it was owing to Fischer that they are living today in four- and five-star hotels, getting appearance fees, etc.” ― Lev Khariton “I’ve come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.” ― Marcel Duchamp “I've never met a checkers player I didn't like; they're all even-tempered. Chess players are egotistical. They think they're intellectuals and that everyone else is beneath them.” ― Don Lafferty, draughts grandmaster “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 "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." ― Yogi Berra, 10-time World Series champion The Winds of Fate Ella Wheeler Wilcox One ship drives east and another drives west With the selfsame winds that blow. Tis the set of the sails And not the gales Which tells us the way to go. Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate, As we voyage along through the life: Tis the set of a soul That decides its goal, And not the calm or the strife. Matthew 17:20 Our faith can move mountains. 'Finders keepers, losers weepers' No, turn it over to Lost and Found. Drive sober or get pulled over. “For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable.” — Assiac Two artists had an art contest. It ended in a draw. FACTRETRIEVER: Gummy bears were originally called "dancing bears." Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal, at 1 million hairs per square inch. Song of the Storm-Swept Plain William D. Hodjkiss The wind shrills forth From the white cold North Where the gates of the Storm-god are; And ragged clouds, Like mantling shrouds, Engulf the last, dim star. Through naked trees, In low coulees, The night-voice moans and sighs; And sings of deep, Warm cradled sleep, With wind-crooned lullabies. He stands alone Where the storm’s weird tone In mocking swells; And the snow-sharp breath Of cruel Death The tales of its coming tells. The frightened plaint Of his sheep sound faint Then the choking wall of white— Then is heard no more, In the deep-toned roar, Of the blinding, pathless night. No light nor guide, Save a mighty tide Of mad fear drives him on; ‘Till his cold-numbed form Grows strangely warm; And the strength of his limbs is gone. Through the storm and night A strange, soft light O’er the sleeping shepherd gleams; And he hears the word Of the Shepherd Lord Called out from the bourne of dreams. Come, leave the strife Of your weary life; Come unto Me and rest From the night and cold, To the sheltered fold, By the hand of love caressed. The storm shrieks on, But its work is done— A soul to its God has fled; And the wild refrain Of the wind-swept plain, Sings requiem for the dead. “Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” ― Norman Vincent Peale “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever. “To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?” — Queen Elizabeth II “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” ― Benjamin Franklin Perpetual check feels like nothing else in a dead lost position. 1.Nf3 is the third most popular of the twenty legal opening moves White has, behind only 1.e4 and 1.d4. Checkmate by treecards In front of the king, white moves his pawn. The opponent begins, with a sign and yawn. White Bishop from C, moves to F five. Followed by adrenaline, Queen is more than alive. Black moves his pawn, foolishly to B four. It looks tragically close, to the end of his war. The white Queen glides, elegantly to the right side. Shocks her opponent, and rips out his pride. It was a beautifully executed, and efficient checkmate. Opponent lacked caution, and now rest with his fate. This wonderful game, that we all call chess. Your odds are reduced, each time you guess. Remember to follow, your strategy and tact. When you see opportunity, make sure you act. At the end of the day, hope you enjoy. Many sweet games, it’s much more than a toy. “Old habits die hard, especially for soldiers.” ― Jocelyn Murray, The Roman General: A Novel “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. “Don’t trust everything you see. Even salt looks like sugar.” — Unknown They that will not be counselled cannot be helped. ~ Scottish Proverb Sarah wrote: checkmate It's like we’re playing chess. Moving strategically, testing boundaries, all while watching each other’s expression. We all know how this games ends… The queen destroys you and steals your heart. Rated 5 stars Chess Classic ! This book is truly a gem of chess literature. The book as you may already know, is a collection of master games which demonstrate how a small advantage is exploited in the hands of masters. You will find the games very instructive and will have no problems understanding the motives behind the moves. This because Chernev does an exceptional job in his annotations. I have found no mistakes in his notes or the games themselves. Chernev worked real hard on this book and his love for the game of chess radiates from the pages. A warning to those who expect wild attacking games. This is a collection of games from the late 19th century to the 1950's, when positional and strategic style of play was more popular. These selected games show how an opening, middle game, and endgame should be treated. "The best way to learn endings as well as openings," says Capablanca in Chess Fundamentals, "is from the games of the masters." Some reviewer of this book goes on to say that "The games in this book are boring, and only won by the winner because of some mistake on the loser's part. To which I reply, what chess game is not won on the account of the opposition making a mistake. In reality all chess games if properly played out should end in a draw. There are also people who complain because the book is in descriptive notation. Something I didn't have a problem with, it just adds to the mystique of these chess games of the past. This is a great book and a must have. I have spent many pleasurable hours with this book, a cup of joe, and some Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Ludwig van Beethoven in the background. You will not regret buying this book. I didn't when I returned Pandolfini's Traps and Zaps for this copy. Rated 5 stars For Lover's Only Easily one of the best books ever written. This is one of the first books I purchased over 30 years ago. I am sure it helped start me on the road to Chess Mastery. Chernev, like Reinfeld, did NOT write chess books to impress other Chess Masters. He wrote books simply and with great care. He also put his tremendous love of the game into this book. I simply cannot convey what a wonderful book this is. This book will especially appeal to the average player, especially someone who wants to improve his game. I usually don't rave about books. This is an exception. Here is what I say about this book on my web site: "The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played." [62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy.] It contains 62 true masterpieces of chess by various different players. (Masters such as Fischer, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tal, etc. Plus, many more of the all-time greats!!) Each game is carefully and lovingly annotated. This book had a tremendous impact on me and the way that I viewed and looked at chess. I studied it many, many, many times. Chernev provides games with an almost blow-by-blow commentary. His ideas are simple, fresh, insightful, and expressed with great clarity. He explains all the basic ideas of the game in a manner that ANY chess-player can follow. The variations are perfect. Not too much to overload the senses. I have had players who were almost beginners to players who were accomplished tournament players ... tell me that they profited from a careful study of this book. I think one should study this book, as I did. Every time your rating goes up 100 points, you should work your way through this book from cover to cover! You won't regret it and you definitely will improve! Another unique thing is he finds one idea or theme in each game, and just hammers away at it. It is a VERY good study method. It also contains some of the classics of chess, and Chernev brings you a fresh insight and analysis to each game. (Indeed - his comments and analysis may differ greatly from the ones that may have been published in the chess press when the game was first played.) Chernev was one of the greatest all-time teachers and writers in the chess field. This book is a true pearl!!! I think it belongs in the library of every real chess aficionado. >><p>I also rate this in, "The Ten Best Chess Books Ever Written." Need I say more? <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).