White places the f-pawn on the best square for the king's knight. Why? To support a unit on e4 or g4. Perhaps f3 is best used to prevent Black from the pawn advance f4-f3.

"Si vis pacem, para bellum" ― Cicero

"Unfortunately, many regard the critic as an enemy, instead of seeing him as a guide to the truth." ― Wilhelm Steinitz

"My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose." ― Bette Davis

"Chess is a matter of vanity." ― Alexander Alekhine

"As a chess player one has to be able to control one's feelings, one has to be as cold as a machine." ― Levon Aronian

"Sometimes it happens that the computer's assessment is very abstract. It's correct, but it's not useful for a practical game. You have to prove the assessment with very strong moves and if you don't find all of these strong moves you may lose very quickly. For a computer this is not a problem, but for humans it is not so easy." ― Vassily Ivanchuk

"A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit." ― John Milton

"Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory." ― Max Euwe

"A sport, a struggle for results and a fight for prizes. I think that the discussion about "chess is science or chess is art" is already inappropriate. The purpose of modern chess is to reach a result." ― Alexander Morozevich

"No one man is superior to the game." ― A. Bartlett Giamatti, in reference to Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader banned for gambling.

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." ― Alexander Pope

"I consider Mr. Morphy the finest chess player who ever existed. He is far superior to any now living, and would doubtless have beaten Labourdonnais himself. In all his games with me, he has not only played, in every instance, the exact move, but the most exact. He never makes a mistake; but, if his adversary commits the slightest error, he is lost." ― Adolf Anderssen

"After white's reply to 1.e4 e5 with 2.f4 the game is in its last throes" ― Howard Staunton

"I have added these principles to the law: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed." ― Emanuel Lasker

"With opposite coloured bishops the attacking side has in effect an extra piece in the shape of his bishop." ― Mikhail Botvinnik

"A pawn, when separated from his fellows, will seldom or never make a fortune." ― Francois-Andre Danican Philidor

"Be warned! From Satan's viewpoint you are a pawn in his game of cosmic chess." ― Adrian Rogers

"Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position." ― Anatoly Karpov

"The object of the state is always the same: to limit the individual, to tame him, to subordinate him, to subjugate him." ― Max Stirner

"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

"A Queen's sacrifice, even when fairly obvious, always rejoices the heart of the chess-lover." ― Savielly Tartakower

"Everyone makes mistakes. The wise are not people who never make mistakes, but those who forgive themselves and learn from their mistakes." ― Ajahn Brahm

"As a rule, so-called "positional" sacrifices are considered more difficult, and therefore more praise-worthy, than those which are based exclusively on an exact calculation of tactical possibilities." ― Alexander Alekhine

"It would be idle, and presumptuous, to wish to imitate the achievements of a Morphy or an Alekhine; but their methods and their manner of expressing themselves are within the reach of all." ― Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

"The most powerful weapon in chess is to have the next move." ― David Bronstein

"If the defender is forced to give up the center, then every possible attack follows almost of itself." ― Siegbert Tarrasch

"Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a defenseless and unerudite public." ― Agnes Repplier

"If you watch it, you should watch it with other players and try to find moves, like it was before. Now on many sites you watch together with the computer and the pleasure is gone." ― Boris Gelfand

"I believe that Chess possesses a magic that is also a help in advanced age. A rheumatic knee is forgotten during a game of chess and other events can seem quite unimportant in comparison with a catastrophe on the chessboard." ― Vlastimil Hort

"It's funny, but many people don't understand why I draw so many games nowadays. They think my style must have changed but this is not the case at all. The answer to this drawing disease is that my favorite squares are e6, f7, g7 and h7 and everyone now knows this. They protect these squares not once but four times!" ― Mikhail Tal

"Having spent alarmingly large chunks of my life studying the white side of the Open Sicilian, I find myself asking, why did I bother?" ― Daniel J. King

"Apart from direct mistakes, there is nothing more ruinous than routine play, the aim of which is mechanical development." ― Alexey Suetin

"Not infrequently ... the theoretical is a synonym of the stereotyped. For the 'theoretical' in chess is nothing more than that which can be found in the textbooks and to which players try to conform because they cannot think up anything better or equal, anything original." ― Mikhail Chigorin

