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

"Life is like chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game." ― Being Caballero

"Chess is something more than a game. It is an intellectual diversion which has certain artistic qualities and many scientific elements." ― Jose Raul Capablanca

"The greatest compliment one can pay a master is to compare him with Jose Capablanca." — Irving Chernev

"You cannot play at chess if you are kind-hearted." ― French Proverb

"The first principle of attack–Don't let the opponent develop!" ― Reuben Fine

"You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove you the better player." ― English Proverb

"For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion." ― Bobby Fischer

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

"Boring? Who's boring? I am Fredthebear. My mind is always active, busy."

"I believe that it is best to know a 'dubious' opening really well, rather than a 'good' opening only slightly." ― Simon Williams

"To play for a draw, at any rate with white, is to some degree a crime against chess." ― Mikhail Tal

"I believe that true beauty of chess is more than enough to satisfy all possible demands." ― Alexander Alekhine

"We cannot resist the fascination of sacrifice, since a passion for sacrifices is part of a chessplayer's nature." ― Rudolf Spielmann

"There is no such thing as an absolutely freeing move. A freeing move in a position in which development has not been carried far always proves illusory, and vice versa, a move which does not come at all in the category of freeing moves can, given a surplus of tempi to our credit, lead to a very free game." ― Aron Nimzowitsch

"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.

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

"You win some, you lose some, and your losses are never made up to you. She will simply have to do without; like it or not, she must face her losses and her helplessness to undo them." — Sheldon B. Kopp

"It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse." ― Paul Dietzel

"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

* Tweet, tweet: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/1...

* Strange Fianchetto Birds: Game Collection: White king's fianchetto

* Wikipedia says: Wikipedia article: Bird's Opening

* Five Best? https://thechessworld.com/articles/...

* Pelikan man: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che...

* Against the Bird: Game Collection: World Champions face 1. f4

* LJ's Favs: Game Collection: LJ.Davison's favorite games

* Bit Collection: Game Collection: Special Gambit Collection

* 101 Brevities: Game Collection: 7

* Qk traps: Game Collection: quick knockouts by traps

* Biglo traps: Game Collection: Traps

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

* Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R

* Checkmate brevities: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* CFN: https://www.youtube.com/@CFNChannel

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

* Collection assembled by Fredthebear.

* Robert Fischer's Best Games by KingG (127 games, a ton of quotes): Game Collection: Robert Fischer's Best Games

* Bobby Fischer Rediscovered/Andrew Soltis (97 games): Game Collection: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (Andy Soltis)

* 1992: Game Collection: Spassky-Fischer Match 1992

* Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black

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

* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0

* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

* Glossary: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess

* h-file attacks: Game Collection: h-file Attacks, some Greek Gifts by Fredthebear

* How to Play Chess! http://www.serverchess.com/play.htm...

* Imagination: Game Collection: Imagination in Chess

* Immortal Games: Game Collection: Immortal games

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

* Surprise Knockouts: Game Collection: quick knockouts of greats

* Lasker's Manual: Game Collection: Manual of Chess (Lasker)

* Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES

* Miniatures: Game Collection: 200 Miniature Games of Chess - Du Mont (III)

* Monday Puzzles: Game Collection: Monday Puzzles, 2011-2017

* Nuremberg 1896: Nuremberg (1896)

* Nunn's Chess Course: Game Collection: Lasker JNCC

* Become a Predator at the Chessboard: https://www.chesstactics.org/

* POTD 2023: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2023

* Seven Minutes: French Defense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRU...

* Tartakower Defense: https://www.chess.com/blog/MatBobul...

"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.

France, officially the French Republic, is a sovereign state located in Western Europe. It has an area of 643,801 square km. It has several overseas regions and territories also. Paris is its capital and largest city. French is its official language. Its official currency is Euro (€) (EUR). Its eight bordering countries are Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco (a principality), Spain, and Switzerland.

