This collection was originally compiled by foodfight and has since been expanded buffet-style by Fredthebear. Thank you foodfight!

This is a repertoire for scholastic players that can be used their entire chess career. Fredthebear has inserted numerous additional games to the original food preparation of 20 games (and comments) that are scattered through out. More entrees continue to be added to the menu as we continue to fire and hire more cooks.

Hey, don't get any big ideas, kids. Any of you young'uns that throw food will be eating celery and crackers for a week!

For White:

Play the same White openings over and over against the same Black defenses so you come to understand what will happen next. Black could play any one of two dozen different defenses. Then there are variations within each defense! For example, in the Scandinavian Defense, Black might play the queen to Qa5, Qd6, Qd8, or leave her alone and bring out the knight instead -- even though White starts out the same way against all variations! This is plenty for White to learn about; start the same way and get accustomed to all the different tries by Black. Don't go changing your White openings around. Stick with the same approach and learn how to beat each Black defense and it's variations. Your performance will gradually improve as you play these sample games over and over and over again and become familiar with Black's operations.

Start by playing 1.e4. "Best by test" said Bobby Fischer. This was shown in his dominant performances as a youth player all the way to becoming undisputed world champion.

By moving a center pawn ahead two squares (1.e4 in this case), the knight, bishop and queen can all come off the back rank as needed to influence the center. Mobility is ALL important! (A piece that cannot move is of little use.) The knight, bishop and queen ALL increase their mobility by moving off the edge toward the middle, threatening more squares from the center of the board. Rapid piece development off the back row can lead to some quick attacks if your opponent moves too many pawns or the same piece back and forth wasting time. Activate your entire army for a stronger fighting force. Get a numbers advantage. Do this by developing a different piece off the back row into the fight on each turn!! Play with your faster pieces, not your slow pawns!

In the opening, it's generally best to move a center pawn, both knights and bishops (the minor pieces) to prepare to safely castle the king away from the raging battle in the center. The two armies will fight in the center of the board while your castled king watches from a distant corner. General Tip: In most well-played games, the king and rooks first moves are sideways, not forward. The rooks like the space between them cleared out so they can guard each other... this is called connected rooks. The king does not charge out to fight until much, much later in the game after most of the faster pieces are traded off (the opening dozen moves and middle game exchanges have come and gone) when there's no fear of him getting checkmated due to lack of remaining material in the endgame.

Legall's Checkmate. This well-known checkmate pattern uses three minor pieces to checkmate the opposing king before it has a chance to castle. In the opening phase, quickly bring your minor pieces off the back row! White moves the Ng1 to Nf3 to Ne5 to protect the Bxf7+ coming next. This knight maneuver into the middle is an unpin that exposes the unmoved White queen to capture... a sitting sacrifice that buys time. While the Black bishop is busy capturing the White queen, the White minor pieces swarm in upon the Black king for checkmate. (Instead of getting checkmated, Black's best play is to capture the White knight in the middle to stop Legall's checkmate, which allows the White queen to capture the undefended Black bishop.)

More Basic Checkmates in the Italian Game (C50-C55) and Uncommon Openings (A00) show how to use the knight, bishop and queen to quickly smash Black's position if Black delays minor piece development. Black's f7-square is vulnerable in the opening because it's only protection is by the king. The student cannot win a game of chess until s/he understands how to inflict checkmate (as well as prevent incoming threats)! Most mating attacks require three or four units working together. One and two piece attacks are a waste of time.

Note that White on the attack often ignores the threat of a minor piece (knight or bishop) being captured by a pawn to continue on with the attack! Remember, when one of your pieces is threatened with capture, do not automatically retreat it to safety. Instead, try to make a greater threat against the opposing king or queen.

Chew up the Center Counter/Scandinavian (B01) defense. White should always accept Black's pawn offer 2.exd5 and then develop the minor pieces (knights and bishops) with a comfortable game. Gain time by threatening the Black queen when possible. Just be aware of Black's bishops pinning White knights.

Swallow the Sicilian with the Grand Prix Attack (B23). This is a good attacking Anti-Sicilian line that expands on the kingside. White should use the 3.Bb5 Closed system (B25) if Black plays 2.Nc6. You can find more on the GBW way to play the Grand Prix here: Game Collection: BRCC: Against The Sicilian These same Anti-Sicilian concepts can be used as Black when combating the English Opening 1.c4. See the (A27) games toward the bottom of the list.

