Compiled by Timothy Glenn Forney.

Ideas against annoying gambits for all of us 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 players.

Oct-09-11 FSR: After 1.e4 e5, 2.Ba6?? is the worst move by a country mile. After that, probably 2.b4 and 2.Ke2 are the worst. 2.Qg4 and 2.g4 are also pretty bad. White still has equality after 2.Qh5, so it's actually not a <terrible> move.

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

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

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

"It is impossible to keep one's excellence in a glass case, like a jewel, and take it out whenever it is required." ― Adolf Anderssen, 1858

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard." ― Savielly Tartakover

"In my opinion, the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." ― Bobby Fischer, A bust to the King's Gambit (1960)

Zwickmuhle: to be in a quandry/predicament/ double bind/catch-22 situation, to be in a dilemma

Eyes trust themselves, ears trust others. ~ German Proverb

Ye Jiangchuan has won the Chinese Chess Championship seven times.

"Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious." ― Zhuangzi

"In the ending the king is a powerful piece for assisting his own pawns, or stopping the adverse pawns." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"The eighth square at last! Oh how glad I am to get here. And what is this on my head?" ― Alice (in Through The Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll)

"A woman can beat any man; it's difficult to imagine another kind of sport where a woman can beat a man. That's why I like chess." ― Alexandra Kosteniuk

"My formula for success is rise early, work late, and strike oil." ― JP Getty

"There are two kinds of idiots - those who don't take action because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat." ― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

"Life is very much about making the best decisions you can. So I think chess is very valuable." ― Hikaru Nakamura

"Most people work just hard enough to not get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit." ― George Carlin

* B20s: Game Collection: Grand Prix (Ginger's Models)

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

* Glossary: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess

* Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/

"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

"He examined the chess problem and set out the pieces. It was a tricky ending, involving a couple of knights. 'White to play and mate in two moves.'
Winston looked up at the portrait of Big Brother. White always mates, he thought with a sort of cloudy mysticism. Always, without exception, it is so arranged. In no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won. Did it not symbolize the eternal, unvarying triumph of Good over Evil? The huge face gazed back at him, full of calm power. White always mates." ― George Orwell, 1984

Bughouse Rules

Bughouse is an outrageously fun team game in which one partner plays White and the other plays Black. As a player captures an opponent's piece, that captured piece is passed to the partner. The partner can either make a regular chess move, or place any one of the pieces passed by the partner anywhere on the board! (well, almost anywhere - there are certain rules to follow that we go over in class). To add to the excitement, Bughouse is played with clocks at a quick pace (5 minutes) and players are allowed to TALK!! In fact, you have to talk in order to effectively communicate strategies with your partner. Of course, your opponents might overhear you and plan their counter strategy. So you could whisper, or even talk in secret codes! But you can't hide captured pieces - they have to stay out in the open where everyone can see them. Not fair pulling a rook out from under your beard! These rules and others are contained in he official USCF Bughouse Rules 5th Edition, which will be posted on the walls for Bughouse events. It was interesting to note, during Grandmaster Nigel Davies' recent instructional clinics, that he greatly encouraged Bughouse as a tool for developing the imagination.

IMPORTANT! Because of the high level of noise, Bughouse will be played only on pre-advertised Bughouse tournament days (normally around Halloween, plus or minus a week, and sometimes at other times during the year).

BUGHOUSE RULES (adapted from http://raleighchessacademy.com/wp-c... )

1. Number of Players - There are exactly two players on a team; they are called 'team members,' 'partners' or 'pardners' (Texas only). No substitutions of players are allowed at any time during the tournament. Ya dances with the pardner what brought ya. A Tournament can have many competing teams.

2. Bughouse Game - A 'Bughouse Game' matches one team member against one opponent, and the other team member against that opponent's partner. Play is conducted by the four players on two regulation chess boards, each starting from the normal chess starting position, with white moving first and each using a chess clock (digital takes precedence over analog). One partner plays White; the other Black. The first checkmate or time forfeit on either board ends the Game. If either partner on a team wins their board, then their team wins the Game. Just as in regular chess, there are multiple Games (rounds) per tournament.

3. Colors - For each Game, the team decides which partner is to play white and which is to play black. Once a Game is started, partners may not switch boards (and although you can always give advice to your partner, you cannot touch your partner's pieces).

