Everyman Press; book by John Emms
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ― Maya Angelou
“If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” ― Jim Rohn
“Chess is a simple game, but it is that very simplicity that makes the player’s personalities come out.” ― Gamou Jirou
“The Japanese fought to win - it was a savage, brutal, inhumane, exhausting and dirty business. Our commanders knew that if we were to win and survive, we must be trained realistically for it whether we liked it or not. In the post-war years, the U.S. Marine Corps came in for a great deal of undeserved criticism in my opinion, from well-meaning persons who did not comprehend the magnitude of stress and horror that combat can be. The technology that developed the rifle barrel, the machine gun and high explosive shells has turned war into prolonged, subhuman slaughter. Men must be trained realistically if they are to survive it without breaking, mentally and physically.”
― E.B. Sledge, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
“Chess is the art of analysis.” ― Mikhail Botvinnik
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” ― Dalai Lama
“I have seen two geniuses in my time. One was Tal. The other was Fischer.” ―
Russian GM Yuri Averbakh
* Benefits of Chess: https://blog.amphy.com/11-surprisin...
* Good Historical Links: https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/in...
* Internet tracking: https://www.studysmarter.us/magazin...
* C-K for White: Game Collection: Caro Kann & French
* Cheating: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...
* Endgames of WCs: Game Collection: Endgames World champions - part two
* Master Boogie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSL...
* Teaching Moments: Game Collection: Teaching Moments in Chess
* The World's Great Chess Games, by Fine, Reuben (User: GeauxCool) Game Collection: 0 ♖♖♖ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b...
“Above the clouds I lift my wing
To hear the bells of Heaven ring;
Some of their music, though my fights be wild,
To Earth I bring;
Then let me soar and sing!” ― Edmund Clarence Stedman
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” ― Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, and former U.S. Army Colonel
“I don't think about it (representing African-Americans) during the games, but I certainly do think about how few African-Americans there are at the top level. So, I try to do my best to motivate more people like us to give it a try and hopefully succeed.”
― 13-year-old FM Brewington Hardaway from New York
“Invest in quality pieces, they never go out of style.”
― Ruth Coleman, fashionista at age 101
“There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65.”
― Dr Shigeaki Hinohara, one of the world’s longest-serving physicians at age 101
poem by B.H. Wood, entitled ‘The Drowser’:
Ah, reverie! Ten thousand heads I see
Bent over chess-boards, an infinity
Of minds engaged in battle, fiendishly,
Keenly, or calmly, as the case may be:
World-wide, the neophyte, the veteran,
The studious problemist, the fairy fan ...
“What’s that? – I’m nearly sending you to sleep?
Sorry! – but this position’s rather deep.”
Source: Chess Amateur, September 1929, page 268.
“Encouragement is like water to the soul, it makes everything grow.”
― Chris Burkmenn
Be slow in choosing a friend but slower in changing him. ~ Scottish Proverb
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
<Shakespearean Puns
Perhaps no writer is better known for the use of puns than William Shakespeare. He plays with "tide" and "tied" in Two Gentlemen of Verona:"Panthino
Away, ass! You'll lose the tide if you tarry any longer.
Launce
It is no matter if the tied were lost; for it is the unkindest tied that ever any man tied.
Panthino
What's the unkindest tide?
Launce
Why, he that's tied here, Crab, my dog."
In the opening of Richard III, the sun refers to the blazing sun on Edward IV's banner and the fact that he is the son of the Duke of York:
"Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York."
In this line from Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare plays on the different meanings of heavy (which also means sad) and light:
"Give me a torch: I am not for this ambling; Being but heavy I will bear the light."
Later in Romeo and Juliet, a morbid pun comes from a fatally-stabbed Mercutio, where grave means serious, but also alludes to his imminent death:
"Ask for me tomorrow, you shall find me a grave man."
If you open any Shakesperean play, you're likely to find at least one pun on the page! Keep an eye out for a clever play on words example the next time you read Hamlet or watch As You Like It on the stage.>
May-07-12
Domdaniel: I'll believe that computers are intelligent -- well, vaguely sentient anyway -- the day they start to have slanging matches and call one another 'idiot' and 'moron'.
