Twiddle dee, twiddle dum, dum, dum.

This collection was lagging behind so I included a French repertoire from Chessbuzz (which contains games that are not classical). Thank you Chessbuzz. Please reference the appropriate ECO code for the Classical lines you seek.

Also note that Steinitz' C11 and Classical C14s are mixed in here. It's not the same thing! Mislabels are possible.

The Roaming Bear
by Maya Anthony

The wandering nature of bears across diverse landscapes is the theme of this poem.

Across the lands, the bear roams,

Through forests and hills, it combs.

A journey wide, in strides so fair,

In the wild, the roaming bear.

Seeking berries, nuts, and streams,

In its travel, life teems.

Roaming bear, in adventure's call,

In its path, it enthralls.

Over mountains, through valleys deep,

In its roaming, secrets keep.

Wanderer of wilderness, without a care,

In the world, the bear's share.

Franco-Indian Defense
1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb3+

French Defense
1. e4 e6

French Defense (Advance Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5

French Defense (Alekhine-Chatard Attack)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4

French Defense (Burn Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4

French Defense (Chigorin Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. Qe2

French Defense (Classical Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7

French Defense (Exchange Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5

French Defense (Extended Bishop Swap)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 Bb5

French Defense (Franco-Benoni)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. d5

French Defense (Guimard Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6

French Defense (MacCutcheon Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4

French Defense (Marshall Defense)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c5

French Defense (Milner-Barry Gambit)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4

French Defense (Reti)
1. e4 e6 2. b3

French Defense (Reversed Philidor)
1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. Be2

French Defense (Rubinstein Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4

French Defense (Steinitz Attack)
1. e4 e6 2. e5

French Defense (Steinitz Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5

French Defense (Tarrasch Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2

French Defense (Two Knights Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3

French Defense (Winawer Variation)
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4

French Defense (Winawer Variation-Poisoned Pawn) 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4

French Defense (Wing Gambit)
1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. b4

French Defence Gambits:

Milner-Barry Gambit – C02 – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4

Nimzowitsch Gambit – C02 – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4

Alapin Gambit – C00 – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Be3

Winawer, Alekhine (Maroczy) gambit - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2

Winawer, Alekhine gambit - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Bxc3+

Winawer, Alekhine gambit, Kan variation - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Nxc3 Nc6

Winawer, Alekhine gambit, Alatortsev variation - C15 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Ne2 dxe4 5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4 Nf6 7.N2g3 O-O 8.Be2 Nc6

Diemer-Duhm Gambit - C00 - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c4

French: Wing gambit - C00 - 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4

"My will is mine...I shall not make it soft for you." ― Aeschylus, Agamemnon

"Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles." ― Garry Kasparov

"After we have paid our dutiful respects to such frigid virtues as calculation, foresight, self-control and the like, we always come back to the thought that speculative attack is the lifeblood of chess." — Fred Reinfeld

"Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess." ― Evan Esar

"There is no jewel in the world comparable to learning; no learning so excellent both for Prince and subject, as knowledge of laws; and no knowledge of any laws so necessary for all estates and for all causes, concerning goods, lands or life, as the common laws of England." ― Sir Edward Coke

"Without integrity and honor, having everything means nothing." ― Robin Sharma

"I am no longer cursed by poverty because I took possession of my own mind, and that mind has yielded me every material thing I want, and much more than I need. But this power of mind is a universal one, available to the humblest person as it is to the greatest." ― Andrew Carnegie

"Luckily, there is a way to be happy. It involves changing the emphasis of our thinking from what we want to what we have." ― Richard Carlson

"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let a man play chess, and tell him that every pawn is his friend; Let him think both bishops are holy. Let him remember happy days in the shadows of his castles. Let him love his queen. Watch him love his queen." ― Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorn)

"...It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … with discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self confidence born of demonstrated ability." ― George S. Patton Jr.

"Win with grace, lose with dignity!" ― Susan Polgar

"What does it take to be a champion? Desire, dedication, determination, personal and professional discipline, focus, concentration, strong nerves, the will to win, and yes, talent!" ― Susan Polgar

"No matter how successful you are (or will be), never ever forget the people who helped you along the way, and pay it forward! Don't become arrogant and conceited just because you gained a few rating points or made a few bucks. Stay humble and be nice, especially to your fans!" ― Susan Polgar

All that glitters is not gold – this line can be found in a text from c.1220: ‘ Nis hit nower neh gold al that ter schineth.'

A friend in need is a friend indeed – a proverb from c.1035 say this: ‘Friend shall be known in time of need.'

All's well that ends well – a line from the mid-13th century is similar: ‘Wel is him te wel ende mai.' Meanwhile, Henry Knighton's Chronicle from the late 14th-century one can read: ‘ If the ende be wele, than is alle wele.'