Serve an extra free pawn in the Scotch Gambit (C44-C45). For more Scotch Gambit ideas check out "A Lazy Player's Guide To The Scotch Gambit" http://web.archive.org/web/20020803... Many of our players like the Italian Game 3.Bc4. You can find another agressive way to play here: Game Collection: BRCC: Mad Italian Openings For White

Dilute Damiano's (C40) Defense 2...f6? Beginning 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6? is a poor defense if White has studied how to take advantage of it. White can execute the immediate knight sacrifice 3.Nxe5! as shown in the (C40) sample games. Or, White can play 3.Bc4 or 3.d4 safely as shown in the (A00) game.

Fry the French (C00-C19) Defense with Nc3 Variations (Winawer and Classical)See Game Collection: French Defense: Winawer. Poisoned Pawn Variation and Game Collection: FRENCH CLASSICAL for more.

Fredthebear has significantly boosted the French repertoire with many additional games. White must carefully protect his center pawns against the French defense and expect Black to form a battery along the c-file. White nearly always castles kingside, away from Black's queenside expansion. Sometimes White trades off the e-pawn and makes use of the e-file. White often benefits from having the safer castled king against the French defense; the Black king may or may not castle.

For Black:

Most of the repertoire is based on responding to 1.e4 with ...e5. If you want another approach, consider the Sicilian Sveshnikov: Game Collection: BRCC: Sicilian Sveshnikov, Paulsen, & Neo-Paulse

Two Knights Defense. Foodfight hesitated to recommend this. Make sure you learn this system well if you are going to play it. There is a lot to learn here (but the games are exciting tactical battles). Check out this game collection: Game Collection: Two Knights Additional Study Also check out this excellent collection on the Traxler Counter-attack:Game Collection: Wandering Tour through the Traxler Counterattack More Black victories in the Two Knights: Game Collection: two knights The Giuoco Piano is a quieter alternative: Game Collection: BRCC: 1. e4 Games For White and Black

Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense. This is complex, but fun, approach. You can (and need to) learn more here: Game Collection: repertorio gaston If the Schliemann is not for you consider the Marshall Attack - Game Collection: MARSHALL ATTACK The Marshall Attack in the Spanish Game is more involved for Black.

Also prepare a Black defense for the Danish Gambit, Scotch Game, and Four Knights Game.

Against 1.d4 2.c4 Queen's Gambit, play the Albin Countergambit - There are more games to look at here: Game Collection: Albin

If White starts 1.d4 but does not offer 2.c4, Black must prepare for slower approaches that generally aim for a kingside attack, especially the popular Colle System.

Note: Against 1.Nf3, Black is advised to replay with 1...d5 in preparation for transposals, but 1...g3 can be met by 1...e5.

What to think about during a chess game?

Chess Tip: "Attack a more important unit!" "Attack" means to take aim at an opposing unit, threatening to capture it on the next turn. A "more important unit" is any opposing army member of greater value. The pawn has the least value, the king has the greatest value. For example, you might aim a pawn at his bishop, or aim your knight at his rooks or royalty. Start by looking to attack the most important piece first...the king.

The object of chess is to checkmate the king. The king is more important than all the other units combined. Your king must survive while you go after his king! But, if you cannot check the king in 1 or 2 moves, then consider taking aim at the queen, or rooks because they have a lot of mobility once the pawns are out of the way. It can be wise to aim your long range pieces (bishops, rooks and queen) through a pawn or knight at the opponent's most important pieces (king, queen, and rooks). So, try to attack a more important piece, especially royalty, by direct aim or by indirect aim through a unit sitting in between the attacker and the target.

The old games of Gioachino Greco and Paul Morphy give excellent examples of how to attack the king. If no attack on the king is readily available, they often attack the queen or rook -- the next most important pieces. Just remember that capturing the opposing queen or rook improves your chances of winning eventually, but does not guarantee a win. For after you make your capture, the move now belongs to your opponent, who may go after your own king!

Before you look for your move, stop and think about what your opponent intends to do next. What is your opponent's NEXT move? What is s/he aiming at? Am I in check? Can s/he put me in check on the next turn? If s/he makes a capture, will I re-capture or do something else? Can s/he add add another attacker or subtract my defender (get rid of a protective unit one way or another) from the protection coverage? Where can I be outnumbered? Examine all possible CHECKS and CAPTURES on the move, and threats to check or capture in TWO MOVES. Consider an attacking move -- taking aim -- for each and every piece. Don't ignore any pieces, theirs or yours. Don't leave any back row pieces just sitting still on their original squares. It's O.K., often wise for flank pawns to sit on their original squares. The center pawns need to be moved early in the game, but the flank pawns might or might not move at all. Try not to move flank pawns until the endgame arises after several captures have been made.