4. Time control - The time control is Game in 5 minutes. Use 2 second delay when possible.

5. Bring a clock- Each team is responsible for providing a clock. If a team does not have a clock and their opponents do have a clock, the team without a clock forfeits. If neither team has a clock then both teams forfeit.

6. Completion of Move - If a player's hand has released a piece then that move cannot be changed, unless it is an illegal move. A move is not Completed until the piece is released AND the clock is pressed. If the clock has not been pressed then the opponent may not move (this is under review)

8. Illegal moves lose, if they are caught before the next move is made. I. If an opponent makes a move and starts the opponent's clock, they have forfeited the right to claim that illegal move. II. Before play begins both players should inspect the position of the pieces and the setting of the clock, since once each side has made a move all claims for correcting either are null and void. The only exception is if one or both players have more than five minutes on their clock, then the tournament director may reduce the time accordingly. III. Illegal moves, unnoticed by both players, cannot be corrected afterwards, nor can they become the basis for later making an illegal move claim. If the King and Queen are set up incorrectly when the game begins, then you may castle short on the queen side and castle long on the kingside. Once each side has made a move, incorrect setups must stay.

9. Passing pieces - When a piece is captured, the captured piece is passed to the partner only after the move is completed (opponent's clock is started).

10. Placing or moving pieces- A player has the option of either moving one of their pieces on their board or placing a piece their teammate has captured and passed to them. I. A captured piece may be placed on any unoccupied square on the board, with the exception that a pawn may not be placed on the first or last rank. II. Pieces may be placed to create or interpose check or checkmate. (under review - some variants do not allow "drop mates") III. A promoted pawn, which has been captured, reverts to a pawn and not the promoted piece.

11. Displaying captured pieces- A player may not attempt to hide pieces captured by their partner from the opponent. The first attempt will be a warning and the second attempt will result in forfeiture of the game.

12. Communicating allowed- Partners may verbally communicate throughout a game. It is legal for one partner to make move suggestions to the other partner. It is illegal and grounds for forfeiting the match if one partner physically moves one of their partner's pieces.

13. Clock Hand- Each player must push the clock button with the same hand they use to move their pieces. Exception: only during castling may a player use both hands. When capturing only one hand may be used. The first infraction will get a warning, the second a one minute penalty and the third will result in the loss of the game.

14. Touching a Clock- Except for pushing the clock button neither player should touch the clock except: I. To straighten it; II. If either player knocks over the clock his opponent gets one minute added to their clock; III. If your opponent's clock does not begin you may push their side down and repunch your side; however, if this procedure is unsatisfactory, please call for a director; IV. Each player must always be allowed to push the clock after their move is made. Neither player should keep their hand on or hover over the clock.

15. Define a win- A game is won by the player: I. who has mated their opponent's king; II. If the checking piece is not a knight or is not in contact (on an adjacent square) with the defending king and the defending player does not have any material to block the check, the defending player may wait until his or her partner supplies a piece provided their time does not run out. III. whose opponent resigns; IV. whose opponent's flag falls first, at any time before the game is otherwise ended, provided he/she points it out and neutralizes the clock while their own flag is still up; V. who, after an illegal move, takes the opponent's king or stops the clock; VI. an illegal move doesn't negate a player's right to claim on time, provided he/she does so prior to their opponent's claim of an illegal move. If the claims are simultaneous, the player who made the illegal move loses.

16. Defining a draw- A game is a draw: I. By agreement between the teams during the game only. II. If the flag of one player falls after the flag of the other player has already fallen and a win has not been claimed, unless either side mates before noticing both flags down. Announced checkmate nullifies any later time claims.

17. Replacing pieces- If a player accidentally displaces one or more pieces, he shall replace them on his own time. If it is necessary, his opponent may start the opponent's clock without making a move in order to make sure that the culprit uses his own time while replacing the pieces. Finally, it is unsportsmanlike to knock over any pieces then punch the clock. For the first offense the player will get a warning (unless this causes his flag to fall, in which case the opponent will get one extra minute added to his clock). For a second offense a one minute add-on for the opponent will be imposed. For a third offense the offender shall forfeit the game. Thereafter, the tournament director may use other penalties or expel a player from the event for repeated offenses.

18. Dispute between players - In case of a dispute either player may stop both clocks while the tournament director is being summoned. In any unclear situation the tournament director will consider the testimony of both players and any reliable witnesses before rendering his decision. If a player wishes to appeal the decision of a tournament director, the player must first appeal to the section chief then, if necessary, the player may appeal to the Chief floor director, whose decision in all cases is final.