Hay dos maneras de hermosura: una del alma y otra del cuerpo; la del alma campea y se muestra en el entendimiento, en la honestidad, en el buen proceder, en la liberalidad y en la buena crianza, y todas estas partes caben y pueden estar en un hombre feo; y cuando se pone la mira en esta hermosura, y no en la del cuerpo, suele nacer el amor con ímpetu y con ventajas. (There are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body; that of the soul shows and demonstrates itself in understanding, in honesty, in good behavior, in generosity and in good breeding, and all these things can find room and exist in an ugly man; and when one looks at this type of beauty, and not bodily beauty, love is inclined to spring up forcefully and overpoweringly.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre. (When one door is closed, another is opened.) ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

Dijo la sartén a la caldera, quítate allá ojinegra. (The frying pan said to the cauldron, "Get out of here, black-eyed one." This is believed to be the source of the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black.") ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

* Alekhine getz blitzed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8H...

* Annotated Games: Game Collection: Annotated Games

* Assorted good games: Game Collection: assorted Good games

* Back rank mating tactics: Game Collection: 610_Back rank mating tactics

* Best (Old) Games of All Time: Game Collection: Best Games of All Time

* Best of the British: Game Collection: Best of the British

* The Best Chess Games (part 2): Game Collection: The Best Chess Games (part 2)

* 'Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters' by Fred Reinfeld: Game Collection: 0

* Games of famous masters: Game Collection: bengalcat47's favorite games

* Brilliant games: Game Collection: Brilliant games

* Chess Prehistory: Game Collection: Chess Prehistory

* Classic games by great players: Game Collection: Guinness Book - Chess Grandmasters (Hartston)

* Collection assembled by Fredthebear.

* 'Chess Praxis' by Aron Nimzowitsch: Game Collection: Chess Praxis (Nimzowitsch)

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

* elmubarak: my fav games: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games

* Exchange sacs: Game Collection: Exchange sacs - 1

* Fork Overload (Remove the Defender): Game Collection: FORK-OVERLOAD OR HOOK-AND-LADDER TRICK

* Fire Baptisms: Game Collection: Fire Baptisms

* Famous brilliancies: Game Collection: brilliacies

* The Fireside Book of Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld: Game Collection: Fireside Book of Chess

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

* Great Combinations: Game Collection: Combinations

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

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

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

* Impact of Genius: 500 years of Grandmaster Chess: Game Collection: Impact of Genius : 500 years of Grandmaster Ches

* JonathanJ's favorites: Game Collection: JonathanJ's favorite games 4

* jorundte's favorites: Game Collection: jorundte's favorite games

* King Registration: https://www.kingregistration.com/to...

* Make a Stand: https://www.history.com/topics/amer...

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

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

* Mil y Una Partidas 1914-1931: Game Collection: Mil y Una Partidas 1914-1931

* maxruen's favorite games III: Game Collection: maxruen's favorite games III

* '500 Master Games of Chess' by Savielly Tartakower and Julius Du Mont: Game Collection: 500 Master Games of Chess

* Middlegame Combinations by Peter Romanovsky: Game Collection: Middlegame Combinations by Peter Romanovsky

* 'The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games' by Graham Burgess, John Nunn and John Emms. New expanded edition-now with 125 games. Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms)

* Names and Places: Game Collection: Named Mates

* Pretzels? Game Collection: Special Pretzel Collection

* People on Another Level: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7V...

* Become a Predator at the Chessboard: https://www.chesstactics.org/

* Queen vs Rook Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJn...

* Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/

* Reti Opening by KingG: Game Collection: Reti Opening

* Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Slavko Petrovic): Game Collection: Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Petrovic)

* Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek: Game Collection: Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek

* Ray Keene's favorite games: Game Collection: ray keene's favorite games

* sapientdust's favorites: Game Collection: sapientdust's favorite games

* shakman's favorites: Game Collection: shakman's favorite games - 2

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

* Steinitz collection:
Game Collection: Steinitz Gambits

* Tartakower's Defense: https://www.chess.com/blog/MatBobul...

* Tactical Games: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics

* Traxler Counterattack: Game Collection: takchess italian's Traxler Counter Attack after

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

* Variety pack: Game Collection: KID games

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

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

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

* 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!

five-four combo

'A rising tide lifts all boats'

'Don't put the cart before the horse'

"Examine what is said, not who is speaking." ~ African Proverb

Kansas: Leavenworth
Established in: 1827

Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and is still in use today, making it the third-oldest continuously active military base in the US. It was the largest city on the Missouri River during the Civil War, according to the city's official website.

Leavenworth was founded by Colonel Henry Leavenworth in 1827, and once played a vital role as peacemaker between Native American tribes and settlers heading west. It eventually became known as the "jumping point" of the opening of the West.

* 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...

* Three Simple Chess Tips: https://www.premierchesscoaching.co...

