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"May the sun bring you energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night,

May the rain wash away your worries,

May the breeze blow new strength into your being.

May you walk gently through the world

and know its beauty all the days of your life."

Apache Blessing

"I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive." — Goyahkla a.k.a. Geronimo (1829-1909), a POW for 23 years

"If you can't take (constructive) criticism, consider taking up another game, perhaps solitaire." — Jeremy Silman

"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." ― Andy (Tim Robbins), "The Shawshank Redemption"

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

"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

"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

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

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

"When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one." ― Emanual Lasker

"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

"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

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

Chris Chaffin wrote:

master/piece
She moves him ‘round the chess board,
dodging bishops, pawns and rooks.
She coaxes him from square to square
without a second look.

The white knight cannot catch him.
Piece by piece, the foe now yields.
Her king is safe; the game is done.
The queen controls the field.

Rebuy

"The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk." ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

"Life is like a chess game. Every decision, just like every move, has consequences. Therefore, decide wisely!" ― Susan Polgar

"When people insult and disrespect you, the best revenge is to continue to win, and win, and win…." ― Susan Polgar

"The mind has no restrictions. The only restriction is what you believe you cannot do. So go ahead and challenge yourself to do one thing every day that scares you." ― Susan Polgar

"If you want to get to the top, there's always the risk that it will isolate you from other people." ― Magnus Carlsen

"Customers don't expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong." — Donald Porter

"It is so much easier to be nice, to be respectful, to put yourself in your customer's' shoes and try to understand how you might help them before they ask for help, than it is to try to mend a broken customer relationship." — Mark Cuban

"Only once customer service has become habitual will a company realize its true potential." — Than Merrill

"Customers don't care about your policies. Find and engage the need. Tell the customer what you can do." — Alice Sesay Pope

"Always keep in mind the old retail adage: Customers remember the service a lot longer than they remember the price." — Lauren Freedman

"Here is a powerful yet simple rule. Always give people more than they expect to get." — Nelson Boswell

"Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they'll come back. We have to be great every time or we'll lose them." — Kevin Stirtz

"The customer is always right." — Harry Gordon Selfridge (Not hardly says FTB.)

"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

"Always carry champagne! In victory You deserve it & in defeat You need it!" ― Napoléon Bonaparte

"Be your own Sunshine. Always." ― Purvi Raniga

"Most promises featuring the word 'always' are unkeepable." ― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed

"You should never say never. Just like you should never say always; because, always and never are always never true." ― J. R. Krol

"Never and Always

Never take advantage of someone whom loves you
Never avoid someone whom needs you
Never betray anyone whom has trust in you
Never forget the people that always remember you

Never speak ill of a person who is not present
Never support something you know is wrong or unethical

Always speak to your parents on their birthday and anniversary

Always defend those who cannot defend themselves

Always forgive those you love whom have made mistakes

Always give something to those less fortunate than you

Always remember to look back at those who helped you succeed

Always call your parents and siblings on New Year's Eve." ― R.J. Intindola

"The tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do." — Gerald Abrahams

"Examine moves that smite! A good eye for smites is far more important than a knowledge of strategical principles." — C.J.S. Purdy

Fredthebear says exercise, prayer, and poetry are good for you.

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

* 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

* Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES

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

* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game

* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures

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

* 21st Century: Game Collection: 0

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

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

* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen

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

* Glossary: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess

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

* Blowing Away the Castled King: Game Collection: Attack The King's Pocket

* Brutal Attacking Chess: Game Collection: Brutal Attacking Chess

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

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

* Cool Math/Board Games: https://www.coolmathgames.com/1-boa...

* Deadly Battery: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

* Evans / Boris Gambit Guide: Game Collection: Evans Gambit

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

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

* ICA Youth Resources: https://www.il-chess.org/index.php?...

* katar's hack attack: Game Collection: An Opium Repertoire for White

* Kingpin magazine: https://www.kingpinchess.net/

* LG - White wins: Game Collection: Latvian Gambit-White wins

* Overloaded! Game Collection: OVERLOADED!

