Hastings 1896

Dum spiro, spero

"The game might be divided into three parts: the opening, the middle-game and the end-game. There is one thing you must strive for, to be equally efficient in the three parts." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

Cogito, ergo sum

"A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

"Si vis pacem, para bellum" ― Cicero

"Unfortunately, many regard the critic as an enemy, instead of seeing him as a guide to the truth." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose." ― Bette Davis

"Chess is a matter of vanity." ― Alexander Alekhine

"As a chess player one has to be able to control one's feelings, one has to be as cold as a machine." ― Levon Aronian

"Sometimes it happens that the computer's assessment is very abstract. It's correct, but it's not useful for a practical game. You have to prove the assessment with very strong moves and if you don't find all of these strong moves you may lose very quickly. For a computer this is not a problem, but for humans it is not so easy." ― Vassily Ivanchuk

"A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit." ― John Milton

"Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory." ― Max Euwe

"A sport, a struggle for results and a fight for prizes. I think that the discussion about "chess is science or chess is art" is already inappropriate. The purpose of modern chess is to reach a result." ― Alexander Morozevich

"No one man is superior to the game." ― A. Bartlett Giamatti, in reference to Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader banned for gambling.

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." ― Alexander Pope

"I consider Mr. Morphy the finest chess player who ever existed. He is far superior to any now living, and would doubtless have beaten Labourdonnais himself. In all his games with me, he has not only played, in every instance, the exact move, but the most exact. He never makes a mistake; but, if his adversary commits the slightest error, he is lost." ― Adolf Anderssen

"After white's reply to 1.e4 e5 with 2.f4 the game is in its last throes" ― Howard Staunton

"I have added these principles to the law: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed." ― Emanuel Lasker

"With opposite coloured bishops the attacking side has in effect an extra piece in the shape of his bishop." ― Mikhail Botvinnik

"A pawn, when separated from his fellows, will seldom or never make a fortune." ― Francois-Andre Danican Philidor

"Be warned! From Satan's viewpoint you are a pawn in his game of cosmic chess." ― Adrian Rogers

"Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position." ― Anatoly Karpov

"The object of the state is always the same: to limit the individual, to tame him, to subordinate him, to subjugate him." ― Max Stirner

"It is a profound mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot be learned." ― Richard Reti

"A Queen's sacrifice, even when fairly obvious, always rejoices the heart of the chess-lover." ― Savielly Tartakower

"Everyone makes mistakes. The wise are not people who never make mistakes, but those who forgive themselves and learn from their mistakes." ― Ajahn Brahm

"As a rule, so-called "positional" sacrifices are considered more difficult, and therefore more praise-worthy, than those which are based exclusively on an exact calculation of tactical possibilities." ― Alexander Alekhine

"It would be idle, and presumptuous, to wish to imitate the achievements of a Morphy or an Alekhine; but their methods and their manner of expressing themselves are within the reach of all." ― Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

"The most powerful weapon in chess is to have the next move." ― David Bronstein

"Get there firstest with the mostest." ― Nathan Bedford Forrest

"If the defender is forced to give up the center, then every possible attack follows almost of itself." ― Siegbert Tarrasch

"Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a defenseless and unerudite public." ― Agnes Repplier

"If you watch it, you should watch it with other players and try to find moves, like it was before. Now on many sites you watch together with the computer and the pleasure is gone." ― Boris Gelfand

"I believe that Chess possesses a magic that is also a help in advanced age. A rheumatic knee is forgotten during a game of chess and other events can seem quite unimportant in comparison with a catastrophe on the chessboard." ― Vlastimil Hort

"It's funny, but many people don't understand why I draw so many games nowadays. They think my style must have changed but this is not the case at all. The answer to this drawing disease is that my favorite squares are e6, f7, g7 and h7 and everyone now knows this. They protect these squares not once but four times!" ― Mikhail Tal

"Having spent alarmingly large chunks of my life studying the white side of the Open Sicilian, I find myself asking, why did I bother?" ― Daniel J. King

"Apart from direct mistakes, there is nothing more ruinous than routine play, the aim of which is mechanical development." ― Alexey Suetin

"Not infrequently ... the theoretical is a synonym of the stereotyped. For the 'theoretical' in chess is nothing more than that which can be found in the textbooks and to which players try to conform because they cannot think up anything better or equal, anything original." ― Mikhail Chigorin

"The choice of opening, whether to aim for quiet or risky play, depends not only on the style of a player, but also on the disposition with which he sits down at the board." ― Efim Geller

"Despite the development of chess theory, there is much that remains secret and unexplored in chess." ― Vasily Smyslov

"No matter how much theory progresses, how radically styles change, chess play is inconceivable without tactics." ― Samuel Reshevsky