"The choice of opening, whether to aim for quiet or risky play, depends not only on the style of a player, but also on the disposition with which he sits down at the board." ― Efim Geller

"Despite the development of chess theory, there is much that remains secret and unexplored in chess." ― Vasily Smyslov

"No matter how much theory progresses, how radically styles change, chess play is inconceivable without tactics." ― Samuel Reshevsky

"Collect as precious pearls the words of the wise and virtuous." ― Abdelkader El Djezairi

"Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence." ― Abigail Adams

"When I was preparing for one term's work in the Botvinnik school I had to spend a lot of time on king and pawn endings. So when I came to a tricky position in my own games, I knew the winning method." ― Garry Kasparov

"As a rule, pawn endings have a forced character, and they can be worked out conclusively." ― Mark Dvoretsky

"It is a gross overstatement, but in chess, it can be said I play against my opponent over the board and against myself on the clock." ― Viktor Korchnoi

"The fact that the 7 hours time control allows us to play a great deep game is not of great importance for mass-media." ― Alexei Shirov

"For me, each game is a new challenge, which has to be dealt with rationally and systematically. At that time, every other thought fades into oblivion." ― Viswanathan Anand

"Any fool can know. The point is to understand." ― Albert Einstein

"One bad move nullifies forty good ones."
― Israel Albert Horowitz

"It is a well-known phenomenon that the same amateur who can conduct the middle game quite creditably, is usually perfectly helpless in the end game. One of the principal requisites of good chess is the ability to treat both the middle and end game equally well." ― Aron Nimzowitsch

"My hard work and excellent training entitled me to be a better actress than some of my competitors." ― Pola Negri

"Endings of one rook and pawns are about the most common sort of endings arising on the chess board. Yet though they do occur so often, few have mastered them thoroughly. They are often of a very difficult nature, and sometimes while apparently very simple they are in reality extremely intricate." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

"Capablanca used to talk calmly and moderately about everything. However, when our conversation turned to the problems of the battle for the world championship, in front of me was a quite different person: an enraged lion, although with the fervour typical only of a southerner, with his temperamental patter, which made it hard to follow the torrent of his indignant exclamations and words." ― Alexander Koblencs

"A player is said to have the opposition when he can place his King directly in front of the adverse King, with only one square between them. This is often an important advantage in ending games." ― Howard Staunton

"A player can sometimes afford the luxury of an inaccurate move, or even a definite error, in the opening or middlegame without necessarily obtaining a lost position. In the endgame ... an error can be decisive, and we are rarely presented with a second chance." ― Paul Keres

"Never trust a government that doesn't trust its own citizens with guns." ― Benjamin Franklin

"The Soviet Union was an exception, but even there chess players were not rich. Only Fischer changed that." ― Boris Spassky

"Chess never has been and never can be aught but a recreation. It should not be indulged in to the detriment of other and more serious avocations - should not absorb or engross the thoughts of those who worship at its shrine, but should be kept in the background, and restrained within its proper province. As a mere game, a relaxation from the severe pursuits of life, it is deserving of high commendation." ― Paul Morphy

"Incidentally, when we're faced with a "prove or disprove," we're usually better off trying first to disprove with a counterexample, for two reasons: A disproof is potentially easier (we need just one counterexample); and nitpicking arouses our creative juices. Even if the given assertion is true, our search for a counterexample often leads to a proof, as soon as we see why a counterexample is impossible. Besides, it's healthy to be skeptical." ― Ronald Graham

"Attackers may sometimes regret bad movez, but it's much worse to forever regret an opportunity you allowed to pass you by." ― Garry Kasparov

"Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of a double check." ― Aron Nimzowitzch

"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.

Proverbs 29:25
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

"Winning is about commitment, discipline, hard work, dedication, determination, courage and sometimes even luck!" ― Susan Polgar

"Every defeat is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes! Every victory is a confirmation of our hard work!" ― Susan Polgar

"A chess player uses his/her knowledge to prepare for next game while a passionate coach preparez for next generation!" ― Susan Polgar

French Proverb: "Ce n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire la grimace." ― (There's no substitute for experience.)