* Plenty to see: http://www.schackportalen.nu/Englis...

* POTD Scotch: Game Collection: POTD Scotch Game Scotch Gambit

* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures

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

* Spassky could bring the heat: Game Collection: 0

* Ten books for aspiring masters: http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2023...

* Bobby Fischer playing White against the Sicilian: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

* Wild: Game Collection: Wild Games!

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

* Stunners: Game Collection: Stunners

* A great decade of chess: Game Collection: Mil y Una Partidas 1950-1959

* Great Attacks: Game Collection: great attack games

* Illegal move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oI...

* Imagination: Game Collection: Imagination in Chess

* Immortal Games: Game Collection: Immortal games

* Jackpot History: https://www.megamillions.com/About/...

* King's Pawn Theory and Practice: Game Collection: Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, Section 1

* Surprise Knockouts: Game Collection: quick knockouts of greats

* Collection assembled by Fredthebear.

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

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

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

* Novice Knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bas...

* Nuremberg 1896: Nuremberg (1896)

* Nunn's Course: Game Collection: Lasker JNCC

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

* Occupy the Open File: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_w...

* Overloaded! Game Collection: OVERLOADED!

* Oskar plays 1e4: Oskar Oglaza

* Opening Explorer: Opening Explorer

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

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

* 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...

* 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connecticut: Windsor
Established in: 1633

Settlers from Plymouth Colony built the first trading house in Windsor in 1633 on an expanse of land they bought from Native Americans who were living there. Windsor was Connecticut's first English settlement, with a perfect location on the water. Today, the city uses its "first town" status to create a historical atmosphere ideal for tourism.

* 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/

The Kings of Chess: A History of Chess, Traced Through the Lives of Its Greatest Players by William Hartston William Hartson traces the development of the game from its Oriental origins to the present day through the lives of its greatest exponents - men like Howard Staunton, who transformed what had been a genteel pastime into a competitive science; the brilliant American Paul Morphy, who once played a dozen simultaneous games blindfold; the arrogant and certified insane Wilhelm Steinitz; the philosopher and mathematician Emanual Lasker; Bobby Fischer, perhaps the most brilliant and eccentric of them all; and many other highly gifted individuals. Hartson depicts all their colorful variety with a wealth of rare illustrations.

Format: Hardcover
Language: English
ISBN: 006015358X
ISBN13: 9780060153588
Release Date: January 1985
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Length: 192 Pages
Weight: 1.80 lbs.

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

<lillia wrote:

CHESS
do you want to play chess?
I would, but it's 11 pm
The connection is bad
ok i like it when you win
i don't let you win, i don't try my hardest but
even if i did, you'd win
Ok I like it when you win>

Chess has six different kinds of pieces, and they all interact in myriad ways. Your opponent's own pieces can often be used against him.

While the Queen is the strongest piece, it is the weakest defender; and while the pawn is the weakest piece, it is the strongest defender.

José Raúl Capablanca used the principle "Cutting off pieces from the scene of action."

<Like new-laid eggs Chess Problems are, Though very good, they may be beaten;
And yet, though like, they're different far,
They may be cooked, but never eaten.

Source: page 58 of Poems and Chess Problems by J.A. Miles (Fakenham, 1882).>

The bottom line...

Luck be a lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X69...

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.

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

"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

"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.>

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.

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.

"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

- The longest a chess game could possibly be is 5,949 moves.

- The first chess board setup with light and dark alternating squares was used in Europe in 1090.

- In chess, the term "Checkmate" derives from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat", meaning "the King is dead".

- It is estimated that over 600 million people play chess online and around the world.

- Magnus Carlsen of Norway was replaced in April 2023 by Ding Liren of China as the current world chess champion.