More people in Africa speak French than people in France. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest concentration of French speakers in all of Africa. French is an official language in many countries including: Canada, Switzerland, Congo and Luxembourg. It is also the second-most commonly taught language after English, and is the mother tongue of more than 75-million people worldwide. For more than 300 years, French was also the official language of England.

The French flag is a tricolor with vertical blue, white, and red bands. France adopted the Tricolor as the national flag on February 15, 1794. Gilbert du Mortier and Jacques-Louis David are responsible for the design. General Mortier, also known as the Marquis de Lafayette, served in the American and French Revolutions. He is known as a hero of two worlds. Meanwhile, David was a neoclassical painter who shunned frivolity and embraced austerity. He was the leading artist of Western Europe in his time.

To date, there are a total of 67 Nobel Prize winners from France. The first French national to win the prestigious award was Sully Prudhomme, who won the 1901 prize in Literature. They have the highest number of Nobel Prize winners in the category of literature.

It is said that France produces more than 365 types of cheese. Thus, you could enjoy more than one type of cheese for many days during the year. Eating horse and rabbit is quite common in France. You can easily find these items on a restaurant's menu. The French consume approximately 500 million snails every year.

Another fun fact about France is that French fries and French toast are not French inventions.

A man in Paris, Jim Haynes, has been inviting total strangers for dinner every week for the past 30 years. You can visit his website to book yourself a seat at an upcoming dinner party.

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

April Fool's Day (1st of April) is believed to have originated in France.

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

* Brevity Attacking Chess collection: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess

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

Gummy bears were originally called "dancing bears."

* Checkmate Art: Game Collection: Art of Checkmate

* Checkmate patterns: Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns

* Chess Secrets: Great Attackers by Colin Crouch Game Collection: Chess Secrets - Attackers (Crouch)

White-faced capuchin monkeyz greet each other by sticking their fingers up each others' nosez. Soundz much like web troll behavior.

* Dr. Edmund Adam Miniatures: Edmund Adam

* Dubov comes in 2nd place to you-know-who: FIDE Online Steinitz Memorial (2020)

* Clutch Chess: A new knockout format: Clutch Champions Showdown (2020)

The world's first true department store was opened in Paris in 1838. The word "entrepreneur" was also invented by the French.

* The Chain: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...

* ChessCafe.com column, The Openings Explained: Abby Marshall

* Chess Links: http://www.chessdryad.com/links/ind...

The Channel Tunnel, which connects Kent in the U.K. with Coquelles in northern France, has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world. It is 50.5 kilometers long. This tunnel carries passenger and freight trains, and has a speed limit of 160 kilometers per hour.

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

* Chessmaster 2000 Classic Games:
Game Collection: Chessmaster '86

* Chess Hotel: https://www.chesshotel.com/

* Cats: Game Collection: Catalan Opening I

* Double attack: Game Collection: DOUBLE ATTACK

* Dust in the Wind: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...

* Epic: Game Collection: Epic Battles of the CB by R.N. Coles - keypusher

* Escapes: Game Collection: Defensive Combinations (Perpetual Check)

Henri Desgranges, a French journalist and cyclist, is the man behind the Tour de France – an annual, multiple-stage bicycle race. He started the race to promote his newspaper in 1903. Shame was brought to the well-known event when several teams were disqualified for doping in 1998, the same year France won the FIFA World Cup.

* Aggressive Gambits: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...

* Gain space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7...

* Unleash the Knight: https://cardclashgames.com/blog/che...

* KP Beauties: Game Collection: Beautiful mates

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

* MC Move-by-Move: Game Collection: Move by Move - Carlsen (Lakdawala)

* Neon Moon, smooth and easy: https://www.bing.com/search?q=Neon+...

Before the introduction of the Euro, the French Franc was the official currency of France. The Franc was introduced by King John II in 1360.

* 4 Miniz: zPonziani, zKieseritzky, zPhilidor, zFrankenstein-Dracula: z https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76c...

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

There are more than 1,500 bike stations in Paris. You can rent a bike from any of these stations at a cost of one Euro for one day, and return the bike at any other station.

