If it's good enough for Viktor, Vladimir, or Vinny it's good enough for me.

Eventually, many games feature Nc3 and some fianchetto Bg2's. Most 3.f4's have been removed because of space considerations. Bc4 has snuck in here instead for the time being.

Steinitz had some bold ideas, followed by Spielmann. Smyslov and Spassky are the two giants to study. Short and Shirov played a few and need more exploring.

B24-26 is the Closed variety. Most 3.f4 Grands have been removed but the Bg2's remain. All kinds of Bg2 mammals are in Hungary. See prime rib for more SCs and C-K stuff. Thank you prime rib!

Van't Kruij's Opening
1. e3

Venezolana
d3, Nc3, g3

Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3
- https://chessdoctrine.com/chess-ope... - https://www.365chess.com/chess-open...

Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula –
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8

See Balar's favorite games of Pure EVIL!!! compiled by Balar

Vienna Game: Falkbeer, Vienna Gambit –
C27 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Fyfe Gambit –
C23 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.d4

Vienna Game: Omaha Gambit –
C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4

Vienna Game: Zhuravlev Countergambit –
C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Qg4 Nf6

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Fyfe, Philidor Countergambit – C23 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.d4 f5

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Steinitz Gambit –
C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4 Qh4+ 5.Ke2

Vienna Game: Falkbeer, Mieses, Erben Gambit – C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 c6

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Vienna Gambit, Quelle Gambit – C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 Bc5 4.fxe5 d6

Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Bronstein Gambit – C23 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.f4 Nxe4 5.Nf3

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Meitner-Mieses Gambit – C23 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qg4 Qf6 5.Nd5

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Paulsen, Mariotti Gambit – C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 Bc5 4.Bg2 h5 5.Nf3 h4

Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation, Pollock Gambit – C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Bc5 5.Nge2 d5 6.exd5 Nd4

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Vienna Gambit, Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit – C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5

Vienna Game: Pierce Gambit –
C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.d4

Vienna Game: Max Lange, Vienna Gambit, Hamppe-Muzio Gambit – C25 – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.Bc4 g4 6.O-O

"Autres temps, autres mœurs." ― (Other times, other customs.)

* Basic Rules: https://thechessworld.com/basic-che...

* How to play by the rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydn...

* How to play chess! http://www.serverchess.com/play.htm...

* How to castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dL...

* How to play your first moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mb...

* How to play the center fork trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms4...

* How to play against the Vienna Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVS...

* The Vienna Gambit: https://lichess.org/study/ixqSygiE

* VG: https://lichess.org/study/CePHEEse/...

* VG Resources: https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell...

* Attack and Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc-...

* Be aggressive! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFl...

"If you are thrown out of your preparation, you should react aggressively!" ― Alina Kashlinskaya, European champion

* Brave Roy Benavidez: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OEPW...

* Checkmate patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns

* Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R

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

* Chess in old newspapers: https://www.schach-chess.com/chess-...

* Copycat games of the famous Vienna Immortal Draw: Games Like K Hamppe vs P Meitner, 1872

* 10 Tips: https://www.uschess.org/index.php/L...

* 10 Best Gambits for White: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...

* 10 Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655...

* C21-C22 miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Center Fork Trick is very common: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R

* Chessmaster 2000 Classic Games:
Game Collection: Chessmaster '86

* 25 Opening Traps: https://www.chess.com/blog/ChessLor...

* B23-B25: Game Collection: Sicilian Closed / Grand Prix Attack

* 150 Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH4...

* ChessCafe.com column, The Openings Explained: Abby Marshall

* Chess Links: http://www.chessdryad.com/links/ind...

* Common Checkmate Patterns:
http://gambiter.com/chess/Checkmate...

* Chess Hotel: https://www.chesshotel.com/

* Cats: Game Collection: Catalan Opening I

* 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...

* C-K Defense, Exchange Variation, Godley Gambit: B13 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6e...
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-D...

