From Heisman to Cleveland. Sounds like Johnny Football. It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse. Those of us who make mistakes in life, in chess, must play on carrying the burden of the consequences of our bad choices. No one is invincible, infallible, perfect.
It is written in the Bible and recorded in world history that the only perfect person to ever walk this earth, Lord Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ child born in a manger in Bethlehem, a carpenter-fisherman-shepherd, the king of kings, Son of the Living God, was crucified under Roman rule -- having committed no crime -- to save the world of it's sins... washing God's children in the blood of the lamb. On the third day, He arose from a certain excruciating physical death in public view, demonstrating life after death for all. His sacrifice as Lord and Savior of mankind fulfilled prophecy, one of hundreds of prophecies come true in the thousands of years spanning biblical text, proving again and again and again over centuries of time by numerous contributing authors that the Bible's words are true as prophecies come true. God's love, God's message is everlasting, unchanging, reliable as the sun rises every morning; His permanent promise rings true for all time's sake for all people of all creeds to heed. All YOU have to do is choose to follow Him. It's not an easy choice, but the right choice.
He knows you are not perfect. He knows everything about you. He knows the number of hairs upon your head! He is all knowing. He is everywhere all the time. He hears all. He sees all. He remembers all. He knew you before you were born. You cannot fool Him. He is wise and powerful beyond our understanding. He knows, and yet he awaits for You to choose Him. No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, there is victory through Jesus Christ. Call upon Him for redemption, peace, eternal life.
Just don't try to strike up a bargain like it's gonna be Burger King and have it your way. We are to conform to God's standard, His expectations, not our own, not the fickle views of a bickering society. Your choice is to bow down, to serve God Almighty, the Creator, our Father in Heaven through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; not mammon, not money, not popularity, fame nor self-glorification. It's not a one-way street where He is to give you your greedy human wishes; it is a mutual relationship. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" Talk to Him! Talk to Him! Talk to Him!
**********&&&&&&&&&&&&&*************&&&&&&&&&&&&************
There are some superb king plunges off the plank in here. In general, these are aggressive c4 English/Reti games with no particular theme other than activity as opposed to passivity.
"First I play for equality (as Black), then I start to play for a win."
― Artur Yusupov
"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
"Once there is the slightest suggestion of combinational possibilities on the board, look for unusual moves. Apart from making your play creative and interesting it will help you to get better results." ― Alexander Kotov
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying." ― Andy (Tim Robbins), "The Shawshank Redemption"
"I keep on fighting as long as my opponent can make a mistake."
― Emanuel Lasker
"In the opening a master should play like a book, in the mid-game he should play like a magician, in the ending he should play like a machine." ― Rudolf Spielmann
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents." ― Andrew Carnegie
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." ― Coach Lou Holtz
"Ability without honor is useless." ― Marcus Tullius Cicero
"Natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study." ― Francis Bacon
"I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating." ― Sophocles
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." ― Buddha
"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state." ― Thomas Jefferson
"Honor lies in honest toil." ― Grover Cleveland
<"Remember us,
Should any free soul come across this place,
In all the countless centuries yet to be,
May our voices whisper to you from the ageless stones,
Go tell the Spartans, passerby:
That here by Spartan law, we lie.">
― Frank Miller, 300
"I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt." ― Scotty Bowman
"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game." ― Johann von Goethe
"He who lives without discipline dies without honor." ― Icelandic Proverb
"You should not honor men more than truth." ― Plato
"Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet." ― African Proverb
"Don't approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back, or a fool from any side." ― Yiddish Proverb
"It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong." ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them." ― Mark Twain
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." ― John Lennon
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." ― Jesus Christ
"The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, and ordered their estate." ― Cecil Frances Alexander
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." ― Friedrich Nietzsche
"I don't believe in perfection, but I believe in excellence." ― Ivan Ljubicic
"I believe every chess player senses beauty when he succeeds in creating situations, which contradict the expectations and the rules, and he succeeds in mastering his situation." ― Vladimir Kramnik
"There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying." ― Francis Bacon
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." ―Theodore Roosevelt, speech before the Hamilton Club, Chicago, April 10, 1899
"There's a sea between saying and doing." ― Italian proverb
"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do." ― Andrew Carnegie
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." ― Jimmy Johnson
Bobby Fischer on Paul Morphy:
"Perhaps the most accurate player who ever lived, he would beat anybody today in a set-match. He had complete sight of the board and seldom blundered even though he moved quite rapidly. I've played over hundreds of his games and am continually surprised and entertained by his ingenuity."
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ― Abraham Lincoln
Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
* A1912: Game Collection: Abbazia 1912
* Assorted Good games: Game Collection: assorted Good games
* Bear Traps: Game Collection: Traps
* Chess Tactics 4Kidz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOH...
* Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929: https://store.doverpublications.com...
* Common Checkmate Patterns:
http://gambiter.com/chess/Checkmate...
* Common Phrases and Terms: https://www.ragchess.com/chess-basi...
* Chessopolis: https://www.chessopolis.com/
* Chess Pitfalls: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/chess...
* Capture the King: https://chessking.com/
* Rules: https://www.gamecolony.com/chessrul...
* Juniors might ask: https://www.chessforjuniors.com/
* Bruno's Problem: https://chessproblem.my-free-games....