Knights are especially tricky. A dark-squared knight can attack several different dark squares in two moves (moving from dark square to light square to dark square). Likewise, a light-squared knight can attack several light squares in two moves (moving from light square to dark square to light square). Conversely, the dark squared bishop might only need one move to attack two units on the same dark line. The LIGHT squared bishop might only need one move to attack two units on the same LIGHT line. However, bishops cannot change colors or hop over obstructive pawns like the knight can. Knights work well in a crowd. Bishops need open lines. Bishops get stronger as more and more pawns are removed.

The key is to not get so greedy, tunnel vision, or overly concerned about one particular move that you forget to consider a move by each and every piece. Playing the obvious move will get you beat by the not-so-obvious move that you forgot to consider! Find the best move by each piece, then compare each possibility and decide which one move fits the needs of the position the best.

When you see a good move -- wait! Look for a better move. Keep shopping around. You wouldn't marry the first girl you see, would you?

Sometimes you can temporarily ignore the opponent's threat to make a stronger move of your own. For example, if your opponent is trying to capture your knight, but you can capture his rook with check, you can ignore this threat against your knight and take his rook instead! In another instance, you might be able to pin the attacker to it's king so it cannot move to capture. A pin can really slow down the opponent if s/he cannot wiggle out of it!

Another Chess Tip: Try to make one move that attacks two opposing units at the same time. For example, a bishop pin or a knight fork aims at two opposing units at the same time, sometimes three! This is especially useful if one or more of the opposing units are undefended, free for the taking on the next turn. The concept of "double attack" at the same time is very important in chess. Your opponent only has one move, and might not be able to save both units from capture.

Most strong chess players solve tactics, combinations, and checkmate positions every day. It's a lot of fun to analyze chess diagrams from a book to find the best move. Most old-timers have studied chess puzzles published by authors Fred Reinfeld, Milton Finkelstein, Julius Du Mont, Larry Evans, and Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch. Others have studied puzzles by authors Gary Lane, Julian Hodgson, Paul Littlewood, Raymond Keene, John Nunn and Neil McDonald. A.J. Gillam and Murray Chandler have written some excellent books for scholastic players to study. "The Right Way to Play Chess" by David Pritchard is inexpensive and full of useful information for advanced beginners and intermediates. A simple but highly useful book on checkmates is "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" by Bobby Fischer and friends! Of course, there are so many other good chess writers around the world. However, I caution students: If the book has lots and lots of writing and very few diagrams, it is probably too advanced and probably should wait some years for advancement. Instead, get a chess puzzle book with lots of diagrams (usually 300+ diagrams in one book).

Learning to find the best move in a position will make you a strong attacker. Identifying the opponent's best move coming next will turn you into a strong defender. Both will result from solving chess puzzles every day!

Repetition is the Key to Studying This List of Games: A) Play through the first five games twice. Go back to the top. B) Play through the first ten games twice. Return to the top. C) Play through the first fifteen games twice. Return to top. D) Play through the first twenty games twice. Return to top. E) Play through the first twenty-five games twice. Etc. Etc. F) Play through the first thirty games twice. Etc. Etc. Etc. Replays continue to slowly but surely add to your foundation of knowledge without forgetting what you already know.

Fredthebear is working on other chess projects. No significant changes or additions are expected to this collection until 2023.

* Danish Gambits: Game Collection: Danish Gambit Games 1-0

* Traxler Counterattack: Game Collection: two knights for black

* Tpstar 2Ns: Game Collection: tpstar 2N

* A few Spanish Closed Defense games by Rubinstein: Game Collection: A Spanish Repertoire for Black

"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)

* 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.>

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 Fly and the Ant

A fly and ant, on a sunny bank,
Discussed the question of their rank.
"O Jupiter!" the former said,
"Can love of self so turn the head,
That one so mean and crawling,
And of so low a calling,
To boast equality shall dare
With me, the daughter of the air?
In palaces I am a guest,
And even at your glorious feast.
Whenever the people that adore you
May immolate for you a bullock,
I'm sure to taste the meat before you.
Meanwhile this starveling, in her hillock,
Is living on some bit of straw
Which she has laboured home to draw.
But tell me now, my little thing,
Do you camp ever on a king,
An emperor, or lady?
I do, and have full many a play-day
On fairest bosom of the fair,
And sport myself on her hair.
Come now, my hearty, rack your brain
To make a case about your grain."
"Well, have you done?" replied the ant.
"You enter palaces, I grant,
And for it get right soundly cursed.
Of sacrifices, rich and fat,
Your taste, quite likely, is the first; –
Are they the better off for that?
You enter with the holy train;
So enters many a wretch profane.
On heads of kings and asses you may squat;
Deny your vaunting I will not;
But well such impudence, I know,
Provokes a sometimes fatal blow.
The name in which your vanity delights
Is owned as well by parasites,
And spies that die by ropes – as you soon will By famine or by ague-chill,
When Phoebus goes to cheer
The other hemisphere, –
The very time to me most dear.
Not forced abroad to go
Through wind, and rain, and snow,
My summer's work I then enjoy,
And happily my mind employ,
From care by care exempted.
By which this truth I leave to you,
That by two sorts of glory we are tempted,
The false one and the true.
Work waits, time flies; adieu:
This gabble does not fill
My granary or till."