Maximo wrote:

My Forking Knight's Mare
Gracefully over the squares, as a blonde or a brunette, she makes moves that not even a queen can imitate. Always active and taking the initiative,
she likes to fork.
She does it across the board,
taking with ease not only pawns, but also kings, and a bad bishop or two.
Sometimes she feels like making
quiet moves,
at other times, she adopts romantic moods,
and makes great sacrifices.
But, being hers a zero-sum game,
she often forks just out of spite.
An expert at prophylaxis, she can be a swindler, and utter threats,
skewering men to make some gains.
Playing with her risks a conundrum,
and also catching Kotov's syndrome.
Nonetheless, despite having been trampled
by her strutting ways
my trust in her remains,
unwavering,
until the endgame.

Results may vary.

Chess Life is an active monthly magazine and is the official publication of the United States Chess Federation. <Chess Life> is advertised as the "most widely read chess magazine in the world," and reaches more than a quarter of a million readers each month.

Chess Life focuses on American chess players and tournaments, instruction, human interest, and US Chess governance matters. The United States Chess Federation also publishes Chess Life Kids, a bimonthly publication covering the same subjects aimed at a younger audience.

Publication of <Chess Life> started in 1946 as a bi-weekly newspaper, usually eight or twelve pages long. In 1961, Frank Brady converted Chess Life to a monthly magazine. In 1969, <Chess Life> merged with Chess Review, the other leading U.S. chess magazine. The magazine was published under the title Chess Life & Review starting with the November 1969 issue until 1980 when it returned to its original title <Chess Life>.

The Night Sky's Serenade

In the night sky, the stars serenade,

Their light piercing the darkness, a blade.

The moon shines, in silver brocade.

Silent and serene, the night's parade,

A celestial spectacle, never to fade.

In the night sky, the stars serenade.

The universe's secrets, in the open laid,

Under the starlight, fears evade.

The moon shines, in silver brocade.

Night's symphony, a tranquil serenade,

In its rhythm, our dreams are made.

In the night sky, the stars serenade.

From dusk till dawn, in darkness wade,

Under the night sky, hopes cascade.

The moon shines, in silver brocade.

So, let us cherish the night's shade,

And in its beauty, let us wade.

In the night sky, the stars serenade,

The moon shines, in silver brocade.

According to Chessmetrics, Lasker was #1 for longer than anyone else in history: 292 different months between June 1890 and December 1926. That's a timespan of 36 1/2 years, in which Lasker was #1 for a total of 24 years and 4 months. Lasker was 55 years old when he won New York 1924.

"Just because you know stuff doesn't mean you are smart... You have to know how to use that information." ― Josh Keller

The sandwich wasn't a marketing creation but one of convenience. The Earl of Sandwich put together the first of its kind as he needed something quick and easy to eat while gambling!

<Fundamental Chess Principles according to CJS Purdy

On Combinations

One simultaneous double threat is better than a great many successive single threats. That is the main lesson of chess. A double threat is a combination of two threats. (pg. 31)

A combination (threat plus restraint or threat plus obstruction) may be called a "net". It is the most important kind of combination because every mate, without exception, is a "net". (pg. 32)

Watch out for pieces of limited mobility, especially pieces without retreat. Remember that one retreat may not be enough.(pg. 32 / 33)

On Tied Pieces

An important rule for avoiding a trap is this:
Where feasible, avoid using a piece to defend something that is attacked. Either protect the attaced unit with a pawn or move it away. (pg. 34)

A knight is the worst defender because he cannot possibly maintain the defense if forced to move. (pg. 34)

The best protector is a pawn - for three reasons:

There is no possibility of it being attacked by a unit of lesser value; It is a complete defense against any piece bigger than the one attacked; above all, a menial task is suited to it, whereas a piece used for defending one particular thing is wasting its talents. (pg. 35)

If you must use pieces to protect something, perhaps because it cannot move away, try to use one more than necessary! You are then free to moe any one of the protectors; not a single one is absolutely tied to its defensive task. (pg. 35)

On Position Play

Position play is the art of improving your position in small ways when no sound combination is possible. (pg. 40)

One can say that an endgame has arrived when neither side has more pieces than the equivalent of Queen plus pawn (with of course, the Kings, who are always with us). (pg. 41)

Combinations are of primary importance, position play of secondary importance. (pg. 41)

Pages refer to where content can be found on Guide to Good Chess. Posted by Chessbuzz>

* Time Controls: https://gamesmadesimple.com/chess-t...