* FICS: https://www.freechess.org/
* HOF: https://worldchesshof.org/
* Link to KIA Nf3 (8 games, somewhat odd)
Game Collection: KIA Nf3 rep.
* Reti Gambit 2.c4: Opening Explorer
* Even saucy, high-strung Italian chicks can "Improve Your Chess Tactics" AFTER you MASTER "1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AL...
Be careful what you start because that spaz cannot be unplugged! Always say to yourself "S/he's good-lookin', but can s/he cook? How does s/he do meatballs?" You don't wanna eat starchy pasta the rest of your life, do ya? A player has to have some peace and quiet after dinner to concentrate, so stop and look both ways twice before you cross that walk. You don't wanna get ran over by a checkered cab, do ya?
* Caviar: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...
* Top Festivals: https://chess-site.com/articles/che...
* Flip the Finish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWH...
* Glossary P: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar...
* Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv...
* Introduction to Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUq...
* Knightly done!! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W1tt...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aT1H...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2Vod...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LmUp...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/D9E6...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gr1C...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vWtU...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9pBV...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B1-9...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oxkF...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c6Ig...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OoEi...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4MsU...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hiyO...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UKGX...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T5wy...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UCBI...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iRJ4...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qyDs...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tiqr...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5lkO...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ubmr...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BHV1...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EIZe...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d8lc...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CunN...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cUHM...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/I3ra...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n0p5...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WKbT...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8dao...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/C0E3...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2xCZ...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gdIa...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HANT...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WLRT...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RQTw...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ATcz...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RMhN...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Rl8U...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JM8y...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2dbh...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OPHd...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rWbR...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hKKx...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IT_N...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1gWZ...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/y2Xu...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N1ww...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tvPh...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YCyf...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nwbB...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/apPf...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jlWU...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2YEt...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BSr7...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vTIU...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ych5...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aOAe...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0aci...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BHlm...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CK0d...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PNFc...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DC2t...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/svkr...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kOrN...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fx-T...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZGOu...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qWtC...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JrfF...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TJ2N...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TDBb...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nTYM...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Shu8...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kWlV...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iViR...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BVGZ...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2J1H...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Qz_...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IFSy...
* Everlasting L4U: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jNMN...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ObeV...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZuGb...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pruD...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qQxO...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T21_...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Zako...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9nvJ...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dSom...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7U_C...
* Mato shows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ber...
* Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/
* Recommendations: https://chess-site.com/
* TWIC: https://theweekinchess.com/
* Top 100: https://ratings.fide.com/top.phtml
* Understanding Passed Pawns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0L...
* USCF: https://new.uschess.org/
* Useful: https://usefulchess.com/
* New Images of Uranus: https://www.msn.com/en-US/news/scie...
* 3 Crucial Endgame Principles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpF...
* 4 Beginner Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvS...
* 5 Checkmate Patterns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h68...
* 5 types of chess blunders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVs...
* 5 Reasons to play the Modern Defense, advocated by Austrian Grandmaster Karl Robatsch: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...
- https://thechessworld.com/articles/...
- https://thechessworld.com/articles/...
- https://thechessworld.com/articles/...
Some of the main variations include:
The Averbakh Variation: 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6.
The Pterodactyl Variation: 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5.
The Tiger's Modern: 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 Nf6.
Standard Line: 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5
Caro-Kann, Gurgenidze Variation: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 g6 3.Bd3 Bg7
1. e4 g6
2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Qd2 b5 7. Bh6 O-O 8. Bxg7 Kxg7 9. Bd3
2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Qd2 O-O 6. f3 c5 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. e5 Qxd2+ 9. Bxd2 Nfd7 10. f4 Rd8 11. Be3
2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Qd2 O-O 6. Nf3 c5 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Bxc5 Nc6
2. d4 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 O-O 6. Nf3 d5 7. e5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 dxe4
2. d4 d6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Qd2 O-O 6. f3 c5 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. e5 Qxd2+ 9. Bxd2
1. d4 g6
2. e4 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be3 O-O 6. Qd2 c6 7. a4 Qa5 8. Be2 c5 9. dxc5 dxc5
2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Be3 O-O 6. Qd2 d5 7. e5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ng5
2. e4 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 O-O 6. f3 a6 7. h4 b5 8. O-O-O b4
2. e4 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 O-O 6. f3 c6 7. h4 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6
2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Be3 O-O 6. h3 e5 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Bc4 Qe7 9. Qe2 Nc6 10. Rd1 Be6
1. c4 g6
2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 c5 6. d5 O-O
2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Rb1 c5 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4
2. d4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. h3 c5 6. dxc5 Ne4 7. Nxe4 dxe4
2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Be3 Nc6
2. e4 e5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Nbd2 Nxe4 6. dxe5 d5 7. a3 Bxd2+ 8. Nxd2
How can White best respond to the Modern Defense?
White should try to establish a strong central control, especially upon d4, and develop minor pieces harmoniously.
They can do this by playing 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7, followed by Nc3, Be3, and Qd2 in some order. It is important for White to not rush in launching an attack but patiently build up their position.
Moves like h3 or f3 could be helpful to prevent Black's thematic …Ng4 move, aiming for the e3 bishop.
* Pirc Defense, named after the Slovenian Grandmaster Vasja Pirc: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aWuL...
* MGM's Lion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amk...