* Pawn Instruction: http://www.logicalchess.com/learn/l...

* Puzzles: Tactics Archive

* Play for free: https://www.freechess.org/

* Puzzling: https://www.365chess.com/puzzles.php

* Roger that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9S...

* Steinitz Attack: Game Collection: STEINITZ ATTACK

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States of America. It was built by Gustave Eiffel, the man who also constructed the Eiffel Tower.

* Tactical Mix: Game Collection: mastering Tactical ideas by minev

* The Best of... Game Collection: World Champions' Best Games

* Fischer's Brilliance: https://www.chesspuzzler.com/Histor...

* Fischer Random: https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...

* FM Schiller disagrees: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Play whatever you like: Opening Explorer

* Almost like giving odds: Opening Explorer

* Jaenisch Gambit: Opening Explorer

* Jambalaya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzj...

* James' Jedi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ta...

* GM Perelshteyn teaches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq3...

Louis Pasteur was a French scientist who invented the process of pasteurization, to prevent microbial growth and preserve food items like milk.

* Prizes: Game Collection: Brilliancy Prizes (Reinfeld)

* QGD D06: Queen's Gambit Declined (D06)

* Reasonable book choices: https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell...

* Rubinstein: Game Collection: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces

* Epic: Game Collection: Battles Royal of the Chessboard by R.N. Coles

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

* Fabulous brilliancies: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Fredthebear created this collection.

* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

* Glossary of Chess Terms: http://www.arkangles.com/kchess/glo...

* GOTD Submission Page: Pun Submission Page

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

* M60MG: Game Collection: My Sixty Memorable Games (Fischer)

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

* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures

* RU broke like Joe? https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Tal Storms: Game Collection: Tal - The Modern Benoni

* Vienna 1903 KG games: Game Collection: Vienna 1903

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

* Wonders and Curiosities: Game Collection: Wonders and Curiosities of Chess (Chernev)

* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0

The French begin their new year in September (physiologically speaking). It is called "la rentrée." At this time, many things happen in France: kids start school, businesses receive their tax bills, etc. The French are always in a mood for celebrations and vacations.

* Opening Explorer: Opening Explorer

* Become a Predator at the Chessboard: https://www.chesstactics.org/

* Famous Chess Photos: https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/585256...

* The famous Mona Lisa portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) has been at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France since 1797. Wikipedia article: Louvre Palace

* Until 2012, wearing trousers for women in France was illegal.

* POTD 2023: Game Collection: Puzzle of the Day 2023

* Pawn Instruction: http://www.logicalchess.com/learn/l...

* Petrosian's Best: Game Collection: P.H.Clarke: Petrosian's Best games

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

* Read The Planet Greenpawn - https://www.redhotpawn.com/

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

* Solitaire: Game Collection: Solitaire Chess by I. A. Horowitz

* Stunners: Game Collection: Stunners

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

* Top Games by Year: Wikipedia article: List of chess games

* Terminology: https://www.angelfire.com/games5/ch...

The Eiffel Tower is named after its engineer, <‘Gustave Eiffel.'> It is one of the most recognized structures in the world, even though its construction was criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals. The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world. It was erected in 1889. It is as high as an 81-story building. The tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world for almost 41 years until the erection of the Chrysler Building in New York City in 1930. It is painted every seven years, taking five tons of paint to complete the job each time.

* Trap the Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmU...

* QGD: Game Collection: QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED

* When to Trade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGa...

* UK: https://chesscircuit.substack.com/

* Wishful Thinking, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlN...

* Zukertort System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcN...

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

WTHarvey:
There once was a website named WTHarvey,
Where chess puzzles did daily delay,
The brain-teasers so tough,
They made us all huff and puff,
But solving them brought us great satisfaction today.

There once was a website named WTHarvey
Where chess puzzles were quite aplenty
With knight and rook and pawn
You'll sharpen your brain with a yawn
And become a master of chess entry

There once was a site for chess fun,
Wtharvey.com was the chosen one,
With puzzles galore,
It'll keep you in store,
For hours of brain-teasing, none done.