"Collect as precious pearls the words of the wise and virtuous." ― Abdelkader El Djezairi

"Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence." ― Abigail Adams

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." ― Winston Churchill

"When I was preparing for one term's work in the Botvinnik school I had to spend a lot of time on king and pawn endings. So when I came to a tricky position in my own games, I knew the winning method." ― Garry Kasparov

"As a rule, pawn endings have a forced character, and they can be worked out conclusively." ― Mark Dvoretsky

"It is a gross overstatement, but in chess, it can be said I play against my opponent over the board and against myself on the clock." ― Viktor Korchnoi

"The fact that the 7 hours time control allows us to play a great deep game is not of great importance for mass-media." ― Alexei Shirov

"For me, each game is a new challenge, which has to be dealt with rationally and systematically. At that time, every other thought fades into oblivion." ― Viswanathan Anand

Ne kadar bilirsen bil, o kadar azdır.

"Any fool can know. The point is to understand." ― Albert Einstein

"One bad move nullifies forty good ones."
― Israel Albert Horowitz

"It is a well-known phenomenon that the same amateur who can conduct the middle game quite creditably, is usually perfectly helpless in the end game. One of the principal requisites of good chess is the ability to treat both the middle and end game equally well." ― Aron Nimzowitsch

"My hard work and excellent training entitled me to be a better actress than some of my competitors." ― Pola Negri

"Endings of one rook and pawns are about the most common sort of endings arising on the chess board. Yet though they do occur so often, few have mastered them thoroughly. They are often of a very difficult nature, and sometimes while apparently very simple they are in reality extremely intricate." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

"Capablanca used to talk calmly and moderately about everything. However, when our conversation turned to the problems of the battle for the world championship, in front of me was a quite different person: an enraged lion, although with the fervour typical only of a southerner, with his temperamental patter, which made it hard to follow the torrent of his indignant exclamations and words." ― Alexander Koblencs

"A player is said to have the opposition when he can place his King directly in front of the adverse King, with only one square between them. This is often an important advantage in ending games." ― Howard Staunton

"A player can sometimes afford the luxury of an inaccurate move, or even a definite error, in the opening or middlegame without necessarily obtaining a lost position. In the endgame ... an error can be decisive, and we are rarely presented with a second chance." ― Paul Keres

"Never trust a government that doesn't trust its own citizens with guns." ― Benjamin Franklin

"The Soviet Union was an exception, but even there chess players were not rich. Only Fischer changed that." ― Boris Spassky

"Chess never has been and never can be aught but a recreation. It should not be indulged in to the detriment of other and more serious avocations - should not absorb or engross the thoughts of those who worship at its shrine, but should be kept in the background, and restrained within its proper province. As a mere game, a relaxation from the severe pursuits of life, it is deserving of high commendation." ― Paul Morphy

"Incidentally, when we're faced with a "prove or disprove," we're usually better off trying first to disprove with a counterexample, for two reasons: A disproof is potentially easier (we need just one counterexample); and nitpicking arouses our creative juices. Even if the given assertion is true, our search for a counterexample often leads to a proof, as soon as we see why a counterexample is impossible. Besides, it's healthy to be skeptical." ― Ronald Graham

"Even though chess isn't the toughest thing that computers will tackle for centuries, it stood as a handy symbol for human intelligence. No matter what human-like feat computers perform in the future, the Deep Blue match demands an indelible dot on all timelines of AI progress." ― Steven Levy

"Attackers may sometimes regret bad movez, but it's much worse to forever regret an opportunity you allowed to pass you by." ― Garry Kasparov

"Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of a double check." ― Aron Nimzowitzch

"When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one." ― Emanuel Lasker The Portuguese chess player and author Pedro Damiano (1480–1544) first wrote this in his book "Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti" published in Rome, Italy, in 1512.

"As they prepared themselves to go ashore no one doubted in theory that at least a certain percentage of them would remain on the island dead, once they set foot on it. But no one expected to be one of these. Still it was an awesome thought and as the first contingents came struggling up on deck in full gear to form up, all eyes instinctively sought out immediately this island where they were to be put, and left, and which might possibly turn out to be a friend's grave." ― James Jones, The Thin Red Line

"The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience." ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

"Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time." ― Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living

"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" ― Dr. Seuss

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." ― William Penn

"Never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like." ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run." ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

"Life is a funny thing. We only get so many years to live it, so we have to do everything we can to make sure those years are as full as they can be. We shouldn't waste time on things that might happen someday, or maybe even never." ― Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us

"It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy;—it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others." ― Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

"Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone." ― Alan Watts

"There is more to life than simply increasing its speed." ― Mahatma Gandhi

"Lost Time is never found again."
― Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack

"Time spent with a cat is never wasted." ― Colette

"A wise man's goal shouldn't be to say something profound, but to say something useful." ― Criss Jami, Healology