* 6 Quick Checkmates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nad...
* 6 Lessons from an Old Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzy...
* 9 London System Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDe...
* 10 Best to Watch: https://www.chessjournal.com/best-c...
* 12 Amazing Vix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gl...
* Play B12 and Vitamin D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_t...
* 15 Beautiful National Parks: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tr...
* 20 Health Benefits of Legs Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrV...
* Analyze with an engine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07q...
* Bishop and Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYM...
* Look, he's grinning. He fell hard for that old book of love trap. I'm not sure which one is crazier, but he'll soon hit his peak rating and it's mostly downhill from there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17Y...
* Tactical Motifs, Checkmate Patterns: https://chesstempo.com/tactical-mot...
* How to Destroy the Friendly Liver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7f...
* Fun in the Open Games: Game Collection: Fun in the Open Games
* Oh God, George Burn's Sister: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF5...
* Knight Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0J...
* John Nunn's Immortal Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0t...
* Rook and Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMZ...
* Secret of Defence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXp...
* Sleeper hold in just two-minutes of clock time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTz...
* Smoothie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEl...
* Use Stockfish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGE...
* Textbook Endgame Positions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8p...
* POTD 2023: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2023
* Queen and Pawn Endgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooa...
* Simple Daily Exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynT...
* Inversion Wall Exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4c...
* Women: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/wom...
* Who knew it was possible to milk a turtle?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-...
* Why You Lose at Chess: https://store.doverpublications.com...
* You must study Rook endings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8O...
* Building an Opening Repertoire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGd...
* Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc...
* "King of Babylon, King of Asia, King of the Four Quarters of the World": https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...
* h-file attacks: Game Collection: h-file Attacks, some Greek Gifts by Fredthebear
* How to Play Chess! http://www.serverchess.com/play.htm...
* Imagination: Game Collection: Imagination in Chess
* Is chess a sport or not? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUi...
* Immortal Games: Game Collection: Immortal games
* An illegal move is still touch-move for that same unit if possible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI...
* King's Pawn Theory and Practice: Game Collection: Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, Section 1
* Surprise Knockouts: Game Collection: quick knockouts of greats
* Lasker's Manual: Game Collection: Manual of Chess (Lasker)
* Nuremberg 1896: Nuremberg (1896)
* Nunn's Chess Course: Game Collection: Lasker JNCC
* Oldest Monuments: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ne...
* Become a Predator at the Chessboard: https://www.chesstactics.org/
* Collection assembled by Fredthebear.
* Miniatures: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (III)
* Monday Puzzles: Game Collection: Monday Puzzles, 2011-2017
* People on Another Level: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7V...
* Using Engines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4a...
* Pawn Instruction: http://www.logicalchess.com/learn/l...
* Petrosian's Best: Game Collection: P.H.Clarke: Petrosian's Best games
* Solitaire: Game Collection: Solitaire Chess by I. A. Horowitz
* Stunners: Game Collection: Stunners
* Steinitz Attack: Game Collection: STEINITZ ATTACK
* Submit a PGN: https://www.chessgames.com/nodejs/u...
* Tactical Mix: Game Collection: mastering Tactical ideas by minev
* The Best of... Game Collection: World Champions' Best Games
* Fischer's Brilliance: https://www.chesspuzzler.com/Histor...
* Fischer Random: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...
* FM Schiller disagrees: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...
* Play whatever you like: Opening Explorer
* Top Chessgames by ECO Code: http://schachsinn.de/gamelist.htm
* Top Games by Year: Wikipedia article: List of chess games
* Terminology: https://www.angelfire.com/games5/ch...
* 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
Connecticut: Windsor
Established in: 1633
Settlers from Plymouth Colony built the first trading house in Windsor in 1633 on an expanse of land they bought from Native Americans who were living there.
Windsor was Connecticut's first English settlement, with a perfect location on the water. Today, the city uses its "first town" status to create a historical atmosphere ideal for tourism.
* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...
* Chess History: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch...
* Three Simple Chess Tips: https://www.premierchesscoaching.co...
The Kings of Chess: A History of Chess, Traced Through the Lives of Its Greatest Players by William Hartston
William Hartson traces the development of the game from its Oriental origins to the present day through the lives of its greatest exponents - men like Howard Staunton, who transformed what had been a genteel pastime into a competitive science; the brilliant American Paul Morphy, who once played a dozen simultaneous games blindfold; the arrogant and certified insane Wilhelm Steinitz; the philosopher and mathematician Emanual Lasker; Bobby Fischer, perhaps the most brilliant and eccentric of them all; and many other highly gifted individuals. Hartson depicts all their colorful variety with a wealth of rare illustrations.
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
ISBN: 006015358X
ISBN13: 9780060153588
Release Date: January 1985
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Length: 192 Pages
Weight: 1.80 lbs.
The Miller, His Son, and the Ass
To M. De Maucroix.
Because the arts are plainly birthright matters,
For fables we to ancient Greece are debtors;
But still this field could not be reaped so clean
As not to let us, later comers, glean.
The fiction-world has deserts yet to dare,
And, daily, authors make discoveries there.
I had fain repeat one which our man of song,
Old Malherbe, told one day to young Racan.
Of Horace they the rivals and the heirs,
Apollo's pets, – my masters, I should say, –
Sole by themselves were met, I'm told, one day,
Confiding each to each their thoughts and cares.