> 'Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater' "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) 'A stitch in time saves nine' "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> * The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev * Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century * Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv... - The longest a chess game could possibly be is 5,949 moves. 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. * Black Storms: Game Collection: Tal - The Modern Benoni Mar-07-13 Abdel Irada: In case anyone wonders who Kermit Norris is/was, he's an expert in Santa Cruz against whom I used to play a great deal of blitz. His specialty, when a particularly complex position arose (especially in his pet Owen's Defense), was to lean forward, fix his opponent with a scowl and a withering stare, and say, in a deep and solemn tone, "Chicken parts!" "Here's to being in a boat with a drink on the rocks rather than being in the drink with a boat on the rocks" The Lion and the Rat To show to all your kindness, it behoves: There's none so small but you his aid may need. I quote two fables for this weighty creed, Which either of them fully proves. From underneath the sward A rat, quite off his guard, Popped out between a lion's paws. The beast of royal bearing Showed what a lion was The creature's life by sparing – A kindness well repaid; For, little as you would have thought His majesty would ever need his aid, It proved full soon A precious boon. Forth issuing from his forest glen, T" explore the haunts of men, In lion net his majesty was caught, From which his strength and rage Served not to disengage. The rat ran up, with grateful glee, Gnawed off a rope, and set him free. By time and toil we sever What strength and rage could never. Riddle: The one who has it does not keep it. It is large and small. It is any shape. Bear like 'em too! Answer: A gift. 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. “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 The Blossom by William Blake Merry, merry sparrow! Under leaves so green A happy blossom Sees you, swift as arrow, Seek your cradle narrow, Near my bosom. Pretty, pretty robin! Under leaves so green A happy blossom Hears you sobbing, sobbing, Pretty, pretty robin, Near my bosom. “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” ― Voltaire “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” ― Siegbert Tarrasch “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman Richard Paul Anderson - Canada prisoner arrested January 19, 1968 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Canadian Police 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. 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. Toy watch out at second forty troll who livz undera Zakim bridge bid. 19 games, 1923-2018 g Short and Beautiful Games * One in a Billion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKa... * Ambitious Sicilian Ratings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuX... * Amsterdam Bar Blitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCO... * Direct Attacks: Game Collection: Direct attacks * Larry Evan's Special: L Evans vs A Bisguier, 1958 https://www.angelfire.com/games3/li... * POTD 2008: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2008 * M Shahade vs S Sloan, 1969 Outstanding finish! http://anusha.com/fleahous.htm * Kaidanov vs Anand, 1987 Jan-21-09 Phoenix: After the move 25.Qxf7+: "At this point Vishy looked up at me. There was so much pain in his eyes that I remember this look until today." -GM Gregory Kaidanov, Jan 2009 issue of Chess Life. Another off-topic post from the irresponsible litterbug. Bing Cosby is an excellent choice... for the Kibitzer's Café: The Kibitzer's Café Something a little more recent and on-topic: https://www.chess.com/news/view/sai... https://dotesports.com/chess/news/h... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz5... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5a... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZo... <Hope Hans behavior is more self-induced and that he'll grow out of it.> The non-stop troll master ignores own reflection to seek negative attention. * 4 Ways to Win: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq9... * How to Hook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIS... * Giants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzA... * Man and Dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIZ... * Stray Cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHM... * Trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38o... * Talents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z4... <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> 120 games, 1680-2009 g Sicilian Play The Najdorf Sicilian Yes Dale Compiled by pdion60 “The game might be divided into three parts: the opening, the middle-game and the end-game. There is one thing you must strive for, to be equally efficient in the three parts.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca “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 “If you’re too open-minded; your brains will fall out.” ― Lawrence Ferlinghetti Riddle Question: What starts with E, ends with E, and has only 1 letter in it? Fredthebear created this collection. Riddle Answer: Envelope. “Chess is a simple game, but it is that very simplicity that makes the player’s personalities come out.” ― Gamou Jirou “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 In "The Game of Chess" by Siegbert Tarrasch we are told: Tactics are the most important element of the Middle Game. We must above all "see" what is more or less hidden. We must exploit opportunities for combinations wherever they are offered. Here there is only an illusory guard, there our opponent has a man quite unguarded, or a double attack, etc., is possible. Over and over again there occur the tactical maneuvers ... and these opportunities must frequently be created by a sacrifice. Mistakes by our opponent must be recognized as such, and also those that we ourselves are about to make. “Growing up, I always had a soldier mentality. As a kid I wanted to be a soldier, a fighter pilot, a covert agent, professions that require a great deal of bravery and risk and putting oneself in grave danger in order to complete the mission. Even though I did not become all those things, and unless my predisposition, in its youngest years, already had me leaning towards them, the interest that was there still shaped my philosophies. To this day I honor risk and sacrifice for the good of others - my views on life and love are heavily influenced by this.” ― Criss Jami, Healology “The essence of chess is thinking about what CHESS is.” ― David Bronstein “Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.” ― Janis Joplin Only if you're friendless and faithless. * Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018 * Glossary: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar... * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * Extinguish the Dragon: Game Collection: 1.e4 explorations * RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures * Sacs on f7/f2: Game Collection: Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sac on f7 (f2) * 21st Century: Game Collection: 0 * Can you whip Taimanov's Sicilian? http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * Bg2 vs Sicilian: Game Collection: Grand Prix Attack without early Bc4 * Wall's APCT Miniatures: http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/c... 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 "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 Thank you Qindarka! “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 What would life be like without suffering? Is suffering a necessary part of human existence? (There is NO suffering in heaven, the eternal living afterlife.) Winston Churchill was hit by a car and nearly killed during a New York visit. Talk about a poor way to welcome a visitor. During a lecture tour in the U.S. in Dec. 1931, Winston Churchill was struck by a car while crossing Fifth Avenue and nearly killed. He would describe the experience in The Daily Mail, in an article dictated from his hospital bed: "I felt it on my forehead and across the thighs. But besides the blow there was an impact, a shock, a concussion indescribably violent. Many years ago at 'Plugstreet' in Flanders, a 4.2 shell burst in a corner of the little room in which we were gathered for luncheon, reducing all to dust and devastation. This shock was of the same order as the shell explosion. In my case it blotted out everything except thought." Fortunately, he recovered. Q: Why did the gym close down? A: It just didn’t work out! 