Chessgames.com will be unavailable March 12, 2023 from 2:00AM through 4:00AM(UTC/GMT) for maintenance. We apologize for this inconvenience.

An old-timer is one who remembers when it cost more to run a car than to park it. — Unknown

An old-timer is someone who can remember when a naughty child was taken to the woodshed instead of to a psychiatrist. — David Greenberg

Most young dealers of the Silicon Chip Era regard a reference library as merely a waste of space. Old Timers on the West Coast seem to retain a fondness for reference books that goes beyond the practical. Everything there is to know about a given volume may be only a click away, but there are still a few of us who'd rather have the book than the click. A bookman's love of books is a love of books, not merely of the information in them. — Larry Mcmurtry

The day you become old is the day you're not looking for new experiences anymore. — Billie Joe Armstrong

Spend time with those you love. One of these days you will say either: "I wish I had" or "I'm glad I did". — Zig Ziglar

You must do the things you think you cannot do.
— Eleanor Roosevelt

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success. — Norman Vincent Peale

<"The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway."> ― Kent M. Keith, The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council

Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster who is the former five-time World Chess Champion, reigning four-time World Rapid Chess Champion, and reigning six-time World Blitz Chess Champion. Arguably the fourth or fifth best chess player of all time (Morphy, Capablanca, Fischer, Kasparov, Karpov, etc.), Carlsen has held the No. 1 position in the FIDE world chess rankings since 1 July 2011 and trails only Garry Kasparov in time spent as the highest-rated player in the world. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. Carlsen also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak at the elite level in classical chess.

<The Coming of Night by Emily Dickinson

How the old mountains drip with sunset,
And the brake of dun!
How the hemlocks are tipped in tinsel
By the wizard sun!

How the old steeples hand the scarlet,
Till the ball is full, --
Have I the lip of the flamingo
That I dare to tell?

Then, how the fire ebbs like billows,
Touching all the grass
With a departing, sapphire feature,
As if a duchess pass!

How a small dusk crawls on the village
Till the houses blot;
And the odd flambeaux no men carry
Glimmer on the spot!

Now it is night in nest and kennel,
And where was the wood,
Just a dome of abyss is nodding
Into solitude! --

These are the visions baffled Guido;
Titian never told;
Domenichino dropped the pencil,
Powerless to unfold.>

Abhimanyu Mishra
(American Chess Grandmaster Who Is the Youngest Player Ever to Qualify for the Grandmaster Title) Birthdate: February 5, 2009
Birthplace: New Jersey, United States

"Life is what you make it: If you snooze, you lose; and if you snore, you lose more." — Phyllis George

Galatians 6:7 in the Bible "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

"those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is often cited as originating in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde written in 1385.

"Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom." — Charles F. Stanley

The King Is Dead, Long Live the King By Julian Randall

Heaven is the certainty that you will be avenged I know I know the kingdom is not fair but it's what I have a montage of red and a mitosis of knuckles I'm not sure how you could expect me to love anything Ain't no question sadness is regal like that golden and replaceable once I wanted a lineage of identical men once a mouth soft and hot as the quickest way that gold can hurt you You see a pattern yet? I practice the want of nothing and fail I've been shown how ugly I can be when I am invisible I don't believe in yesterdays The throat of loneliness? Straddled with my knife I press my hands to my face and the lament is a valley the light sags through What do you do when you have lost Everything? Rewrite the history of Everything I don't like my smile because someone told me I didn't like it Now I am gorgeous in all the languages I mothered Flex the antonym of Missing I avenge myself Stretch my hands I orphan my grief for the living and it is beauty ain't no question I monarch the lonely I my own everything now I miss my love and it is an American grief I strike the smell from nostalgia cut my memory to spite my country What is the odor of nothing but my dominion in want of excess I grin and pillars of bone flower into sawed-off crowns say I flex the light and the light flexes heat shimmer unfurling like a bicep my lust a mirage where the body is merely a congealing of the river I can feel it slowly drifting away from me The world I knew is gone and getting more gone and my anthem populating my nose with an abundance of salt I slip the shroud over the life I named and forget I belonged to someone once My soverign's face is a riot of diamonds whining This will be a beautiful death and I am free and gorgeous and desperate to never have to miss anyone again I rock the jeweled shroud become the bride of my own sad light ss for the difficult times in winter. By a stretch, hay was an important invention in developing many great cities such as Paris, London, Vienna, New York, and Moscow.