* 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...

* 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...

* Instructive Caro-Kann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLp...

* Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category...

* Danish treats: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (I)

* Double attack: Game Collection: DOUBLE ATTACK

* QGD D06: Queen's Gambit Declined (D06)

* 62 Masterpieces: Game Collection: Instructive Games (Chernev)

* Ephesians 6:18 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HMX3...

* Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018

* Family corrections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0I...

* Fischer's Brilliance: https://www.chesspuzzler.com/Histor...

* Intro to FRC: https://www.chessable.com/blog/an-i...

* Fischer Random: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...

* FM Schiller disagrees: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Funny moments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mx...

* Glossary W: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess

* Glossary P: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar...

* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)

* Greatest Hits: Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms)

* 'The Greatest Ever Chess Opening Ideas' by Christoph Scheerer: Game Collection: Greatest Opening Ideas (Scheerer)

* Greats: Game Collection: Great Games

* Aggressive Gambits: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...

* Against strange openings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3p...

* Gain space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7...

* Game changer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKL...

* Glossary of Chess Terms: http://www.arkangles.com/kchess/glo...

* Hans On French: Game Collection: French Defense

* Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv...

* How to find tactics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4c...

* How to attack the Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liq...

* How to play touch-move OTB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPM...

* How to trap pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaz...

* How to beat the London system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DU...

* How to simplify: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fk...

* How to blunder less: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tis...

* How to break out of jail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gs...

* How to defend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIq...

* How to draw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neb...

* How to draw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDg...

* How to play the C-K: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE5...

* How to calculate deeper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaU...

* How to create a plan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMu...

* How to exchange sacrifice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYG...

* How to convert EG advantages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91L...

* How dumb is it? Game Collection: Diemer-Duhm Gambit

* How to play the Englund Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCK...

* How to spot Knight forks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6...

* How to play fast chess reasonably: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xi...

* How to play the French Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6b...

* How to combine your pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyj...

* How Fischer beat the French Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5...

* How to give back material: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYd...

* How to play the Kitchen Sink Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qky...

* How to surprise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzq...

* How to play the Scandinavian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMS...

* How to trick 'em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtR...

* How to win: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_z...

* How to win in 12 moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP7...

* H2BA Winner at Chess: https://www.russell-enterprises.com...

* How to lose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpL...

* How to squeeze like Karpov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eM...

* How high? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M2...

* 1.h4?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mva...

* h-file attacks: Game Collection: h-file Attacks, some Greek Gifts by Fredthebear

* Humans are smarter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d42...

* Imagination: Game Collection: Imagination in Chess

* Immortal Games: Game Collection: Immortal games

* It's not about you rdb: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W62J...

* Jerome Gambit: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...

* J Gambit for Black: Opening Explorer

* Jaenisch Gambit: Opening Explorer

* Jambalaya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzj...

* James' Jedi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ta...

* Ju Wenju: World Rapid Championship (Women) (2018)

* Ju Wenju: Ju - Goryachkina Women's World Championship Match (2020)

* Ju Wenju: Ju - Lei Women's World Championship Match (2023)

* Ju Wenju portrait: https://en.chessbase.com/post/cbm-2...

* Kostya Tszyu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0n...

* King to King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5R...

* King's Indian Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5...

* King Pawn Theory and Practice: Game Collection: Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, Section 1

* Surprise Knockouts: Game Collection: quick knockouts of greats

* Unleash the Knight: https://cardclashgames.com/blog/che...

* KP Beauties: Game Collection: Beautiful mates

* 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

* Uncommon KP Gambits: Game Collection: Unusual Gambits

* Volo plays the KP faithfully: Volodymyr Onyshchuk

* LG - White wins: Game Collection: Latvian Gambit-White wins

* The Lion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgI...

* Mona Lisa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJi...

* Tactical Motifs: https://chesstempo.com/tactical-mot...