"The King is only fond of words, and cannot translate them into deeds." ― Teck Foo Check, The Autobiography of Sun Tzu

"Behind every move I make on the chess board lies a story of calculation, intuition, and passion. With every game, I discover more about myself and the endless possibilities of the game." ― medicosaurabh

"Ecco, sai giocare a scacchi. Adesso devi diventare un giocatore. Ci vorrà un po' di più." ― Guenassia Jean-Michel, Le Club des incorrigibles optimists

"People are like chess pieces!" ― Deyth Banger

"The only easy day was yesterday." ― US Navy SEALs

"Gameplay is all our life. Either we guard, attack or develop pieces." ― Vineet Raj Kapoor, UNCHESS: Untie Your Shoes and Walk on the Chessboard of Life

"The is a secret for greater self-control, the science points to one thing: the power of paying attention." ― Kelly McGonigal, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It

"As we encounter new experiences with a mindful and wise attention, we discover that one of three things will happen to our new experience: it will go away, it will stay the same, or it will get more intense. whatever happens does not really matter." ― Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life

"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories." ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

"Winning is about commitment, discipline, hard work, dedication, determination, courage and sometimes even luck!" ― Susan Polgar

"Every defeat is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes! Every victory is a confirmation of our hard work!" ― Susan Polgar

"A chess player uses his/her knowledge to prepare for next game while a passionate coach preparez for next generation!" ― Susan Polgar

Proverbs 29:25
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

French Proverb: "Ce n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire la grimace." ― (There's no substitute for experience.)

* Center Game miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* 1.e4 e5 flavor flav: Game Collection: The Open Games: 1.e4 e5

* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game

* Various Miniatures: Game Collection: MINIATURES

* Nakhmanson Gambit: https://chesstier.com/nakhmanson-ga...

* The games of chess author Bill Wall; many are miniatures: Bill Wall

* Starting Out: French Defense: Game Collection: Starting out : The French

* Gambits against the French Defense:
Game Collection: alapin gambit -alapin diemer gambit + reti gam

* A Brief History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeB...

* Adequate intro: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Alpha Glossary: https://www.chess-poster.com/englis...

* Absaroka: Wikipedia article: Absaroka Range

* Basic Tactics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10I...

* Bishop vs Knight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPS...

* BF smoked 'em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot4...

* Bg5 pin or not? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLp...

* Let's boogie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSL...

* Reasonable Book Choices: https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell...

* Calculations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sY...

* Common Checkmates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ju...

* Uncommon Checkmate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgi...

* Double Attacks etc.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNh...

* Dubious Gambit Bot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYB...

* Endgame scenario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejj...

* Free chess course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iht...

* KP Game: Wikipedia article: King's Pawn Game

* KP Guide: https://www.chessable.com/blog/the-...

* Sicilian Emphasis: https://chesseasy.com/kings-pawn-op...

* Sicilian traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKN...

* KP Nobility: https://chessdoctrine.com/chess-ope...

* KP Options for Black: https://chesspathways.com/chess-ope...

* Popular responses to 1.e4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWo...

* Most common replies to 1.e4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWo...

* Shock the King's Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihw...

* Glossary: https://www.chess-poster.com/englis...

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

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

* IECC: https://www.chess-iecc.com/

* Imagination: Game Collection: Imagination in Chess

* Immortal Games: Game Collection: Immortal games

* Italian c3's: Game Collection: GIUOCO PIANO

* Italian Game Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXI...

* Go Easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anT...

* Don't Shoot the Piano Player! DO NOT Shoot the Piano Player! Game Collection: "Don't Shoot the Piano Player!"

* Halasz-McDonnell Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO3...

* Kingside storm 150 Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tw...

* Black Pawn Storm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnW...

* 150 Attack Details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dt...

* The Pirc, KID, Rat, or Modern Defense? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5N...

* Modern KID Immortal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-C...

* French Defense start-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdW...

* French Defense surprise for the KIA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgx...

* French Defense dark-square strategy vs KIA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDS...

* French Defense speed run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHv...

* Fort Knox variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPT...

* Orthoschnapp Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWW...

* Traps against the French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFW...

The Queen's Gambit show on Netflix...
Won 11 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series, plus Golden Globes for Best Limited Series and Best Actress.

* The Queen's Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdH...

* QGD traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ux...

* Trapped Queen: Game Collection: Trapped Queen

* Simple Nimzo-Indian Set-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyy...

* Nimzo-Indian vs f3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw8...

* The power of ...e6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eB...

* QP Game: Wikipedia article: Queen's Pawn Game

* QP Guide: https://www.chessable.com/blog/the-...

* Trompowsky Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCv...