There once was a website named WTHarvey,
Where chess puzzles were posted daily,
You'd solve them with glee,
And in victory,
You'd feel like a true chess prodigy!

"Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands." ― Renaud & Kahn

"Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem." ― Saudin Robovic

"If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure." — Garry Kasparov

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

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

"The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens." ― Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President

five-four combo

Kansas: Leavenworth
Established in: 1827

Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and is still in use today, making it the third-oldest continuously active military base in the US. It was the largest city on the Missouri River during the Civil War, according to the city's official website.

Leavenworth was founded by Colonel Henry Leavenworth in 1827, and once played a vital role as peacemaker between Native American tribes and settlers heading west. It eventually became known as the "jumping point" of the opening of the West.

* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...

* World Chess Championship History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkO...

* Chess History: https://www.uschesstrust.org/chess-...

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

* Three Simple Chess Tips: https://www.premierchesscoaching.co...

* History of Chess: https://boldchess.com/history/

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

<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.>

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

Song of the Storm-Swept Plain
William D. Hodjkiss

The wind shrills forth
From the white cold North
Where the gates of the Storm-god are;
And ragged clouds,
Like mantling shrouds,
Engulf the last, dim star.

Through naked trees,
In low coulees,
The night-voice moans and sighs;
And sings of deep,
Warm cradled sleep,
With wind-crooned lullabies.

He stands alone
Where the storm's weird tone
In mocking swells;
And the snow-sharp breath
Of cruel Death
The tales of its coming tells.

The frightened plaint
Of his sheep sound faint
Then the choking wall of white—
Then is heard no more,
In the deep-toned roar,
Of the blinding, pathless night.

No light nor guide,
Save a mighty tide
Of mad fear drives him on;
‘Till his cold-numbed form
Grows strangely warm;
And the strength of his limbs is gone.

Through the storm and night
A strange, soft light
O'er the sleeping shepherd gleams;
And he hears the word
Of the Shepherd Lord
Called out from the bourne of dreams.

Come, leave the strife
Of your weary life;
Come unto Me and rest
From the night and cold,
To the sheltered fold,
By the hand of love caressed.

The storm shrieks on,
But its work is done—
A soul to its God has fled;
And the wild refrain
Of the wind-swept plain,
Sings requiem for the dead.

110 pounds of ketamine found in traveler's baggage at Detroit Airport CBS News
GABRIELLE DAWSON, ALIZA CHASAN
December 21, 2023 at 5:42 PM

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
ROMULUS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Officers found 110 pounds of ketamine in a traveler's baggage at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday.

The traveler, a citizen of the United Kingdom, arrived on a flight from France on Dec. 13, authorities said. He was selected for a second inspection.

Officers performed an X-ray scan and physical search of the man's two large suitcases, which he claimed were given to him by a family member, customs officials said. The search revealed plastic bags filled with large white crystals, which according to field tests, were ketamine.

At $90 per gram, the ketamine has a street value of over $4 million, authorities said.

Customs and Border Protection officers seized the ketamine. Under federal law, the agency is required to destroy most seized drugs and retain samples as evidence for criminal prosecutions. Officers didn't let the traveler enter and he was returned to France, according to a news release.

The amount of ketamine seized by law enforcement has steadily increased over the past seven years according to research published in May 2023 in JAMA Psychiatry. From 2017 to 2022, the research found the number of law enforcement seizures increased from 55 to 247 – more than 300% – with most activity reported in Tennessee, Florida, and California.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, most of the ketamine illegally distributed in the U.S. has been diverted or stolen from legitimate sources, including veterinary clinics, or smuggled into the country from Mexico.

Ketamine, a Schedule III controlled substance, has been approved by the FDA as an anesthetic since the 1970s. It is accepted for medical use, but the drug — which has been abused for its hallucinogenic effects — is known for its use in nightclub and party culture. A ketamine overdose can cause unconsciousness and dangerously slowed breathing, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency has warned.