Racan begins: 'Pray end my inward strife,
For well you know, my friend, what's what in life,
Who through its varied course, from stage to stage,
Have stored the full experience of age;
What shall I do? It's time I chose profession.
You know my fortune, birth, and disposition.
Ought I to make the country my resort,
Or seek the army, or to rise at court?
There's nothing but mixes bitterness with charms;
War has its pleasures; hymen, its alarms.
it were nothing hard to take my natural bent, –
But I have a world of people to content."
"Content a world!" old Malherbe cries; "who can, sir?
Why, let me tell a story before I answer."
"A miller and his son, I have somewhere read,
The first in years, the other but a lad, –
A fine, smart boy, however, I should say, –
To sell their ass went to a fair one day.
In order there to get the highest price,
They needs must keep their donkey fresh and nice;
So, tying fast his feet, they swung him clear,
And bore him hanging like a chandelier.
Alas! poor, simple-minded country fellows!
The first that sees their load, loud laughing, bellows,
"What farce is this to split good people's sides?
The most an ass is not the one that rides!"
The miller, much enlightened by this talk,
Untied his precious beast, and made him walk.
The ass, who liked the other mode of travel,
Brayed some complaint at trudging on the gravel;
Whereat, not understanding well the beast,
The miller caused his hopeful son to ride,
And walked behind, without a spark of pride.
Three merchants passed, and, mightily displeased,
The eldest of these gentlemen cried out,
"Ho there! dismount, for shame, you lubber lout!
Nor make a foot-boy of your grey-beard sire;
Change places, as the rights of age require."
"To please you, sirs," the miller said, "I ought."
So down the young and up the old man got.
Three girls next passing, "What a shame!" says one,
"That boy should be obliged on foot to run,
While that old chap, on his ass astride,
Should play the calf, and like a bishop ride!"
"Please save your wit," the miller made reply,
"Tough veal, my girls, the calf as old as I."
But joke on joke repeated changed his mind;
So up he took, at last, his son behind.
Not thirty yards ahead, another set
Found fault. "The biggest fools I ever met,"
Says one of them, "such burdens to impose.
The ass is faint, and dying with their blows.
Is this, indeed, the mercy which these rustics
Show to their honest, faithful, old domestics?
If to the fair these lazy fellows ride,
"Twill be to sell thereat the donkey's hide!"
"Zounds!" cried the miller, "precious little brains
Has he who takes, to please the world, such pains;
But since we're in, we'll try what can be done."
So off the ass they jumped, himself and son,
And, like a prelate, donkey marched alone.
Another man they met. "These folks," said he,
"Enslave themselves to let their ass go free –
The darling brute! If I might be so bold,
I had counsel them to have him set in gold.
Not so went Nicholas his Jane to woo,
Who rode, we sing, his ass to save his shoe."
"Ass! ass!" our man replied; "we're asses three!
I do avow myself an ass to be;
But since my sage advisers can't agree,
Their words henceforth shall not be heeded;
I'll suit myself." And he succeeded.
"For you, choose army, love, or court;
In town, or country, make resort;
Take wife, or cowl; ride you, or walk;
Doubt not but tongues will have their talk."
<Chris Chaffin wrote:
master/piece
She moves him ‘round the chess board,
dodging bishops, pawns and rooks.
She coaxes him from square to square
without a second look.
The white knight cannot catch him.
Piece by piece, the foe now yields.
Her king is safe; the game is done.
The queen controls the field.>
The Satyr and the Traveller
Within a savage forest grot
A satyr and his chips
Were taking down their porridge hot;
Their cups were at their lips.
You might have seen in mossy den,
Himself, his wife, and brood;
They had not tailor-clothes, like men,
But appetites as good.
In came a traveller, benighted,
All hungry, cold, and wet,
Who heard himself to eat invited
With nothing like regret.
He did not give his host the pain
His asking to repeat;
But first he blew with might and main
To give his fingers heat.
Then in his steaming porridge dish
He delicately blew.
The wondering satyr said, "I wish
The use of both I knew."
"Why, first, my blowing warms my hand,
And then it cools my porridge."
"Ah!" said his host, "then understand
I cannot give you storage.
"To sleep beneath one roof with you,
I may not be so bold.
Far be from me that mouth untrue
Which blows both hot and cold."
Herein lay the rub. The Americans, like all Western armies, defined "winning" as killing the enemy and securing control over the battlefield. Their opponents in previous conflicts had generally accepted the same definition. Not so the Moros. What was important to them was the struggle and how one conducted oneself, personally and as a people, not necessarily a measurable outcome. They knew from the beginning they were no match for American firepower. It was a one-sided contest, what today is termed "asymmetric warfare," but so what? Their measure was how well one did against the odds, the more overwhelmingly they were against one, the greater the glory. And being that life is transitory anyway, what mattered most was how much courage was shown and how well did one die. The Americans and the Moros were using different score cards for the same game. To the Moros, it was they who had "won." — Robert A. Fulton
Do these things to win a chess game:
Know the Rules of Chess - Also know how the clock works, and chess notation
Make Good Opening Moves - Control the center, move a different piece, castle, and connect the rooks
Develop All Your Pieces (not Pawns) - Occupy safe squares, extend threats about, aim at the opposing queen w/a gain of time
Limit Your Pawn Moves - Advanced pawns are slow, need support, cannot retreat. Instead, the speed and range of your pieces can do more damage.