'Ashes to ashes dust to dust

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

"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.

John 3:3 King James Version
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, <Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.>

"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!" ― John Adams

<Below is a Morphy acrostic by C.V. Grinfield from page 334 of the Chess Player's Chronicle, 1861: Mightiest of masters of the chequer'd board,
Of early genius high its boasted lord!
Rising in youth's bright morn to loftiest fame, Princeliest of players held with one acclaim;
Host in thyself – all-conquering in fight: – Yankees exult! – in your great champion's might.>

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore." ― William Faulkner

"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.

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

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." ― Leonardo da Vinci

The Old Man And His Sons

All power is feeble with dissension:
For this I quote the Phrygian slave.
If anything I add to his invention,
It is our manners to engrave,
And not from any envious wishes; –
I'm not so foolishly ambitious.
Phaedrus enriches often his story,
In quest – I doubt it not – of glory:
Such thoughts were idle in my breast.
An aged man, near going to his rest,
His gathered sons thus solemnly addressed:
"To break this bunch of arrows you may try;
And, first, the string that binds them I untie." The eldest, having tried with might and main,
Exclaimed, "This bundle I resign
To muscles sturdier than mine."
The second tried, and bowed himself in vain.
The youngest took them with the like success.
All were obliged their weakness to confess.
Unharmed the arrows passed from son to son;
Of all they did not break a single one.
"Weak fellows!" said their sire, "I now must show What in the case my feeble strength can do."
They laughed, and thought their father but in joke, Till, one by one, they saw the arrows broke.
"See, concord's power!" replied the sire; "as long As you in love agree, you will be strong.
I go, my sons, to join our fathers good;
Now promise me to live as brothers should,
And soothe by this your dying father's fears."
Each strictly promised with a flood of tears.
Their father took them by the hand, and died;
And soon the virtue of their vows was tried.
Their sire had left a large estate
Involved in lawsuits intricate;
Here seized a creditor, and there
A neighbour levied for a share.
At first the trio nobly bore
The brunt of all this legal war.
But short their friendship as It was rare.
Whom blood had joined – and small the wonder! – The force of interest drove asunder;
And, as is wont in such affairs,
Ambition, envy, were co-heirs.
In parcelling their sire's estate,
They quarrel, quibble, litigate,
Each aiming to supplant the other.
The judge, by turns, condemns each brother.
Their creditors make new assault,
Some pleading error, some default.
The sundered brothers disagree;
For counsel one, have counsels three.
All lose their wealth; and now their sorrows
Bring fresh to mind those broken arrows.

Rated 5 stars
Chess Classic !
This book is truly a gem of chess literature. The book as you may already know, is a collection of master games which demonstrate how a small advantage is exploited in the hands of masters. You will find the games very instructive and will have no problems understanding the motives behind the moves. This because Chernev does an exceptional job in his annotations. I have found no mistakes in his notes or the games themselves. Chernev worked real hard on this book and his love for the game of chess radiates from the pages. A warning to those who expect wild attacking games. This is a collection of games from the late 19th century to the 1950's, when positional and strategic style of play was more popular. These selected games show how an opening, middle game, and endgame should be treated. "The best way to learn endings as well as openings," says Capablanca in Chess Fundamentals, "is from the games of the masters." Some reviewer of this book goes on to say that "The games in this book are boring, and only won by the winner because of some mistake on the loser's part. To which I reply, what chess game is not won on the account of the opposition making a mistake. In reality all chess games if properly played out should end in a draw. There are also people who complain because the book is in descriptive notation. Something I didn't have a problem with, it just adds to the mystique of these chess games of the past. This is a great book and a must have. I have spent many pleasurable hours with this book, a cup of joe, and some Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Ludwig van Beethoven in the background. You will not regret buying this book. I didn't when I returned Pandolfini's Traps and Zaps for this copy.