"Friends" actor Matthew Perry died in October from the acute effects of ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy released earlier this month by the Los Angeles County medical examiner. Before his death, Perry received ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, the autopsy report said.

Perry's last treatment was a week and a half before his death. Based on the levels of ketamine in his blood, the coroner determined that his cause of death was not from his prior infusion therapy, but rather from ketamine taken in some other manner. Ketamine is usually metabolized in a matter of hours.

<This poem is dedicated to Harris my chessplayer friend and literary commentator.

Chess The Final Metaphor

It was in a cesspool behind the place of his cousin Nick

That in this pool of sewage, was born the freak called frick.

On dark nights he hysterically wailed in his pool of slimy mess:

"Oh why oh why, can't I play the game that humans call chess"?

As the morning sun rose, begged the queen of the mighty king:

Sire, can you not order the death of this awful filthy thing"?

Wisely he replied: "no, I'll let frick live forever in distress

While he must watch others enjoy themselves playing chess.">

The first true piano was invented by one man – Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua.

I have a fear of speed bumps. But I am slowly getting over it.

* Riddle-e-dee: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid...

I was wondering why the frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me.

Italian soccer fans are called "tifosi" which may come from the same root as the illness "typhoid". Italian fans can be rowdy and uninhibitedly enthusiastic, and their fanaticism is contagious!

Steinitz's Theory
1. At the beginning of the game, Black and White are equal.

2. The game will stay equal with correct play on both sides.

3. You can only win by your opponent's mistake.

4. Any attack launched in an equal position will not succeed, and the attacker will suffer.

5. You should not attack until an advantage is obtained.

6. When equal, do not seek to attack, but instead, try to secure an advantage.

7. Once you have an advantage, attack or you will lose it.

<The Fooles Mate
Black Kings Biſhops pawne one houſe.
White Kings pawne one houſe.
Black kings knights pawne two houſes
White Queen gives Mate at the contrary kings Rookes fourth houſe — Beale, The Royall Game of Chesse-Play

Beale's example can be paraphrased in modern terms where White always moves first, algebraic notation is used, and Black delivers the fastest possible mate after each player makes two moves: 1.f3 e6 2.g4 Qh4#

There are eight distinct ways in which Fool's Mate can be reached in two moves. White may alternate the order of f- and g-pawn moves, Black may play either e6 or e5, and White may move their f-pawn to f3 or f4.>

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

"Sometimes in life, and in chess, you must take one step back to take two steps forward." — IM Levy Rozman, GothamChess

So much, much, much better to be an incurable optimist than deceitful and untrustworthy.

"Don't blow your own trumpet." — Australian Proverb

Old Russian Proverb: "Scythe over a stone." (Нашла коса на камень.) The force came over a stronger force.

"Continuing to play the victim is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Blaming others for your station in life will indeed make you a victim but the perpetrator will be your own self, not life or those around you." — Bobby Darnell

The Boy and the Schoolmaster

Wise counsel is not always wise,
As this my tale exemplifies.
A boy, that frolicked on the banks of Seine,
Fell in, and would have found a watery grave,
Had not that hand that plants never in vain
A willow planted there, his life to save.
While hanging by its branches as he might,
A certain sage preceptor came in sight;
To whom the urchin cried, "Save, or I'm drowned!"

The master, turning gravely at the sound,
Thought proper for a while to stand aloof,
And give the boy some seasonable reproof.
"You little wretch! this comes of foolish playing,

Commands and precepts disobeying.
A naughty rogue, no doubt, you are,
Who thus requite your parents" care.
Alas! their lot I pity much,
Whom fate condemns to watch over such."
This having coolly said, and more,
He pulled the drowning lad ashore.

This story hits more marks than you suppose.
All critics, pedants, men of endless prose, –
Three sorts, so richly blessed with progeny,
The house is blessed that does not lodge any, –

May in it see themselves from head to toes.
No matter what the task,
Their precious tongues must teach;
Their help in need you ask,
You first must hear them preach.