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.

Eilfan ywmodryb dda
Meaning: A good aunt is a second mother

<<<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

A SOFT STONE
by Hagar Peeters translated by Judith Wilkinson

I am the stone my parents once decided
to stumble over only once, so I'm alone.

I am the pebble-stone of contention in the gravel at the front door of their cardboard façade,
I commemorate – as a memorial stone –
the end of what was once a home,

I am the gravestone of a person without surname, the rock that Sisyphus was condemned to by the gods, the millstone round the cripple's neck.

I carve myself into a thousand toes
to stub them endlessly on the slightest things.
I am a soft stone from which no shoot springs.

"If you can't take (constructive) criticism, consider taking up another game, perhaps solitaire." — Jeremy Silman

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.

"A God you understood would be less than yourself." ― Flannery O'Connor

The Satyr and the Traveller

Within a savage forest grot
A satyr and his chips
Were taking down their porridge hot;
Their cups were at their lips.

You might have seen in mossy den,
Himself, his wife, and brood;
They had not tailor-clothes, like men,
But appetites as good.

In came a traveller, benighted,
All hungry, cold, and wet,
Who heard himself to eat invited
With nothing like regret.

He did not give his host the pain
His asking to repeat;
But first he blew with might and main
To give his fingers heat.

Then in his steaming porridge dish
He delicately blew.
The wondering satyr said, "I wish
The use of both I knew."

"Why, first, my blowing warms my hand,
And then it cools my porridge."
"Ah!" said his host, "then understand
I cannot give you storage.
"To sleep beneath one roof with you,
I may not be so bold.
Far be from me that mouth untrue
Which blows both hot and cold."

CHESS

Meet me then, within this grid,
this little wooden battlefield as equals,
as we forget our bodies to inhabit these pieces, control these spaces, trade threats and responses, send our thoughts out into possible positions, our eyes imagining nothing but sweet forks and lancing fianchettoes. We chessplayers, pretend enemies, bound to our miniature war inexplicably & inescapably: when did we find ourselves so obsessed, insidiously seduced to advances and exchanges, lost inside this abyss of infinite moves, willing servants of its rules?

- Rael

"I do not know how old I was when I learned to play chess. I could not have been older than eight, because I still have a chessboard on whose side my father inscribed, with a soldering iron, "Saša Hemon 1972." I loved the board more than chess—it was one of the first things I owned. Its materiality was enchanting to me: the smell of burnt wood that lingered long after my father had branded it; the rattle of the thickly varnished pieces inside, the smacking sound they made when I put them down, the board's hollow wooden echo. I can even recall the taste—the queen's tip was pleasantly suckable; the pawns' round heads, not unlike nipples, were sweet. The board is still at our place in Sarajevo, and, even if I haven't played a game on it in decades, it is still my most cherished possession, providing incontrovertible evidence that there once lived a boy who used to be me." ― Aleksandar Hemon, The Book of My Lives

Song of the Storm-Swept Plain
William D. Hodjkiss

The wind shrills forth
From the white cold North
Where the gates of the Storm-god are;
And ragged clouds,
Like mantling shrouds,
Engulf the last, dim star.

Through naked trees,
In low coulees,
The night-voice moans and sighs;
And sings of deep,
Warm cradled sleep,
With wind-crooned lullabies.

He stands alone
Where the storm's weird tone
In mocking swells;
And the snow-sharp breath
Of cruel Death
The tales of its coming tells.

The frightened plaint
Of his sheep sound faint
Then the choking wall of white—
Then is heard no more,
In the deep-toned roar,
Of the blinding, pathless night.

No light nor guide,
Save a mighty tide
Of mad fear drives him on;
‘Till his cold-numbed form
Grows strangely warm;
And the strength of his limbs is gone.

Through the storm and night
A strange, soft light
O'er the sleeping shepherd gleams;
And he hears the word
Of the Shepherd Lord
Called out from the bourne of dreams.

Come, leave the strife
Of your weary life;
Come unto Me and rest
From the night and cold,
To the sheltered fold,
By the hand of love caressed.

The storm shrieks on,
But its work is done—
A soul to its God has fled;
And the wild refrain
Of the wind-swept plain,
Sings requiem for the dead.

"No one has ever won a game of chess by taking only forward moves (What about Scholar's Mate?). Sometimes you have to move backwards in order to be able to take better steps forward. That is life." — Anonymous

Drive sober or get pulled over.

"For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable." — Assiac

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." ― Thomas Jefferson, chess player

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." ― Mahatma Gandhi

Sailboats

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.

They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind. ― Scottish Proverb

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)

Riddle: What word is always pronounced wrong?

FACTRETRIEVER: There are no seagulls in Hawaii.

Riddel Answer: Wrong!

Q: What do you call a fat pumpkin?
A: A pumpkin!