<<<When You Are Old> by William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939)>

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. >

Anne Boleyn Thought She Caught the Prize in King Henry the 8th by PinkFaerie5

Anne Boleyn, you set your sights high, you deviously bold sly fox Your interest was the end of Catherine's head and locks Mary was declared a bastard, Henry the Eighth's wife slain. You were singing prettily through this torment, a refrain.

Anne Boleyn, you enticed a dangerous king, indeed. Henry the Eighth, who smashed wives like a mustard seed. You thought you would give him sons but alas, it did not happen. So now here you are in the tower, being visited by a chaplain.

Anne Boleyn, your three years as a queen was not a record. Although Henry's next wife Jane will not last assured Sir Rutherford. All of Catherine's sons died in infancy, and you were beheaded too. Your French fashions and pretty singing voice could not save the likes of you.

* Checkmate brevities: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* Crouch's book: Game Collection: Chess Secrets - Attackers (Crouch)

* French tutorial: https://chessklub.com/french-defense/

* KID 0-1s: Game Collection: K.I.D B wins E98

* Dr. Edmund Adam Miniatures: Edmund Adam

* First one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyo...

* I'm only one: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E1nl...

* I'm the one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRS...

* One minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3N...

* Round 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i2...

* 2...f5?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3a...

* Animal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8u...

* The Brown Bomber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPe...

* Looked harmless: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H-C2...

* Golden: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/avSA...

* Bird swoop: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2leD...

* Ponziani Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9gKN...

* Vienna Sacrifice: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jD53...

* Advantage of the 2 Bishops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dG...

* BC Dumb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2I...

* So she did this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGq...

* Kiddie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKS...

* 3 Kiddie Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jP...

* KID killer: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3Xaf...

* 3 Wise men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws0...

* What about trams? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SzMQ...

* Circulations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTw...

* Come Jesus Come:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IcMT...

* Crazy Rook trick: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kLM3...

* Double Rook Lift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNQ...

* Jaw Dropper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0o...

* C-K in 3 EZ steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtP...

* Never say 3 things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3i...

* 3 months to live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPm...

* 3 Viral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7n...

* 3 for Black vs 1.e4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXM...

* 4 mantras: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4w...

* Knightly MG: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XRP3...

* 4 seasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kt...

* 5 Owls of NA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdE...

* Five in '25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp1...

* Let 'em have it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wi...

* Furious Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpd...

* Dominate the LS in 5 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iro...

* Do the Hustle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3k...

* 5 Rare gambits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_r...

* 5 middlegame minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLA...

* 5 embarrassments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdM...

* Endgame tactics in 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA9...

* 5 occurrences AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eJ...

* Yes, they do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mi...

* Get better in 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mc...

* Tigran's Top 5 Exch Sacs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc-...

* 6 Essential Structures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zu...

* Freedom is not Free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89P...

* Deflection on f7: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S1em...

* Punish Common Traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsD...

* H2P the Delay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9a...

* Pink Elephants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVK...

* Scary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh6...

* 7 Deadliest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scz...

* 7 realities: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/20AY...

* 7 truths: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4LfX...

* 7 Endings to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrL...

* 8 Q tactics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amz...

* 8 min time lapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih2...

* 9 ways to defeat: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aaHZ...

* A10 Warthog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMI...

* Top 10 Dog Coms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlV...

* 10 Recent discoveries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePj...

* 10 min of Ukranian Hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l_...

* 10 Common Traps in the Sicilian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzu...

* Facts? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQi...

* Fraction equation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMK...

* RP knows 'em well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZw...

* GPA short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q_...

* FM GPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Y...

* Model GPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glm...

* Win w/the GPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ae...

* Anti-GPA trap #645: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyN...

* Annoying line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_L...

* GPA refuted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqr...

* Extinguish the GPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P...

* Agadmator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoE...

* Quick either way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z0...

* Special Pete: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCi...

* Fuzzy Wuzzy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scU...

* The Government forbid Church attendance during COVID-19, so we did this instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krU...

* Of course, JT set our example back in the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmH...

* BGs sort of ran together: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JCQO...

* Before that... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgv...

* C-K stabs f7: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MFoo...

* How to be brave: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cQI3...

* Get Discipline: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/l3EI...