Evaluate the Position Carefully - Was that a legal move? If so, write it down. Am I in check now; next turn? Why did s/he do that move? What will s/he do next?
Checkmate is the Goal - Always consider all possible Checks, Captures, Tactics. Aim at Immobile units, Unprotected units, or threaten once-protected units twice.
Seek Tactics: Fork, Pin & Pile on, Skewer, X-Ray, Discovery, Remove the Guard
Don't Give Away Material for Free - Guard your pieces and (re-)capture for value. Sometimes you aim at opposing units, sometimes aim at your own for protection.
Apply the Rate of Exchange - Don't trade a more valuable piece for less value.
Take Advantage of Opponent's Weakness - Cramp, Weak Pawns, Weak Squares
Coordinate An Attack on the King - Plan ahead, one piece cannot mate alone
Safeguard Your Own King (and Queen) - The opponent has similar aims. Royalty must take flight when under fire, abandoning their defensive duties.
Principles Change in the Endgame: After many trades, the Endgame arrives when there's no worry of checkmate. Now use your king, gain the opposition
Simplify, trade like pieces when ahead on material - Trade off pawns if behind
Advance the pawn majority to create and promote a passed pawn - This new piece often will give checkmate shortly
Contemplate Draws: Agreed, Insufficient, 3-Fold Repeat, Stalemate, 50-Move rule
Always Be a Good Sport, Win or Lose - Jerks and braggarts are losers by conduct. Shake hands. Don't forget to record the results for the tournament director
Prepare for next game - Analyze your last game, solve puzzles, replay GM games
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.
"A passed pawn increase in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes."
― Jose Raul Capablanca
"He (Jose R. Capablanca) makes the game look easy. Art lies in the concealment of art." ― Philip W. Sergeant
"Beautiful, cold, remorseless chess, almost creepy in its silent implacability."
― Raymond Chandler (on a Capablanca game)
"What others could not see in a month's study, he saw at a glance."
― Reuben Fine (on Capablanca)
"Capablanca invariably chose the right option, no matter how intricate the position." ― Garry Kasparov.
"Capablanca's games generally take the following course: he begins with a series of extremely fine prophylactic maneuvers, which neutralize his opponent's attempts to complicate the game; he then proceeds, slowly but surely, to set up an attacking position. This attacking position, after a series of simplifications, is transformed into a favorable endgame, which he conducts with matchless technique." ― Aaron Nimzowitsch
"Once in a lobby of the Hall of Columns of the Trade Union Center in Moscow a group of masters were analyzing an ending. They could not find the right way to go about things and there was a lot of arguing about it. Suddenly Capablanca came into the room. He was always find of walking about when it was his opponent's turn to move. Learning the reason for the dispute the Cuban bent down to the position, said 'Si, si,' and suddenly redistributed the pieces all over the board to show what the correct formation was for the side trying to win. I haven't exaggerated. Don Jose literally pushed the pieces around the board without making moves. He just put them in fresh positions where he thought they were needed. Suddenly everything became clear. The correct scheme of things had been set up and now the win was easy. We were delighted by Capablanca's mastery." ― Alexander Kotov
"Capablanca had that art which hides art to an overwhelming degree."
― Harry Golombek
"I have known many chess players, but only one chess genius, Capablanca."
― Emanuel Lasker
"I think Capablanca had the greatest natural talent." ― Mikhail Botvinnik
Maximo wrote:
My Forking Knight's Mare
Gracefully over the squares, as a blonde or a brunette,
she makes moves that not even a queen can imitate.
Always active and taking the initiative,
she likes to fork.
She does it across the board,
taking with ease not only pawns, but also kings,
and a bad bishop or two.
Sometimes she feels like making
quiet moves,
at other times, she adopts romantic moods,
and makes great sacrifices.
But, being hers a zero-sum game,
she often forks just out of spite.
An expert at prophylaxis, she can be a swindler,
and utter threats,
skewering men to make some gains.
Playing with her risks a conundrum,
and also catching Kotov's syndrome.
Nonetheless, despite having been trampled
by her strutting ways
my trust in her remains,
unwavering,
until the endgame.
"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
"In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent."
— Vasily Smyslov
"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
Green Haven in a Concrete Jungle
by Michael Brogan
Even as I walk past,
Comerica stands
grass illuminates like a lamp post on a winter night.
Tigers season, baby
Dad and I do our yearly tradition.
The smell of the park is second to none.
But not this year.
Dad ain't doin so well.
His knee ain't up for it.
Love you, old man.
Maybe, just maybe, the old Tigs
will surprise us and make the playoffs
and then
maybe, just maybe,
we can go to a game
and let that tradition ride on.
"Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles." — Garry Kasparov
"Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward." — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess
So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy.
"Don't blow your own trumpet." — Australian Proverb
Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force.
"Continuing to play the victim is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Blaming others for your station in life will indeed make you a victim but the perpetrator will be your own self, not life or those around you." — Bobby Darnell
<"Sestrilla, hafelina
Jue amourasestrilla
Awou jue selaviena
En patre jue
Translation:
Beloved one, little cat
I love you for all time
In this time
And all others">
― Christine Feehan
Mar-07-13 Abdel Irada: In case anyone wonders who Kermit Norris is/was, he's an expert in Santa Cruz against whom I used to play a great deal of blitz.