Q: What do you call a factory that sells OK products? A: A satisfactory!

Q: What do you call a cheese that doesn't belong to you? A: Nacho cheese!

Q: What do you call a sleeping wolf?
A: An unawarewolf!

Q: What do you call a bear that never wants to grow up? A: Peter Panda!

Q: What do you call a Jedi with one arm?
A: Hand Solo!

Q: What do you call a sad cheese?
A: A Blue cheese!

Q: What do you call an argument between two electric companies? A: A power struggle!

A piece of cake: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/che...

Dionysius1: I had basil on the pub's potage du jour yesterday. Soup herb!

'A stitch in time saves nine'

"You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds."

"Discontent is the first necessity of progress." — Thomas A. Edison

Simonides Preserved By The Gods

Three sorts there are, as Malherbe says,
Which one can never overpraise –
The gods, the ladies, and the king;
And I, for one, endorse the thing.
The heart, praise tickles and entices;
Of fair one's smile, it often the price is.
See how the gods sometimes repay it.
Simonides – the ancients say it –
Once undertook, in poem lyric,
To write a wrestler's panegyric;
Which, before he had proceeded far in,
He found his subject somewhat barren.
No ancestors of great renown;
His sire of some unnoted town;
Himself as little known to fame,
The wrestler's praise was rather tame.
The poet, having made the most of
Whatever his hero had to boast of,
Digressed, by choice that was not all luck's,
To Castor and his brother Pollux;
Whose bright career was subject ample,
For wrestlers, sure, a good example.
Our poet fattened on their story,
Gave every fight its place and glory,
Till of his panegyric words
These deities had got two-thirds.
All done, the poet's fee
A talent was to be.
But when he comes his bill to settle,
The wrestler, with a spice of mettle,
Pays down a third, and tells the poet,
"The balance they may pay who owe it.
The gods than I are rather debtors
To such a pious man of letters.
But still I shall be greatly pleased
To have your presence at my feast,
Among a knot of guests select,
My kin, and friends I most respect."
More fond of character than coffer,
Simonides accepts the offer.
While at the feast the party sit,
And wine provokes the flow of wit,
It is announced that at the gate
Two men, in haste that cannot wait,
Would see the bard. He leaves the table,
No loss at all to "ts noisy gabble.
The men were Leda's twins, who knew
What to a poet's praise was due,
And, thanking, paid him by foretelling
The downfall of the wrestler's dwelling.
From which ill-fated pile, indeed,
No sooner was the poet freed,
Than, props and pillars failing,
Which held aloft the ceiling
So splendid over them,
It downward loudly crashed,
The plates and flagons dashed,
And men who bore them;
And, what was worse,
Full vengeance for the man of verse,
A timber broke the wrestler's thighs,
And wounded many otherwise.
The gossip Fame, of course, took care
Abroad to publish this affair.
"A miracle!" the public cried, delighted.
No more could god-beloved bard be slighted.
His verse now brought him more than double,
With neither duns, nor care, nor trouble.
Whoever laid claim to noble birth
Must buy his ancestors a slice,
Resolved no nobleman on earth
Should overgo him in the price.
From which these serious lessons flow:
Fail not your praises to bestow
On gods and godlike men. Again,
To sell the product of her pain
Is not degrading to the Muse.
Indeed, her art they do abuse,
Who think her wares to use,
And yet a liberal pay refuse.
Whatever the great confer on her,
They're honoured by it while they honour.
Of old, Olympus and Parnassus
In friendship heaved their sky-crowned masses.

Psalm 31:24
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

Psalm 96: 1-3
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." ― Voltaire

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

"Forget the past – the future will give you plenty to worry about." — George Allen

"Luckily, there is a way to be happy. It involves changing the emphasis of our thinking from what we want to what we have." ― Richard Carlson

from the simpleton poet:

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.

Chess is creative.
And a journey too.

Good in the morning.
Or just before bed.

Play cheater_1, with engine.
Or OTB, all in your head.

The laughter of a child lights up the house. ~ Swahili proverb

Oct-04-23 HeMateMe: I play 3/2 blitz occasionally on Lichess. I find it an excellent site, none of the delays/cancellations that ruined chess.com (for me). Oct-04-23 Cassandro: Yes, lichess is by far the best site for online chess. And you never know, apparently you may even get to play against a living legend like the highly esteemed Leonard Barden there!

FTB plays all about but has always been happy with FICS: https://www.freechess.org/

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

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

"Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people." ― Elizabeth Green

"It ain't over 'til it's over, no matter how over it looks." ― Yogi Berra

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." ― Frederick Douglass

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Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

John 14:6
"<I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.>" ― Jesus Christ

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

WISE OLD OWL
A wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he saw the less he spoke.
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

Give a HOOT ― Don't Pollute!

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