This poem is dedicated to all Caissa's members
who understand that chess is but a game.

Chess is but a Game

As he secretly rode his knight out of the castle's gate, still believing that he could escape this inevitable fate, the sky broke open with an array of incredible light. and there smitten to the earth lay nova under his knight. I am who I am and always am, spoke this thundering voice and you, my friend nova, do not at all have another choice but to go forth south and north, west and east
loudly proclaiming the good Word to man and beast. Thus beset by the compelling voice from the broken sky nova set about explaining through the word the how and why. He travelled north and south, west and east never losing aim to let all Caissa's members know: chess is but a game.

The Cloud
By Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, From the seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noonday dreams.
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet buds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.
I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.

I sift the snow on the mountains below,
And their great pines groan aghast;
And all the night 'tis my pillow white,
While I sleep in the arms of the blast.
Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,
Lightning my pilot sits;
In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,
It struggles and howls at fits;
Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion,
This pilot is guiding me,
Lured by the love of the genii that move
In the depths of the purple sea;
Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills,
Over the lakes and the plains,
Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream,
The Spirit he loves remains;
And I all the while bask in Heaven's blue smile, Whilst he is dissolving in rains.

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,
And his burning plumes outspread,
Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,
When the morning star shines dead;
As on the jag of a mountain crag,
Which an earthquake rocks and swings,
An eagle alit one moment may sit
In the light of its golden wings.
And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea beneath, Its ardours of rest and of love,
And the crimson pall of eve may fall
From the depth of Heaven above,
With wings folded I rest, on mine aëry nest,
As still as a brooding dove.

That orbèd maiden with white fire laden,
Whom mortals call the Moon,
Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor,
By the midnight breezes strewn;
And wherever the beat of her unseen feet,
Which only the angels hear,
May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof, The stars peep behind her and peer;
And I laugh to see them whirl and flee,
Like a swarm of golden bees,
When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent,
Till calm the rivers, lakes, and seas,
Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high, Are each paved with the moon and these.

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone,
And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl;
The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim, When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl.
From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape,
Over a torrent sea,
Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,
The mountains its columns be.
The triumphal arch through which I march
With hurricane, fire, and snow,
When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair, Is the million-coloured bow;
The sphere-fire above its soft colours wove,
While the moist Earth was laughing below.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain when with never a stain
The pavilion of Heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams Build up the blue dome of air,
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb, I arise and unbuild it again.

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.

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.'>

"Chess is the gymnasium of the mind." — Blasie Pascal

"Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward." — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess

So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy.

In God we trust; all others pay cash. ~ American Proverb

Trusting in wealth is like looking for feathers on turtles. ~ Senegalese Proverb

<A Burnt Ship
By John Donne (1572-1631)

Out of a fired ship, which by no way
But drowning could be rescued from the flame,
Some men leap'd forth, and ever as they came
Near the foes' ships, did by their shot decay;
So all were lost, which in the ship were found,
They in the sea being burnt, they in the burnt ship drown'd.>

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.

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Ah, St. Marher, 1225:
"And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet."

zurpie had a purple slurpie but dripped it on hiz white shoez

An Irish Blessing:

May we all feel…
happy and contented,
healthy and strong,
safe and protected
and living with ease…

~

<"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

While they are hibernating, bears do not urinate. Their bodies convert waste into protein.

"Be your own Sunshine. Always." ― Purvi Raniga

"Most promises featuring the word 'always' are unkeepable." ― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed

"You should never say never. Just like you should never say always; because, always and never are always never true." ― J. R. Krol

"Never and Always

Never take advantage of someone whom loves you
Never avoid someone whom needs you
Never betray anyone whom has trust in you
Never forget the people that always remember you Never speak ill of a person who is not present
Never support something you know is wrong or unethical Always speak to your parents on their birthday and anniversary Always defend those who cannot defend themselves Always forgive those you love whom have made mistakes Always give something to those less fortunate than you Always remember to look back at those who helped you succeed Always call your parents and siblings on New Year's Eve." ― R.J. Intindola

<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

* Riddle-e-dee: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid...

"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.

rthr vague 4m tastes...