* Read the notes below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM9...

* Bg5 in 10-15 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIB...

* Tromp components: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akc...

* Win or die: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJw...

* Ask yourself "What if...?" and "Why not this?" Don't just settle on the obvious move -- your opponent might not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lO...

* Just a minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thj...

* Unorthodox: https://web.archive.org/web/2009080...

* Facing the Hippopotamus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py6...

* Hippo pawn breaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irq...

* Hippo Middlegame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N90...

* Norman G: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRF...

* Light square strategy of the English Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVM...

* Delayed e4 or e3 in the slow English Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va0...

* English Opening ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCW...

* Fork trick beats the English Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5w...

* English 4 Knights trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcK...

* Eradicate the English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ7...

* Alphabet Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVT...

* Praggnanandhaa! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwR...

* English Defence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfs...

* Weak Pawns and Squares: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPD...

* Identify & Exploit Weaknesses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw5...

* Power of g4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnF...

* Must know Rook endgame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkM...

* Legendary rub out on ICC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B9...

* Ten Principles of Rook endings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt7...

* Dojo Rook endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aW...

* Chess Variants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbK...

"Qui ne dit mot consent." ― (Silence implies consent.)

* Prizes: Game Collection: Brilliancy Prizes (Reinfeld)

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

* Rubinstein: Game Collection: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces

* Random Zs: Game Collection: ZHVNE

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

* tacticmania - Game Collection: tacticmania

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Vienna 1903 KG games: Game Collection: Vienna 1903

* Women: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/wom...

* 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.

* 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.

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

<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.>

The Wife of Bath's Tale (1388-1396) by Geoffrey Chaucer:

Loke who that is most vertuous alway
Prive and apert, and most entendeth ay
To do the gentil dedes that he can
And take him for the gretest gentilman

"Chess demands total concentration." ― Bobby Fischer

"Chess is a shoot out on a square grid where you must seek and destroy the best targets (highest rank, ease of convenience, or defensive importance?) and not give your opponent opportunities of destruction. Centralization, mobility and piece co-ordination, avoiding weakness/invasion/king exposure, reduction of the opposing force (tactical captures and the art of the exchange i.e. simplification), and pawn promotion to increase force are objectives to help achieve the ultimate goal of checkmate. Any concept can be neglected so long as checkmate is achieved. The acquisition of superior chess knowledge (fundamental training and game experience), pattern recognition, and inner resiliency is necessary for success. There's an untold number of possibilities to think about, which makes the game of chess a unique, ever-changing challenge, mentally enticing." ― Fredthebear

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident led to a full United States intervention in Vietnam.

On August 2, 1964, the US spy ship USS Maddox sailed in the Gulf of Tonkin only to find itself attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. They fired back, damaging all three ships and forcing the attackers to retreat. On August 4, the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy detected more torpedo boats and opened fire. In hindsight, however, the second attack proved nothing more than panic, and that the USN may have detected and fired on simply flying fish. At the time, though, it led the US Congress to call on US President Lyndon B. Johnson to take the necessary measures to stop communist aggression. President Johnson responded by beginning a three-year bombing campaign over Vietnam, and later, across Indochina.

Identify knight forks.

Q: What do you call a cat that likes to eat beans? A: Puss 'n' Toots!

Q: What do you call a clown who's in jail?
A: A silicon!

Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No eye deer!!

Q: What do you call a three-footed aardvark?
A: A yardvark!

Q: What do you call a dancing lamb?
A: A baaaaaa-llerina!

Q: What do you call a meditating wolf?
A: Aware wolf!

Q: What do you call a witch who lives at the beach? A: A sand-witch!

Q: What do you call an avocado that's been blessed by the pope? A: Holy Guacamole!

Jul-05-21
Which chessgames.com users have kibitzed the most? 1. HeMateMe (72,002)
2. saffuna (52,158)
3. Jim Bartle (50,025)
4. WannaBe (45,695)
5. jessicafischerqueen (44,873)
6. OhioChessFan (44,247)
7. chancho (40,065)
8. harrylime (38,059)
9. whiteshark (37,326)
10. cormier (36,146)>

‘The Unchecked Pawn': A Chess Poem by Julian Woodruff

The Unchecked Pawn
Quickly Black castled king-side and planned his attack. White then countered with confidence, primed for a sack, with the sneakiest strategy he could contrive:
nonchalantly he pushed his f-pawn to rank 5.
I'll just nab it, thought Black, but wait … what's going on? Devil take it, I'm sure that's a poisonous pawn!

Black surveyed the board carefully. Ah, yes! I see, that white bishop is poised to attack from c3.
Black was pleased with himself: he was using his head in advancing his own pawn to g5 instead.
In response White paused briefly to stifle a yawn, then dispatched the black bishop with his cheeky pawn.