Rated 5 stars
For Lover's Only
Easily one of the best books ever written. This is one of the first books I purchased over 30 years ago. I am sure it helped start me on the road to Chess Mastery. Chernev, like Reinfeld, did NOT write chess books to impress other Chess Masters. He wrote books simply and with great care. He also put his tremendous love of the game into this book. I simply cannot convey what a wonderful book this is. This book will especially appeal to the average player, especially someone who wants to improve his game. I usually don't rave about books. This is an exception. Here is what I say about this book on my web site: "The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played." 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy. It contains 62 true masterpieces of chess by various different players. (Masters such as Fischer, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tal, etc. Plus, many more of the all-time greats!!) Each game is carefully and lovingly annotated. This book had a tremendous impact on me and the way that I viewed and looked at chess. I studied it many, many, many times. Chernev provides games with an almost blow-by-blow commentary. His ideas are simple, fresh, insightful, and expressed with great clarity. He explains all the basic ideas of the game in a manner that ANY chess-player can follow. The variations are perfect. Not too much to overload the senses. I have had players who were almost beginners to players who were accomplished tournament players ... tell me that they profited from a careful study of this book. I think one should study this book, as I did. Every time your rating goes up 100 points, you should work your way through this book from cover to cover! You won't regret it and you definitely will improve! Another unique thing is he finds one idea or theme in each game, and just hammers away at it. It is a VERY good study method. It also contains some of the classics of chess, and Chernev brings you a fresh insight and analysis to each game. (Indeed - his comments and analysis may differ greatly from the ones that may have been published in the chess press when the game was first played.) Chernev was one of the greatest all-time teachers and writers in the chess field. This book is a true pearl!!! I think it belongs in the library of every real chess aficionado. >><p>I also rate this in, "The Ten Best Chess Books Ever Written." Need I say more?

The underhanded CGs hacker stalking FTB's account stripped the book title and links (as well as some opening theory) from the reviews above, so here it is again: The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Irving Chernev. Game Collection: The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played and https://lichess.org/study/w2JcfP5K

Here is the Batsford reprint of Chernev's book in algebraic notation! https://archive.org/details/mostins...

Reuben Fine can show you the not-so-easy way. Sign up for free and you can read books for free: https://archive.org/details/chessea...

"So if you think that when you are better, it means that you can smash ahead and mate the guy, you are wrong; that is not what better means. What better means is that your position has the potential, if played correctly, to turn out well. So do not think that when you are better and when you are attacking that you can just force mate. That is not what it is about. Often the way to play best, the way to play within the position, is to maintain it." ― Josh Waitzkin

Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Deuteronomy 6:6-9: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Ecclesiastes 9:9: "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun."

< <<Charlotte Chess Center Tuesday Night Action

Charlotte Chess Center

EVENT OVERVIEW
Tuesday Night Action-Weekly Rated Play
The CCC conducts a weekly US Chess rated game every Tuesday night. This is a great way for players to get weekly practice without committing a whole weekend to play a tournament. The Top Section also FIDE-rated - offering the only free weekly FIDE-rated game in the country! In addition, there is a free lecture before the games begin.

HOW IT WORKS
CCC opens Tuesdays at 5:45pm

Lecture with FM Peter Giannatos prior to rated games from 6:00pm-6:45pm

Players must register weekly and in advance using the online registration system

Each Tuesday evening will be limited to the first 62 players to register

TNA registration will close at 6:30pm if not already full

Once spots are filled, players may email events@charlottechesscenter.org to be placed on the waitlist.