* Going out in style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMf...

* Greats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDU...

* The Lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAA...

* lIke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5W...

* Joel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4L...

* Now the day bleeds... https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4wVC...

* Own key squares: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x-...

* Promise: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u-sY...

* Prophylaxis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qj...

* 12 smells Verminters hate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Eh...

* Don't poke your eye out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkD...

* Week 13 of '67: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPJ...

* RR on King Tut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k59...

* RPO invention: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9FOb...

* Ridicule: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEH...

* F14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2d...

* 15 Home Depot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlB...

* A lot of shoveling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoO...

* Senator asks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKO...

* September: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UFmU...

* 20 Fox facts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu3...

* French b3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxV...

* C00 French Defense: Horwitz Attack, Papa-Ticulat Gambit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTS...

* Unique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWY...

* Wooden stick: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JUQD...

* Won't ever forget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L5...

* Caro-Kann Defense: Maroczy Variation (B12) Beauty | Reykjavik Open 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtU...

* 50-year-old tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0...

* Owls attack! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq-...

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.

Question: In terms of production volume, what is the most popular fruit in the world? Answer: Tomato – yes, tomato is a fruit.

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

Uncle Sam Reshevsky was hit with Biden's Mate (crossways Catholic bishops) in a St. Louis (now the USA chess capital of sorts) department store, but business is booming back.

https://clipartcraft.com/download.h...

The Elephant in the Room is obviously the GOP's Donald J. Trump, already man of the decade. Although the bar was very low, and personal cost very, very high, fighter Trump has returned to office less than two months and already accomplished more than bumbling Joe Biden did in four awful years. The Deep State has been exposed, the Woke agenda is being erased from children's books and women's locker rooms, hostages are returning to their homes, trespassers are staying south of the border, and the Washington D.C. Swamp is being drained. Mighty America is Great Again!! https://www.politico.com/news/magaz...

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comme...

#

Winter strategy: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/h20Z... - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fv8g...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iw5I...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5yaj...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0Lz8...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r9Xg...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lPrO...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q6ct...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uaPI...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a0yz...
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u__j...

Snow White & the Huntsman by Evan Daugherty

"Who will you be when faced with the end?
The end of a kingdom,
The end of good men,
Will you run?
Will you hide?
Or will you hunt down evil with a venomous pride?

Rise to the ashes,
Rise to the winter sky,
Rise to the calling,
Make heard the battle cry.
Let it scream from the mountains
From the forest to the chapel,
Because death is a hungry mouth
And you are the apple.

So who will you be when faced with the end?
When the vultures are circling
And the shadows descend
Will you cower?
Or will you fight?
Is your heart made of glass?
Or a pure Snow White?"
― Lily Blake, Snow White & the Huntsman

Best Jean De La Bruyere Quotes
"Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"The unnamed should not be mistaken for the nonexistent." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"If poverty is the mother of all crimes, lack of intelligence is their father." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"As favor and riches forsake a man, we discover in him the foolishness they concealed, and which no one perceived before." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Two persons cannot long be friends if they cannot forgive each other's little failings." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"We are afraid of the old age which we may never attain." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Most men make use of the first part of their life to render the last part miserable." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"The pleasure of criticizing takes away from us the pleasure of being moved by some very fine things." ― Jean De La Bruyere

"Such a great misfortune, not to be able to be alone." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"A person's worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"To laugh at men of sense is the privilege of fools." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"If some persons died and others did not die death would indeed be a terrible affliction." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Out of difficulties, grow miracles" ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Not to be able to bear with all bad-tempered people with whom the world is crowded, shows that a man has not a good temper himself." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"The same principle leads us to neglect a man of merit that induces us to admire a fool." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"There are only three events in a man's life; birth, life, and death; he is not conscious of being born, he dies in pain and he forgets to live." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness. " ― Jean de La Bruyère

"The most exquisite pleasure is giving pleasure to others." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"A man is rich whose income is larger than his expenses, and he is poor if his expenses are greater than his income." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Grief at the absence of a loved one is happiness compared to life with a person one hates." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"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