Now White's move left that pawn hanging, out on e6, over-ripe for the picking; but oh, what a fix
Black was in, with a troublingly weakened back rank, and good reason, besides, to beware his left flank. Delay now, and the chance to fight back will be gone. Black played rook to a5, disregarding White's pawn.

Well, there's pawn to b4 … White considered a while. An attack on Black's rook would be showing some style. No, it's better I simply play pawn to e7:
Remember Alekhine in 1911!
What a nuisance! thought Black, frowning. Oh, how I long To be rid of that confounded d7 pawn!

But there's also White's queen, lurking there … what a fright! I'll block her with the bishop while threatening his knight. With a faint smile, White then replied, sealing Black's fate: pawn takes knight and promotes to queen—instant checkmate! Black stared down at the board, his face pallid and drawn; he'd been crushed through ignoring White's bantam-weight pawn.

Alekhine: Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946) was a Russian and French chess champion.

"He who takes the Queen's Knight's pawn will sleep in the streets!" - anonymous

Proverbs 26 Berean Standard Bible

1 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,

honor does not befit a fool.

2 Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow,

an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

and a rod for the backs of fools!

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

or you yourself will be like him.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly,

lest he become wise in his own eyes.

6 Like cutting off one's own feet or drinking violence

is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

7 Like lame legs hanging limp

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

8 Like binding a stone into a sling

is the giving of honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn that falls into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

10 Like an archer who wounds at random

is he who hires a fool or passerby.

11 As a dog returns to its vomit,a

so a fool repeats his folly.

12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The slacker says, "A lion is in the road!

A fierce lion roams the public square!"

14 As a door turns on its hinges,

so the slacker turns on his bed.

15 The slacker buries his hand in the dish;

it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The slacker is wiser in his own eyes

than seven men who answer discreetly.

17 Like one who grabs a dog by the ears

is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

18 Like a madman shooting firebrands

and deadly arrows,

19 so is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, "I was only joking!"

20 Without wood, a fire goes out;

without gossip, a conflict ceases.

21 Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire,

so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels

that go down into the inmost being.

23 Like glaze covering an earthen vessel

are burningb lips and a wicked heart.

24 A hateful man disguises himself with his speech,

but he lays up deceit in his heart.

25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,

for seven abominations fill his heart.

26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27 He who digs a pit will fall into it,

and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.

28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,

and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

"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."

"Here's a two-step formula for handling stress... Step number one: Don't sweat the small stuff. Step number two: Remember it's all small stuff." ― Tony Robbins

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

"Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom." — Charles F. Stanley

"To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?" — Queen Elizabeth II

"Many have become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess." ― Siegbert Tarrasch

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ― Howard Thurman

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

We Are As The Flute
by Jalal Ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

We are as the flute, and the music in us is from thee; we are as the mountain and the echo in us is from thee.

We are as pieces of chess engaged in victory and defeat: our victory and defeat is from thee,
O thou whose qualities are comely!

Who are we, O Thou soul of our souls,
that we should remain in being beside thee?

We and our existences are really non-existence;
thou art the absolute Being which manifests the perishable.

We all are lions, but lions on a banner:
because of the wind they are rushing
onward from moment to moment.

Their onward rush is visible,
and the wind is unseen:
may that which is unseen not fail from us!

Our wind whereby we are moved and our being are of thy gift; our whole existence is from thy bringing into being.

"The first instance of this opening Grünfeld Defence is in an 1855 game by Moheschunder Bannerjee, an Indian player who had transitioned from Indian chess rules, playing Black against John Cochrane in Calcutta, in May 1855:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Be2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 c5 9.0-0 cxd4 10.cxd4 Nc6 11.Bb2 Bg4 12.Rc1 Rc8 13.Ba3 Qa5 14.Qb3 Rfe8 15.Rc5 Qb6 16.Rb5 Qd8 17.Ng5 Bxe2 18.Nxf7 Na5 and White mates in three (19.Nh6+ double check Kh8 20.Qg8+ Rxg8 21.Nf7#). Cochrane published a book reporting his games with Moheshchunder and other Indians in 1864." -- Wikipedia * Wikipedia article: Moheschunder Bannerjee

Thank you to Bill Wall for collecting and providing so many miniatures over the years.

Road apples

A GAME OF CHESS
by T S (Thomas Stearns) Eliot

The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne, Glowed on the marble, where the glass
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines From which a golden Cupidon peeped out 80 (Another hid his eyes behind his wing)
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra Reflecting light upon the table as
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,
From satin cases poured in rich profusion;
In vials of ivory and coloured glass
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes, Unguent, powdered, or liquid— troubled, confused And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air That freshened from the window, these ascended 90 In fattening the prolonged candle-flames,
Flung their smoke into the laquearia,
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling.