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

Perpetual check feels like nothing else in a dead lost position.

1.Nf3 is the third most popular of the twenty legal opening moves White has, behind only 1.e4 and 1.d4.

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

The Winds of Fate
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate, As we voyage along through the life:
Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

St. Elmo

Matthew 17:20
Our faith can move mountains.

'Finders keepers, losers weepers'
No, turn it over to Lost and Found.

Drive sober or get pulled over.

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

Two artists had an art contest. It ended in a draw.

FACTRETRIEVER: Gummy bears were originally called "dancing bears." Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal, at 1 million hairs per square inch.

A game of chess, even played by dilettantes, is an austere metaphor of life and a struggle for life, and the chess player's virtues—reason, memory, and invention—are the virtues of every thinking man. The stern rule of chess, according to which a piece that was touched must be moved and it is not permissible to redo a move of which one repents, reproduces the inexorability of the choices of the living. When your king, as a result of your inexperience, lack of attention, imprudence, or the opponent's superiority, is ever more closely threatened … cornered and finally transfixed, you cannot fail to perceive a symbolic shadow beyond the chess board. You are living a death; it is your death, and at the same time it is a death for which you are guilty. —Primo Levi, "The Irritable Chess Players"

"The first place you need to look is the last place you saw it." — Digger Manes, Moonshiners

"The chess heroes nowadays should not forget that it was owing to Fischer that they are living today in four- and five-star hotels, getting appearance fees, etc." ― Lev Khariton

"I've come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists." ― Marcel Duchamp

"I've never met a checkers player I didn't like; they're all even-tempered. Chess players are egotistical. They think they're intellectuals and that everyone else is beneath them." ― Don Lafferty, draughts grandmaster

Father Frost
Father Frost is a Russian fairy tale (called Morozco), adapted in Andrew Lang's Yellow Fairy Book as The Story of King Frost. Illustration by Ivan Billiban, 1932.

There was once upon a time a peasant-woman who had a daughter and a step-daughter. The daughter had her own way in everything, and whatever she did was right in her mother's eyes; but the poor step-daughter had a hard time. Let her do what she would, she was always blamed, and got small thanks for all the trouble she took; nothing was right, everything wrong; and yet, if the truth were known, the girl was worth her weight in gold--she was so unselfish and good-hearted. But her step-mother did not like her, and the poor girl's days were spent in weeping; for it was impossible to live peacefully with the woman. The wicked shrew was determined to get rid of the girl by fair means or foul, and kept saying to her father: 'Send her away, old man; send her away--anywhere so that my eyes sha'n't be plagued any longer by the sight of her, or my ears tormented by the sound of her voice. Send her out into the fields, and let the cutting frost do for her.'

In vain did the poor old father weep and implore her pity; she was firm, and he dared not gainsay her. So he placed his daughter in a sledge, not even daring to give her a horse-cloth to keep herself warm with, and drove her out on to the bare, open fields, where he kissed her and left her, driving home as fast as he could, that he might not witness her miserable death.

Deserted by her father, the poor girl sat down under a fir-tree at the edge of the forest and began to weep silently. Suddenly she heard a faint sound: it was King Frost springing from tree to tree, and cracking his fingers as he went. At length he reached the fir-tree beneath which she was sitting, and with a crisp crackling sound he alighted beside her, and looked at her lovely face.

'Well, maiden,' he snapped out, 'do you know who I am? I am King Frost, king of the red-noses.'

'All hail to you, great King!' answered the girl, in a gentle, trembling voice. 'Have you come to take me?'

'Are you warm, maiden?' he replied.

'Quite warm, King Frost,' she answered, though she shivered as she spoke.

Then King Frost stooped down, and bent over the girl, and the crackling sound grew louder, and the air seemed to be full of knives and darts; and again he asked:

'Maiden, are you warm? Are you warm, you beautiful girl?'

And though her breath was almost frozen on her lips, she whispered gently, 'Quite warm, King Frost.'

