Compiled by Fredthebear
It's the land of the C40's: Queen's Pawn Countergambit (Elephant Gambit, Maroczy Gambit).
* Here's an overview: http://gambiter.com/chess/openings/...
* White wins sorted by reply: Game Collection: Latvian Gambit-White wins
* Here's 30+ Black victories: Game Collection: Latvian gambit victories
* Bilguer Variation: Game Collection: C40 Latvian Gambit II
* Which third move? https://everipedia.org/Latvian_Gambit
* Find a third move: Opening Explorer
* My killer chess secret - it's not what you might think: https://www.loavesanddishes.net/old...
* Blog: https://siderite.dev/blog/the-latvi...
* The are exceptions: https://academicchess.com/worksheet...
Thank you SciTech.
* by Dreamcircus
Latvian Gambit
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 f5!?
Also known as the Greco Counter-Gambit, this rather shocking move is an attempt by Black to grab the initiative and lead the game quickly into unknown territory, much like its cousin the Elephant Gambit. It can be quite effective, especially against an unprepared player, and over the years has accumulated quite a body of theory as it undergoes sporadic revivals. It takes the form of a King's Gambit with colours reversed, and therefore with White enjoying an extra move when compared to normal King's Gambit lines. This makes it very dangerous for Black, with one slip often costing the game.
White's main options are whether to capture one of the offered pawns, or stick to development.
3.exf5
This is regarded as the main line. White accepts Black's challenge, capturing the gambit pawn on f5. A typical continuation is:
3...e4
4.Ne5 Nf6
5.Be2 d6
6.Bh5+ Ke7
7.Nf7 Qe8
A complex tactical position arises, in which Black has lost the right to castle, but in return has obtained a strange and complex position in which a White player who does not know his theory can easily go astray.
An interesting and not well-known way to decline the gambit is give on Garry Kasparov's chess home page:
3.Nc3!? Usually the gambit is declined by 3.Bc4!?
3...fxe4
4.Nxe5 Qf6
5.Ng4 Qg6
6.Nd5! White seems to be doing well here, with threats of Nxc7+ which are difficult to deal with.
The Latvian Gambit is not currently regarded as sound enough for a grandmaster to play in a serious match, but it makes frequent appearances at lower-ranked tournaments.
Links
* http://www.kasparov.f2s.com/latvian...
An excellent resource on the Latvian Gambit can be found at the home page of an enthusiastic amateur called Marek Trokenheim: http://www.algonet.se/~marek/lg-toc...
* Blog: https://siderite.dev/blog/the-latvi...
Amanda Kay wrote:
Checkmate
You were my knight
Shining armor
Chess board was our home
Queen's fondness you garnered
A kiss sweeter than honeycomb
The first appearance of the (John) Cochrane gambit against Petrov's defense C42 was in the year 1848 against an Indian master Mohishunder Bannerjee.
* One of Pandolfini's Best: Game Collection: Solitaire Chess by Bruce Pandolfini
* Two Great Attackers: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che...
* 10 Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655...
* Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category...
* Alekhine getz blitzed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8H...
* Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R
* Classic games by great players: Game Collection: Guinness Book - Chess Grandmasters (Hartston)
* Scandinavian Miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
* Collection assembled by Fredthebear, chopped to pieces by the underhanded CGs invader.
* Miniatures: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (III)
* Back rank mating tactics: Game Collection: 610_Back rank mating tactics
* Fork OVerload (Remove the Defender): Game Collection: FORK-OVERLOAD OR HOOK-AND-LADDER TRICK
* Glossary P: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar...
* Impact of Genius: 500 years of Grandmaster Chess: Game Collection: Impact of Genius : 500 years of Grandmaster Ches
* Chess Prehistory: Game Collection: Chess Prehistory
* Organized Steinitz collection:
Game Collection: Steinitz Gambits
* Best (Old) Games of All Time: Game Collection: Best Games of All Time
* 'Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters' by Fred Reinfeld: Game Collection: 0
* games of famous masters: Game Collection: bengalcat47's favorite games
* Mil y Una Partidas 1914-1931: Game Collection: Mil y Una Partidas 1914-1931
* Fire Baptisms: Game Collection: Fire Baptisms
* maxruen's favorite games III: Game Collection: maxruen's favorite games III
* famous brilliancies: Game Collection: brilliacies
* Brilliant games: Game Collection: Brilliant games
* The Fireside Book of Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld: Game Collection: Fireside Book of Chess
* 'Chess Praxis' by Aron Nimzowitsch: Game Collection: Chess Praxis (Nimzowitsch)
* '500 Master Games of Chess' by Savielly Tartakower and Julius Du Mont: Game Collection: 500 Master Games of Chess
* Great Combinations: Game Collection: Combinations
* Middlegame Combinations by Peter Romanovsky: Game Collection: Middlegame Combinations by Peter Romanovsky
* Exchange sacs: Game Collection: Exchange sacs - 1
* Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters Volume II: Game Collection: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters Volume II
* 'The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games' by Graham Burgess, John Nunn and John Emms. New expanded edition-now with 125 games. Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms)
* Best of the British: Game Collection: Best of the British
* The Best Chess Games (part 2): Game Collection: The Best Chess Games (part 2)
* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen
* Annotated Games: Game Collection: Annotated Games
* sapientdust's favorites: Game Collection: sapientdust's favorite games
* shakman's favorites: Game Collection: shakman's favorite games - 2
* Reti Opening: Game Collection: Reti Opening
* Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Slavko Petrovic): Game Collection: Veliki majstori saha 16 RETI (Petrovic)
* Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek: Game Collection: Richard Réti's Best Games by Golombek
* Ray Keene's favorite games: Game Collection: ray keene's favorite games
* Tartakower's Defense: https://www.chess.com/blog/MatBobul...
* Variety pack: Game Collection: KID games
* JonathanJ's favorites: Game Collection: JonathanJ's favorite games 4
* jorundte's favorites: Game Collection: jorundte's favorite games
* elmubarak: my favs: Game Collection: elmubarak: my fav games
* Assorted Good games: Game Collection: assorted Good games
* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz):
Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)
* Tarrasch vs Romberg 1893: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BfnD...
* To-do: https://www.explore.com/1097372/thi...
* two-time U.S. No.1 single: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnc...
* Teks bawaan: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lZsS...
* Traxler Counter-Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1j...
* Unchained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0E...
* Underpromotions: Game Collection: Games With Two Knight Promotions
* Untenable: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MW90...
* Union Square Hustle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDA...
* Saavedra Underpromotion 1895: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pWeo...
* Variety show in December 1969: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o8...
* Vegan bacon, or Fried Liver? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xeRI...
* Viva La Vida... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSk...
* Vienna Gambit, Heisenberg trap: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O1Oi...
* Vietnam traps: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Xrji...
* Waiting for the Paris train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipP...
* What does the pawn structure say? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q4Bf...
* Wishbone playaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yci...
* When castling is bad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSE...
* Wooly is the way of unorthodox play: Game Collection: woollybear's favorite games
* Word police: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rjhA...
* Chair yoga: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tMSH...
* You aint nothin' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNY...
* Yugoslavia 1957 Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZW...
* Zugzwang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I3...
* Z Vol 105: Game Collection: 0ZeR0's collected games volume 105
* Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/
WTHarvey:
There once was a website named WTHarvey,
Where chess puzzles did daily delay,
The brain-teasers so tough,
They made us all huff and puff,
But solving them brought us great satisfaction today.
There once was a website named WTHarvey
Where chess puzzles were quite aplenty
With knight and rook and pawn
You'll sharpen your brain with a yawn
And become a master of chess entry
There once was a site for chess fun,
Wtharvey.com was the chosen one,
With puzzles galore,
It'll keep you in store,
For hours of brain-teasing, none done.
There once was a website named WTHarvey,
Where chess puzzles were posted daily,
You'd solve them with glee,
And in victory,
You'd feel like a true chess prodigy!
'A rising tide lifts all boats'
'Don't put the cart before the horse'
"Examine what is said, not who is speaking." ~ African Proverb
Rounders
Florida: St. Augustine
Established in: 1565
Not only is St. Augustine the oldest city in Florida, it's also known as the first settled city in the United States. It was founded in September 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a Spanish solider who chose the name based on the date he first spotted it: it was the feast day of St. Augustine.
* St. Augustine: https://www.visitstaugustine.com/
* St. Augustine: Wikipedia article: Augustine of Hippo
* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...
* World Chess Championship History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkO...
* Chess History: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show...
* Chess History: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch...
* Chess Aps: https://www.wired.com/story/best-ch...
* Cybersecurity: https://hbr.org/2020/06/youre-not-p...
* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz):
Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)
* History: https://chesshistory.com/winter/ext...
* Lewis Chessmen: https://www.chessjournal.com/lewis-...
* Tables, Tafl and Mill: https://www.digitscotland.com/unear...
* Greats: Game Collection: These were the greatest...
* Greats: Game Collection: Chess Mastery
Gerard Welling posts here under the handle <gejewe>
Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
'Don't count your chickens before they are hatched'
"Fancy what a game of chess would be if all the chessmen had passions and intellects, more or less small and cunning; if you were not only uncertain about your adversary's men, but a little uncertain also about your own; if your knight could shuffle himself on to a new square by the sly; if your bishop, at your castling, could wheedle your pawns out of their places; and if your pawns, hating you because they are pawns, could make away from their appointed posts that you might get checkmate on a sudden. You might be the longest-headed of deductive reasoners, and yet you might be beaten by your own pawns. You would be especially likely to be beaten, if you depended arrogantly on your mathematical imagination, and regarded your passionate pieces with contempt. Yet this imaginary chess is easy compared with the game a man has to play against his fellow-men with other fellow-men for his instruments."
― George Eliot, Felix Holt: The Radical
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.
Millions saw the Apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked "Why?". ― Joker
In God we trust; all others pay cash. ~ American Proverb
"Every age wants its playthings." ― French Proverb
"Help that comes with a Price is no Help." ― Honeya
"In life, as in chess, forethought wins." ― Charles Buxton
Don't play what's there, play what's not there. ~ Miles Davis
Concentrate, play your game, and don't be afraid to win. ~ Louisa May Alcott
Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. ~ Michael Jordan
The team with the best players wins. ~ Jack Welch
"Champions keep playing until they get it right." ― Billie Jean King
"You must play boldly to win." ― Arnold Palmer
Fred Wellmuth was a strong amateur from California
Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched. ~ Miguel De Cervantes
"What we play is life." ― Louis Armstrong
The cat's play is the mouse's death. ~ German Proverb
Many people can pack the cards; fewer can play the game. ~ Italian Proverbs
It's no time to play chess when the house is on fire. ~ Italian Proverbs
If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. ~ Chinese Proverb
The one who wins plays best. ~ German Proverbs
The ball always looks for the best player. ~ French Proverb
Willful waste makes woeful want. ~ Scottish Proverb
<<<Below is the acrostic poem by <Mrs T.B. Rowland:>Tears now we sadly shed apart,
How keenly has death's sudden dart
E'en pierced a kingdom's loyal heart.
Dark lies the heavy gloomy pall
Upon our royal bower,
Kings, queens, and nations bow their heads,
Each mourn for England's flower.
Oh! God, to her speak peace divine,
For now no voice can soothe but thine.
Ah, why untimely snatched away,
Loved Prince – alas, we sigh –
Before thy sun its zenith reached
Athwart the noonday sky.
Noble in heart, in deed, and will,
Years hence thy name we'll cherish still.>
That poem was published on pages 140-141 of Chess Fruits (Dublin, 1884)>
<Is Queen + Knight really stronger than Queen + Bishop? The Queen + Knight does not seem to be an advantage of itself. In order to be considered advantageous, there must always be a second element influencing the position. The most common factors are weakness of the opposing king, passed pawns, and weak squares that can be accessed.Mr. H. H. Strand wrote: "There is no true answer to this, but here are some general observations that are commonly agreed upon by strong players:
Bishops are stronger in open positions with few pawns on the board, especially if you have the bishop pair and especially in endgames.
Knights are stronger in closed positions, where the pawns are locked against each other.
Having the bishop pair against a knight and a bishop is usually a slight advantage in middle games. Against the knight pair it is less clear.
A knight that can be anchored in the center of the board (protected by a pawn) is often stronger than a bishop.
A knight anchored in an advanced position in the enemy camp (typically on squares like e6, d6, d3 or e3) is often very strong, even as strong as a rook.
A bishop is usually stronger than a knight in an open endgame, especially if the side with the bishop has a passed wing pawn.
A knight is often stronger than a bishop in endgames with static pawn structures. This theme is called "good knight versus bad bishop."
Knights on the edge of the board, or even worse, a corner, can be quite weak. "A knight on the rim is dim."
Bishops on long diagonals are often very strong, especially on an open diagonal.
The value of knights go up in blitz games or in time trouble, as their movements are harder to calculate and predict.
Rooks cooperate better with a bishop than a knight.
Queens cooperate better with a knight than a bishop."
Such hypothetical conceptions are difficult to answer. Chess requires analysis of a specific position to determine who is better. There are simply too many variables to generalize with any degree of accuracy. Thus, the value of the pieces can change during a game.>
"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
Glasgow is Home to the World's Oldest Surviving Music Hall
Among the most surprising Glasgow fun facts is that the city boasts the world's oldest surviving music hall. The Britannia Panopticon, built in 1857, still stands in Glasgow's Merchant City and remains a key piece of the city's entertainment history. It was here that famous performers like Stan Laurel got their start in show business, setting the stage for what would become a lasting legacy in comedy and theatre.
The music hall is now preserved as a heritage site, offering visitors a glimpse into Glasgow's rich cultural past. This fun fact reflects the city's longstanding love for the performing arts, and how Glasgow has maintained its status as a vibrant cultural destination. Whether you're a fan of live performances or curious about its historical significance, the Britannia Panopticon is a must-visit spot for anyone exploring Glasgow fun facts.
"Here's to you and here's to me,
Wherever we may roam;
And here's to the health and happiness
Of the ones who are left at home"
– Anonymous
<<<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 in Purdy's book "Guide to Good Chess".>
Posted by Chessbuzz
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man
I live in a Garbage Can
I love to go swimmin'
With bow-legged wimmin
And swim between their legs
Swim between their legs.
Hydraulic engineering
In the late 19th century, hydraulic engineering solved a major problem: bringing fresh water into homes and sending sewage away from settlements. Although sophisticated waterworks existed earlier in ancient Rome, hydraulic engineering greatly improved wastewater treatment and sanitation in general. Infectious diseases caused by contaminated water were greatly minimized so countries like the United States and Britain could develop better.
The Three Kings By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Three Kings came riding from far away,
Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;
Three Wise Men out of the East were they,
And they travelled by night and they slept by day,
For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.
The star was so beautiful, large and clear,
That all the other stars of the sky
Became a white mist in the atmosphere,
And by this they knew that the coming was near
Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.
Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows,
Three caskets of gold with golden keys;
Their robes were of crimson silk with rows
Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows,
Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.
And so the Three Kings rode into the West,
Through the dusk of the night, over hill and dell,
And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast,
And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest,
With the people they met at some wayside well.
"Of the child that is born," said Baltasar,
"Good people, I pray you, tell us the news;
For we in the East have seen his star,
And have ridden fast, and have ridden far,
To find and worship the King of the Jews."
And the people answered, "You ask in vain;
We know of no King but Herod the Great!"
They thought the Wise Men were men insane,
As they spurred their horses across the plain,
Like riders in haste, who cannot wait.
And when they came to Jerusalem,
Herod the Great, who had heard this thing,
Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them;
And said, "Go down unto Bethlehem,
And bring me tidings of this new king."
So they rode away; and the star stood still,
The only one in the grey of morn;
Yes, it stopped—it stood still of its own free will,
Right over Bethlehem on the hill,
The city of David, where Christ was born.
And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;
But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.
And cradled there in the scented hay,
In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,
The little child in the manger lay,
The child, that would be king one day
Of a kingdom not human, but divine.
His mother Mary of Nazareth
Sat watching beside his place of rest,
Watching the even flow of his breath,
For the joy of life and the terror of death
Were mingled together in her breast.
They laid their offerings at his feet:
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying.
And the mother wondered and bowed her head,
And sat as still as a statue of stone,
Her heart was troubled yet comforted,
Remembering what the Angel had said
Of an endless reign and of David's throne.
Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,
With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;
But they went not back to Herod the Great,
For they knew his malice and feared his hate,
And returned to their homes by another way.
Fools look to tomorrow. Wise men use tonight. ~ Scottish Proverb
"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
<The Aurora's Dance
Auroras dance, in the polar night,
A symphony of colors, pure delight.
The sky's curtain, alive and aglow,
A magical display, a celestial show.>
'A stitch in time saves nine'
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.
"A God you understood would be less than yourself." ― Flannery O'Connor
Psalms 31:24 - Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
* Red States: https://www.redhotpawn.com/
* The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev - https://lichess.org/study/KMMrJvE1
* Legendary: Game Collection: The 12 Legendary Games of the Century
FACTRETRIEVER: Even though dragonflies have six legs, they cannot walk.
"You can't hold with the hare and run with the hounds."
<<<The Dancing Bear>
by James Russell Lowell>
Far over Elf-land poets stretch their sway,
And win their dearest crowns beyond the goal
Of their own conscious purpose; they control
With gossamer threads wide-flown our fancy's play,
And so our action. On my walk to-day,
A wallowing bear begged clumsily his toll,
When straight a vision rose of Atta Troll,
And scenes ideal witched mine eyes away.
'Merci, Mossieu!' the astonished bear-ward cried,
Grateful for thrice his hope to me, the slave
Of partial memory, seeing at his side
A bear immortal. The glad dole I gave
Was none of mine; poor Heine o'er the wide
Atlantic welter stretched it from his grave.>
The longest decisive FIDE-rated game is Billy Fellowes vs Peter Lalić, London 2024, which lasted for 272 moves, at the Third Kingston Invitational.
The longest game played in a world championship is the 6th game of the 2021 World Chess Championship between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, which Carlsen won in 136 moves by resignation. The game lasted for 8 hours, 15 minutes and 40 seconds.
'Attack is the best form of defence
Oct-04-23 HeMateMe: I play 3/2 blitz occasionally on Lichess. I find it an excellent site, none of the delays/cancellations that ruined chess.com (for me).
Oct-04-23 Cassandro: Yes, lichess is by far the best site for online chess. And you never know, apparently you may even get to play against a living legend like the highly esteemed Leonard Barden there!
FTB plays all about but has always been happy with FICS: https://www.freechess.org/
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Chessgames.com will be unavailable September 10, 2024 from 2:30PM through 3:00PM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance.
We apologize for this inconvenience.
Like new-laid eggs Chess Problems are,
Though very good, they may be beaten;
And yet, though like, they're different far,
They may be cooked, but never eaten.
Source: page 58 of Poems and Chess Problems by J.A. Miles (Fakenham, 1882).
A game of chess, even played by dilettantes, is an austere metaphor of life and a struggle for life, and the chess player's virtues—reason, memory, and invention—are the virtues of every thinking man. The stern rule of chess, according to which a piece that was touched must be moved and it is not permissible to redo a move of which one repents, reproduces the inexorability of the choices of the living. When your king, as a result of your inexperience, lack of attention, imprudence, or the opponent's superiority, is ever more closely threatened … cornered and finally transfixed, you cannot fail to perceive a symbolic shadow beyond the chess board. You are living a death; it is your death, and at the same time it is a death for which you are guilty.
—Primo Levi, "The Irritable Chess Players"
"The first place you need to look is the last place you saw it."
— Digger Manes, Moonshiners
<"From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.">
― William Shakespeare, Henry V
Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be
And bless these gifts
Bestowed by Thee.
And bless our loved ones everywhere,
And keep them in Your loving care.
Amen.
Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
According to Chessmetrics, Lasker was #1 for longer than anyone else in history: 292 different months between June 1890 and December 1926. That's a timespan of 36 1/2 years, in which Lasker was #1 for a total of 24 years and 4 months. Lasker was 55 years old when he won New York 1924.
"Just because you know stuff doesn't mean you are smart... You have to know how to use that information." ― Josh Keller
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
* Know the five fundamental rules of firearm safety:
- Treat every gun as if it is loaded.
- Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to destroy.
- Never put your finger on a gun's trigger until you make a conscious decision to shoot.
- Always be sure of your target, what's beyond it, and what's between you and your target.
- When not in use, a firearm needs to be locked in some kind of secure container—a gun vault is best. If it cannot be secured in a locked location, then a trigger lock should be applied. A loaded firearm should never be unattended.
The 20-40-40 rule in chess is a rule for players rated below 2000 that states 20% of your study should be dedicated to openings, 40% to the middlegame, and 40% to the endgame.
"Prepare for the worst but hope for the best." ― The Wondrous Tale of Alroy by Benjamin Disraeli, published in 1833
"Chess is above all, a fight!" — Emanuel Lasker
Virgil's Aeneid: "Fortune favors the bold."
Galatians 6:7 in the Bible "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
"those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is often cited as originating in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde written in 1385.
"It is the part of a wise man to keep himself today for tomorrow, and not venture all his eggs in one basket." The phrase appeared in Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, in 1615.
"I take things as they come and find that patience and persistence tend to win out in the end." ― Paul Kane
"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." ― Napoleon Hill
Actions speak louder than words
"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ― Plato
"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." ― Lao Tzu
"Many people perceive the merit of a manuscript which is read to them, but will not declare themselves in its favor until they see what success it has in the world when printed, or what intelligent men will say about it. They do not like to risk their opinion, and they want to be carried away by the crowd and dragged along by the multitude. Then they say that they were amongst the first who approved of that work, and the general public shares their opinion.
Such men lose the best opportunities of convincing us that they are intelligent, clever, and first-rate critics, and can really discover what is good and what is better. A fine work falls into their hands; it is an author's first book before he has got any great name; there is nothing to prepossess anyone in his favor, and by applauding his writings one does not court or flatter the great. Zelotes, you are not required to cry out: "This is a masterpiece; human intelligence never went farther; the human speech cannot soar higher; henceforward we will judge of no one's taste but by what he thinks of this book." Such exaggerated and offensive expressions are only employed by postulants for pensions or benefices and are even injurious to what is really commendable and what one wishes to praise. Why not merely say—"That's a good book?" It is true you say it when the whole of France has approved of it, and foreigners as well as your own countrymen, when it is printed all over Europe and has been translated into several languages, but then it is too late." ― Jean de La Bruyère
"Time, which strengthens friendship, weakens love." ― Jean de La Bruyère
"If it is true that one is poor on account of all the things one wants, the ambitious and the avaricious languish in extreme poverty." ― Jean de La Bruyère
"When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one." ― Emanuel Lasker
The Portuguese chess player and author Pedro Damiano (1480–1544) first wrote this in his book "Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti" published in Rome, Italy, in 1512.
"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
"He (Capablanca) makes the game look easy. Art lies in the concealment of art." ― Philip W. Sergeant
"It's entirely possible that Capa could not imagine that there could be a better move than one he thought was good and he was usually right." ― Mike Franett
"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
"What others could not see in a month's study, he (Capablanca) saw at a glance." ― Reuben Fine
"Capablanca invariably chose the right option, no matter how intricate the position." ― Garry Kasparov.
"He (Capablanca) had the totally undeserved reputation of being the greatest living endgame player. His trick was to keep his openings simple and then play with such brilliance that it was decided in the middle game before reaching the ending - even though his opponent didn't always know it. His almost complete lack of book knowledge forced him to push harder to squeeze the utmost out of every position." ― Bobby Fischer
"A passed pawn increase in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes." ― Jose Raul Capablanca
* Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/
* 10 Best to Watch: https://www.chessjournal.com/best-c...
* 23 Opening Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-5...
* CFN: https://www.youtube.com/@CFNChannel
In Melitopol, terrible terror has been reigning for over a year. It's quiet, you can't see it on the streets - reported CNN. Anyone who has rejected a Russian passport may become a victim of repression. They can't access the hospital, can't function normally. The "incredible" occupant also takes away the land. Arrests and torture, unfortunately, are common practices.
Partisans are engaged in attacking Russian logistics and eliminating collaborators and Russian officers. They actively cooperate with Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) and are ready for sabotage activities in case the front arrives.
Before the war, Melitopol had a population of 154,000. The city, located in the southeastern part of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region, was occupied by the Russians on March 1, 2022 Eastern Time. Since then, it has been waiting for liberation, but that does not mean that the inhabitants are idle. From the beginning of the war, there has been a partisan movement in and around the city.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ― Martin Luther King Jr.
"Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people." ― Elizabeth Green
"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." ― Andy (Tim Robbins), "The Shawshank Redemption"
Psalms 31:24 - Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Luck never gives; it only lends. ~ Scottish Proverb
Tribute To Norman Rockwell
by Neil Dickinson
His paintings are slices of life
Depicting the joy and the strife
And the highs and the lows
Of the subjects he chose
With artistic panache he was rife
Norman Rockwell was born long ago
At a time of upheaval and woe
When fiscal depression
And social oppression
Comprised not a good status quo
At a very young age it was clear
There was only one path he could steer
With his sketches and such
He impressed very much
And got better with each passing year
He was hired when still in his teens
By the Scouts to create cover scenes
Which were folksy and smart
As Director of Art
With the talent instilled in his genes
Pretty soon all the world knew his name
And many an accolade came
To this man of great style
Who could charm and beguile
With the pictures he put in a frame
Over 300 covers he drew
For 'The Post', as his influence grew
As a man with a gift
Who gave people a lift
When they found they were gloomy and blue
It's the day Norman Rockwell expired
But he'll always be loved and admired
For all he engendered
With images rendered
That never get dated or tired
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.
In 2016, the iconic sparkly dress that Marilyn Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his birthday sold for a staggering $4.8 million at auction. This remains the world record for the most expensive article of clothing ever sold, beating out the record previously held by… another one of Monroe's dresses, her costume from The Seven Year Itch.
Sick
By Shel Silverstein
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"
Question: The world's first speeding ticket was issued in 1896. Where did it happen?
Answer: London, England
Walter Arnold was driving four times the limit, at an astonishing speed of 8 miles per hour. Back in those days, the speed limit was 2 miles per hour – you could easily walk faster. The driver was eventually arrested after being chased by a police officer on a bicycle.
"No one has ever won a game of chess by taking only forward moves (What about Scholar's Mate?). Sometimes you have to move backwards in order to be able to take better steps forward. That is life." — Anonymous
Drive sober or get pulled over.
"For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable." — Assiac
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
― Thomas Jefferson, chess player
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
― Mahatma Gandhi
The Bear and the Amateur Gardener
A certain mountain bear, unlicked and rude,
By fate confined within a lonely wood,
A new Bellerophon, whose life,
Knew neither comrade, friend, nor wife, –
Became insane; for reason, as we term it,
Dwells never long with any hermit.
It's good to mix in good society,
Obeying rules of due propriety;
And better yet to be alone;
But both are ills when overdone.
No animal had business where
All grimly dwelt our hermit bear;
Hence, bearish as he was, he grew
Heart-sick, and longed for something new.
While he to sadness was addicted,
An aged man, not far from there,
Was by the same disease afflicted.
A garden was his favourite care, –
Sweet Flora's priesthood, light and fair,
And eke Pomona's – ripe and red
The presents that her fingers shed.
These two employments, true, are sweet
When made so by some friend discreet.
The gardens, gaily as they look,
Talk not, (except in this my book;)
So, tiring of the deaf and dumb,
Our man one morning left his home
Some company to seek,
That had the power to speak. –
The bear, with thoughts the same,
Down from his mountain came;
And in a solitary place,
They met each other, face to face.
It would have made the boldest tremble;
What did our man? To play the Gascon
The safest seemed. He put the mask on,
His fear contriving to dissemble.
The bear, unused to compliment,
Growled bluntly, but with good intent,
"Come home with me." The man replied:
"Sir Bear, my lodgings, nearer by,
In yonder garden you may spy,
Where, if you'll honour me the while,
We'll break our fast in rural style.
I have fruits and milk, – unworthy fare,
It may be, for a wealthy bear;
But then I offer what I have."
The bear accepts, with visage grave,
But not unpleased; and on their way,
They grow familiar, friendly, gay.
Arrived, you see them, side by side,
As if their friendship had been tried.
To a companion so absurd,
Blank solitude were well preferred,
Yet, as the bear scarce spoke a word,
The man was left quite at his leisure
To trim his garden at his pleasure.
Sir Bruin hunted – always brought
His friend whatever game he caught;
But chiefly aimed at driving flies –
Those hold and shameless parasites,
That vex us with their ceaseless bites –
From off our gardener's face and eyes.
One day, while, stretched on the ground
The old man lay, in sleep profound,
A fly that buzz'd around his nose, –
And bit it sometimes, I suppose, –
Put Bruin sadly to his trumps.
At last, determined, up he jumps;
"I'll stop your noisy buzzing now,"
Says he; "I know precisely how."
No sooner said than done.
He seized a paving-stone;
And by his modus operandi
Did both the fly and man die.
A foolish friend may cause more woe
Than could, indeed, the wisest foe.
Let's examine... the noisy return of the troll master.
Not so much as a "hello all." Surely, it's no coincidence that the 504s came roaring back as well.
chessgames.com chessforum (kibitz #41671)
The first post Sep-23-24 was a lie, and an attempt at manipulation. Check.
chessgames.com chessforum (kibitz #41673)
The second post Sep-25-24 was an attack on another member, and a raging aliases lie way, way over the top. Check.
Silence broken. Nothing changed whatsoever. As if that scratchy record never stopped playing, we hear the same old, same ol' scam...
"Hello darkness, my old fiend
I'm about to be harassed by you again
Because a hellion returning, creeping
Left its lies while I was sleeping
And the vehemence that was splayed in my brain
Still remains
Within the shattering of slience"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vt...
Lichess has all the same basic offerings as Chess.com: a large community, many game types, tutorials, puzzles, and livestreams. The site has a simple appearance, and it seems built to get you where you want to go in as few clicks as possible. You can create an account, but if you're not concerned with tracking your games and finding other players at your level, there's no need to log in. Just fire up a new game, try some puzzles, or watch a chess streamer play three-minute games while listening to techno and chatting with the comments section.
Question: On which planet is a year longer than a day?
Answer: Venus has the longest day of any planet in our solar system. Venus is unusual because it spins the opposite direction of Earth and most other planets and it's extremely slow. It takes about 243 Earth days to spin around just once. Because it's so close to the sun, a year goes by fast. Therefore, a day on Venus is nearly 20 Earth days longer than its year.
The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
"There are good ships, and there are wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, and may they always be." — Anonymous
* Riddle-dee-xp: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch...
Q: What do you call someone who draws funny pictures of cars?
A: A car-toonist.
Q: What do you call a magician on a plane?
A: A flying sorcerer.
Q: What do you call fruit playing the guitar?
A: A jam session.
Q: What do you call the shoes that all spies wear?
A: Sneakers.
Q: What do you call something you can serve, but never eat?
A: A volleyball.
Q: What did the alien say to the garden?
A: Take me to your weeder.
Q: What do you call a skeleton who went out in freezing temperatures?
A: A numb skull.
Q: What do you call a farm that grows bad jokes?
A: Corny.
"Life is what you make it: If you snooze, you lose; and if you snore, you lose more." — Phyllis George
Galatians 6:7 in the Bible "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
"those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is often cited as originating in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde written in 1385.
"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
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ― Martin Luther King Jr.
"God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with."
— Billy Graham
"I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right."
— Billy Graham
This poem is dedicated to all Caissa members who do not believe in dragging a game on and on.
The Pawn Who Had to Go
The little pawn screamed: "I cannot hold it anymore,
get me a pot or I will do exactly what I did before."
Everybody laughed with the exception of the opposing king
who guessed what was on the mind of this filthy thing.
But nobody had time to fetch a pot or even a plastic bag
They were too busy to ensure that the game became a drag.
The guys in white kept running back and forth but no change.
The guys in black stayed also within the very same range.
Suddenly the unhappy pawn who had screamed for a pot,
did a weird little dance while moving up one slot.
Now standing near the king he simply pulled his pants down
and peed straight up against the king's beautiful crown.
"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.
"We made too many wrong mistakes."
― Yogi Berra, 18-time American League All-Star
from the simpleton poet:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Chess is creative.
And a journey too.
Good in the morning.
Or just before bed.
Play cheater_1, with engine.
Or OTB, all in your head.
"It's not how you start that matters, it's how you finish."
"Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read." — Francis Bacon
The cat's play is the mouse's death. ~ German Proverb
"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground."
― Theodore Roosevelt
Ah, St. Marher, 1225:
"And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet."
2pry Zeitnot Zshaa-Tichondrius - 601 Disc Priest 226 Ilvl - 27750 RBG zek247 dint undrstnd Ziyatdinov's planto ignore the LSB on deck of the carrier.
"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.
Silence is the best reply to a fool. ― Joker
Always Remember, the beginning is the hardest part. ― Joker
Did you hear about the mathematician who's afraid of negative numbers?
He'll stop at nothing to avoid them.
Praseodymium Pr 59 140.908 1.1
.oo.