- Your motherboard was an egg timer! A *failed* egg timer!
- Were you built by *humans*?
May-07-12 Shams: <Domdaniel> There's always Alex P. Keaton's "I'd get a better game from the microwave!" He was playing against whatever you could buy at Radio Shack in 1986 though, so he may not have been far off.
Feb-09-12
ray keene: nimzos best endgames
v lasker zurich 1934
v spielmann carlsbad 1929
v lundin stockholm 1934
v maroczy bled 1931
v henneberger winterthur 1931
v thomas frankfurt 1930
v sultan khan liege 1930
v marshall berlin 1928
v reti berlin 1928
v alehine ny 1927
v tchigorin carlsbad 1907
and for a joke entry duras v nimzo san sebastian 1912 !!
People believe what they want to believe, truth or not.
“Search for the grain of truth in other opinions.” ― Richard Carlson
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him”
The Ass and the Little Dog
One's native talent from its course
Cannot be turned aside by force;
But poorly apes the country clown
The polished manners of the town.
Their Maker chooses but a few
With power of pleasing to imbue;
Where wisely leave it we, the mass,
Unlike a certain fabled ass,
That thought to gain his master's blessing
By jumping on him and caressing.
"What!" said the donkey in his heart;
"Ought it to be that puppy's part
To lead his useless life
In full companionship
With master and his wife,
While I must bear the whip?
What does the cur a kiss to draw?
Forsooth, he only gives his paw!
If that is all there needs to please,
I'll do the thing myself, with ease."
Possessed with this bright notion, –
His master sitting on his chair,
At leisure in the open air, –
He ambled up, with awkward motion,
And put his talents to the proof;
Upraised his bruised and battered hoof,
And, with an amiable mien,
His master patted on the chin,
The action gracing with a word –
The fondest bray that ever was heard!
O, such caressing was there ever?
Or melody with such a quaver?
"Ho! Martin! here! a club, a club bring!"
Out cried the master, sore offended.
So Martin gave the ass a drubbing, –
And so the comedy was ended.
Luke 2:9, 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Conceive a man by nature and misfortune prone to a pallid hopelessness, can any business seem more fitted to heighten it than that of continually handling these dead letters and assorting them for the flames? For by the cart-load they are annually burned. Sometimes from out the folded paper the pale clerk takes a ring: - the finger it was meant for, perhaps, moulders in the grave; a bank-note sent in swiftest charity: - he whom it would relieve, nor eats nor hungers any more; pardon for those who died despairing; hope for those who died unhoping; good tidings for those who died stifled by unrelieved calamities. On errands of life, these letters speed to death.
Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity! — Herman Melville
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ― Thomas A. Edison
The Shepherd
by William Blake
1757 (Soho) – 1827 (London)
How sweet is the shepherd's sweet lot!
From the morn to the evening he strays;
He shall follow his sheep all the day,
And his tongue shall be filled with praise.
For he hears the lambs' innocent call,
And he hears the ewes' tender reply;
He is watchful while they are in peace,
For they know when their shepherd is nigh.
“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
Feb-13-11 keypusher: <scutigera: They give this as one of Myagmarsuren's notable games with 162 others in the database?>
notable games are selected based on how many games collections they are in.
Dec-12-16 DrGridlock: Q: When is a pin not a pin?
A: When the piece is:
(i) not pinned to the king
and
(ii) in moving the piece threatens either mate or greater material gain than what it was pinned to.
(iii) in moving the piece now defends the unit it was pinned to, such as Nf3xd4 and protects the Be2 that was behind the knight.
Riddle Question: The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
A compass does not point to the geographical North or South Pole, but to the magnetic poles.
Riddle Answer: Darkness
Riddle Question: David’s parents have three sons: Snap, Crackle, and what’s the name of the third son?
The smallest transistor is 50-nanometres wide – roughly 1/2000 the width of a human hair.
A compass does not point to the geographical North or South Pole, but to the magnetic poles.
Riddle Answer: David
Relish:
In 1090, a Chessboard with alternating light and dark squares was introduced in Europe.
* Riddle-e-dee: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid...
During World War II, several of the world’s best chess players were code breakers.