Huge sea-wood fed with copper
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone, In which sad light a carved dolphin swam.

Above the antique mantel was displayed
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale 100 Filled all the desert with inviolable voice
And still she cried, and still the world pursues, "Jug Jug" to dirty ears.

And other withered stumps of time
Were told upon the walls; staring forms
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed.

Footsteps shuffled on the stair.

Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair Spread out in fiery points
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still. 110

"My nerves are bad to-night.
Yes, bad.
Stay with me.

"Speak to me.
Why do you never speak.
Speak.

"What are you thinking of? What thinking? What? "I never know what you are thinking.
Think.
"

I think we are in rats' alley
Where the dead men lost their bones.

"What is that noise?"
The wind under the door.

"What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?" Nothing again nothing. 120
"Do "You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember "Nothing?"

I remember
Those are pearls that were his eyes.

"Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?" But O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag—
It's so elegant
So intelligent 130 "What shall I do now? What shall I do?"
I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street
"With my hair down, so.
What shall we do to-morrow?
"What shall we ever do?"
The hot water at ten.

And if it rains, a closed car at four.

And we shall play a game of chess,
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.

When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said—
I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, 140 HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart.

He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you To get yourself some teeth.
He did, I was there.

You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set, He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you.

And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert, He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time, And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said.

Oh is there, she said.
Something o' that, I said.
150
Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look.

HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said.

Others can pick and choose if you can't.

But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling.

You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique.

(And her only thirty-one.
) I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face, It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said.

(She's had five already, and nearly died of young George. ) 160
The chemist said it would be alright, but I've never been the same.

You are a proper fool, I said.

Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said, What you get married for if you don't want children? HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon, And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot— HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Goonight Bill.
Goonight Lou.
Goonight May.
Goonight.
170
Ta ta.
Goonight.
Goonight.

Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.

"In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else. For whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and opening must be studied in relation to the end game." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

I always play carefully and try to avoid unnecessary risks. I consider my method to be right as any superfluous ‘daring' runs counter to the essential character of chess, which is not a gamble but a purely intellectual combat conducted in accordance with the exact rules of logic. – Jose Raul Capablanca

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.

The Bat and the Two Weasels

A blundering bat once stuck her head
Into a wakeful weasel's bed;
Whereat the mistress of the house,
A deadly foe of rats and mice,
Was making ready in a trice
To eat the stranger as a mouse.
"What! do you dare," she said, "to creep in
The very bed I sometimes sleep in,
Now, after all the provocation
I have suffered from your thievish nation?
Are you not really a mouse,
That gnawing pest of every house,
Your special aim to do the cheese ill?
Ay, that you are, or I'm no weasel."
"I beg your pardon," said the bat;
"My kind is very far from that.
What! I a mouse! Who told you such a lie?
Why, ma'am, I am a bird;
And, if you doubt my word,
Just see the wings with which I fly.
Long live the mice that cleave the sky!"
These reasons had so fair a show,
The weasel let the creature go.

By some strange fancy led,
The same wise blunderhead,
But two or three days later,
Had chosen for her rest
Another weasel's nest,
This last, of birds a special hater.
New peril brought this step absurd;
Without a moment's thought or puzzle,
Dame weasel oped her peaked muzzle
To eat the intruder as a bird.
"Hold! do not wrong me," cried the bat;
"I'm truly no such thing as that.
Your eyesight strange conclusions gathers.
What makes a bird, I pray? Its feathers.
I'm cousin of the mice and rats.
Great Jupiter confound the cats!"
The bat, by such adroit replying,
Twice saved herself from dying.

And many a human stranger
Thus turns his coat in danger;
And sings, as suits, wherever he goes,
"God save the king!" – or "save his foes!'

Jan-23-18 zanzibar: I should also mention that I like Black's knight maneuver, Nc6-d7-f5-d6-e4 (moves 46-50), transferring the knight from c6 to the very strong e4-square. Jan-24-18 Member: <zanzibar>--Your diagram of the position after move 42 is incorrect--the white knight should be on e3, not c3. According to The Computer, white's best here was 43 Ng4, with an evaluation of only -0.66, but I suspect that Capablanca would have found a way to win anyway. Lasker played 43 Nd1 in an effort to lure Capablanca into the trap described in the note after move 43 ("Not Nb4..."). Jan-26-18 zanzibar: GSM yes, my mistake, apologies. I got the move wrong I think.

God is great and God is good,

Let us thank Him for our food;

By His blessings, we are fed,

Give us Lord, our daily bread.
Amen.

Feb-22-23 stone free or die: Thanks Fred for that note. At some point this topic should get brought up on the Bistro, and a proper survey of de facto usage of the various other db's made.