* Lasker's Manual: Game Collection: Manual of Chess (Lasker)

* Morphy Miniatures:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Magic rubbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=001...

* Artful Mates: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* Masaka kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRm...

* MC Move-by-Move: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala)

* Collection assembled by Fredthebear.

* Miniatures: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (III)

* Mosquitoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKu...

* Most common tactic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgA...

* Tactical Mix: Game Collection: mastering Tactical ideas by minev

* Murder by Email: Brendan Searson

* Mountain Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st9...

* Names and Places: Game Collection: Named Mates

* Nuremberg 1896: Nuremberg (1896)

* Never again: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WO8k...

* Nunn's Chess Course: Game Collection: Lasker JNCC

* Neon Moon, smooth and easy: https://www.bing.com/search?q=Neon+...

* Nelson Mandela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj0...

* NM Alice Lee's palace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5...

* Puzzles: Tactics Archive

* Puzzling: https://www.365chess.com/puzzles.php

* Play for free: https://www.freechess.org/

* 4 Miniz: zPonziani, zKieseritzky, zPhilidor, zFrankenstein-Dracula: z https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76c...

* Psalm 145:8-9 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hYex...

* Short and Quick:
Game Collection: SHORT AND QUICK

* Gambit causes pause: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBr...

* GPA: https://chesstier.com/grand-prix-at...

* Almost like giving odds: Opening Explorer

* Arjun Awakens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toK...

* Play whatever you like: Opening Explorer

* P-51 Mustang hero: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1jgV...

* GM Perelshteyn teaches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq3...

* Prizes: Game Collection: Brilliancy Prizes (Reinfeld)

* Promotion battle: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d6fw...

* Power of Restoration: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VWTp...

* Reasonable book choices: https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell...

* Round 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2p...

* Rubinstein: Game Collection: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces

* Results may vary: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wrWG...

* 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...

* Random Zs: Game Collection: ZHVNE

* Secrets of Combination: Game Collection: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters Volume II

* Steinitz Attack: Game Collection: STEINITZ ATTACK

* Surveillance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1P...

* Suba's book: Game Collection: The Hedgehog by Mihai Suba

* tacticmania - Game Collection: tacticmania

* The Best of... Game Collection: World Champions' Best Games

* Top Chessgames by ECO Code: http://schachsinn.de/gamelist.htm

* The Unthinkable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9z...

* Unshakeable peace: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vw82...

* Ultimate Vienna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USk...

* Vienna Gambit: https://www.chess.com/blog/vitualis...

* Virtue and reason: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0rOG...

* Bill Wall miniatures: Bill Wall

* Will Power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S...

* Wing Gambit Declined: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ghut...

* Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev)

* 960Chess: https://lichess.org/variant/chess960

* 1967: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PiFW...

* Z Vol 105: Game Collection: 0ZeR0's collected games volume 105

* 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!

"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

"Stick a fork in him. He's done." ― Leo Durocher

"The pin is mightier than the sword." ― Fred Reinfield

"A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"As day is to a sword, night is to a shield." ― Anthony Liccione

New Hampshire: Dover
Established in: 1623

Dover was originally settled in 1623 by fishermen and traders. Dover is the seventh oldest settlement in the United States. It was once known as Northam, and in 1692, Northam became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Cocheco River in Dover was the first place water power was used, when a sawmill was built in 1642.

New Hampshire: Zeb's General Store, North Conway

Retro lovers will be in heaven at Zeb's General Store. The sprawling, colorful store is a nostalgic delight, featuring an old-fashioned candy counter that's worth a trip alone. There's also an array of sodas, apparel, New England specialty foods, old fashioned-games, quirky gifts, and an impressive selection of maple syrup. In short, it's the perfect place to get lost in for an afternoon.

* Chess History: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch...

* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...

* World Chess Championship History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkO...

* Magnus Carlsen's 5 tips for beginners: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...

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.