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. A piece of cake: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/che... Dionsysius1: I had basil on the pub's potage du jour yesterday. Soup herb! Q: Why aren’t koalas actual bears? A: They don’t meet the koalafications. California: San Diego Established in: 1769 San Diego is the second largest city in the state and sits just north of Mexico. Back in the 16th century, the Diegueño, Luiseño, Cahuilla, and Cupeño peoples were some of the first settlers in the area. It was named after explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, but later was renamed for Spanish monk San Diego de Alcalá de Henares in 1602. * Brief History of Chess: https://www.athleticscholarships.ne... 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. “A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca * 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. Confessed faults are half mended. ~ Scottish Proverb Q: What do you call a three-footed aardvark? A: A yardvark! Q: What do you call a dancing lamb? A: A baaaaaa-llerina! Q: What do you call a meditating wolf? A: Aware wolf! Q: What do you call a witch who lives at the beach? A: A sand-witch! Q: What do you call an avocado that's been blessed by the pope? A: Holy Guacamole! Q: What do you call a tiny mother? A: A minimum!' Q: What do you call a person who doesn't fart in public? A: A private tutor! Q: What do you call someone wearing a belt with a watch on it? A: A waist of time! 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. Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever. “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-zip-pee: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid... Why is an artichoke’s heart on its bottom? Is there a reason our hearts are closer to our mouths than to our exit holes? And who are we to assume that’s the way it should be with every living thing? When Moses asked God, "Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?" God said, "I AM THAT I AM." Jehovah or Yahweh is the most intensely sacred name to Jewish scribes and many will not even pronounce the name. When possible, they use another name.” https://www.biblestudytools.com/bib... “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 Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.' “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 Ecclesiastes 9:9: “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.” <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> 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 “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” ― Siegbert Tarrasch “In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” — Max De Pree 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. 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. RING AROUND THE ROSIE Ring around the rosie A pocket full of posies Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down. Frank and Ella: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?... Q: Want to hear a construction joke? D: Oh never mind, I’m still working on that one. 182 games, 1958-2016 g Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence Frank click for larger view Games from the book <Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence>, by <John Cox>, published in 2005. “Chess is a fighting game which is purely intellectual and excludes chance.” ― Richard Reti “I've never met a checkers player I didn't like; they're all even-tempered. Chess players are egotistical. They think they're intellectuals and that everyone else is beneath them.” ― Don Lafferty, draughts grandmaster "If you can’t take (constructive) criticism, consider taking up another game, perhaps solitaire." — Jeremy Silman "Where there's a will, there's a way." “An isolated Pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard.” ― Savielly Tartakover “In my opinion, the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force.” ― Bobby Fischer, A bust to the King's Gambit (1960) Zwickmuhle: to be in a quandry/predicament/ double bind/catch-22 situation, to be in a dilemma Eyes trust themselves, ears trust others. ~ German Proverb Ye Jiangchuan has won the Chinese Chess Championship seven times. “Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious.” ― Zhuangzi “Touch the pawns before your king with only infinite delicacy.” ― Anthony Santasiere “A wood-pusher overlooks the ranks.” ― Old Russian saying “When your house is on fire, you can’t be bothered with the neighbors. Or, as we say in chess, if your King is under attack, don’t worry about losing a pawn on the queen side.” ― Garry Kasparov “Have a good reason/explanation for each move, and know what will happen next before you make the move. <When in doubt, don't move a pawn.> A pawn move is a permanent commitment easily restricted (no retreat to safety, no capturing, jumping or side-step around an obstruction in its path) and should be made for a useful, lasting reason. A settling pawn move turns over the initiative. Play with your pieces! It's far better to play with your active pieces off the back rank, as pieces have superior mobility to escape, threaten, or defend more squares in more directions.” ― Fredthebear “You can retreat pieces… but not pawns. So always think twice about pawn moves.” ― Michael Stean “The passed pawn is a criminal, who should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient.” ― Aron Nimzowitsch “Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf.” ― Cecil Purdy “In the ending the king is a powerful piece for assisting his own pawns, or stopping the adverse pawns.” ― Wilhelm Steinitz “The eighth square at last! Oh how glad I am to get here. And what is this on my head?” ― Alice (in Through The Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll) “A woman can beat any man; it’s difficult to imagine another kind of sport where a woman can beat a man. That’s why I like chess.” ― Alexandra Kosteniuk “During the course of many years I have observed that a great number of doctors, lawyers, and important businessmen make a habit of visiting a chess club during the late afternoon or evening to relax and find relief from the preoccupations of their work.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca 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. “When you’re lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play Chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war.” ― Aristotle “The habit of holding a Man in the hand, and moving it first to one square and then to another, in order to engage the assistance of the eye in deciding where it shall actually be placed, is not only annoying to the adversary but a practical infraction of the touch-and-move principle.” ― Howard Staunton “A bad plan is better than none at all.” ― Frank Marshall The Dog That Dropped The Substance For The Shadow This world is full of shadow-chasers, Most easily deceived. Should I enumerate these racers, I should not be believed. I send them all to Aesop's dog, Which, crossing water on a log, Espied the meat he bore, below; To seize its image, let it go; Plunged in; to reach the shore was glad, With neither what he hoped, nor what he'd had. Isaiah 66:24 24 "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." “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 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman “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. “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.” — Jose Raul Capablanca “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. “Don’t trust everything you see. Even salt looks like sugar.” — Unknown 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. “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” ― Voltaire “Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.” ― Siegbert Tarrasch “In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” — Max De Pree “In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else. For whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and opening must be studied in relation to the end game.