"A wise man is cured of ambition by ambition itself; his aim is so exalted that riches, office, fortune, and favor cannot satisfy him." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"There is no road too long to the man who advances deliberately and without undue haste; there are no honors too distant to the man who prepares himself for them with patience." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"The great charm of conversation consists less in the display of one's own wit and intelligence than in the power to draw forth the resources of others; he who leaves you after a long conversation, pleased with himself and the part he has taken in the discourse, will be your warmest admirer. Men do not care to admire you, they wish you to be pleased with them; they do not seek for instruction or even amusement from your discourse, but they do wish you to be made acquainted with their talents and powers of conversation, and the true man of genius will delicately make all who come in contact with him feel the exquisite satisfaction of knowing that they have appeared to advantage." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"We can recognize the dawn and the decline of love by the uneasiness we feel when alone together." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"A fool is an automaton, a machine with springs which turn him about always in one manner and preserve his equilibrium. He is ever the same and never changes. If you have seen him once you have seen him at every moment and period of his life. He is at best but as the lowing ox or the whistling blackbird. He is fixed and obstinate, I may say, by nature. What appears least in him is his soul; that has neither activity nor energy; it reposes." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"That man is good who does good to others; if he suffers on account of the good he does, he is very good; if he suffers at the hands of those to whom he has done good, then his goodness is so great that it could be enhanced only by greater sufferings; and if he should die at their hands, his virtue can go no further: it is heroic, it is perfect" ― Jean de La Bruyère

"The very essence of politeness is to take care that by our words and actions we make other people pleased with us as well as with themselves." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Everything has been said, and we are more than seven thousand years of human thought too late." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"One seeks to make the loved one entirely happy, or, if that cannot be, entirely wretched." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"We should only endeavor to think and speak correctly ourselves, without wishing to bring others over to our taste and opinions; this would be too great an undertaking." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"That we seldom repent of talking too little and very often of talking too much is a … maxim that everybody knows and nobody practices" ― Jean de La Bruyère

"We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Sudden love takes the longest time to be cured." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"Novice exists which does not pretend to be more or less like some virtue, and which does not take advantage of this assumed resemblance." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"When a book raises your spirit and inspires you with noble and manly thoughts, seek for no other test of its excellence. It is good and made by a good workman." ― Jean de La Bruyère

"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing." ― Will Rogers

"The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it in your back pocket." ― Will Rogers

"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." ― Will Rogers

"Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved." ― Will Rogers

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." ― Will Rogers

"Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can't buy enough to eat." ― Will Rogers

"The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other." ― Will Rogers

"It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute." ― Will Rogers

"An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh." ― Will Rogers

"I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat." ― Will Rogers

"You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people." ― Will Rogers

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets." ― Will Rogers

"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're actually paying for." ― Will Rogers

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves." ― Will Rogers

"The problem ain't what people know. It's what people know that ain't so that's the problem." ― Will Rogers

"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing." ― Will Rogers

"Buy land. They ain't making any more of the stuff." ― Will Rogers

"What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds." ― Will Rogers

"If you feel the urge, don't be afraid to go on a wild goose chase. What do you think wild geese are for anyway?" ― Will Rogers

"There are men running governments who shouldn't be allowed to play with matches." ― Will Rogers

"There is no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you." ― Will Rogers

"Most men are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." ― Will Rogers

"The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has." ― Will Rogers

"Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it's not one bit better than the government we got for one-third the money twenty years ago." ― Will Rogers

"You can't say civilization don't advance, in every war they kill you in a new way." ― Will Rogers

"Personally, I have always felt that the best doctor in the world is the Veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what is the matter...he's just got to know." ― Will Rogers

"It is better for some one to think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." ― Will Rogers

"If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." ― Will Rogers

"Give her a day, and then in return Momma gives you the other 364." ― Will Rogers

"It's not what we don't know that hurts. It's what we know that ain't so." ― Will Rogers

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." ― Will Rogers

"Never miss a good chance to shut up." ― Will Rogers

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." ― Will Rogers

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't like." ― Will Rogers

"There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin'. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves." ― Will Rogers

"Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else." ― Will Rogers

"There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works." ― Will Rogers

"All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance." ― Will Rogers

"Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth." ― Will Rogers

"I never met a man that I didn't like." ― Will Rogers

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." ― Will Rogers

"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces." ― Will Rogers

"Common sense ain't common." ― Will Rogers

"Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects." ― Will Rogers

"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." ― Will Rogers

"You know, everybody's ignorant, just on different subjects." ― Will Rogers

"When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging." ― Will Rogers

"Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious." ― Will Rogers

"When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car." ― Will Rogers

"The minute you read something that you can't understand, you can almost be sure that it was drawn up by a lawyer." ― Will Rogers

"The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office." ― Will Rogers

"We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." ― Will Rogers

"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people." ― Will Rogers

"If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?" ― Will Rogers

"If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can't get us out." ― Will Rogers

"A fool and his money are soon elected." ― Will Rogers

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." ― Will Rogers

"Always drink upstream from the herd." ― Will Rogers

"Lead your life so you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip." ― Will Rogers

"The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected."― Will Rogers

"When you're through learning, you're through." ― Will Rogers

"I'll bet you the time ain't far off when a woman won't know any more than a man." ― Will Rogers

"Things ain't what they used to be and probably never was." ― Will Rogers

"Get all the good laughs you can." ― Will Rogers

"Liberty doesn't work as well in practice as it does in speeches." ― Will Rogers

"Even if you are on the right track, but just sit there, you will still get run over." ― Will Rogers

"The only way to beat the lawyers is to die with nothing." ― Will Rogers

"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer." ― Will Rogers

"A man that don't love a horse, there is something the matter with him." ― Will Rogers

"People's minds are changed through observation and not through argument." ― Will Rogers

"Ignorance lies not in the things you don't know, but in the things you know that ain't so." ― Will Rogers

"The best way to make a fire with two sticks is to make sure one of them is a match." ― Will Rogers

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat." ― Will Rogers

"Plans get you into things but you've got to work your way out." ― Will Rogers

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." ― Will Rogers

"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education." ― Will Rogers

"Heroing is one of the shortest-lived professions there is." ― Will Rogers

"Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else." ― Will Rogers

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." ― Will Rogers

"An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out." ― Will Rogers

"If you ever injected truth into politics you would have no politics." ― Will Rogers

"Lord, let me live until I die." ― Will Rogers

"Democrats never agree on anything, that's why they're Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they would be Republicans." ― Will Rogers

"I like to hear a man talk about himself because then I never hear anything, but good." ― Will Rogers

"When you find youself in a hole - stop digging." ― Will Rogers

"If you can't identify it, don't stick it in your mouth." ― Will Rogers

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression." ― Will Rogers

"The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets." ― Will Rogers

"It's almost been worth this depression to find out how little our big men know." ― Will Rogers

"I never met a person that I did not want to like." ― Will Rogers

"Three couples approached the Pearly Gates and asked permission from Saint Peter to enter. To the first husband he responded, "You may not enter heaven. All your life you've been obsessed with money. Why, you even married a woman named Penny!" He then turned to the second husband and responded, "You may not enter heaven. All your life you've been obsessed with food. Why, you even married a woman named Candy." Taking his wife gently by the hand and looking very sad, the third husband said, "Come on, Fanny, we might as well get out of here!" ― Kevin Kenworthy, The Best Jokes Minnie Pearl Ever Told:

"A couple was celebratin' their fiftieth wedding anniversary with a reception. They were standin' in line greetin' their friends and about halfway through, she hauled off and hit him! He looked surprised and said, "What was that for?" She said, "For fifty years of bad sex!" He thought about that a minute and then hauled off and hit her. Now it was her turn to look surprised and she said, "What on earth was that for?" And he answered, "For knowing the difference!" ― Kevin Kenworthy, The Best Jokes Minnie Pearl Ever Told:

"God has a plan for all of us, but He expects us to do our share of the work." ― Minnie Pearl

"So often when you start talking about kindness to animals someone comments that starving and mistreated children should come first. The issue can't be divided like that. It isn't a choice between children and animals. It's our duty to care for both. Kindness is the important thing. Kids and animals are our responsibility." ― Minnie Pearl

"Take the back roads instead of the highways." ― Minnie Pearl

"Kissing a man with a beard is a lot like going to a picnic. You don't mind going through a little bush to get there!" ― Minnie Pearl