Slainte mhor agus a h-uile beannachd duibh
Good health and every good blessing to you!
~ A Gaelic Prayer

<poem by B.H. Wood which appeared in the following issues of the Chess Amateur: March 1930 (page 127).

The Chess Cafe III – The Spectator

Quiet in the corner sitting, not a word
He utters, but, his eyes glued on their board,
Where in oblivion the players brood,
He spends his lifetime's dearest hours.
His food
Is cold, his lighted pipe goes slowly out ….
Yet when the game ends, when they talk about
Its ins and outs, its characteristic twist,
He's seen that winning line a master missed!
You ask him for a game – ‘I never play
Myself – hardly a game a year', he'll say.>

Oxford has over 1,500 listed buildings including Gibb's Radcliffe Camera, Wren's Sheldonian Theatre, and Hawksmoor's All Soul's.

Cash or Credit?
John-Shepherd Barron is credited with inventing the first fully-functional ATM (Automated Teller Machine). The first ATM was installed on June 27, 1967, for Barclays Bank in Enfield Town, London. The maximum withdrawal allowed was £10. Today, ATMs are just around the corner in most modern towns.

The name Oxford comes from the World Oxanforda, which means cattle crossing.

<<The Kite's Journey by Maya Anthony

This poem is about the experience of flying a kite, capturing the joy and the connection between the flyer and the kite as it dances in the sky.

With a string in hand, I watch it soar,

My kite in the sky, an open door.

Riding the wind, higher it climbs,

In its journey, it's my dreams it mimes.

Twisting, turning, in the sky so vast,

In these moments, my worries are past.

The kite's dance, a joyous spree,

In its flight, I feel free.

As it descends, with the setting sun,

In this play, I have won.

The kite's journey, a tale to tell,

In its flight, my spirit dwells.<

You have over 60,000 miles of blood vessels.
If it sounds overwhelming, that's because it kind of is. While individual blood vessels are relatively small, the amount found within the average adult body tallies up in some pretty impressive ways. If laid out in a straight line, the entire network would stretch well over 60,000 miles. That's including all arteries, capillaries, and veins, end-to-end.

"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

Your stomach growls because it's full of hot air. Ever wonder why you experience those grumbly, growly sounds when hungry? It all circles back to the digestive system. More specifically, the intestines. These guys go through a series of contractions to help move food and liquid along when eating.

But even after all the food is digested, the intestines continue to move air through the digestive tract. That's what causes "borborygmus," the scientific name assigned to those funny little rumbles.

>"She Walks in Beauty,"
Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!<

The largest wedding bouquet weighed over 400 pounds.

The longest wedding veil was the same length as 63.5 football fields. When Maria Paraskeva, a woman from Cyprus, got married in August 2018, her goal wasn't just to say "I do." She was also determined to set a record.

"My dream as a child has always been to break the Guinness World Record title for the longest wedding veil," she explained. She fulfilled her dream by wearing a lace veil that stretched 22,843 feet and 2.11 inches, or as long as 63.5 football fields.

In Greece, it is common to spit on the bride.

>>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

Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

'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

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)

>>>This poem is dedicated to all members who strive to become Masters of chess.

yakisoba's combination

in the middle of a cold Canadian winter night
a phantom creature was riding a stallion knight
but lo and behold it is the man called yakisoba
together with a bishop and queen chasing nova.
though the old bishop was getting pooped out
the merry queen in her glory was bouncing about
while riding hard yakisoba grinningly thought
"I know what to do with that nova when caught."
there on top of the castle was nova in hiding
strapped to a kite for a quick get-away gliding,

then trembling he realized to his consternation: he was being killed by the bishop-queen combination.<<<

* 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.'>

The Fighting Temeraire
Inspired by the painting The Fighting Temeraire by JMW Turner https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/...