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca 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 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. ^^ 42 games, 1967-2004 Garry Kasparov Teaches Chess Phil Stan Cat Games from the above book (Batsford 1986) “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 “I believe that it is best to know a 'dubious' opening really well, rather than a 'good' opening only slightly.” ― Simon Williams “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 “I always use only the openings that bring fruitful results in practice, regardless of the positions arising in the middle-game.” ― Jose Raul Capablanca “With his death, we have lost a very great chess genius whose like we shall never see again.” ― Alexander Alekhine (on Capablanca) “I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca! His ideal was to win by manoeuvering. Capablanca's genius reveals itself in his probing of the opponent's weak points. The slightest weakness cannot escape from his keene eye.” ― 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 it's logic.” ― Garry Kasparov “You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove you the better player.” ― English Proverb “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 “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 “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.” “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 “Old habits die hard, especially for soldiers.” ― Jocelyn Murray, The Roman General: A Novel On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Ye Jiangchuan has won the Chinese Chess Championship seven times. Matthew 17:20 Our faith can move mountains. Other people’s wisdom prevents the king from being called a fool. ~ Nigerian Proverb Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand. ~ Guinean Proverb Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author. ~ Twi Proverb The laughter of a child lights up the house. ~ Swahili proverb I have a fear of speed bumps. But I am slowly getting over it. KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA, becomes the first radio station to offer regular broadcasts on November 2, 1920. * One of Pandolfini's Best: Game Collection: Solitaire Chess by Bruce Pandolfini * Two Great Attackers: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... * Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R * Brevities: Opening's trap (chessgames.com) * 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) * 10 Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655... * Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category... * 50 Games to Know: https://en.chessbase.com/post/50-ga... * 100+ Scandinavian Miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... * 610_Back rank mating tactics: Game Collection: 610_Back rank mating tactics * Fork OVerload (Remove the Defender): Game Collection: FORK-OVERLOAD OR HOOK-AND-LADDER TRICK * Impact of Genius: 500 years of Grandmaster Chess: Game Collection: Impact of Genius : 500 years of Grandmaster Ches * Chess Prehistory Compiled by Joe Stanley: Game Collection: Chess Prehistory * Organized Steinitz collection: Game Collection: Steinitz Gambits * Best (Old) Games of All Time: Game Collection: Best Games of All Time * 'Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters' by Fred Reinfeld: Game Collection: 0 * bengalcat47's favorite games of famous masters: Game Collection: bengalcat47's favorite games * Mil y Una Partidas 1914-1931: Game Collection: Mil y Una Partidas 1914-1931 * Fire Baptisms Compiled by Nasruddin Hodja: Game Collection: Fire Baptisms * maxruen's favorite games III: Game Collection: maxruen's favorite games III * some famous brilliancies: Game Collection: brilliacies * Brilliant games Compiled by madhatter5: Game Collection: Brilliant games * The Fireside Book of Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld: Game Collection: Fireside Book of Chess * 'Chess Praxis' by Aron Nimzowitsch: Game Collection: Chess Praxis (Nimzowitsch) * '500 Master Games of Chess' by Savielly Tartakower and Julius Du Mont: Game Collection: 500 Master Games of Chess * Great Combinations Compiled by wwall: Game Collection: Combinations * Middlegame Combinations by Peter Romanovsky: Game Collection: Middlegame Combinations by Peter Romanovsky * Exchange sacs – 1 Compiled by obrit: Game Collection: Exchange sacs - 1 * Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters Volume II: Game Collection: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters Volume II * Russian Ruys: Game Collection: Chess in the USSR 1945 - 72, Part 2 (Leach) * Rubinstein: Game Collection: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces * Variety of Traps: https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/v... Nehemiah 8:10 Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord is your strength! Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. * Ne5 Holler of a Tree in Fredthebear Country: Game Collection: 5 Ne5 Holler of a Tree in Fredthebear Country * 'The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games' by Graham Burgess, John Nunn and John Emms. New expanded edition-now with 125 games. Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms) * Best of the British Compiled by Timothy Glenn Forney: Game Collection: Best of the British * The Best Chess Games (part 2): Game Collection: The Best Chess Games (part 2) * GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen * Annotated Games: Game Collection: Annotated Games * sapientdust's favorite games: Game Collection: sapientdust's favorite games * shakman's favorite games – 2: Game Collection: shakman's favorite games - 2 * Reti Opening Compiled by KingG: Game Collection: Reti Opening * Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Slavko Petrovic): Game Collection: Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Petrovic) * Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek: Game Collection: Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek * ray keene's favorite games: Game Collection: ray keene's favorite games * (Variety Pack) Compiled by Nova: Game Collection: KID games * JonathanJ's favorite games 4: Game Collection: JonathanJ's favorite games 4 * jorundte's favorite games: Game Collection: jorundte's favorite games * elmubarak: my fav games: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games * Assorted good games Compiled by rbaglini: Game Collection: assorted Good games * LAST COLLECTION Compiled by Jaredfchess: Game Collection: LAST COLLECTION “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 “Even though chess isn't the toughest thing that computers will tackle for centuries, it stood as a handy symbol for human intelligence. No matter what human-like feat computers perform in the future, the Deep Blue match demands an indelible dot on all timelines of AI progress.” ― Steven Levy <The ascension of the improbable new chess world champion Ding Liren (April, 2023) altered that category. Ding Liren, age 30 is the highest rated Chinese player ever and the first to play in the candidates matches. That is a story in itself. Ding Liren was the highest rated blitz player in the world at 2875 in 2016. GM Ding's skill at speed chess served him well with a mere minute remaining in the dramatic fourth and final rapid tiebreaker when he eschewed a certain perpetual check draw to play for the win and did indeed win in dramatic fashion over Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi. GM Ding had found himself in time trouble throughout the match. Magnus Carlsen of Norway ruled classical chess for 10 years from 2013-2023. He is a five-time world champion. Carlsen, just days before his 23rd birthday, defeated Viswanathan Anand. He defeated Anand in a rematch in 2014. Carlsen defended his title against Sergey Karjakin in 2016, Fabiano Caruana in 2018, and Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2021. Carlsen declined to defend his title against Nepomniachtchi in 2023.