His specialty, when a particularly complex position arose (especially in his pet Owen's Defense), was to lean forward, fix his opponent with a scowl and a withering stare, and say, in a deep and solemn tone, "Chicken parts!"
"Here's to being in a boat with a drink on the rocks rather than being in the drink with a boat on the rocks"
Vol. 2 of Remembrance of Things Past by C.K. Scott-Moncrieff
That men in armour may be born
With serpents' teeth the field is sown;
Rains mould, winds bend, suns gild the corn
Too quickly ripe, too early mown.
The Gout and the Spider
When Nature angrily turned out
Those plagues, the spider and the gout, –
"Do you see," said she, "those huts so meanly built,
These palaces so grand and richly gilt?
By mutual agreement fix
Your choice of dwellings; or if not,
To end the affair by lot,
Draw out these little sticks."
"The huts are not for me," the spider cried;
"And not for me the palace," cried the gout;
For there a sort of men she spied
Called doctors, going in and out,
From whom, she could not hope for ease.
So hied her to the huts the fell disease,
And, fastening on a poor man's toe,
Hoped there to fatten on his woe,
And torture him, fit after fit,
Without a summons ever to quit,
From old Hippocrates.
The spider, on the lofty ceiling,
As if she had a life-lease feeling.
Wove wide her cunning toils,
Soon rich with insect spoils.
A maid destroyed them as she swept the room:
Repaired, again they felt the fatal broom.
The wretched creature, every day,
From house and home must pack away.
At last, her courage giving out,
She went to seek her sister gout,
And in the field descried her,
Quite starved: more evils did betide her
Than ever befel the poorest spider –
Her toiling host enslaved her so,
And made her chop, and dig, and hoe!
(Says one, "Kept brisk and busy,
The gout is made half easy.")
"O, when," exclaimed the sad disease,
"Will this my misery stop?
O, sister spider, if you please,
Our places let us swop."
The spider gladly heard,
And took her at her word, –
And flourished in the cabin-lodge,
Not forced the tidy broom to dodge
The gout, selecting her abode
With an ecclesiastic judge,
Turned judge herself, and, by her code,
He from his couch no more could budge.
The salves and cataplasms Heaven knows,
That mocked the misery of his toes;
While aye, without a blush, the curse,
Kept driving onward worse and worse.
Needless to say, the sisterhood
Thought their exchange both wise and good.
Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
<<<Fundamental Chess Principles>
according to CJS Purdy>
On Combinations
One simultaneous double threat is better than a great many successive single threats. That is the main lesson of chess. A double threat is a combination of two threats. (pg. 31)
A combination (threat plus restraint or threat plus obstruction) may be called a "net". It is the most important kind of combination because every mate, without exception, is a "net". (pg. 32)
Watch out for pieces of limited mobility, especially pieces without retreat. Remember that one retreat may not be enough.(pg. 32 / 33)
On Tied Pieces
An important rule for avoiding a trap is this:
Where feasible, avoid using a piece to defend something that is attacked. Either protect the attaced unit with a pawn or move it away. (pg. 34)
A knight is the worst defender because he cannot possibly maintain the defense if forced to move. (pg. 34)
The best protector is a pawn - for three reasons:
There is no possibility of it being attacked by a unit of lesser value;
It is a complete defense against any piece bigger than the one attacked;
above all, a menial task is suited to it, whereas a piece used for defending one particular thing is wasting its talents.
(pg. 35)
If you must use pieces to protect something, perhaps because it cannot move away, try to use one more than necessary! You are then free to moe any one of the protectors; not a single one is absolutely tied to its defensive task. (pg. 35)
On Position Play
Position play is the art of improving your position in small ways when no sound combination is possible. (pg. 40)
One can say that an endgame has arrived when neither side has more pieces than the equivalent of Queen plus pawn (with of course, the Kings, who are always with us). (pg. 41)
Combinations are of primary importance, position play of secondary importance. (pg. 41)
Pages refer to where content can be found on Guide to Good Chess.>
Posted by Chessbuzz
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'
Riddle: I turn once, what is out will not get in. I turn again, what is in will not get out. What am I?
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the fifth largest planet. It's the only place we know of inhabited by living things.
Riddle Answer: A key
Everything you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something." ― Andrew Carnegie
"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
"As a chess player one has to be able to control one's feelings; one has to be as cold as a machine." — Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky
Contention of Ajax and Ulysses, Sc. 3.
by James Shirley
The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against fate;
Death lays his icy hands on kings.
Riddle Question: The one who has it does not keep it. It is large and small. It is any shape.
Earth is the only planet in the solar system whose English name does not come from Greek or Roman mythology. The name was taken from Old English and Germanic. It simply means "the ground."
Riddle Answer: A gift.
The Woodman and Mercury
To M. The Chevalier De Bouillon.
Your taste has served my work to guide;
To gain its suffrage I have tried.
You'd have me shun a care too nice,
Or beauty at too dear a price,
Or too much effort, as a vice.
My taste with yours agrees:
Such effort cannot please;
And too much pains about the polish
Is apt the substance to abolish;
Not that it would be right or wise
The graces all to ostracize.