The Fighting Temeraire
I lead this Queen to a guillotine
She follows me with dignity and grace
all English oak and 98 guns.
I am an unsuitable escort for my Lady,
my low born coarseness, the effort of towing her punctuated by upward belches and grinding grunts, I am unbecoming as a royal guard but she is silent, already haunted
She no longer flies the Union Jack as she did in battle but a white flag of sale
and surrender
She is no longer adorned by ornament or armament She will never again feel a storm fight to strip her sails from her body in violent passion her clothes have been sold
In her nakedness, she is ethereal
but I am aware of Temeraire's glorious past
The Battle of Trafalgar;
She swept to the side of the wounded HMS Victory, and through intrepid maneuvers and savage fighting, saved the shattered Victory from certain death,
and took two ships hostage.
But today, the sun sets in the distance on the days of elegant, tall-masted warships
There are streaks of red in the sky and sea, that match the streaks of red on her deck, that can't be washed away
I've been paid a purse of coin to escort her to the other side. As I am reluctantly relieved of the tow ropes that bind us, I hope that pieces of her live on somewhere
In tribute to the Fighting Temeraine.

>>>Ever wanted to be able to clean your ears with your tongue? Then you'd probably fancy being a giraffe. They're able to do this thanks to having tongues which are around 21 inches long!

Question: What is the only number spelled out in English that has the same number of letters as its value? Answer: Four

Concrete-like structures began to appear for the first time in northern Jordan and southern Syria regions around 6500 B.C.E. Comprised of rough composite mixed with fluid cement, concrete is the most widely used man-made material. The mix hardens over time, making a sturdy, strong structural foundation. However, when it's still wet, the material is very easy to manipulate into different shapes.

Question: The U.S.A. $10,000 bill was last printed in 1945 and is the largest denomination ever in public circulation; whose portrait appeared on it? Answer: Salmon P. Chase – Secretary of the Treasury

Giraffes have unique markings. They are like our own fingerprints in that no two giraffes will ever have the same markings.<<<

>The Camel and the Floating Sticks

The first who saw the humpbacked camel
Fled off for life; the next approached with care; The third with tyrant rope did boldly dare
The desert wanderer to trammel.
Such is the power of use to change
The face of objects new and strange;
Which grow, by looking at, so tame,
They do not even seem the same.
And since this theme is up for our attention,
A certain watchman I will mention,
Who, seeing something far
Away on the ocean,
Could not but speak his notion
That It was a ship of war.
Some minutes more had past, –
A bomb-ketch It was without a sail,
And then a boat, and then a bale,
And floating sticks of wood at last!

Full many things on earth, I wot,
Will claim this tale, – and well they may;
They're something dreadful far away,
But near at hand – they're not.<

Chessgames.com will be unavailable August 28, 2023 from 1:00AM through 1:30AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience.

"Against Alekhine you never knew what to expect. Against Capablanca, you knew what to expect, but you couldn't prevent it!" ― George Thomas

"Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf." ― Cecil Purdy

>>>It is Well
by Horacio Spafford, written in the Atlantic Ocean (1873)

When peace like a river, attendeth my way, /

When sorrows like sea billows roll /

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say /

It is well, it is well, with my soul /

~<<<

<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'.>

"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

"Tel père, tel fils." ― (Like father like son.)

<"Every time I coach people, I <emphasize> the following key concepts:

^Develop your pieces at the beginning of the game (Extremely underrated by beginners)

^Control the center (Chess pieces control a lot more squares from the center of the board)

^Make sure your king is safer than the opponent's

Every opening in chess is based on these fundamental principles. Thus, if you can understand such concepts and put them into practice, your chess strength will skyrocket!" ― IM Luis Torres>

> Protect your pieces. Loose Pieces Drop Off. Your middlegame position generally tends to be in good standing as long as you have a grip on the center, the king is castled and rooks connected, your pieces are active, and you don't drop material. Know all the possible ways of responding to a threat of capture.<

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War. The battle took place on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France. Wikipedia article: Battle of Agincourt

"We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." — Aristotle

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." — Lao Tzu

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." — Albert Einstein

"You have enemies? Good; that means you have stood up for something, sometime in your life." — Winston Churchill

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." — Plato

"Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes and sits softly on your shoulder." — Henry David Thoreau

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it." — Ellen Goodman

"The road to hell is paved with Ivy league degrees." — Thomas Sowell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiQ...