"The doctor must have put my pacemaker in wrong. Every time my husband kisses me, the garage door goes up." ― Minnie Pearl

"Once you've gotten used to performing, you can't give it up." ― Minnie Pearl

"Show business is made up of disappointments, and it's through life's disappointments that you grow." ― Minnie Pearl

"Since religion was so much a part of my life as a child, and since my childhood was so happy and so full of laughter and joy, I associate the two. Even my concept of Jesus goes along with this association of happiness and religion." ― Minnie Pearl

"Watch out fer these fellers around here. It ain't safe fer a pretty girl. Why, I had one just now tell me I looked like a breath of spring. Well, he didn't use them words, exactly. He said I looked like the end of a hard winter." ― Minnie Pearl

"Marriage is like a hot bath; once you get used to it, it ain't so hot." ― Minnie Pearl

"We have boys now, and men, in the rock and roll business and all the show business, who have this reaction on women. They scream. They yell. They do all sorts of wild things." ― Minnie Pearl

"It's the most unglamourous glamour business in the world." ― Minnie Pearl

"Elvis said, Miss Minnie, do you think it would be out of order if I go up and speak to General Stewart? I've always been such a fan of his. So Elvis went up to speak to the Stewarts." ― Minnie Pearl

"When we got to the hotel, the Hawaiian Village, there were 500 screaming women there. The police were trying to keep the crowd back. It was very dangerous." ― Minnie Pearl

"They were taking pictures and everything. When we got down off the plane, the minute Elvis made his appearance at the door of the plane, the screaming got even worse." ― Minnie Pearl

"My husband was a pilot. He flew Elvis when Elvis first started making appearances around the country." ― Minnie Pearl

"I think Elvis loved his fans - I think that's why they loved him and still love him. Fans are very conscious and sensitive to the fact that performers love them." ― Minnie Pearl

"I knew about Elvis. Of course, everybody knew about him then." ― Minnie Pearl

"Colonel Parker asked Henry and me to come to Elvis' suite and have breakfast. There were at least five policemen stationed up there. He was talking on the telephone." ― Minnie Pearl

"Elvis couldn't leave the hotel except under heavy guard. It was incredible how they went wild over him." ― Minnie Pearl

"I've been with certain stars; some are caring and pay attention to their fans and to their fellow performers and some are too busy. Elvis never seemed too busy." ― Minnie Pearl

"That's what life is all about: remembering someone and smiling!" ― Minnie Pearl

"Getting married is a lot like getting into a tub of hot water. After you get used to it, it ain't so hot." ― Minnie Pearl

Wordzys:
38cry Peepy iz's perfume fumed up the room enough for three adults Moe, Larry, and Kurley fries liver attack of the three headed monster trucks stay to the right.

"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

FTB didn't know that Joe actually read books, but we'll give a listen: https://www.blinkist.com/n/magazine...

FTB hasn't watched all of this video yet, but the shorts seem to indicate that married MC is less guarded, more detailed than typical interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybu...

America
by Walt Whitman

Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear'd, grown, ungrown, young or old, Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love, A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair'd in the adamant of Time.

My Country 'Tis of Thee (America) Composed in 1831 by Samuel Francis Smith

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From ev'ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

"When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness." – Alexis de Tocqueville

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.

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

The City Rat and the Country Rat

A city rat, one night,
Did, with a civil stoop,
A country rat invite
To end a turtle soup.

On a Turkey carpet
They found the table spread,
And sure I need not harp it
How well the fellows fed.

The entertainment was
A truly noble one;
But some unlucky cause
Disturbed it when begun.

It was a slight rat-tat,
That put their joys to rout;
Out ran the city rat;
His guest, too, scampered out.

Our rats but fairly quit,
The fearful knocking ceased.
"Return we," cried the cit,
To finish there our feast.

"No," said the rustic rat;
"Tomorrow dine with me.
I'm not offended at
Your feast so grand and free, –

"For I have no fare resembling;
But then I eat at leisure,
And would not swap, for pleasure
So mixed with fear and trembling."

French Proverb: "Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard." ― (Nothing should be left to chance.)

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

"You can only get good at chess if you love the game." ― Bobby Fischer

"As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight." — The Revenant