In India, chess was initially known as the ‘Game of Kings.’
“In life, as in chess, one’s own pawns block one’s way. A man’s very wealth, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him to win, more often checkmate him.” — Charles Buxton
“Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.” — Rudolph Spielmann
“A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only difficult, but almost a matter of course.” — Savielly Tartakower.
“Knowing which pieces you want to be exchanged is a great help in finding the right moves.” — Graham Burgess
“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
“I don’t think you can really compare anyone to Fischer and I have high respect for him – he’s one of the greatest chess players who ever lived!” — Wesley so
“Fischer…is abnormally sensitive to the slightest noise in the hall…Then there are other players, among them Spassky, [Viktor] Korchnoi, and myself. For us, it is simply boring to play in an empty hall. When we appear on the stage, we are artistes.” — Mikhail Tal
“He went out of his way to provoke the opponent to attack, and, reeking of contempt and crusader’s zeal, devoted himself to consolidating some of the most hideously unconsolidated positions ever seen on a chessboard.”
— Robert Byrne on Wilhelm Steinitz
“The defensive power of a pinned piece is only imaginary.” ― Aaron Nimzowitsch
Bobby Fischer on Paul Morphy:
“Perhaps the most accurate player who ever lived, he would beat anybody today in a set-match. He had complete sight of the board and seldom blundered even though he moved quite rapidly. I've played over hundreds of his games and am continually surprised and entertained by his ingenuity.”
“He (Jose R. Capablanca) makes the game look easy. Art lies in the concealment of art.” ― Philip W. Sergeant
“Beautiful, cold, remorseless chess, almost creepy in its silent implacability.”
― Raymond Chandler (on a Capablanca game)
“What others could not see in a month's study, he saw at a glance.”
― Reuben Fine (on Capablanca)
“Capablanca invariably chose the right option, no matter how intricate the position.” ― Garry Kasparov.
“Capablanca's games generally take the following course: he begins with a series of extremely fine prophylactic maneuvers, which neutralize his opponent's attempts to complicate the game; he then proceeds, slowly but surely, to set up an attacking position. This attacking position, after a series of simplifications, is transformed into a favorable endgame, which he conducts with matchless technique.” ― Aaron Nimzowitsch
“The greatest compliment one can pay a master is to compare him with [Jose] Capablanca.” — Irving Chernev
“The peculiarity of his style is that only rarely does he make moves which no one else would make.” — Max Euwe on Vassily Smyslov
“When his opponent forces him into wild play, his performance is stunning.”
— Robert Byrne on Tigran Petrosian
“You can never relax. I keep the same amount of energy and concentration during the tournament.” ― 13-year-old FM Brewington Hardaway from New York
“Most promises featuring the word 'always' are unkeepable.”
― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed
“You should never say never. Just like you should never say always; because, always and never are always never true.” ― J. R. Krol
“Never and Always
Never take advantage of someone whom loves you
Never avoid someone whom needs you
Never betray anyone whom has trust in you
Never forget the people that always remember you
Never speak ill of a person who is not present
Never support something you know is wrong or unethical
Always speak to your parents on their birthday and anniversary
Always defend those who cannot defend themselves
Always forgive those you love whom have made mistakes
Always give something to those less fortunate than you
Always remember to look back at those who helped you succeed
Always call your parents and siblings on New Year’s Eve.”
― R.J. Intindola
“I learned that you have to study more to keep improving (to avoid plateauing). (...) I also realized I had to move slower because I was moving very quickly and making easy blunders.” ― 13-year-old FM Brewington Hardaway from New York
“It's a lot of things [that I consider (what opening to play)]. Obviously, my opponent's rating—I don't want to play an equal game where I don't have many winning chances. But also, my mood is important, and my opponent's styles themselves.” ― 13-year-old FM Brewington Hardaway from New York
“You can never relax. I keep the same amount of energy and concentration during the tournament.” ― 13-year-old FM Brewington Hardaway from New York
“I don't think about it (representing African-Americans) during the games, but I certainly do think about how few African-Americans there are at the top level. So, I try to do my best to motivate more people like us to give it a try and hopefully succeed.”
― 13-year-old FM Brewington Hardaway from New York
Take care of your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves.