You love them much when delicate;
Nor is it left for me to hate.
As to the scope of Aesop's plan,
I fail as little as I can.
If this my rhymed and measured speech
Avails not to please or teach,
I own it not a fault of mine;
Some unknown reason I assign.
With little strength endued
For battles rough and rude,
Or with Herculean arm to smite,
I show to vice its foolish plight.
In this my talent wholly lies;
Not that it does at all suffice.
My fable sometimes brings to view
The face of vanity purblind
With that of restless envy joined;
And life now turns on these pivots two.
Such is the silly little frog
That aped the ox on her bog.
A double image sometimes shows
How vice and folly do oppose
The ways of virtue and good sense;
As lambs with wolves so grim and gaunt,
The silly fly and frugal ant.
Thus swells my work – a comedy immense –
Its acts unnumbered and diverse,
Its scene the boundless universe.
Gods, men, and brutes, all play their part
In fields of nature or of art,
And Jupiter among the rest.
Here comes the god who's wont to bear
Jove's frequent errands to the fair,
With winged heels and haste;
But other work's in hand today.
A man that laboured in the wood
Had lost his honest livelihood;
That is to say,
His axe was gone astray.
He had no tools to spare;
This wholly earned his fare.
Without a hope beside,
He sat him down and cried,
"Alas, my axe! where can it be?
O Jove! but send it back to me,
And it shall strike good blows for you."
His prayer in high Olympus heard,
Swift Mercury started at the word.
"Your axe must not be lost," said he:
"Now, will you know it when you see?
An axe I found on the road."
With that an axe of gold he showed.
"Is it this?" The woodman answered, "Nay."
An axe of silver, bright and gay,
Refused the honest woodman too.
At last the finder brought to view
An axe of iron, steel, and wood.
"That's mine," he said, in joyful mood;
"With that I'll quite contented be."
The god replied, "I give the three,
As due reward of honesty."
This luck when neighbouring choppers knew,
They lost their axes, not a few,
And sent their prayers to Jupiter
So fast, he knew not which to hear.
His winged son, however, sent
With gold and silver axes, went.
Each would have thought himself a fool
Not to have owned the richest tool.
But Mercury promptly gave, instead
Of it, a blow on the head.
With simple truth to be contented,
Is surest not to be repented;
But still there are who would
With evil trap the good, –
Whose cunning is but stupid,
For Jove is never duped.
"Young man, you play remarkable chess! You never make a mistake!"
― Emanuel Lasker (after losing most of the games in a 10-game rapid transit match against a very young Capablanca)
"He was of medium height, lean, but no padding needed for his shoulders. And such pride in the posture of his head! You would know no one could dingle-dangle that man. I can visualize him so clearly, with his dark hair and large gray-green eyes. Believe me, when he took a stroll, in his black derby hat and carrying a cane, no handsomer young gentleman ever graced Fifth Avenue."
― Bernard Epstein (Capa's college roommate)
"Capablanca's planning of the game is so full of that freshness of his genius for position play, that every hypermodern player can only envy him."
― Alexander Alekhine
"It is astonishing how carefully Capablanca's combinations are calculated. Turn and twist as you will, search the variations in every way possible, you come to the inevitable conclusion that the moves all fit in with the utmost precision."
― Max Euwe
"There is nothing more to fear from the Capablanca technique."
― Efim Bogoljubow (shortly after which, Capablanca proceeded to crush him)
"Capablanca didn't make separate moves - he was creating a chess picture. Nobody could compare with him in this." ― Mikhail Botvinnik
"Whether this advantage is theoretically sufficient to win or not does not worry Capablanca. He simply wins the ending. That is why he is Capablanca!"
― Max Euwe (on a Capablanca game)
* 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.'>
Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, approximately 3000 miles (4850 km) in diameter, hardly larger than the moon. Despite being the smallest, it's extremely dense. In fact, it's the second densest planet after Earth. It's also the closest planet to the sun, making it dangerous to explore. Mercury is 48 million miles from the earth.
<Mar-11-05 aw1988: S.W.I.F.T. indeed.Mar-11-05 tpstar: Sokolov Was In For Trouble
Suddenly White Initiated Forcing Threats
Severe Whipping Into Frenzied Tantrum
Shocking When Ivan Fell Through
Savvy Winner Ingests French Toast
Mar-11-05 aw1988: LOL! I must admit, that is very good.
May-27-05 Durandal: AdrianP: SWIFT was the sponsor of the tournament, the company is a cooperative effort to provide secure financial communications between banks worldwide (SWIFT is the acronym for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, see swift.com), based in La Hulpe, near Brussels, Belgium. IIRC, its CEO at the time was Bessel Kok, a well known chess patron.
May-27-05 AdrianP: <Durandal> I see - as in SWIFT transfer.
May-27-05 arifattar: May not compare with <tpstar>'s effort but, Sweet Win In Five & Twenty.>
"Funny, funny Jude (The Man in the Red Beret). You play with little pieces all day long, and you know what? You'll live to be an old, old man someday. And here I am." — Janis Joplin
Jude Acers set a Guinness World Record for playing 117 people in simultaneous chess games on April 21, 1973 at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon. On July 2-3, 1976 Jude played 179 opponents at Mid Isle Plaza (Broadway Plaza) in Long Island, New York for another Guinness record.
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.