Then King Frost gnashed his teeth, and cracked his fingers, and his eyes sparkled, and the crackling, crisp sound was louder than ever, and for the last time he asked her:

'Maiden, are you still warm? Are you still warm, little love?'

And the poor girl was so stiff and numb that she could just gasp, 'Still warm, O King!'

Now her gentle, courteous words and her uncomplaining ways touched King Frost, and he had pity on her, and he wrapped her up in furs, and covered her with blankets, and he fetched a great box, in which were beautiful jewels and a rich robe embroidered in gold and silver. And she put it on, and looked more lovely than ever, and King Frost stepped with her into his sledge, with six white horses.

In the meantime the wicked step-mother was waiting at home for news of the girl's death, and preparing pancakes for the funeral feast. And she said to her husband: 'Old man, you had better go out into the fields and find your daughter's body and bury her.' Just as the old man was leaving the house the little dog under the table began to bark, saying:

'YOUR daughter shall live to be your delight; HER daughter shall die this very night.'

'Hold your tongue, you foolish beast!' scolded the woman. 'There's a pancake for you, but you must say:

"HER daughter shall have much silver and gold; HIS daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold." '

But the doggie ate up the pancake and barked, saying:

'His daughter shall wear a crown on her head; Her daughter shall die unwooed, unwed.'

Then the old woman tried to coax the doggie with more pancakes and to terrify it with blows, but he barked on, always repeating the same words. And suddenly the door creaked and flew open, and a great heavy chest was pushed in, and behind it came the step-daughter, radiant and beautiful, in a dress all glittering with silver and gold. For a moment the step-mother's eyes were dazzled. Then she called to her husband: 'Old man, yoke the horses at once into the sledge, and take my daughter to the same field and leave her on the same spot exactly; 'and so the old man took the girl and left her beneath the same tree where he had parted from his daughter. In a few minutes King Frost came past, and, looking at the girl, he said:

'Are you warm, maiden?'

'What a blind old fool you must be to ask such a question!' she answered angrily. 'Can't you see that my hands and feet are nearly frozen?'

Then King Frost sprang to and fro in front of her, questioning her, and getting only rude, rough words in reply, till at last he got very angry, and cracked his fingers, and gnashed his teeth, and froze her to death.

But in the hut her mother was waiting for her return, and as she grew impatient she said to her husband: 'Get out the horses, old man, to go and fetch her home; but see that you are careful not to upset the sledge and lose the chest.'

But the doggie beneath the table began to bark, saying:

'Your daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold, And shall never have a chest full of gold.'

'Don't tell such wicked lies!' scolded the woman. 'There's a cake for you; now say:

"HER daughter shall marry a mighty King."

At that moment the door flew open, and she rushed out to meet her daughter, and as she took her frozen body in her arms she too was chilled to death.

Oct-04-23 HeMateMe: I play 3/2 blitz occasionally on Lichess. I find it an excellent site, none of the delays/cancellations that ruined chess.com (for me). Oct-04-23 Cassandro: Yes, lichess is by far the best site for online chess. And you never know, apparently you may even get to play against a living legend like the highly esteemed Leonard Barden there!

FTB plays all about but has always been happy with FICS: https://www.freechess.org/

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, approximately 3000 miles (4850 km) in diameter, hardly larger than the moon. Despite being the smallest, it's extremely dense. In fact, it's the second densest planet after Earth. It's also the closest planet to the sun, making it dangerous to explore. Mercury is 48 million miles from the earth.

Mar-12-23 FSR: <jnpope: Is <Jegar Sahadutha> related to <chrisowen> or is this just a <chrisowen> parody account?> Apparently the latter. <Jegar Sahadutha>'s user profile shows that his account was only opened on February 10, 2023. His first comment, on March 9, 2023, was: I never thought I would live to see the day a GOTD was named in honor of chrisowen.