> Q: How do you know which cow is the best dancer? A: See which one has the best moo-ves. Thank you, Qindarka! Q: What does the cow band play? A: Moo-sic! The Use Of Knowledge Between two citizens A controversy grew. The one was poor, but much he knew: The other, rich, with little sense, Claimed that, in point of excellence, The merely wise should bow the knee To all such moneyed men as he. The merely fools, he should have said; For why should wealth hold up its head, When merit from its side has fled? "My friend," said Bloated-purse, To his reverse, "You think yourself considerable. Pray, tell me, do you keep a table? What comes of this incessant reading, In point of lodging, clothing, feeding? It gives one, true, the highest chamber, One coat for June and for December, His shadow for his sole attendant, And hunger always in the ascendant. What profits he his country, too, Who scarcely ever spends a sou – Will, haply, be a public charge? Who profits more the state at large, Than he whose luxuries dispense Among the people wealth immense? We set the streams of life a-flowing; We set all sorts of trades a-going. The spinner, weaver, sewer, vender, And many a wearer, fair and tender, All live and flourish on the spender – As do, indeed, the reverend rooks Who waste their time in making books." These words, so full of impudence, Received their proper recompense. The man of letters held his peace, Though much he might have said with ease. A war avenged him soon and well; In it their common city fell. Both fled abroad; the ignorant, By fortune thus brought down to want, Was treated everywhere with scorn, And roamed about, a wretch forlorn; Whereas the scholar, everywhere, Was nourished by the public care. Let fools the studious despise; There's nothing lost by being wise. * 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: "The elbow is close but you cannot bite it. (Близок локоток, да не укусишь.)" Close is no cigar. Ya might be ah redneck if'n ya thunk "lol" means low on liquor. “If you ain’t the lead dog, the view never changes.” Song of the Storm-Swept Plain William D. Hodjkiss The wind shrills forth From the white cold North Where the gates of the Storm-god are; And ragged clouds, Like mantling shrouds, Engulf the last, dim star. Through naked trees, In low coulees, The night-voice moans and sighs; And sings of deep, Warm cradled sleep, With wind-crooned lullabies. He stands alone Where the storm’s weird tone In mocking swells; And the snow-sharp breath Of cruel Death The tales of its coming tells. The frightened plaint Of his sheep sound faint Then the choking wall of white— Then is heard no more, In the deep-toned roar, Of the blinding, pathless night. No light nor guide, Save a mighty tide Of mad fear drives him on; ‘Till his cold-numbed form Grows strangely warm; And the strength of his limbs is gone. Through the storm and night A strange, soft light O’er the sleeping shepherd gleams; And he hears the word Of the Shepherd Lord Called out from the bourne of dreams. Come, leave the strife Of your weary life; Come unto Me and rest From the night and cold, To the sheltered fold, By the hand of love caressed. The storm shrieks on, But its work is done— A soul to its God has fled; And the wild refrain Of the wind-swept plain, Sings requiem for the dead. Riddle: What word is always pronounced wrong? FACTRETRIEVER: There are no seagulls in Hawaii. Riddel Answer: Wrong! "Zeitnot" is German for "time pressure." “....his countrymen, Kolisch and Steinitz, are greatly indebted for their later success to their having enjoyed early opportunities of practicing with the departed amateur whose death is also greatly deplored amongst all who knew him personally.” — Wilhelm Steinitz, regarding Karl Hamppe The first appearance of the (John) Cochrane gambit against Petrov's defense C42 was in the year 1848 against an Indian master Mohishunder Bannerjee. “Sorry don't get it done, Dude!” — John Wayne, Rio Bravo “Gossip is the devil’s telephone. Best to just hang up.” — Moira Rose <chess writer and poet Henry Thomas Bland. Another example of his way with words is the start of ‘Internal Fires’, a poem published on page 57 of the March 1930 American Chess Bulletin: I used to play chess with the dearest old chap, Whom naught could upset whatever might hap. He’d oft lose a game he might well have won But made no excuse for what he had done. If a piece he o’erlooked and got it snapped up He took it quite calmly and ne’er ‘cut up rough’.> '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 * Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t... 'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer The Words Of Socrates A house was built by Socrates That failed the public taste to please. Some blamed the inside; some, the out; and all Agreed that the apartments were too small. Such rooms for him, the greatest sage of Greece! "I ask," said he, "no greater bliss Than real friends to fill even this." And reason had good Socrates To think his house too large for these. A crowd to be your friends will claim, Till some unhandsome test you bring. There's nothing plentier than the name; There's nothing rarer than the thing. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER It’s no time to play chess when the house is on fire. ~ Italian Proverbs If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. ~ Chinese Proverb The one who wins plays best. ~ German Proverbs Acts 20: 35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” "You must play boldly to win." ― Arnold Palmer "Champions keep playing until they get it right." ― Billie Jean King Fred Wellmuth was a strong amateur from California Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes The Great Gatsby in 1925. <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/ “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. Charles Lindbergh lands "Spirit of St. Louis" in Paris on May 21, 1927, successfully completing the first trans-Atlantic flight. '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 * Knight Power: https://fmochess.com/the-power-of-t... 'Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer Tennessee schoolteacher John T. Scopes' trial for teaching Darwin's "Theory of Evolution" begins July 1925. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER Q: What do you call a fat pumpkin? A: A pumpkin! Q: What do you call a factory that sells OK products? A: A satisfactory! Q: What do you call a cheese that doesn't belong to you? A: Nacho cheese! Q: What do you call a sleeping wolf? A: An unawarewolf! Q: What do you call a bear that never wants to grow up? A: Peter Panda! Q: What do you call a Jedi with one arm? A: Hand Solo! Q: What do you call a sad cheese? A: A Blue cheese! Q: What do you call an argument between two electric companies? A: A power struggle! A piece of cake: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/che... Dionysius1: I had basil on the pub's potage du jour yesterday. Soup herb! 'A stitch in time saves nine' “You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds.” “Discontent is the first necessity of progress.” — Thomas A. Edison Simonides Preserved By The Gods Three sorts there are, as Malherbe says, Which one can never overpraise – The gods, the ladies, and the king; And I, for one, endorse the thing. The heart, praise tickles and entices; Of fair one's smile, it often the price is. See how the gods sometimes repay it. Simonides – the ancients say it – Once undertook, in poem lyric, To write a wrestler's panegyric; Which, before he had proceeded far in, He found his subject somewhat barren. No ancestors of great renown; His sire of some unnoted town; Himself as little known to fame, The wrestler's praise was rather tame. The poet, having made the most of Whatever his hero had to boast of, Digressed, by choice that was not all luck's, To Castor and his brother Pollux; Whose bright career was subject ample, For wrestlers, sure, a good example. Our poet fattened on their story, Gave every fight its place and glory, Till of his panegyric words These deities had got two-thirds. All done, the poet's fee A talent was to be. But when he comes his bill to settle, The wrestler, with a spice of mettle, Pays down a third, and tells the poet, "The balance they may pay who owe it. The gods than I are rather debtors To such a pious man of letters. But still I shall be greatly pleased To have your presence at my feast, Among a knot of guests select, My kin, and friends I most respect." More fond of character than coffer, Simonides accepts the offer. While at the feast the party sit, And wine provokes the flow of wit, It is announced that at the gate Two men, in haste that cannot wait, Would see the bard. He leaves the table, No loss at all to "ts noisy gabble. The men were Leda's twins, who knew What to a poet's praise was due, And, thanking, paid him by foretelling The downfall of the wrestler's dwelling. From which ill-fated pile, indeed, No sooner was the poet freed, Than, props and pillars failing, Which held aloft the ceiling So splendid over them, It downward loudly crashed, The plates and flagons dashed, And men who bore them; And, what was worse, Full vengeance for the man of verse, A timber broke the wrestler's thighs, And wounded many otherwise. The gossip Fame, of course, took care Abroad to publish this affair. "A miracle!" the public cried, delighted. No more could god-beloved bard be slighted. His verse now brought him more than double, With neither duns, nor care, nor trouble. Whoever laid claim to noble birth Must buy his ancestors a slice, Resolved no nobleman on earth Should overgo him in the price. From which these serious lessons flow: Fail not your praises to bestow On gods and godlike men. Again, To sell the product of her pain Is not degrading to the Muse. Indeed, her art they do abuse, Who think her wares to use, And yet a liberal pay refuse. Whatever the great confer on her, They're honoured by it while they honour. Of old, Olympus and Parnassus In friendship heaved their sky-crowned masses. 