~ Scottish Proverb
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Alaska: Kodiak
Established in: 1792
Kodiak is the main city in Kodiak Island and was founded in 1792 by Aleksandr Andreyevich Baranov. It was first called Pavlovsk Gavan, which is Russian for Paul's Harbor, and was the first capital of Russian Alaska. You can still find a large Russian Orthodox church there, as well as plenty of beautiful views.
* Chess History: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch...
* Chess Principles: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comm...
* List of gambits: https://detailedpedia.com/wiki-List...
* Fried Fox is awful: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c...
* The Gaw-Paw? Game Collection: GA PA Wins Draws by Black
* Chicago, 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEp...
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEp...
* Defensive Replies to the Queen's Pawn: Game Collection: e6 after 1.d4
* QP Bg2: Queen's Pawn Game (E00)
* Game with ...e6: Game Collection: Partidas modelo con temas variados
* Sicilians: Game Collection: Sicilian/French/Westerimen and other ...c5,...e6
* Sicilian O'Kelly leaves White all kinds of choices: Opening Explorer
* Wikipedia on Computer Chess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compu...
* elmubarak: my fav games: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games
* Assorted Good Games by rbaglini: Game Collection: assorted Good games
* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: 0
* LAST COLLECTION by Jaredfchess: Game Collection: LAST COLLECTION
* 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'
“Examine what is said, not who is speaking.” ~ African Proverb
“Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands.” ― Renaud & Kahn
“Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem.”
― Saudin Robovic
“Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory.” ― Max Euwe
“Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game.”
― Being Caballero
“If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov
“You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” — Dale Earnhardt
“In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate.” ― Isaac Asimov
<The 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
Feb-09-12
ray keene: nimzos best endgames
v lasker zurich 1934
v spielmann carlsbad 1929
v lundin stockholm 1934
v maroczy bled 1931
v henneberger winterthur 1931
v thomas frankfurt 1930
v sultan khan liege 1930
v marshall berlin 1928
v reti berlin 1928
v alehine ny 1927
v tchigorin carlsbad 1907
and for a joke entry duras v nimzo san sebastian 1912 !!
People believe what they want to believe, truth or not.
“Search for the grain of truth in other opinions.” ― Richard Carlson
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him”
The Bear
~ Author Unknown ~
Here is a cave, (make a fist)
Inside is a bear. (put a thumb inside fist)
Now he comes out
To get some fresh air. (pop out thumb)
He stays out all summer
In sunshine and heat.
He hunts in the forest
For berries to eat. (move thumb in circle)
When snow starts to fall,
He hurries inside
His warm little cave,
And there he will hide. (put thumb back inside fist)
Snow covers the cave
Like a fluffy white rug.
Inside the bear sleeps
All cozy and snug. (cover fist with other hand)
Old Russian Proverb:
Чему́ быть, того́ не минова́ть
Pronunciation: ChiMU BYT’, taVOH ni mihnoVAT’
Translation: You can’t avoid that which is meant to happen
Meaning: Whatever shall be, will be.
Engineer Ralph Baer is often held to be the "father of video games." His "Brown Box" video game system, designed in 1967, paved the way for all future consoles.
“mãos frias, coração quente“. In English, it means “a cold hand, a warm heart”
Drive sober or get pulled over.
“For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable.” — Assiac
“mais vale um passarinho na mão do que dois a voar“
Contrary to popular belief, the first video game was not Pong. It was preceded by Tennis for Two in 1958 and Spacewar! in 1962.
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.
The Man And His Image
To M. The Duke De La Rochefoucauld.
A man, who had no rivals in the love
Which to himself he bore,
Esteemed his own dear beauty far above
What earth had seen before.
More than contented in his error,
He lived the foe of every mirror.
Officious fate, resolved our loverFrom such an illness should recover,
Presented always to his eyes
The mute advisers which the ladies prize; –
Mirrors in parlours, inns, and shops, –
Mirrors the pocket furniture of fops, –
Mirrors on every lady's zone,[13]
From which his face reflected shone.
What could our dear Narcissus do?
From haunts of men he now withdrew,
On purpose that his precious shape
From every mirror might escape.