Jegar's comment was made to A Braun vs S Siebrecht, 2005, after it became GOTD using the pun <Braun Over Brain>. The genesis of the pun was evidently an uncharacteristically lucid comment <chrisowen> had made on December 27, 2009 that began <Sad case of Braun over brain.>

This episode, it seems, inspired <Jegar Sahadutha>. His aforementioned comment <I never thought I would live to see the day a GOTD was named in honor of chrisowen.> was the first and last "normal" one he has made.

Mar-12-23 Jegar Sahadutha: True — we shall not return to the heartland, for the heartland hath forsaken us. Rise! Rise, vaunted shipmen; your time is come, and with it sacral vestments. Slay the serpent, moor the ship; repast on all gifts divine. But in your exultation, may your heart hold fast; forsake not the heartland whence you came.

People believe what they want to believe, truth or not.

"Search for the grain of truth in other opinions." ― Richard Carlson

The Bear
~ Author Unknown ~

Here is a cave, (make a fist)
Inside is a bear. (put a thumb inside fist)
Now he comes out
To get some fresh air. (pop out thumb)
He stays out all summer
In sunshine and heat.
He hunts in the forest
For berries to eat. (move thumb in circle)
When snow starts to fall,
He hurries inside
His warm little cave,
And there he will hide. (put thumb back inside fist) Snow covers the cave
Like a fluffy white rug.
Inside the bear sleeps
All cozy and snug. (cover fist with other hand)

Old Russian Proverb:
Чему́ быть, того́ не минова́ть Pronunciation: ChiMU BYT', taVOH ni mihnoVAT' Translation: You can't avoid that which is meant to happen Meaning: Whatever shall be, will be.

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

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

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

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

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.

A two-dimensional shape with eight sides is called an octagon, while a three-dimensional shape with eight faces is called an octahedron. They are named as such because the prefix oct- is used to denote the number eight, which can be found in many English words such as octopus (which has eight arms).

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

poem by Cavafy:
"(…) King Demetrius (who had a noble
soul) did not—so they said—
behave at all like a king. He went
and cast off his golden clothes,
and flung off his shoes
of richest purple In simple clothes
he dressed himself quickly and left:
doing just as an actor does
who, when the performance is over,
changes his attire and departs."

"Zeitnot" is German for "time pressure."

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

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

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

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

The Dog That Dropped The Substance For The Shadow

This world is full of shadow-chasers,
Most easily deceived.
Should I enumerate these racers,
I should not be believed.
I send them all to Aesop's dog,
Which, crossing water on a log,
Espied the meat he bore, below;
To seize its image, let it go;
Plunged in; to reach the shore was glad,
With neither what he hoped, nor what he'd had.

<"Greetings, students. Today you will learn to transform a king into a rook. Which of course means you will transform a chess piece into a noble relative of crows and ravens. Today's lesson is no joke, but I will not mark you down for appreciating my wordplay. Watch closely as I demonstrate..." — Professor McGonagall teaching King to Rook to seventh-yearssrc

A rook is a bird related to crows and ravens.

History
During the 1990–1991 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Minerva McGonagall taught her seventh-year students in Transfiguration how to transform king chess pieces into rooks with the King to Rook spell.>

The Rook Cancelled: https://tvline.com/news/the-rook-ca...

* Crafty Endgame Trainer: https://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-...

* Dr. Edmund Adam Miniatures: Edmund Adam

* CG Biography: Aryan Tari

"Thirty Days Hath September" Lyrics

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone.
Which only has but twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-nine in each leap year.

"Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy." ― Norman Vincent Peale

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.

"To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?" — Queen Elizabeth II

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." ― Benjamin Franklin

<God is great! God is Grace!

God is good! God is Light

Let us thank Him Help us honor Him

For our food. For His mercy and love.

Amen.> In the name of Jesus we pray... Amen!

Dinner for 2

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

18bd perjury had surgery on hiz pinky jonsun so its suitable for ball point pins da tail on da monkey sea, monkey dew, eye see ah shirt that needz men ding liren.

Why did the rooster cross the road?
He had something to cock-a-doodle dooo!

Why did the raccoon cross the road?
He saw you put out the garbage.

Mercury Hg 80 200.59 1.9