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow." — Ancient Chinese Proverb

>poem by ‘Judy' on page 53 of the Westminster Chess Club Papers, 1 August 1868:

A Game of Chess

Life's something like a game of Chess,
The board our little sphere;
Alternate bright and darker spots,
Like our existence here.
At first, like ‘pawns', we quickly move,
No checks we meet from Time;
And then the ‘bishops' cross our path
Ere yet we've reached our prime.

Onward, like ‘kings', our duty done
On our appointed square;
Alas! to find our cherish'd hopes
Are ‘castled' in the air!

Like ‘knights', right boldly we advance,
So firm at first our aim;
Then turn aside away from good,
Afraid to combat shame.

Our heart's ‘queen' lost! do not despair,
Nor shrink in heartfelt pain;
By breaking thro' our manhood's foes,
We'll win her back again!

And having tried our best to win,
We're ‘mated' p'r'aps at last!
With hopes fulfill'd and duty done,
May our life's game be past.

The struggle closed; with all we find
A common resting-place,
Where foes can meet without recoil,
And friends without embrace.

So life is like a game of Chess,
The board our little sphere;
Alternate bright and darker spots,
Like our existence here.<

* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)

https://archive.org/details/the-gol...

* 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...

* Checkmate with 2 bishops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN7...

* Giuseppi Verdi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlq...

* S L O W L Y : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KYUb...

Better to go in your pants than go in the bush?! Give the man credit for having a wad of paper in his hand.

It musta been the intimidating ponytail that saved him.

If this were a bear, give the creature your picnic basket, your keys and wallet, or tell a bunch of clean dad jokes.

Of course, prayer is always helpful.

<<>Daniel 6 New King James Version

The Plot Against Daniel

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."

6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: "King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter." 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

Daniel in the Lions' Den

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's decree: "Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?"

The king answered and said, "The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter."

13 So they answered and said before the king, "That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day."

14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed."

16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you." 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.

Daniel Saved from the Lions

18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?"

21 Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you."

23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.

Darius Honors God

24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

25 Then King Darius wrote:

To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.

For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.>

"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

The ocean is our greatest source of oxygen.
Most of the oxygen in our atmosphere comes from tiny marine plants in the ocean—specifically, phytoplankton, kelp, and algal plankton. Scientists estimate they're responsible for around 70 percent of the atmosphere's oxygen, according to National Geographic.

There's an internet connection in the ocean. For the past few decades, according to Newsweek, submarine cables buried deep within the oceans have carried more than 99 percent of intercontinental data traffic—meaning that overseas communication is made possible by ocean-based cables.

We have better maps of Mars than of the ocean.
Less than 5 percent of the ocean has been explored, according to the National Ocean Service. In fact, we have better maps of Mars than of the oceans, despite the fact that it's nearly 50 million miles away.

>The Jay In The Feathers of the Peacock

A peacock moulted: soon a jay was seen
Bedecked with Argus tail of gold and green,
High strutting, with elated crest,
As much a peacock as the rest.
His trick was recognized and bruited,
His person jeered at, hissed, and hooted.
The peacock gentry flocked together,
And plucked the fool of every feather.
Nay more, when back he sneaked to join his race, They shut their portals in his face.

There is another sort of jay,
The number of its legs the same,
Which makes of borrowed plumes display,
And plagiary is its name.
But hush! the tribe I'll not offend;
It's not my work their ways to mend.<

"Chacun voit midi à sa porte." ― (Everyone sees noon at his own door, or Everyone sees things their own way.)

'A stitch in time saves nine'

* 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."