Paper currency
Before money, trade was the commercial exchange of goods and services. The money took various forms throughout history, including precious metals, coins, foods, vegetables, livestock, and basically anything else useful as tradable bartering assets. Again, China was the first to use paper money in the 9th century, and Europe followed suit in the late 1600s. Despite having no intrinsic value and being used as legal-binding notes issued by banks to promise future payments, paper money soon became the most common bartering asset to purchase goods and services. Paper money started a new era of trade that transformed the face of economics on a global scale.
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
The Chess Player
by Howard Altmann
They've left. They've all left.
The pigeon feeders have left.
The old men on the benches have left.
The white-gloved ladies with the Great Danes have left.
The lovers who thought about coming have left.
The man in the three-piece suit has left.
The man who was a three-piece band has left.
The man on the milkcrate with the bible has left.
Even the birds have left.
Now the trees are thinking about leaving too.
And the grass is trying to turn itself in.
Of course the buses no longer pass.
And the children no longer ask.
The air wants to go and is in discussions.
The clouds are trying to steer clear.
The sky is reaching for its hands.
Even the moon sees what's going on.
But the stars remain in the dark.
As does the chess player.
Who sits with all his pieces
In position.
Under Joseph Stalin's regime, "Hamlet" was banned. The official reason: Hamlet's indecisiveness and depression were incompatible with the new Soviet spirit of optimism, fortitude, and clarity.
This poem is dedicated to all female chessplayers on Caissa's Web.
Sweet Caissa
Oh, Sweet Caissa, Goddess of chess
in the name of this holistic game
I pray Thee: bless my noble aim
to render all my opponents lame
in my holy quest for worldly fame,
to be Supreme no more no less.
In awe I heard this Sweet Caissa say
"Daughter go forth and smite them all,
stoutly charge your knight sitting tall
while flying over the castle's wall
to slay all men in your deadly call."
Now in fear I hide and will no longer play.
"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
"Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education."
― Martin Luther King Jr.
John 3:3 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.>
"My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect and my family and my Lord. And I'm perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir."
— John Durham
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." ― John Wooden
Proverbs 14:29-35
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered * exalts folly.
30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the hearts of fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king's favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.
Riddle: A man looks at a painting in a museum and says, "Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son." Who is in the painting?
"May your jib never luff"
Riddle Answer: The man's son
"Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Isaiah 66:13
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
The Blossom
by William Blake
Merry, merry sparrow!
Under leaves so green
A happy blossom
Sees you, swift as arrow,
Seek your cradle narrow,
Near my bosom.
Pretty, pretty robin!
Under leaves so green
A happy blossom
Hears you sobbing, sobbing,
Pretty, pretty robin,
Near my bosom.
"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
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Isolated pawns require a very expensive therapy, for keeping them alive.
Bobby Fischer (Andrews/Lazy Susan)
Bobby Fischer beat Spassky in Iceland in '72.
I know a girl who's better looking but who thinks like Bobby Fischer too.
When Bobby Fischer was a kid they knew he was a prodigy.
I know a girl who's somewhat older but no less of an authority.
I wish I had the smarts to understand her charts.
If I don't concentrate she'll have me in checkmate.
In Tampa Bay and Lafayette they all know Bobby Fischer's name.
I know a girl who made her mark in smaller cities but her fame's the same.
When Bobby Fischer made his comeback in the '90s he was worse for wear.
I know a girl who made a comeback but her mind was altogether there.
She said: "I drink chocolate milk, from a cow I built.
"Doot n'doot doot doot. Doot n'doot doot doot."
They're all saying that you'll never play again.
They're all saying that you're finished, that you're washed up as a friend.
All my life I've 'feather-dustered' but that's not how it's going to end. Oh no.
Spies in hideouts send their secret messages.
There's a thief caught in the headlights of a car beneath a bridge.
There's no lights on in the house except the lights on in the fridge. Oh yeah.
Reykjavik, no one ever says Reykjavik in a song.
Reykjavik, no one ever says Reykjavik in a song.
They're all saying that you'll never play again.
They're all saying that you're finished and that you're washed up as a friend.
All my life I've 'feather-dustered' but that's not how I'm going to end. Oh no.
Spies in hideouts send their secret messages.
There's a thief caught in the headlights of a car beneath a bridge.
There's no lights on in the house except the lights on in the fridge... Oh yeah.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ― Martin Luther King Jr.
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." ― Denis Waitley
Ah, St. Marher, 1225:
"And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet."
"Those who play with fire will get burnt." ~ Portuguese Proverb
56xLg Opie sha na na ZshaThePriest@zshathepriest12411 subscriber142 videoo
WoW RBG Disc Priest Pov! didnt Grzegorz zimpress Ziyatdinov. 08xp limen deep R z freeze daddyo perdy pleadz gilldy NYC varmintz JChan
"Debt is dumb. Cash is king." — Dave Ramsey
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town markets, and the discipline continues into the modern day, where jesters perform at historical-themed events.
During the Middle Ages, jesters are often thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern. Their modern counterparts usually mimic this costume. Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes (such as puns, stereotypes, and imitation), and performing magic tricks. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style. Many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences.
If you've never lost your mind, then you've never followed your heart. ― Joker
Beautiful faces are everywhere, but beautiful minds are hard to find. ― Joker
road apples
e.
Kibitzing