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 from the simpleton poet: Roses are red. Violets are blue. Chess is creative. And a journey too. Good in the morning. Or just before bed. Play cheater_1, with engine. Or OTB, all in your head. “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.” ― Bobby Fischer “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 wordzfun 3rdp A L Zaid WAIT! Holdon toyur horsz n camlz, thair Dzagnidze 4ward Steinitz pencls zewage pstr zitellone bythe Yogi zja. That wash illigl soit wasp retractor. Touch-move appliez 12% enter west rates 4a limitd tym onli. Cali perfornia xcluedd, so laym still to blaym fo shaym all th saym anything fo fayk faym. 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. John 14:6 “<I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.>” ― Jesus Christ 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? Give a HOOT ― Don't Pollute! 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: What’s the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? Answer: Graveyards are attached to churches while cemeteries are stand-alone. Patty Loveless "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi... * Opening Tree: https://www.shredderchess.com/onlin... 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 (The Bishop's Opening, Berlin Defense) Then 3.d4 (Ponziani's Gambit) and some variation thereafter. Wikipedia shows that the following are closely related: * 3...exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 (Center Game, by transposition) * 3...exd4 4.Nf3 (Urusov Gambit) o 4...Bc5 5.0-0 Nc6 (Max Lange Attack, by transposition) o 4...Nc6 (Two Knights Defense, by transposition) o 4...Nxe4 5.Qxd4 (Urusov Gambit Accepted) The Triple Muzio Gambit starts with 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. O8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. d4 Qxd4+ 10. Be3 – it’s a sequence that looks like you’re deliberately giving up pawns, but in reality, you’re setting up for a quick strike against your opponent’s king while they are still trying to coordinate their forces. The Nakmanson Gambit is as follows: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Nc3 dxc3 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qd5+ The beauty of this gambit lies in its aggression and unpredictability. It forces your opponent to think on their feet right from the get-go. By sacrificing pieces early on, it may seem like you’re falling behind but don’t be fooled! The goal is not necessarily material gain but rather seizing control of the board and leaving your opponent with tough decisions to make under pressure. The Lucchini Gambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 f5 5. Ng5 f4 – an aggressive sequence of moves designed to unsettle any adversary right from the get-go. But don’t be fooled by its audacious start; this gambit isn’t for the faint-hearted or inexperienced player! The Lucchini Gambit requires careful planning and sharp tactical vision to navigate through its complex mazes, using each piece efficiently while maintaining a strong position on the board. The Stafford Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6. The beauty of the Stafford Gambit lies not in material gain but in seizing control over the center board swiftly and launching an unyielding attack against unsuspecting opponents. Even if they manage to cope with initial pressure, they must continuously be on guard for tactical blows throughout the middle game phase. The Orthoschnapp Gambit: 1. e4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Qb3 dxe4 5. Bc4 – adding a thrilling twist to your arsenal that’ll leave your opponents stunned! The Hyper Accelerated Dragon is like stepping onto a high-speed roller coaster. It offers thrilling turns and tactical maneuvers that’ll keep your opponent on their toes. It’s an aggressive yet flexible opening for black. It comes into play when you make the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6. This chess opening derives its strength from its versatility in creating a solid positional game while also allowing explosive counterplay opportunities. The key to mastering this opening lies in understanding the pawn structures and knowing exactly when to strike back against your opponent. The fianchettoed Bg7 applies pressure on the center and prepares for d7-d5 in one go if possible. This allows you to break open your opponent’s central control early in the game, leading to dynamic positions that often catch them off guard. Moreover, this unique setup gives you greater flexibility with your knights. They can be developed according to how white responds. What sets this opening apart is how quickly it drives at white’s center without committing too many pieces early on. The accelerated development not only provides an element of surprise but also forces white into defensive mode right out of the gate. So next time you’re looking for an adventurous ride through complex tactical terrains while maintaining a secure position, don’t hesitate – hop onto the Hyper Accelerated Dragon! With practice and careful study, you’ll soon become adept at navigating its twists and turns to outmaneuver your opponents. “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” ― Aristotle Old Russian Proverb: A good laugh is sunshine in a house. “Don't just follow your dreams; chase them down, grab hold and don't let go.” ― Kellie Elmore <In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.> “When you have the better of it, play simply. When the game is going against you, look for complications.” — Frank J. Marshall Riddle: What invention lets you look right through a wall? In a match between Mason-Mackenzie in London in 1882, there were 72 consecutive Queen Moves. Riddle Answer: A window! 31 games, 1620-2002 Garry Kasparov's Best Games The best games of Kasparov's career. In the hands of this young man lies the future of chess. – Mikhail Botvinnik (on Kasparov in the late Seventies) It was the beauty and brilliance of tactical blows that captivated me in early childhood. – Garry Kasparov My chess philosophy has largely been developed under the influence of Ex-World Champion Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik. I am sure that the five years I spent at Botvinnik's school (1973-1978) played a decisive role in my formation as a chess player and determined the path of my subsequent improvement. – Garry Kasparov I singled out for me a group of chess players from whom I wanted to borrow the best qualities: the psychological stability from Karpov, the meticulous positional technique from Petrosian, the logic from Botvinnik, the intuition from Alekhine, the ability of taking a risk from Tal. – Garry Kasparov Alexander Alekhine is the first luminary among the others who are still having the greatest influence on me. I like his universality, his approach to the game, his chess ideas. I am sure that the future belongs to "Alekhine" chess. – Garry Kasparov I try to play, always, beautiful games…always I wanted to create masterpieces. – Garry Kasparov I want to win, I want to beat everyone, but I want to do it in style! – Garry Kasparov Chess for me is art. – Garry Kasparov Chess is mental torture. - Garry Kasparov My play is based on the most general laws of chess and the particular features of the position. – Garry Kasparov The point about concentration is that it is the only way to find something new and unusual at the chessboard; the only way to create surprise with fresh ideas. – Garry Kasparov We like to think. – Gary Kasparov (on why he and Karpov get into time trouble so often) In conclusion, if you want to unravel the multitude of secrets of chess then don't begrudge the time. - Garry Kasparov My nature is that I have to excite myself with a big challenge. - Garry Kasparov Kasparov feels Indian positions with his fingertips, but did not risk playing the KID against Karpov until their 4th match. And when Garry did not lose, he confirmed his