But in his forest glen alone,
Apart from human trace,
A watercourse,
Of purest source,
While with unconscious gaze
He pierced its waveless face,
Reflected back his own.
Incensed with mingled rage and fright,
He seeks to shun the odious sight;
But yet that mirror sheet, so clear and still,
He cannot leave, do what he will.
Before this, my story's drift you plainly see.
From such mistake there is no mortal free.
That obstinate self-lover
The human soul does cover;
The mirrors follies are of others,
In which, as all are genuine brothers,
Each soul may see to life depicted
Itself with just such faults afflicted;
And by that charming placid brook,
Needless to say, I mean your Maxim Book.
This is one of La Fontaine's most admired fables, and is one of the few for which he did not go for the groundwork to some older fabulist. The Duke de la Rochefoucauld, to whom it was dedicated, was the author of the famous "Reflexions et Maximes Morales," which La Fontaine praises in the last lines of his fable. La Rochefoucauld was La Fontaine's friend and patron. The "Maximes" had achieved a second edition just prior to La Fontaine's publication of this first series of his Fables, in 1668. "The Rabbits" (Book 10, Fable 15.), published in the second collection, in 1678-9, is also dedicated to the Duke, who died the following year, 1680.
“There just isn’t enough televised chess.” — David Letterman
“Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying any attention to you. It's your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you'll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there's no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess.”
— Siegbert Tarrasch
“True power is expressed in quiet confidence; it was the sea's very calmness that epitomized its mighty force.” ― Emile Habiby
“Remember that there are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body. That of the soul displays its radiance in intelligence, in chastity, in good conduct, in generosity, and in good breeding, and all these qualities may exist in an ugly man. And when we focus our attention upon that beauty, not upon the physical, love generally arises with great violence and intensity. I am well aware that I am not handsome, but I also know that I am not deformed, and it is enough for a man of worth not to be a monster for him to be dearly loved, provided he has those spiritual endowments I have spoken of.”
― Miguel Cervantes
4$drivz u nokt mee crazy wheelr. 4$fare iz fair evn 4all hairy bearz no shirts no shoez still get servd biden court 2appear b4 congress 2testify on internet caught see lionz zandi drownd outta noiz. So sad.
“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.
A TISKET A TASKET
A tisket, a tasket
A green and yellow basket.
I wrote a letter to my love
And on the way I dropped it.
I dropped it, I dropped it
And on the way I dropped it.
A little boy he picked it up
And put it in his pocket.
16 yellow #2 pencilz
“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
<Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
Bombardment of Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, New York, 1865The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in the middle of the Civil War, wrote this poem which has more recently been adapted as a modern Christmas classic. Longfellow wrote this on Christmas Day in 1863, after his son had enlisted in the Union's cause and had returned home, seriously wounded. The verses which he included and are still generally included, speak of the despair of hearing the promise of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" when the evidence of the world is clearly that war still exists.
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
The original also included several verses referring specifically to the Civil War. Before that cry of despair and answering cry of hope, and after verses describing the long years of hearing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" (a phrase from the Jesus birth narratives in the Christian scriptures), Longfellow's poem includes, describing the black cannons of the war:
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!>
*At some time or other tournament player learns a few opening lines, some tactical ideas, the most basic mating patterns, and a few elementary endgames. As he gets better and more experienced, he significantly adds to this knowledge. However, the one thing that just everybody has problem is planning. From Z to class E (under 1200) D to Master, I get blank stares when asking what plan they had in mind in a particular position. Usually the choice of a plan (if they had any plan at all) is based on emotional rather than chess-specific considerations. By emotional, I mean that the typical player does what he feels like doing rather than the board "telling him what to do. This is somewhat cryptic sentence leads us to the following extremely important concept: if you want to be successful, you have to base your moves and plans on the specific imbalance-oriented criteria that exist in that given position, not your mood, taste and/or feared. Literally every non-master's games are filled with examples of "imbalance avoidance". Beginners, of course, simply don't know what imbalances are. Most experienced players have heard of the term and perhaps even tried to make use of them from time to time, however once the rush of battle takes over, isolated moves and raw aggression (or terror, if you find yourself defending) push any and all thoughts of imbalances out the door. In this case, chess becomes empty move-by-move, threat-by-threat (either making them or responding to them) affair. What is this mysterious allusion of the chessboard's desires (i.e., doing what the chess board wants you to do)? What is this "imbalance-oriented criteria? ― How To Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman
“To a good listener, half a word is enough”
– Portuguese Proverb
The Old Man And His Sons
All power is feeble with dissension:
For this I quote the Phrygian slave.