Feb-23-23 petemcd85: FSR: btw, has the site stopped uploading games submitted by users? The link below explains how to upload or request, to upload games: PGN Upload Utility

Usually, if its a lot of games or a tournament, You can let me know on the support forum and i will get to it as soon as possible: support forum:
chessgames.com chessforum

Please include the link to where I can find the games in PGN format. It will help get the games up quicker

Some of the sites I recommend to find reliable PGNs would be: TheWeek In Chess:
https://theweekinchess.com/a-year-o...

chess24.com:
https://chess24.com/en/dashboard'

****

P.S. The FIDE rating of the player must be over 2200 for us to upload games .

Feb-23-23 FSR: <petemcd85> I know how to upload games to the site. Hundreds of games on this site were submitted by me. However, for the past week or so, some of the games that I have submitted have not been added to the database for some reason. Is this because the games were played by me or another player whose FIDE rating is below 2200? If so, that is a departure from prior practice of many years standing. Who authorized this?

CHESS

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

- Rael

"As a species, octopuses are very old, and it's speculated that the first octopuses appeared roughly 296 million years ago.

Their long existence has made them masters of camouflage and evasion, able to change their skin to match their environment. Octopuses also have the defensive mechanism of spewing ink and poison on enemies.

They are also smart enough to use tools to solve everyday problems in the deep sea, and some species even hide in coconut shells and carry coconuts with them if they need to hide.

With a short lifespan of anywhere from 3-5 years, it seems logical that octopuses would need such advanced defensive capabilities.

Octopuses are also semelparous, meaning they are a species that only breeds once in their lifetime, shortly dying after doing so." ― Planet Explore

The King Is Dead, Long Live the King By Julian Randall

Heaven is the certainty that you will be avenged I know I know the kingdom is not fair but it's what I have a montage of red and a mitosis of knuckles I'm not sure how you could expect me to love anything Ain't no question sadness is regal like that golden and replaceable once I wanted a lineage of identical men once a mouth soft and hot as the quickest way that gold can hurt you You see a pattern yet? I practice the want of nothing and fail I've been shown how ugly I can be when I am invisible I don't believe in yesterdays The throat of loneliness? Straddled with my knife I press my hands to my face and the lament is a valley the light sags through What do you do when you have lost Everything? Rewrite the history of Everything I don't like my smile because someone told me I didn't like it Now I am gorgeous in all the languages I mothered Flex the antonym of Missing I avenge myself Stretch my hands I orphan my grief for the living and it is beauty ain't no question I monarch the lonely I my own everything now I miss my love and it is an American grief I strike the smell from nostalgia cut my memory to spite my country What is the odor of nothing but my dominion in want of excess I grin and pillars of bone flower into sawed-off crowns say I flex the light and the light flexes heat shimmer unfurling like a bicep my lust a mirage where the body is merely a congealing of the river I can feel it slowly drifting away from me The world I knew is gone and getting more gone and my anthem populating my nose with an abundance of salt I slip the shroud over the life I named and forget I belonged to someone once My soverign's face is a riot of diamonds whining This will be a beautiful death and I am free and gorgeous and desperate to never have to miss anyone again I rock the jeweled shroud become the bride of my own sad light

Happy, happy, happy!

In Rome and Greece, hay (cut and dried tall grass stored up for winter feeding) was not even a thought. Only those civilizations who live in warmer regions of the world could keep their horses well-fed thanks to grazing. During winter, when grass was scarce, horses would die, thwarting development of any form of urban civilization without horses to help travel, trade, communication, and distribution of goods. At some point during the time we now call the Dark Ages (between the 5th and 14th centuries, from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD to the Renaissance), somebody invented hay so that anybody could store grass for the difficult times in winter. By a stretch, hay was an important invention in developing many great cities such as Paris, London, Vienna, New York, and Moscow.

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.

According to Chessmetrics, Lasker was #1 for longer than anyone else in history: 292 different months between June 1890 and December 1926. That's a timespan of 36 1/2 years, in which Lasker was #1 for a total of 24 years and 4 months. Lasker was 55 years old when he won New York 1924.

"Just because you know stuff doesn't mean you are smart... You have to know how to use that information." ― Josh Keller

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.

* Know the five fundamental rules of firearm safety:

- Treat every gun as if it is loaded.

- Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to destroy.

- Never put your finger on a gun's trigger until you make a conscious decision to shoot.

- Always be sure of your target, what's beyond it, and what's between you and your target.

- When not in use, a firearm needs to be locked in some kind of secure container—a gun vault is best. If it cannot be secured in a locked location, then a trigger lock should be applied. A loaded firearm should never be unattended.

1.Nf3 is the third most popular of the twenty legal opening moves White has, behind only 1.e4 and 1.d4.