absolute dominance over Karpov. It became clear that Karpov's attempts to regain the title would never succeed. - Alexsander Shashin To make a rather primitive classification, the average grandmaster knows about 1,500 - 2,000 typical positions, including the opening, possible middlegame plans, and some outlines of endgame. Super GMs, like Kramnik or Anand, have a wider and deeper knowledge. As for Kasparov, his knowledge is truly head-spinning, I guess, his number of positions might exceed 10,000. Garry's memory is phenomenal! I think it even impedes him during the game. - Valeri Tsaturian Potentially, Garry is an outstanding tactician who thinks originally and has a fine, sharp sense for dynamic positions. The trainers who worked with him concentrated on another of his assets, the most obvious one being his unique memory. This natural gift and his strong character, multiplied by his tremendous working ability, along with his ability to accumulate and retain information, produced the world champion; perhaps the greatest chess player of all time. Nevertheless, I believe that Garry did not realize his true chess potential to the maximum. Great knowledge is a great burden. Young Kasparov was incredibly inventive, even in difficult positions. He knew how to transform them, to explode the situation on the board in his favor, and he collected points from the strongest opponents, who could not cope with such complications. Garry's chess talent had a lot in common with Tal's. Later these traits were greatly developed. Garry has been the world's strongest player for 20 years and still he is not fully satisfied. Due to the constant pressure on him, Garry can't play a single game for his own pleasure. Those who've seen friendly games by Kasparov, when he plays in a relaxed manner without worrying about the outcome, will never forget it: what spectacular chess! - Valeri Tsaturian An aggressively inscrutable player, Kasparov strives to gain deep positional sacrifices: Even when he can't calculate the end result conclusively, he can make sophisticated generalizations. He does anything to get the initiative and to force the play. Inevitably, he emerges from a forest of complications - in which his intentions aren't all that clear - with the advantage. He's not as artful or as clear as Fischer, but his play coincides with the realities of the day, which are all about defense. Clarity of style no longer makes sense. Great players hide their intentions. – Bruce Pandolfini Kasparov always seems to find some sparks to create a fire on the board. – Lubomir Kavalek Typical Kasparov. Instead of simplifying to stagnant equality, he seeks counter chances on the kingside. Forever confident. That's why he's the best in the world! – Yasser Seirawan (commenting on a Kasparov game) When your house is on fire, you can’t be bothered with the neighbors. Or, as we say in Chess, if your King is under attack you don’t worry about losing a Pawn on the Queen's side. - Gary Kasparov Sometimes Kasparov does things that no other chessplayer is able to do, things that are so stunning that colleagues and spectators ask themselves in astounded admiration how for heaven's sake it is possible that a human being can invent them. – Hans Ree Look at Garry Kasparov. After he loses, invariably he wins the next game. He just kills the next guy. That's something that we have to learn to be able to do. - Maurice Ashley If there is one single facet of chess in which Garry has well and truly dominated his opposition it is in the opening phase of the game. The breadth of his opening preparation is as vast as it is deep, ensnaring practically every chess grandmaster he has ever faced. I've witnessed some of the world's very best grandmasters shaking their heads, staring at a lost position shortly after breaking beyond the opening stages. – Yasser Seirawan Kasparov has won many Najdorfs and King's Indians not only because he had the best novelties, but because he fundamentally understood those positions better than his opponents. On the other hand he was too stubborn to admit that the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez was not 'his cup of tea', which ultimately cost him his World Championship title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2000. - Ivan Sokolov Considering the youth of many of today's chess fans it might be better to reminisce about how terrifying Kasparov was in the 80s, but no time for ancient history today. Nobody gets a name like "Beast" after they're 35. – Mig Greengard He has been known by many names: the Prince of Darkness, the Boss, the Great One, Gazza, the Beast, and the Dark One. I think he enjoys all of this very much. – Kelly Atkins Garry Kasparov, the man who throws rocks as if they are tennis balls, uproots heavy trees with bare hands and eats strong international masters for breakfast. – Hans Ree Kasparov had an especially honed feel for the initiative and developed the deep preparation for tournaments and matches that was applied by Alekhine, Botvinnik and Fischer... - Anatoly Karpov Kasparov definitely has a great talent. There is nothing in chess he has been unable to deal with. The other world champions had something 'missing'. I can't say the same about Kasparov: he can do everything. If he wishes to play some type of positions brilliantly, he will do it. Nothing is impossible for him in chess. - Vladimir Kramnik Kasparov is the greatest player in the history of chess. I am a big fan of Capablanca, but Kasparov is the greatest. - Alexsander Shashin To add: Smyslov vs Kasparov, 1981 181 games, 1976-2005 Grand Prix Attack. Schofman Variation (f5) (B early f5, black fianchetto king side-g7, You cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around. * Here's 14 of the greatest tournaments of all time: London 1851, Adolf Anderssen 15/21 Hastings 1895, Harry Nelson Pillsbury 16.5/21 St. Petersburg 1914, Emanuel Lasker 13.5/18 New York 1924, Emanuel Lasker 16.0/20 AVRO 1938, Paul Keres & Reuben Fine 8.5/14 FIDE World Championship 1948, Mikhail Botvinnik 14.0/20 Zurich Candidates 1953, Vasily Smyslov 18.0/28 Santa Monica 1966, Boris Spassky 11.5/18 Montreal 1979, Mikhail Tal & Anatoly Karpov 12.0/18 Linares 1994, Anatoly Karpov 11.0/13 Wijk Aan Zee 1999, Garry Kasparov 10.0/13 Mexico City FIDE World Championship 2007, Viswanathan Anand 9.0/14 London Candidates 2013, Magnus Carlsen (& Vladimir Kramnik) 8.5/14 Yektarinburg Candidates 2021, GM Ding Liren went through an entire tournament with 99% CAPS accuracy. * Chess in the Newspaper: https://www.schach-chess.com/chess-... * Bad bishops are...bad: https://lichess1.org/game/export/gi... * Internet tracking: https://www.studysmarter.us/magazin... * TFD: https://chessentials.com/category/l... “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” ― Theodore Roosevelt The Raven Wishing To Imitate The Eagle The bird of Jove bore off a mutton, A raven being witness. That weaker bird, but equal glutton, Not doubting of his fitness To do the same with ease, And bent his taste to please, Took round the flock his sweep, And marked among the sheep, The one of fairest flesh and size, A real sheep of sacrifice – A dainty titbit bestial, Reserved for mouth celestial. Our gormand, gloating round, Cried, "Sheep, I wonder much Who could have made you such. You're far the fattest I have found; I'll take you for my eating." And on the creature bleating He settled down. Now, sooth to say, This sheep would weigh More than a cheese; And had a fleece Much like that matting famous Which graced the chin of Polyphemus; So fast it clung to every claw, It was not easy to withdraw. The shepherd came, caught, caged, and, to their joy, Gave croaker to his children for a toy. Ill plays the pilferer the bigger thief; One's self one ought to know; – in brief, Example is a dangerous lure; Death strikes the gnat, where flies the wasp secure. <<On the question about what he does to stay in good physical shape, Wesley So said: I was reading about Bobby Fischer in the museum and that’s one thing he was really really good at. He was so physically strong, and so is Magnus Carlsen, so that’s definitely one thing I could improve upon. I try to exercise, either take long walks during a tournament. I try to swim when I’m back home, I swim two or three times a week for an hour. I try to also eat healthy. When I was younger I could eat anything I wanted. I’m getting close to 30 and the doctor told me I have to watch my diet here and there. Try to you know eat healthier, try to eat more fruits and vegetables, try to sleep 12 hours every night. Cristian Chirila: 12 hours? Okay! Wesley So: I mean it’s not easy but I try to lay in bed around 13 hours a night. Because during the game you need your full concentration. When I’m back at home I don’t really need much sleep but when I’m in a tournament I try to get as much as possible. I saw on Bobby Fischer’s interview that he wakes up like an hour or half an hour before the game so he comes to the game very fresh. For me it’s a bit different, I do some review here and there, but I usually wake up around three or two and a half hours before a game. I know Magnus does the thing, he just wakes up and then goes to play a game and maybe that’s the secret. I try to learn from great players.