<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>

>Lisa Lane, 1933-2024:
Two-time U.S. Women's Champion (Lane won her first U.S. Women's Championship two years after learning the rules of the game.) and WIM Lisa Lane was one of the first women chess players to attract popular media attention in the United States to "the game of kings." She was the first chess player, of any gender, to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1961, over a decade before GM Bobby Fischer did in 1972.

Lane died on February 28, 2024, in Carmel, New York, at the age of 90. Her death was confirmed by the town clerk's office in Kent, New York.

Dick Cavitt: "And you like that moment of just crushing the guy?"

RJ Fischer: "Right *nodding and smiling*, yeah."

"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

Lang may your lum reek. (Long may your chimney smoke. ~ Scottish Blessing<

Sailor's Solace
In the quiet of the sea,
A sailor finds his solace, free.
The rhythm of waves, the salt in the air,
A world away from worldly care.

<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.">

Self-pity is self-destructing.
https://activebeat.com/your-health/... and https://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-sel...

"We are all guilty of the good we did not do." — Voltaire

"The more a man knows, the less he talks." — Voltaire

"Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it." — Voltaire

More than 90 percent of the planet's lifeforms are undiscovered and underwater. Because precious little of the ocean has been explored, it is currently estimated that 91 percent of the species that exist under the sea have yet to be discovered, according to a 2011 study published in PLoS Biology.

The United States lost a hydrogen bomb in the ocean. Every year, shipping containers get lost in the ocean, and oil spills are unfortunately common. But in 1966, the United States managed to lose a hydrogen bomb at sea. Luckily, according to Time, it was eventually found with the help of a Spanish fisherman.

>"The Chess Tactics Workbook"< by Al Woolum is quite useful for students, teachers and club players. The notes in the back also include 30 aggressive king pawn miniatures to jump start your opening play. Train with Woolum's workbook on a daily basis, solving perhaps 3-5 pages per day and replaying the miniature games often. These miniatures are good examples of how to attack swiftly after a misstep by the opponent! After a few months of daily dedication from cover-to-cover and again, it's time for the next challenge. Follow up with "1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners: The Tactics Workbook that Explains the Basic Concepts, Too" by Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa. That's plenty to chew on for awhile. Of course, there are many good puzzle books worthy of study, but some might be too difficult and discouraging. Amateurs cannot be expected to solve the spectacular positions from grandmaster games that most puzzle books include. The book selections listed here will allow the reader to experience success through regular home studies at the appropriate level of difficulty.

The formal sum of two complex numbers can be arranged into another complex number: (a+bi)+(c+di) = (a+c)+(bi+di)=a+c+(b+d)i. The first equality uses commutative and associate laws of addition, and the second, the distributive law.

You're taller in the morning than you are at night. It might seem like a tall tale, but when you wake up in the morning, you're actually a tiny bit taller than you were when you went to bed. This is due to the pressure put on joints throughout the day.

As you go about your activities, this pressure causes the cartilage in your spine to compress—just fractions of an inch, but enough to push everything down. As you relax in your sleep, it eases the pressure on your spinal disks, thus allowing you to return to your full height.

Have you seen Elmo, Big Bird, Count von Count, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Grover, Rosita, Abby Cadabby, and Oscar the Grouch?

>Checkers
Sam Ciel Aug 2015

You might have heard the saying,
"At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn go in the same box." but depending on the moves you make, one of them is ultimately the winner. One of them stays on the board longer, does more for his team. Let's extend that phrase.
"At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn go in the same box. But the game is decided by the moves they make." I assume everyone understands Chess, but for those who don't, That's okay, too. I'll explain one more thing about it. The Pawn can only move in one direction.
The King can move wherever he wants.
This remains true unless the Pawn decides to go on the offensive To take life by his own hands
A variety of options open up to him
Whereas then, the King is limited by his options. He sees nothing new, and can merely advance or
Retreat
In the same directions he always has.
And he very well may retreat, because when he falls, it's all over. The Pawn, though? The Pawn can never retreat. He can only move forward And if he makes it to the other side,
He becomes a Queen. The most prominent, powerful piece, It goes in the same box but it can determine the outcome of the entire game. A single piece can determine if, and how any other piece will fall. This is true of the Queen, of the King, of the Pawn. This is true of the Knights and the Bishops and the Rooks and every single piece, and so with every thing equally significant, let's strip away the titles and just look at our actions, because it isn't our title that defines us. It's how we play the game.
Sometimes that means we have all the power.
Sometimes that means we have none.
Sometimes we are alone.
Sometimes we are together.
But at the end of the day, we all go in the same box.<

Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch by John Watson (1999 Gambit Publications)

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.'

Positional Chess Handbook: 495 Instructive Positions from Grandmaster Games (2001 Dover Chess) by Israel Gelfer

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/

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 Eye of the Master

A stag took refuge from the chase
Among the oxen of a stable,
Who counseled him, as says the fable,
To seek at once some safer place.
"My brothers," said the fugitive,
"Betray me not, and, as I live,
The richest pasture I will show,
That ever was grazed on, high or low;
Your kindness you will not regret,
For well some day I'll pay the debt."
The oxen promised secrecy.
Down crouched the stag, and breathed more free.
At eventide they brought fresh hay,
As was their custom day by day;
And often came the servants near,
As did indeed the overseer,
But with so little thought or care,
That neither horns, nor hide, nor hair
Revealed to them the stag was there.
Already thanked the wild-wood stranger
The oxen for their treatment kind,
And there to wait made up his mind,
Till he might issue free from danger.
Replied an ox that chewed the cud,
"Your case looks fairly in the bud;
But then I fear the reason why
Is, that the man of sharpest eye
Has not yet come his look to take.
I dread his coming, for your sake;
Your boasting may be premature:
Till then, poor stag, you're not secure."
It was but a little while before
The careful master oped the door.
"How's this, my boys?" said he;
"These empty racks will never do.
Go, change this dirty litter too.
More care than this I want to see
Of oxen that belong to me.
Well, Jim, my boy, you're young and stout;
What would it cost to clear these cobwebs out?
And put these yokes, and hames, and traces,
All as they should be, in their places?"
Thus looking round, he came to see
One head he did not usually.
The stag is found; his foes
Deal heavily their blows.
Down sinks he in the strife;
No tears can save his life.
They slay, and dress, and salt the beast,
And cook his flesh in many a feast,
And many a neighbour gets a taste.
As Phaedrus says it, pithily,
The master's is the eye to see:
I add the lover's, as for me.<

"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

>Johnnie Crack And Flossie Snail
by Dylan Thomas

Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail
Kept their baby in a milking pail
Flossie Snail and Johnnie Crack
One would pull it out and one would put it back.

O it's my turn now said Flossie Snail
To take the baby from the milking pail
And it's my turn now said Johnnie Crack
To smack it on the head and put it back.

Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail
Kept their baby in a milking pail
One would put it back and one would pull it out
And all it had to drink was ale and stout
For Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail
Always use to say that stout and ale
Was good for a baby in a milking pail.<

"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

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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.

>>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.<<

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.

The Black Lab
By Heather, age 13, Mississippi USA

The black Lab runs gracefully,
Down the yard, looking for me.
This black lab is a special friend,
He is there for me until the end.
But the thing that matters the most to me,
This black Lab is my little Sammy.

French Proverb: "Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard." ― (Nothing should be left to chance.)

"There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world." ― Pierre Mac Orlan

"You can only get good at chess if you love the game." ― Bobby Fischer

"As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight." — The Revenant

Z is for Zaccheus

Zaccheus was a wee little man,
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.

And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, "Zaccheus, you come down!
For I'm going to your house today!
For I'm going to your house today!"

Zaccheus was a wee little man,
But a happy man was he.
For he had seen the Lord that day,
And a happy man was he.
And a very happy man was he!

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Hit it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyB...