Grecovian Piano Lessons for FTB harken willie

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Grecovian Piano Lessons for FTB harken willie
Compiled by fredthebear

Openings Named for Greco

Greco Defence � 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 � A popular opening choice by novice players, it has also been used by players who, according to International Master Gary Lane, "should know better". Also known as the McConnell Defense.

Greco Countergambit � 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 � An aggressive but rather dubious choice for Black which often leads to wild and tricky positions. FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos even goes so far as to describe it as "possibly the worst opening in chess". Also known as the Latvian Gambit.

Calabrese Countergambit � 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 f5

Bishop's Opening- Greco Gambit- 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3. f4

Giuoco Piano: Greco's Attack- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3

Giuoco Piano: Greco Variation- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.O-O Nxc3

King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Greco Variation- 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 Bc5

King's Gambit Accepted: Greco Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.h4 h6 6.d4 d6 7.Nc3 c6 8.hxg5 hxg5 9.Rxh8 Bxh8 10.Ne5

Queen's Gambit Accepted, Central Variation, Greco Variation � 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 b5

- Wikipedia

"The first duty of man is the seeking after and the investigation of truth." — Marcus Tullius Cicero

"It seems to me that an unjust law is no law at all." — Saint Augustine

"To free your game, take off some of your adversary's men, if possible for nothing." — Captain Bertain, The Noble Game of Chess (1735)

"Chess is a fairy tale of 1,001 blunders." — Savielly Tartakower

"Pawns are the soul of chess." — François-André Danican Philidor

"I play my king all over the board. I make him fight!" — Wilhelm Steinitz

"A righteous wife can make a poor man feel like a king." — Boonaa Mohammed

"Among a great many other things that chess teaches you is to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks good. It trains you to think before grabbing and to think just as objectively when you're in trouble." — Stanley Kubrick

"Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules, take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment." – Garry Kasparov

"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game." – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

"To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game." – Savielly Tartakower

"Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter." ― Winston S. Churchill

"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"

"Those who do not risk, do not benefit." — Portuguese Proverb

"To find something, anything, a great truth or a lost pair of glasses, you must first believe there will be some advantage in finding it." — Jack Burden, All The King's Men

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." — Jimmy Dean

"Chess is above all, a fight!" — Emanuel Lasker

"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth." ― William Faulkner

"In chess, at least, the brave inherit the earth." — Edmar Mednis

"The harder you fall, the heavier your heart; the heavier your heart, the stronger you climb; the stronger you climb, the higher your pedestal." — Criss Jami

* Gioacchino Greco: https://gambiter.com/chess/players/...

* Greco's book by William Lewis:
https://archive.org/details/gioachi...

* Ataman's Minis: Game Collection: Instructive Chess Miniatures (Ataman)

* A07, B23-B25: Game Collection: Sicilian Closed / Grand Prix Attack

* 107 battles: Game Collection: 107 Great Chess Battles: 1939-45 Alekhine

* Best Games of 2018: Game Collection: Best Games of 2018

* Bishop's Opening Miniatures: https://www.chessonly.com/bishop-op...

* Back rank mating tactics: Game Collection: 610_Back rank mating tactics

* Blackburne strikes! games annotated by Blackburne

* Brutal Attacking Chess: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess

* Bruno's Problem: https://chessproblem.my-free-games....

* Brilliant (and mostly famous)! Game Collection: Brilliant Miniatures

* Bearly Thinking: https://www.etsy.com/listing/972054...

* Post-Beginners Book: Game Collection: Chess training for post-beginners

* Caviar: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

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

* Checkmate patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns

* Checkmate Art: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* Chess in old newspapers: https://www.schach-chess.com/chess-...

* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game

* C-K Examples: Game Collection: Caro Kann Lines

* Common Checkmate Patterns:
http://gambiter.com/chess/Checkmate...

* Classic games by great players: Game Collection: Guinness Book - Chess Grandmasters (Hartston)

* Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems

* The Donner Party of Misery: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che...

* Don't Steal: https://www.openbible.info/topics/s...

* Dr. Edmund Adam Miniatures: Edmund Adam

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

* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0

* FICS: https://www.freechess.org/

* French According to... Game Collection: The French According to ...

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

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

* Open up the French Defense?! http://studimonetari.org/edg/latex/...

* Fried Fox is awful: https://allchessopenings.blogspot.c...

* Games of Greco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGd...

* Glossary P: https://www.peoriachess.com/Glossar...

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

* Common Gambits Video: https://saintlouischessclub.org/blo...

* Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz): Game Collection: Golden Treasury of Chess (Wellmuth/Horowitz)

https://archive.org/details/the-gol...

* HOF: https://worldchesshof.org/

* Happy Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slv...

* Juniors might ask: https://www.chessforjuniors.com/

* Various miniatures: Game Collection: MINIATURES

* Bill Wall miniatures: Bill Wall

* Minority Attacks: Game Collection: Minority attack

Game Collection: Anti-minority attack capturing with the Knight.

* Matovinsky Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF7...

* Mughug's Italian: Game Collection: Italian

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

* Brazilian nuts are good for you: Game Collection: 2...De7 !

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

* 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...

* Notable Games: Game Collection: List of Notable Games (wiki)

* Opening Ideas/Novelties: Game Collection: Great opening ideas

* Online safety: https://www.entrepreneur.com/scienc...

* P-K4 gambit examples: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (II)

* Pawn themes: Game Collection: Aurora

* Quash the Queen's Hack Terrorist Attack 2.Qh5?! Game Collection: The Monticelli Trap

* Rules: https://www.gamecolony.com/chessrul...

* Recommendations: https://chess-site.com/

* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures

* P Rep: Game Collection: E4 repertoire

* Sacs on f7/f2: Game Collection: Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sac on f7 (f2)

* Scandinavian Miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Esserman's S-M Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOZ...

* Sports Clichés: http://www.sportscliche.com/

* See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBv...

* Special Collection: Game Collection: 0

* Steel wheel

* Steinitz collection:
Game Collection: Steinitz Gambits

* Starting Out 1d4: Game Collection: Starting Out: 1 d4!

* She's a Stonewaller: Eneida Astolfi Perez

* GK Sicil: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

* Extinguish the Dragon: Game Collection: 1.e4 explorations

* Can you whip Taimanov's Sicilian? http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Bg2 vs Sicilian: Game Collection: Grand Prix Attack without early Bc4

* TWIC: https://theweekinchess.com/

* Tactics course using miniatures:
http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/x/FTP...

* Time bank

* Top Festivals: https://chess-site.com/articles/che...

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

* Top 100: https://ratings.fide.com/top.phtml

* Useful: https://usefulchess.com/

* USCF: https://new.uschess.org/

* Looking for Unorthodox? Game Collection: 6 GumboG's Unorthodox Games-Names (ECO=A,D,

* Looking for Redemption? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykH...

* Vienna 1903 KG games: Game Collection: Vienna 1903

* VP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncH...

* Wall's APCT Miniatures:
http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/c...

* Six Ways: https://takelessons.com/blog/6-tips...

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

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

Кто не рискует, тот не пьет шампанского Pronunciation: KTOH ni risKUyet, tot ni pyot shamPANSkava) Translation: He who doesn't take risks doesn't drink champagne Meaning: Fortune favours the brave

"Tal has a terrifying style. Soon even grandmasters will know of this." - Vladimir Saigin (after losing to 17-year-old Tal in a qualifying match for the master title) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5S...

"I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind." — Mikhail Tal

* 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 can be described as the movement of pieces eating one another." — Marcel Duchamp

"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

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." — Ernest Hemingway

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." ― Albert Einstein

"You win some, you lose some, you wreck some." — Dale Earnhardt

"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

"In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate." ― Isaac Asimov

"When in doubt, don't." ― Benjamin Franklin

Alabama: Mobile
Established in: 1702

The city of Mobile is a port city on the Gulf Coast in Alabama that has a lot of French influence (which makes sense, since it was founded by the French). Mardi Gras celebrations originated there, and you can experience the history of the holiday at the Mobile Carnival Museum.

* Chess History: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ch...

* Chess Aps: https://www.wired.com/story/best-ch...

* Short history: Game Collection: A history of chess

Picture History of Chess
by Fred Wilson

This classic photo-history offers up hundreds of photos of all the great players along with many outstanding adversaries who helped fashion the immortals. Excellent captions throughout. Hours of fascinating reading and a book I return to again and again. Many of these photos are quite old and hard to find, but collected here under one cover, in an oversized (10x12") format, printed on high-quality glossy paper.

Publisher‏: ‎ Dover Pubns; First Edition (January 1, 1981) Language: ‎ English
Paperback: ‎ 182 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 0486238563
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0486238562
Item Weight: ‎ 1.23 pounds
Dimensions: ‎ 8.75 x 0.5 x 11.5 inches

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

Chessgames.com will be unavailable August 27, 2024 from 2:45PM through 3:00PM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience.

A Lefty Land
by JD Maxwell

A different land exists somewhere,
Where lefties are the norm.
The lefty side considered there,
Is standard for the form.

Lets say, someone, you go to meet,
And then extend a hand.
But it's the left, you'll use to greet,
In all the lefty land.

A lefty golfer's shopping dream,
For clubs would be abound.
Or you could fit a baseball team,
Where lefty gloves are found.

From right to left, we all would write,
And never more to smear,
The ink our hand collects just might,
On up and disappear.

And think about the kitchen tools,
To fill about your house.
And then you'll find at all the schools,
A left computer mouse.

And so I dream that there's a place,
That's based upon a hand,
And all of us can share a space,
Our little lefty land.

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.

Caissa, The Chess Lord.

Lord, I play three hundred hours of chess,
indeed, Lord, in thirty days more or less.
I have done my best under gruelling stress,
Yet I'm not happy with my snailing progress.
Yes, Lord. Caissa, to you I sadly do confess:
my constant losing has put me in distress.
I beg of you, Lord, Caissa, help me to re-assess so I can beat those who keep me in this mess.
Lord, with your blessing and your skills I guess I would always win and so powerfully aggress,
that all my opponents would humbly express:
hark here cometh the unbeatable king of chess.

Chessgames.com will be unavailable August 28, 2023 from 1:00AM through 1:30AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Don't trust the smile of your opponent. ~ Babylonian Proverbs

Trust me, but look to thyself. ~ Irish Proverbs

Trust in God, but tie your camel. ~ Saudi Arabian Proverb

Don't trust your wife until she has borne you ten sons. ~ Chinese Proverb

If someone puts their trust in you, don't sever it. ~ Lebanese Proverb

Trust your best friend as you would your worst enemy. ~ Mexican Proverbs

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.>

It takes about eight minutes for light from the Sun to reach our planet.

Riddle Question: If you drop a yellow hat in the Red Sea, what does it become?

The Persian epic Explanation of Chatrang and the Invention of Nard tells the story of chess being introduced to the royal court by an envoy from India.

Riddle Answer: Wet, duh!

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska, is the largest USA national park, covering 13,000 square miles or 13.2 million acres.

Ellison wrote:

Kamikaze
Two rows of a faceless infantry
fall into line;
I am their general
for this callous battle.

Overlords awaken;
their mirrored armies in meager shadow
to these giants that have played
the game of winning before.

The front rank advances slowly,
private by private; caressing the
battlefield as if never to return again.
The cavalry cry out into the night,
A horse's metallic neigh that pierces through
to the other side's defenses,
and the surrounding warriors join in for the hunt.

A piece for a piece;
The desperate deal is made
between the masters of their
horrified soldiers.
Do I dare repeat
such insidious acts within my fleet?

The crown shakes with fear,
for the opposing ranks are drawing near.
Towering higher than the castles upon the deck,
I make my way to the monarch in check;
Swords left littered across the field
as the fires of carnage have dwindled low,
but trampling through grief, groans, and woe,
The other side is forced to yield.

Fourth street

<<<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

by W.A. Ballantine given on page 153 of the American Chess Journal, September 1878:

Charming as the sweetest music;
High above the common reach,
Easy to the bright and wise;
Splendid in the hands of genius;
Such the royal game of chess.

The Ingratitude And Injustice Of Men Towards Fortune

A trader on the sea to riches grew;
Freight after freight the winds in favour blew;
Fate steered him clear; gulf, rock, nor shoal
Of all his bales exacted toll.
Of other men the powers of chance and storm
Their dues collected in substantial form;
While smiling Fortune, in her kindest sport,
Took care to waft his vessels to their port.
His partners, factors, agents, faithful proved;
His goods – tobacco, sugar, spice –
Were sure to fetch the highest price.
By fashion and by folly loved,
His rich brocades and laces,
And splendid porcelain vases,
Enkindling strong desires,
Most readily found buyers.
In short, gold rained wherever he went –
Abundance, more than could be spent –
Dogs, horses, coaches, downy bedding –
His very fasts were like a wedding.
A bosom friend, a look his table giving,
Inquired whence came such sumptuous living.
"Whence should it come," said he, superb of brow, "But from the fountain of my knowing how?
I owe it simply to my skill and care
In risking only where the marts will bear."
And now, so sweet his swelling profits were,
He risked anew his former gains:
Success rewarded not his pains –
His own imprudence was the cause.
One ship, ill-freighted, went awreck;
Another felt of arms the lack,
When pirates, trampling on the laws,
Overcame, and bore it off a prize.
A third, arriving at its port,
Had failed to sell its merchandize, –
The style and folly of the court
Not now requiring such a sort.
His agents, factors, failed; – in short,
The man himself, from pomp and princely cheer,
And palaces, and parks, and dogs, and deer,
Fell down to poverty most sad and drear.
His friend, now meeting him in shabby plight,
Exclaimed, "And whence comes this to pass?"
"From Fortune," said the man, "alas!"
"Console yourself," replied the friendly wight:
"For, if to make you rich the dame denies,
She can't forbid you to be wise."

What faith he gained, I do not wis;
I know, in every case like this,
Each claims the credit of his bliss,
And with a heart ingrate
Imputes his misery to Fate.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), two out of three motorists will be involved in an injury accident during their life!

Drive sober or get pulled over.

"For surely of all the drugs in the world, chess must be the most permanently pleasurable." — Assiac

Switch your pawn insurance to Promotion and you could save hundreds.

"There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world." ― Pierre Mac Orlan

"Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous & varied ways." ― Vladimir Kramnik

Machgielis "Max" Euwe
Fifth World Chess Champion from 1935 to 1937
Birthdate: May 20, 1901
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: November 26, 1981
Max Euwe scripted history when he became the first chess Grandmaster from the Netherlands. A PhD in math, he also taught both math and computer programming, apart from publishing a mathematical analysis of chess. A chess world champion, he also served as the president of FIDE. * Wikipedia: Wikipedia article: Max Euwe

<The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts,
All on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts,
He stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts,
Called for the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.>

Tanitoluwa Adewumi
(American Chess Player)
Birthdate: September 3, 2010
Birthplace: Nigeria
* Wikipedia: Wikipedia article: Tanitoluwa Adewumi

Keli wrote:
Game over
♥️ I had to play.
I had to play.
my stolen heart turned rot, to ***** ♠️

Twas me snubbed.
Twas me who snubbed.
♦️ And glittery diamonds to dirt, were clubbed. ♣️

But I had to play.
I had to play.
Cause he held all my cards anyway. 🃏 I had tried to run.
I tried to run.
We were not there for love, but fun.
And I HAD to play.
I had to play..
I was his. lonely desperate slave.

Now he's moved on..
He's moved on.
and left his pathetic, little pawn ♟ I'd had to play
I'd had to play.
so that from him, I could get away.

He'd gotten bored
He got bored.
He wiped away our checkered board.
Now he's not here.
He's not here.
But I'd do anything to feel him near.

Come play.
Come play.

The Wolf and the Hunter

You lust of gain, – foul fiend, whose evil eyes Regard as nothing the blessings of the skies,
Must I for ever battle you in vain?
How long demandest you to gain
The meaning of my lessons plain?
Will constant getting never cloy?
Will man never slacken to enjoy?
Haste, friend; you have not long to live:
Let me the precious word repeat,
And listen to it, I entreat;
A richer lesson none can give –
The sovereign antidote for sorrow –
ENJOY! – 'I will." – But when? – 'Tomorrow. – " Ah! death may take you on the way,
Why not enjoy, I ask, today?
Lest envious fate your hopes ingulf,
As once it served the hunter and the wolf.

The former, with his fatal bow,
A noble deer had laid full low:
A fawn approached, and quickly lay
Companion of the dead,
For side by side they bled.
Could one have wished a richer prey?
Such luck had been enough to sate
A hunter wise and moderate.
Meantime a boar, as big as ever was taken,
Our archer tempted, proud, and fond of bacon.
Another candidate for Styx,
Struck by his arrow, foams and kicks.
But strangely do the shears of Fate
To cut his cable hesitate.
Alive, yet dying, there he lies,
A glorious and a dangerous prize.
And was not this enough? Not quite,
To fill a conqueror's appetite;
For, before the boar was dead, he spied
A partridge by a furrow's side –
A trifle to his other game.
Once more his bow he drew;
The desperate boar on him came,
And in his dying vengeance slew:
The partridge thanked him as she flew.

Thus much is to the covetous addressed;
The miserly shall have the rest.

A wolf, in passing, saw that woeful sight.
"O Fortune," cried the savage, with delight,
"A fane to you I'll build outright!
"Four carcasses! how rich! But spare –
"I'll make them last – such luck is rare,"
(The miser's everlasting plea.)
"They'll last a month for – let me see –
One, two, three, four – the weeks are four
If I can count – and some days more.
Well, two days from now
And I'll commence.
Meantime, the string on this bow
I'll stint myself to eat;
For by its mutton-smell I know
It's made of entrails sweet."
His entrails rued the fatal weapon,
Which, while he heedlessly did step on,
The arrow pierced his bowels deep,
And laid him lifeless on the heap.

Hark, stingy souls! insatiate leeches!
Our text this solemn duty teaches, –
Enjoy the present; do not wait
To share the wolf's or hunter's fate.

According to America's Foundation for Chess, there are 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000 (approximately 1.70x10^29) ways to play the first 10 moves of a game of chess.

"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.

Chess clocks were first used in 1883, and the first world chess championship was held in 1886.

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.

Koneru Humpy
(Indian Chess Player and the Youngest Woman Ever to Achieve the Title of Grandmaster) Birthdate: March 31, 1987
Birthplace: Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Koneru Humpy is an Indian chess player and the current women's world rapid champion. At the age of 15, Humpy became the youngest female chess player to achieve the prestigious Grandmaster title. In 2003, she was honored with India's second-highest sporting honor, the Arjuna Award. In 2007, Koneru Humpy was honored with the Padma Shri Award. * Wikipedia: Wikipedia article: Koneru Humpy

<<Hickory Dickory Dock:>

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the mouse ran down.
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck two, the mouse said "BOO!"
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck three, the mouse said "WHEE!" Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck four, the mouse said "No more!" Hickory dickory dock.>

Carissa Yip
(American Chess Player and a Former U.S. Women's Chess Champion) Birthdate: September 10, 2003
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States * Wikipedia: Wikipedia article: Carissa Yip

"He who sees the face does not see the heart." — Portuguese Proverb

<<<H.T. Bland.> On page 207 of the December 1929 American Chess Bulletin he exalted the challenger in that year's world championship match:>

Bravo ‘Bogol', you've shown pluck.
One and all we wish you luck.
Gee, some thought you'd barged between
Other players who'd have been
Less likely straightaway to lose
Just as friend Alekhine might choose;
Undaunted, ‘Bogol', you went in
Believing you'd a chance to win.
Or failing that, to make a fight,
Which you are doing as we write.>

The Charge of the Light Brigade
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

"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

* Riddle-freeze-xpee: https://www.briddles.com/riddles/ch...

"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

"We made too many wrong mistakes."
― Yogi Berra, 18-time American League All-Star

<<<Elegy to the Evening Sky> By Dan Higgins, 2024>

The evening sky, a canvas of fading light,
Bears silent witness to the fall of night.
Stars emerge, their whispers soft and low,
An elegy to the sun's departing glow.

Once ablaze with hues of red and gold,
The sky now wears the night's cold hold.
A mournful sight, yet filled with grace,
As darkness takes the day's place.>

With an equatorial diameter of 7926 miles (12,760 kilometers), Earth is the biggest of the terrestrial planets and the fifth largest planet in our solar system.

Question: Who is the oldest man to win People Magazine's sexiest man alive? Answer: Sean Connery – 59.

Peanuts are used to make dynamite.

Question: How do you call a group of unicorns?
Answer: A blessing

Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the lower 48 U.S. states, stretching 5,300 square miles or 3.4 million acres.

Psalm 8
King James Version

8 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

CHESS

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

- Rael

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

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

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

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

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

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.

<<<Anticipation> by Philip Lawrence>

warm May morning
early cool breeze
pock-marked bleachers
men loping lazily across
a verdant carpet as
bright-white baseballs are
snared under ice-blue skies
and as three-year-old eyes
dart unfailingly, and
sneakers kick up and down
mid-air while tiny fingers
grip the metal chair in
full anticipation>

Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

The Human Seasons
by John Keats

Four Seasons fill the measure of the year;
There are four seasons in the mind of man:
He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear
Takes in all beauty with an easy span:
He has his Summer, when luxuriously
Spring's honied cud of youthful thought he loves

To ruminate, and by such dreaming high
Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves
His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings
He furleth close; contented so to look
On mists in idleness—to let fair things
Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook.
He has his Winter too of pale misfeature,
Or else he would forego his mortal nature.

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.

Dick Cavitt: "And you like that moment of just crushing the guy?"

RJ Fischer: "Right *nodding and smiling*, yeah."

"There just isn't enough televised chess." — David Letterman

"Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying any attention to you. It's your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you'll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there's no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself." — Eleanor Roosevelt

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

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

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

Z is for Zaccheus

Zaccheus was a wee little man,
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.

And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, "Zaccheus, you come down!
For I'm going to your house today!
For I'm going to your house today!"

Zaccheus was a wee little man,
But a happy man was he.
For he had seen the Lord that day,
And a happy man was he.
And a very happy man was he!

Zirconium Zr 40 91.22 1.4

Salus populi suprema lex esto

pocket kings

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.

Giuoco Piano
C53 Sub-variants:

Giuoco Piano
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3

Giuoco Piano, LaBourdonnais variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 d6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb6

Giuoco Piano, close variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7

Giuoco Piano, centre-holding variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6

Giuoco Piano, Tarrasch variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6 6. O-O Nf6 7. a4 a6 8. Re1 d6 9. h3

Giuoco Piano, Mestel variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6 6. Bg5

Giuoco Piano, Eisinger variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6 6. d5 Nb8 7. d6

Giuoco Piano
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6

Giuoco Piano, Bird's attack
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. b4

Giuoco Piano
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4

Giuoco Piano, Ghulam Kassim variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd5 Nxf2 8. Kxf2 dxc3+ 9. Kg3

Giuoco Piano
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 d5

Giuoco Piano, Anderssen variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb4+

Wichita method

Greatest hits on a platter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHl...

Italian Game: Classical. Greco Gambit Greco Var (C54) 1-0 Greed
Polerio vs NN, 1606
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 16
Busnardo vs NN, 1570
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 16 moves, 1-0
C50 0-1 15
NN vs Greco, 1620
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 15 moves, 0-1
C50 0-1 14
NN vs Greco, 1620
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 14 moves, 0-1
C50 0-1 13
NN vs Greco, 1620
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 13 moves, 0-1
C53 1-0 7
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 7 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 9
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 9 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 14
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 14 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 20
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 17
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 17 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 14
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 14 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 17
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 17 moves, 1-0
Italian, Classical. Greco Gambit Greco Var (C54) 1-0 10...BxRa1
Greco vs NN, 1624
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 17 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 19
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 19 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 18
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 18 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 14
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 14 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 20
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 1-0
C57 1-0 17
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C57) Two Knights, 17 moves, 1-0
B's Opening: Berlin Def. Greco G. (C23) 1-0 Sideways Gueridon #
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 22 moves, 1-0
C23 1-0 15
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 15 moves, 1-0
C40 1-0 11
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 11 moves, 1-0
C40 1-0 11
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 11 moves, 1-0
C40 1-0 8
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 8 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 13
Cochrane vs NN, 1822
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 13 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 35
Lowenthal vs Szen, 1842
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 35 moves, 1-0
Giuoco Pianissimo. Italian 4 Knights (C50) 0-1Brutal sac attack
H Kloos vs Anderssen, 1861
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 19 moves, 0-1
C54 1-0 19
G Neumann vs B von Guretzky-Cornitz, 1863
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 19 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 26
P Leonhardt vs Teichmann, 1905
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 26 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 25
F Lazard vs A Gibaud, 1909
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 25 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 19
Alekhine vs NN, 1911
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 19 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 25
E Jacobson vs V Kornia, 1913
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 25 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 17
Keres vs G Karring, 1934
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 17 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 18
C J Corte vs J Bolbochan, 1946
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 18 moves, 1-0
Philidor Defense: Hanham Var (C41) 1-0 Bxf7+ KxB, Nxe5+ pin
P Skatchkov vs K Krovelschikov, 2001
(C41) Philidor Defense, 14 moves, 1-0
It's not a Max Lange Attack. It's the Moeller Attack!?
Kasparov vs R Gabdrakhmanov, 1977
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 37 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 26
S Schiffers vs M Reinert, 1999
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 26 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 16
H Papamichail vs G Pashos, 2001
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 16 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 17
A Fernandez-Velasco Climent vs A Munoz Angel, 2001
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 17 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 40
A Logun vs K Sarapik, 2001
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 40 moves, 1-0
C54 1-0 25
M Petrovic vs J Zivkovic, 2001
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 25 moves, 1-0
Giuoco Pianissimo c3, d3, Bg5 (C53) 1-0 Outnumber the defender
Kasparov vs G P Gomez, 2004
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 26 moves, 1-0
C53 1-0 22
J Emms vs D J Ledger, 2006
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 22 moves, 1-0
C50 1-0 45
Giri vs Shankland, 2019
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 45 moves, 1-0
Italian Game 4.0-0 f5 5.d4 (C50) 1-0 A rim rockin' slam dunk!!
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 12 moves, 1-0
David R. Sands notes in the Washington Times of 23 April 2005
Guila vs G Pecci, 1875
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 19 moves, 0-1
Game 5 in Instructive Chess Miniatures by Alper Efe Ataman.
V Knorre vs Chigorin, 1874
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 14 moves, 0-1
Philidor Def: Hanham Var (C41) 1-0 Pedestal/Gueridon Mate
Polo vs Pasqualini, 1923
(C41) Philidor Defense, 9 moves, 1-0
Akiba gives rook odds and delivers mate w/the remaining rook!
Rubinstein vs NN, 1903
(000) Chess variants, 22 moves, 1-0
Italian Game: Classical. Albin Gambit (C53) 1-0 29.? Dynamite!
G Atwood vs J Wilson, 1801
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 32 moves, 1-0
Italian Game: Classical. Closed Var (C53) 1-0 Stockfish notes
Greco vs NN, 1623
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 35 moves, 1-0
Philidor Defense (C41) 1-0 Not quite the Opera House game
Greco vs NN, 1620
(C41) Philidor Defense, 11 moves, 1-0
Philidor Def. 3.d4 Bg4 Opera House line (C41) 1-0 tpstar notes!
G Atwood vs J Wilson, 1795
(C41) Philidor Defense, 22 moves, 1-0
Italian Game: Two Knts Def. Lolli Attack (C57) 1-0Exch Sac Attk
J Balint vs Chernev, 1938
(C57) Two Knights, 10 moves, 1-0
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense (C55) 1-0 Pin to win
P Kerkovius vs A Mandelbaum, 1894
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 14 moves, 1-0
Rossolimo vs P Reissmann, 1967
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 24 moves, 1-0
55 games

» View all game collections by fredthebear
» Search entire game collection library
» Clone this game collection (copy it to your account)
» FAQ: Help with Game Collections