> ― chesstopics.com, March 2023 Confessed faults are half mended. ~ Scottish Proverb <IF Poet: Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting, too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting. Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating. And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream — and not make dreams your master; If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truths you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools. Or watch the things you gave your life to broken. And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone. And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will, which says to them: "Hold on"; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it. And — which is more — you'll be a Man, my son. About the poem, If by Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Morris wrote: "The central idea of this poem is that success comes from self-control and a true sense of the values of things. In extremes lies danger. A man must not lose heart because of doubts or opposition, yet he must do his best to see the grounds for both. He must not be deceived into thinking either triumph or disaster final; he must use each wisely--and push on. In all things he must hold to the golden mean. If he does, he will own the world, and even better, for his personal reward he will attain the full stature of manhood."> Riddle: Three doctors all say Robert is their brother. Robert says he has no brothers. Who is lying? Answer: No one—the doctors are Robert’s sisters. Armenian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armen... Austrian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austr... British Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briti... Bulgarian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulga... Croatian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croat... Cyprus Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypri... Dutch Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch... Finnish Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finni... French Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenc... German Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germa... Greek Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek... Hungarian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunga... Icelandic Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icela... Irish Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish... Israeli Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israe... Italian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itali... Latvian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvi... Lithuanian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithu... Nordic Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordi... Polish Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polis... Portuguese Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portu... Romanian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman... Russian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russi... Scottish Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott... Spanish Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spani... Swiss Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss... Turkish Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turki... Ukranian Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrai... Welsh Chess Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh... That's enough for now. The Wolves and the Sheep By-gone a thousand years of war, The wearers of the fleece And wolves at last made peace; Which both appeared the better for; For if the wolves had now and then Eat up a straggling ewe or wether, As often had the shepherd men Turned wolf-skins into leather. Fear always spoiled the verdant herbage, And so it did the bloody carnage. Hence peace was sweet; and, lest it should be riven, On both sides hostages were given. The sheep, as by the terms arranged, For pups of wolves their dogs exchanged; Which being done above suspicion, Confirmed and sealed by high commission, What time the pups were fully grown, And felt an appetite for prey, And saw the sheepfold left alone, The shepherds all away, They seized the fattest lambs they could, And, choking, dragged them to the wood; Of which, by secret means apprised, Their sires, as is surmised, Fell on the hostage guardians of the sheep, And slew them all asleep. So quick the deed of perfidy was done, There fled to tell the tale not one! From which we may conclude That peace with villains will be rued. Peace in itself, it's true, May be a good for you; But It's an evil, nathless, When enemies are faithless. Riddle: Where does today come before yesterday? Answer: In the dictionary. My Wage by Jessie Belle Rittenhouse I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more, However I begged at evening When I counted my scanty store; For Life is a just employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have paid. <Chess has six different kinds of pieces, and they all interact in myriad ways. Your opponent’s own pieces can often be used against him. While the Queen is the strongest piece, it is the weakest defender; and while the pawn is the weakest piece, it is the strongest defender. José Raúl Capablanca used the principle "Cutting off pieces from the scene of action."> [Site "Kiev RUE"] [Event "Simul, 30b"] [Date "1914.03.02"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "?"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Jose Raul Capablanca"] [Black "Masyutin"] [ECO "A83"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "37"] 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 e6 7.Bd3 d5 8.O-O Nbd7 9.Ne5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qh5+ Ke7 12.Bxh7 Nf8 13.Qf7+ Kd6 14.Nc4+ dxc4 15.Ne4+ Kd5 16.Rf5+ Kxe4 17.Re1+ Kxd4 18.c3+ Kd3 19.Rd5# 1-0 Discovered Double Checkmate!! “As an adult, Capablanca lost only 34 serious games. He was undefeated from 10 February 1916, when he lost to Oscar Chajes in the New York 1916 tournament, to 21 March 1924, when he lost to Richard Réti in the New York International tournament. During this streak, which included his 1921 World Championship match against Lasker, Capablanca played 63 games, winning 40 and drawing 23. In fact, only Marshall, Lasker, Alekhine and Rudolf Spielmann won two or more serious games from the mature Capablanca, though in each case, their overall lifetime scores were minus (Capablanca beat Marshall +20−2=28, Lasker +6−2=16, Alekhine +9−7=33), except for Spielmann who was level (+2−2=8). Of top players, only Keres had a narrow plus score against him (+1−0=5). Keres's win was at the AVRO 1938 chess tournament, during which tournament Capablanca turned 50, while Keres was 22.” ― Wikipedia The Chess Machine: https://chessville.com/jose-raul-ca... Learn from the World Champions: https://www.chessable.com/blog/famo... 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. Q: What’s the best thing about Switzerland? A: I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus. 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 Weord Maze: 3z Darby's samichz haz da bst pigz eyez, no birdz eyez annie pig snoutz. Shout, shout, let it all out. Theez rtha things Ivan duel without. C'mon Mikhail Talkin youtube. A pencil maker told the pencil 5 important lessons just before putting it in the box: 1. Everything you do you will always leave a mark. 2. You can always correct the mistakes you make. 3. What is important is what is inside of you. 4. In life, you will undergo painful sharpening which will only make you better. 5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you. Lead Pb 82 207.2 1.8 Riddle: What invention lets you look right through a wall? Answer: A window! 22 games, 1972-2017

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