​
REQUIREMENTS
Players must be members of the CCC

Players must have a US Chess membership

Open to all players in grades 9-12 and adults

Students in grades K-8 must be rated over 1000

​K-8 players rated under 1000 - See Wednesday Action Quads and Friday Action Quads

​
START TIME
Lecture: 6:00pm

Game: 7:00pm

GAMES
1 Round Weekly, Rated After 4 Rounds/Weeks

​
SECTIONS
TOP (1600+)

Under 1600

Under 1200

"Playing up" not permitted in TNA

TIME CONTROL
Top Section: G/85 mins; inc/5 - FIDE and US Chess Rated

U1600 & U1200 Sections: G/60 mins; inc/5 - US Chess Rated

ENTRY FEE
Free, must be a CCC Member​ - CCC membership only $40/year - join today!​

OTHER NOTES​​
Top Section is FIDE-rated - FIDE rules apply, except for US Chess penalties for cell phone infractions.

Tournament Directors will accelerate pairings to pair players close in rating when possible

Most recent "live" US Chess regular ratings used for all sections to ensure close matchups

Open to high schoolers and adults of any rating, including unrated

Students in grades K-8 must be rated 1000

Players in grades K-8 and rated under 1000 - see Wednesday Action Quads and Friday Action Quads

For all CCC events, bookmark our events calendar

All players must use CCC equipment - wooden sets and digital clocks provided

Address:
10700 Kettering Drive
Unit E
Charlotte, NC 28226 > >>

Current chess engines like Stockfish are capable of easily beating Deep Blue, the IBM supercomputer that defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997, as well as all human contenders.

"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." ― Satchel Paige

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run—
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!

"God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with." — Billy Graham

"I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right." — Billy Graham

<God is great and God is good,

Let us thank Him for our food;

By His blessings, we are fed,

Give us Lord, our daily bread.

Amen.>

When Moses asked God, "Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?" God said, "I AM THAT I AM." Jehovah or Yahweh is the most intensely sacred name to Jewish scribes and many will not even pronounce the name. When possible, they use another name." https://www.biblestudytools.com/bib...

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

"Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom." — Charles F. Stanley

"Someday, somewhere – anywhere, unfailingly, you'll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life." ― Pablo Neruda

"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face." ― Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. President

Philippians 4:7
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

"Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays." — Soren Kierkegaard

<poem by B.H. Wood which appeared in the following issue of the Chess Amateur: December 1929 (page 56)

The Chess Cafe I

Here is the life of Chess! – What's master play But its post-mortem? Scattered far and near
Are business men at leisure, youths and grey
Ancients, immersed in mental rivalry.
Here
How happily I'm come, for here, to me,
All life is peace; my roll and coffee seem
Food of the gods; the games I play and see
Lit with the hazy luminance of a dream.
Though champions still make a toil of chess,
We revel in unsound contentedness.>

Benoni Defense, Modern Variation: https://www.chess.com/openings/Beno...

Drawbacks of the offbeat Grob opening: https://www.chess.com/openings/Grob...

Learn the Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack: https://www.chess.com/openings/Nimz...

Learn the KIA and Reti Openings: https://www.chess.com/lessons/learn...

50 Chess Principles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXV...

11 sides: https://www.inspiremalibu.com/blog/...

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

Refute the Budapest Gambit: https://www.chess.com/video/player/...

Refute the Hennig-Schara Gambit: https://www.chess.com/video/player/...

Refute the Belgrade Gambit: https://www.chess.com/video/player/...

Refute the Milner-Barry Gambit: https://www.chess.com/video/player/...

Refute the Vienna Gambit: https://www.chess.com/video/player/...

Tactical Improvement: https://www.chess.com/video/player/...