If anything I add to his invention,
It is our manners to engrave,
And not from any envious wishes; –
I'm not so foolishly ambitious.
Phaedrus enriches often his story,
In quest – I doubt it not – of glory:
Such thoughts were idle in my breast.
An aged man, near going to his rest,
His gathered sons thus solemnly addressed:
"To break this bunch of arrows you may try;
And, first, the string that binds them I untie."
The eldest, having tried with might and main,
Exclaimed, "This bundle I resign
To muscles sturdier than mine."
The second tried, and bowed himself in vain.
The youngest took them with the like success.
All were obliged their weakness to confess.
Unharmed the arrows passed from son to son;
Of all they did not break a single one.
"Weak fellows!" said their sire, "I now must show
What in the case my feeble strength can do."
They laughed, and thought their father but in joke,
Till, one by one, they saw the arrows broke.
"See, concord's power!" replied the sire; "as long
As you in love agree, you will be strong.
I go, my sons, to join our fathers good;
Now promise me to live as brothers should,
And soothe by this your dying father's fears."
Each strictly promised with a flood of tears.
Their father took them by the hand, and died;
And soon the virtue of their vows was tried.
Their sire had left a large estate
Involved in lawsuits intricate;
Here seized a creditor, and there
A neighbour levied for a share.
At first the trio nobly bore
The brunt of all this legal war.
But short their friendship as It was rare.
Whom blood had joined – and small the wonder! –
The force of interest drove asunder;
And, as is wont in such affairs,
Ambition, envy, were co-heirs.
In parcelling their sire's estate,
They quarrel, quibble, litigate,
Each aiming to supplant the other.
The judge, by turns, condemns each brother.
Their creditors make new assault,
Some pleading error, some default.
The sundered brothers disagree;
For counsel one, have counsels three.
All lose their wealth; and now their sorrows
Bring fresh to mind those broken arrows.
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.
“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
“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-z-dee: 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
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.
* Opening Tree: https://www.shredderchess.com/onlin...
<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.[88] 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.[49][94] 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).[95] Of top players, only Keres had a narrow plus score against him (+1−0=5).[96] Keres's win was at the AVRO 1938 chess tournament, during which tournament Capablanca turned 50, while Keres was 22.[97]” ― 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."
The 20-40-40 rule in chess is a rule for players rated below 2000 that states 20% of your study should be dedicated to openings, 40% to the middlegame, and 40% to the endgame.
Drive sober or get pulled over.
“For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable.” — Assiac
Mar-12-23 FSR: <jnpope: Is <Jegar Sahadutha> related to <chrisowen> or is this just a <chrisowen> parody account?>
Apparently the latter. <Jegar Sahadutha>'s user profile shows that his account was only opened on February 10, 2023. His first comment, on March 9, 2023, was:
<I never thought I would live to see the day a GOTD was named in honor of chrisowen.>
Jegar's comment was made to A Braun vs S Siebrecht, 2005, after it became GOTD using the pun <Braun Over Brain>. The genesis of the pun was evidently an uncharacteristically lucid comment <chrisowen> had made on December 27, 2009 that began <Sad case of Braun over brain.>
This episode, it seems, inspired <Jegar Sahadutha>. His aforementioned comment <I never thought I would live to see the day a GOTD was named in honor of chrisowen.> was the first and last "normal" one he has made.
Mar-12-23 Jegar Sahadutha: True — we shall not return to the heartland, for the heartland hath forsaken us. Rise! Rise, vaunted shipmen; your time is come, and with it sacral vestments. Slay the serpent, moor the ship; repast on all gifts divine. But in your exultation, may your heart hold fast; forsake not the heartland whence you came.
“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.
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 do 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
Kibitzing