God our Father, Lord, and Savior

Thank you for your love and favor

Bless this food and drink we pray

And all who share with us today.
Amen.

This poem is dedicated to PhillA, who
sparked off the seed for this poem.

The Stark Naked King

When the challenge arrived from the ax wielding Philla "I must hurry and offer a bribe to his queen, thought nova, to avoid a merciless onslaught ending in bloody gore". Alas, the challenge had been secretly sent the day before. There he stood with ax and all at the castle's gate, While teasingly sending in a not-so-holy bishop as bait. High on the castle's wall nova bellowed: dump the boiling oil, To force the ax-man with his troops to screamingly recoil. To no avail, Philla hurled his castle straight upon the king, Who standing stark naked, tried to hide his private thing. So nova quickly conceded out of shameful desperation and Philla gently lowering the ax accepted nova's resignation.

"Mind your Ps and Qs."
My brothers and I were always being told to mind our Ps and Qs, especially when we were out in public or going to a party or other social event. I thought it had something to do with eating all your vegetables as I took Ps to mean peas.

What it really refers to is to keep track of how many pints and quarts you've consumed at the tavern so you didn't end up drunk in a bar fight or jail.

I'm pretty certain Grandma didn't know the true origin of that one.

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. — George Bernard Shaw

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. — Mark Twain

The Coming of Night by Emily Dickinson

How the old mountains drip with sunset,
And the brake of dun!
How the hemlocks are tipped in tinsel
By the wizard sun!

How the old steeples hand the scarlet,
Till the ball is full, --
Have I the lip of the flamingo
That I dare to tell?

Then, how the fire ebbs like billows,
Touching all the grass
With a departing, sapphire feature,
As if a duchess pass!

How a small dusk crawls on the village
Till the houses blot;
And the odd flambeaux no men carry
Glimmer on the spot!

Now it is night in nest and kennel,
And where was the wood,
Just a dome of abyss is nodding
Into solitude! --

These are the visions baffled Guido;
Titian never told;
Domenichino dropped the pencil,
Powerless to unfold.

<Abhimanyu Mishra
(American Chess Grandmaster Who Is the Youngest Player Ever to Qualify for the Grandmaster Title) Birthdate: February 5, 2009
Birthplace: New Jersey, United States>

The Words Of Socrates

A house was built by Socrates
That failed the public taste to please.
Some blamed the inside; some, the out; and all
Agreed that the apartments were too small.
Such rooms for him, the greatest sage of Greece!

"I ask," said he, "no greater bliss
Than real friends to fill even this."
And reason had good Socrates
To think his house too large for these.
A crowd to be your friends will claim,
Till some unhandsome test you bring.
There's nothing plentier than the name;
There's nothing rarer than the thing.

'Ashes to ashes dust to dust

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

"Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy." ― Norman Vincent Peale

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

John 3:3 King James Version
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, <Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.>

"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!" ― John Adams

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.

'As you sow so shall you reap

"My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world." — Billy Graham

"Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love." — 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

<The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people
when they realize their relationship,
their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit,
and that this center is really everywhere,
it is within each of us. — Black Elk>

"You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose." ― Indira Gandhi

This poem is dedicated to Harris my chessplayer friend and literary commentator.

Chess The Final Metaphor

It was in a cesspool behind the place of his cousin Nick

That in this pool of sewage, was born the freak called frick.

On dark nights he hysterically wailed in his pool of slimy mess:

"Oh why oh why, can't I play the game that humans call chess"?

As the morning sun rose, begged the queen of the mighty king:

Sire, can you not order the death of this awful filthy thing"?

Wisely he replied: "no, I'll let frick live forever in distress

While he must watch others enjoy themselves playing chess."

"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.

Z is for Zipper (to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

Zipper starts with letter Z,
Letter Z, letter Z,
Zipper starts with Letter Z,
/z/, /z/, /z/, /z/!

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!

Zirconium Zr 40 91.22 1.4

Kuch bhi ho jaaye, par yaad aane wale ko kabhi mat bhoolna

Errare humanum est

Salus populi suprema lex esto

"Here's to you and here's to me,
Wherever we may roam;
And here's to the health and happiness
Of the ones who are left at home"

– Anonymous

Q: What do you call someone who draws funny pictures of cars? A: A car-toonist.

Q: What do you call a magician on a plane?
A: A flying sorcerer.

Q: What do you call fruit playing the guitar?
A: A jam session.

Q: What do you call the shoes that all spies wear? A: Sneakers.

Q: What do you call something you can serve, but never eat? A: A volleyball.

Q: What did the alien say to the garden?
A: Take me to your weeder.

Q: What do you call a skeleton who went out in freezing temperatures? A: A numb skull.

Q: What do you call a farm that grows bad jokes? A: Corny.