19. TD touching the clock - The tournament director shall not pick up the clock; except in the case of a dispute.

20. Observer conduct - Spectators and players of another match are not to speak or otherwise interfere in a game. If a spectator interferes in any way, such as by calling attention to the flag fall or an illegal move, the tournament director may cancel the game and rule that a new game be played in its stead, and he may also expel the offending party from the playing room. The tournament director should also be silent about illegal moves, flag falls, etc. (unless there is an agreement with the players, before the game, to call them) as this is entirely the responsibility of the players.

21. Replacing a promoted pawn - If a player promotes a pawn they must leave the pawn on the board and clearly indicate to their opponent to what piece the pawn is being promoted too. The promoted pawn will be laid on it's side to indicate that it is a promoted pawn (MCS&C local rule - to prevent later disagreements about what piece the pawn was promoted to, and to avoid pawns annoyingly rolling about and off the board, a spare piece quickly found from another set should be used and placed in the normal upright position, an upside down rook still signifying a queen. The argument against this is nuclear proliferation of Queens, but I don't think it is a strong argument).

22. Replacement clock - Only a tournament director may determine if a clock is defective and change clocks.

23. Player behavior - Excessive banging of pieces or clock will not be tolerated and the offending player may be penalized with loss of time (Director discretion)

24. Insufficient Losing Chances- Insufficient losing chances claims cannot be made in Bughouse games.

25. Rules Not Covered Above - The Official Rules of Chess, 5th edition, shall be used to resolve any situation not covered by these rules.

Riddle: What is at the end of a rainbow?

It's not a pot of gold.

Answer: The letter W.

An Irish Blessing:

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

~

Annabel Lee
by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love— I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

"Zeitnot" is German for "time pressure."

"....his countrymen, Kolisch and Steinitz, are greatly indebted for their later success to their having enjoyed early opportunities of practicing with the departed amateur whose death is also greatly deplored amongst all who knew him personally." — Wilhelm Steinitz, regarding Karl Hamppe

The first appearance of the (John) Cochrane gambit against Petrov's defense C42 was in the year 1848 against an Indian master Mohishunder Bannerjee.

"Sorry don't get it done, Dude!" — John Wayne, Rio Bravo

"Gossip is the devil's telephone. Best to just hang up." — Moira Rose

Here's a poem a dad wrote:

<ODE TO CHESS

Ten times I charged the grim, foreboding walls

and was pitched into the pit of defeat.

But, heedless of humiliating falls,

I clambered bravely back onto my feet

and charged again, again to be down thrust

onto the scrap heap of people who lose

onto the mound of mortifying dust

whilst my opponent sat without a bruise

upon his pedestal. We changed sides

and fought again, but I was defeated

whilst he with arrogant and haughty strides

took the throne upon which I had been seated.

Ha! Win or lose, it's how you play the game.

But I would like to beat him just the same.>

"God's mercy and grace give me hope - for myself, and for our world." — Billy Graham

"Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness." — Billy Graham

Galatians 6:7 in the Bible "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

"Time is the ultimate currency." ― Elon Musk

"Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got." — Norman Vincent Peale

"What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." — Ralph Marston

King Tutankhamun had lots of cool toys, but one of his most intriguing may have been a dagger, discovered in his tomb in 1925, made of meteoric metal. It wasn't until recently that scientists were able to confirm the material, using a technique called portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. They determined that the dagger's composition of iron, nickel, and cobalt "strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin."

* Riddle-zeez-piddle: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch...

Immortal jellyfish
There is a species of jellyfish that never dies. Known as Turritopsis dohrnii—or colloquially, the immortal jellyfish—this sea creature is able to revert back into its adolescent state after going through adulthood, a "process that looks remarkably like immortality."

"Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." ― Yogi Berra, 10-time World Series champion

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." — Calvin Coolidge

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

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

STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT
Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have this wish I wish tonight

What various kind of fish live in space? Starfish.

How are false teeth like stars? They come out at night.

What do you say if you want to start a fight in space? Comet me, bro.

Why did the star have a crush on the sun? It was the center of hiz universe.

Which role in the Star Wars movie was the orange cast for? Emperor Pulpatine.

Sing it Frankie! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...