"When you're lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play Chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war" ― Aristotle

"The habit of holding a Man in the hand, and moving it first to one square and then to another, in order to engage the assistance of the eye in deciding where it shall actually be placed, is not only annoying to the adversary but a practical infraction of the touch-and-move principle." ― Howard Staunton

"A bad plan is better than none at all." ― Frank Marshall

<Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Bombardment of Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, New York, 1865

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in the middle of the Civil War, wrote this poem which has more recently been adapted as a modern Christmas classic. Longfellow wrote this on Christmas Day in 1863, after his son had enlisted in the Union's cause and had returned home, seriously wounded. The verses which he included and are still generally included, speak of the despair of hearing the promise of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" when the evidence of the world is clearly that war still exists.

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

The original also included several verses referring specifically to the Civil War. Before that cry of despair and answering cry of hope, and after verses describing the long years of hearing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" (a phrase from the Jesus birth narratives in the Christian scriptures), Longfellow's poem includes, describing the black cannons of the war:

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!>

"No one has ever won a game of chess by taking only forward moves (what about Scholar's Mate?). Sometimes you have to move backwards in order to be able to take better steps forward. That is life." — Anonymous

Drive sober or get pulled over.

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

Old Russian Proverb: "Every sandpiper praises its own swamp. (Всяк кулик свое болото хвалит.)" People tend to have high opinion about the place where they live.

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." ― Thomas Jefferson, chess player

<A Burnt Ship
By John Donne (1572-1631)

Out of a fired ship, which by no way
But drowning could be rescued from the flame,
Some men leap'd forth, and ever as they came
Near the foes' ships, did by their shot decay;
So all were lost, which in the ship were found,
They in the sea being burnt, they in the burnt ship drown'd.>

"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

F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes The Great Gatsby in 1925.

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/

<Sarah wrote:

checkmate
It's like we're playing chess.
Moving strategically, testing boundaries,
all while watching each other's expression.

We all know how this games ends…
The queen destroys you and steals your heart.>

"My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring." ― Prince William

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

"It is atheism and blasphemy to dispute what God can do: good Christians content themselves with His will revealed in His Word." ― King James I

"Friend, you don't have to earn God's love or try harder. You're precious in His sight, covered by the priceless blood of Jesus, and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Don't hide your heart or fear you're not good enough for Him to care for you. Accept His love, obey Him, and allow Him to keep you in His wonderful freedom." — Charles F. Stanley

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

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.

Isaiah 66:24
24 "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."

"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

"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"

Riddle Answer Begins With Letter "C"
Riddle: I have two hands, but I cannot scratch myself. What am I?

Thank you, Qindarka!

Riddle Answer from above: A clock.

BFTC
KCB Tactics McEnulty
AWCG2C Polgar
C4E
H2BYK McEnulty
Chess Basics by David Levine

'A soft answer turneth away wrath'

'Don't throw good money after bad'

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

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." ― Denis Waitley

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

wrordyfunz
022xp Zbynek 'd on pungent asteroid Bd4 and after White defends his rook, Zelic 21...Bxe5 tactics fo breakfast tuna ona troll fo lunch an afternoon bicycle rodeo william give u game sum need edward punch.

Psalm 96: 1-3
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

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

Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

<The Chess Player
by Howard Altmann

They've left. They've all left.
The pigeon feeders have left.
The old men on the benches have left.
The white-gloved ladies with the Great Danes have left. The lovers who thought about coming have left.
The man in the three-piece suit has left.
The man who was a three-piece band has left.
The man on the milkcrate with the bible has left. Even the birds have left.
Now the trees are thinking about leaving too.
And the grass is trying to turn itself in.
Of course the buses no longer pass.
And the children no longer ask.
The air wants to go and is in discussions.
The clouds are trying to steer clear.
The sky is reaching for its hands.
Even the moon sees what's going on.
But the stars remain in the dark.
As does the chess player.
Who sits with all his pieces
In position.>

Capitonyms are words which change their meaning if the first letter is capitalized. For example: Turkey (the country) and turkey (the bird).

"Happiness depends upon ourselves."
― Aristotle

Old Russian Proverb: A good laugh is sunshine in a house.

"Don't just follow your dreams; chase them down, grab hold and don't let go." ― Kellie Elmore

<In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.>