A list of games mentioned in 6 or more of the following 21 works:

* Frank J. Marshall: <Chess Masterpieces> (1928)

* Richard Réti: <Die Meister des Schachbretts>/<Masters of the Chess Board> (1930)

* Reuben Fine: <The World's Great Chess Games> (1951)

* Martin Beheim-Schwarzbach: <Knaurs Schachbuch> (1953) -- a really nice little German game collection, one of my personal favourites

* Savielly Tartakower: <500 Master Games of Chess> (1952)

* Fred Reinfeld: <Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters> (1961)

* Irving Chernev: <The Most Instructive Games of Chess> (1965)

* Al Horowitz: <The Golden Treasury of Chess> (1969 edition)

* Larry Evans: <Modern Chess Brilliancies> (1971)

* John Nunn, Graham Burgess, & John Emms: <The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games> (1998)

* Graham Burgess: <Chess Highlights of the 20th Century> (2000)

* Garry Kasparov: <On My Great Predecessors>, Parts 1-5 (2003-2006)

* Garry Kasparov: <Modern Chess>, Parts 1-4 (2007-2010)

* Chess Informant: <Golden Games>, Vol. 1-138 (1966-2018)

* Chess Informant: <Best Games>, Vol. 1-115 (1966-2012)

* Graeme Cree: <Underanthologized Games> http://graeme.50webs.com/chesschamp...

* Irving Chernev: <Wonders and Curiosities of Chess> (1974)

* Benzol: <Celebrities and Immortals> Game Collection: Celebrities & Immortals

* Wikipedia: List_of_chess_games

* Wikipedia (German): Liste_berühmter_Schachpartien

* Chessgames Greatest of All Times

I would have liked to include those on 4+ lists, but as I'm not a prime member, I'm limited to 101 games :(

"Every master was once a disaster." – T.S. Wood

"It takes a dream to get started, desire to keep going, and determination to finish." ― Eddie Harris, Jr.

What do Alexander the Great and Winnie the Pooh have in common? Same middle name.

"There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope." ― Stephen Hawking

Why is it sad that parallel lines have so much in common? Because they'll never meet.

"Chess is the art of analysis." ― Mikhail Botvinnik

"Chess is imagination." ― David Bronstein

"Chess is as much a mystery as women." ― Cecil John Seddon Purdy

"Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out." ― Randall Munroe

<First And Last Author
Riddle: What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you?

By 2024 India will overtake China as the world's most populous country

China currently has 1.4 billion inhabitants, closely followed by India with 1.3 billion. Together they make up 37% of the world's population.

Riddle Answer: Your name.>

Is it ignorance or apathy that's destroying the world today? I don't know, and I don't care.

One of Bobby Fischer's famous utterances is that "Chess is life."

"Chess is my life, but my life is not chess." ― Anatoly Karpov

"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." ― Forrest Gump

"Life is like a game of chess. To win you need to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with insight and knowledge and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way. We become each and every piece within the game called LIFE." ― Alan Rufus

"The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don't give up." ― Robert Tew

"Life is like a cup of coffee or tea. No matter how bitter it may be, it is always enjoyable." ― Jason Wong

Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you'll be a mile away, and you'll have their shoes.

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." ― Mahatma Gandhi

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." ― Dalai Lama

"The game of chess is not just an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it… Life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often pointed to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with." ― Benjamin Franklin

"Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands." ― Renaud & Kahn, The Art of the Checkmate

"Out of difficulties grow miracles." ― Jean de la Bruyere

What do you call a bee that can't make up its mind? A maybe.

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ― Albert Einstein

What did the swordfish say to the marlin? "You're looking sharp."

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." ― Albert Einstein

"I have seen two geniuses in my time. One was Tal. The other was Fischer." ― Russian GM Yuri Averbakh

"Failure is success in progress." ― Albert Einstein

"Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it." ― Mia Hamm

How do celebrities stay cool? They have many fans.

"The broader the chess player you are, the easier it is to be competitive, and the same seems to be true of mathematics - if you can find links between different branches of mathematics, it can help you resolve problems. In both mathematics and chess, you study existing theory and use that to go forward." ― Viswanathan Anand

"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits." ― Napoleon Hill

"Tough times never last, but tough people do." ― Robert. H. Schuller

"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." ― Charles Spurgeon

"Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock." ― Unknown

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." ― Louis Pasteur

"All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters either. Every single man in this Army play a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain." ― General George S. Patton, U.S. Army

Which branch of the military accepts toddlers? The infantry.

"Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them." ― Napoleon Bonaparte, French military and political leader

After winning a good game, I always ask myself: "Where did I go right?" ― Tom Wiswell (1910-1988) who made a quote regarding playing checkers worth using in chess circles.

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

Why couldn't the bicycle stand on its own? It was two tired.

"Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent." — Billy Graham

Why were the teacher's eyes crossed? She couldn't control her pupils.

"Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn't mean they're lost forever." — Professor X

"If you're positive (attitude) you can get through it OK. When you think negatively, you're putting poison in your body. Just smile. They say laughter is the best medicine there is." — Elsa Bailey, athlete, 100 years old

"If plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters – 204 if you're in Japan." — Claire Cook

Exaggerations have become an epidemic. They went up by a million percent last year.

"Life is like a game of chess. I cannot undue the moves but I can make the next step better." — Edwin Tan

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us." — Alexander Graham Bell

I told my physical therapist that I broke my arm in two places. He told me to stop going to those places.

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending." — Maria Robinson

"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can." – Watty Piper

"The winner of the game is the player who makes the next to last mistake." — Savielly Tartakower

"Part of being a champ is acting like a champ. You have to learn how to win and not run away when you lose." — Nancy Kerrigan

"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." — Martin Luther King Jr.

* 15 Life Lessons: https://herculeschess.com/life-less...

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." — Pablo Picasso

"I stand corrected!" said the man in the orthopedic shoes.

"Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly." — Thomas Jefferson

You're not completely useless. You can always serve as a bad example.

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching." — Satchel Paige

"If you're doing something just to make money, it's easy to quit. Most people do. But if you're doing something because it makes you come alive, then removing the restrictions life throws at you clears the path." — Evan Carmichael

"I believe where there is a will, there is a way. You just can't give up, you have to keep going." — Charmaney Bayton

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." — Harriet Beecher Stowe

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." ― C.S. Lewis

"I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

"You just can't beat the person who won't give up." — Babe Ruth

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

Don't Quit
Poet: Edgar A. Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he
Might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems
To a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up when he
Might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down, How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And when you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst,
You must not quit.

"Rest if you must but don't you quit!" — Anonymous

"Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering ‘I will try again tomorrow'." — Mary Anne Radmacher

"The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on." — Barack Obama

I saw Usain Bolt sprinting around the track shouting, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" It was a running joke.

$ $ $

"Elon Musk, the world's richest person, recently revealed his strategy for investing alongside record inflation.

According to the WSJ, since February 2020, the Fed increased the nation's money supply by a staggering 40%. To some experts, it explains why the U.S. is experiencing its highest inflation rate since 1981.

The Tesla and SpaceX founder told investors, in his experience, it's "better to own physical things than dollars when inflation is high." That's especially shocking from Musk, who has historically passionately supported cryptocurrencies and other digital goods.

The "physical goods" he mentioned could include oil, metals, and grains, which have all soared in prices…" — Nigel Glenday, Chief Financial Officer

"If you do what you need, you're surviving. If you do what you want, you're living." — Unknown

"Stick to the prepared plan, man. Don't let others down who expect you to do your part. Do no harm. Fools rush in. Be calm, composed, wise; obey boundaries. Control your impulses, urges, your emotions, your words and actions. Respectfully play by the rules, or willful recklessness will burn you soon enough. All God's ambular creatures must stay back off thin ice. Mother Nature and Father Time always have their say. Be safe and sound as you explore." — Anonymous Bear

<Luke 8:16-18 New King James Version The Parable of the Revealed Light

Jesus said:
16 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.">

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:9, 10.

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

"Be active. I do things my way, like skiing when I'm 100. Nobody else does that even if they have energy. And I try to eat pretty correctly and get exercise and fresh air and sunshine." ― Elsa Bailey, first time skier at age 100

"Don't look at the calendar, just keep celebrating every day." ― Ruth Coleman, carpe diem at age 101

1953 Zurich: move 29 Zukertort retort. zooter Frit z drip drip drip Kh7? lubes hiz own Szabo freechrgbl electrk shavr oodd bbee hiveior.

What sits at the bottom of the sea and twitches? A nervous wreck.

<This game an Indian Brahmin did invent, The force of Eastern wisdom to express;
From thence the same to busy Europe sent;
The modern Lombards stil'd it pensive Chess.
— Sir John Denham>

You don't have to be a polymath like Beth Harmon in The Queen's Gambit to improve your game

Stephen Moss
Sat 14 Nov 2020 01.56 EST
The first thing to say about chess is that we are not all natural geniuses like Beth Harmon, the star of The Queen's Gambit, who is taught the game by grumpy but lovable janitor Mr Shaibel at the age of nine and is very soon beating him.

The daughter of a maths PhD, she sees the patterns and movement in chess immediately, can visualise effortlessly – being able to memorise moves and play without a board is the sign of chess mastery – and sees whole games on the ceiling of her orphanage dormitory. She is a prodigy, just like world champion Bobby Fischer, on whom Walter Tevis based the novel from which the TV series is drawn. We are mere mortals. So how do we get good?

First, by loving chess. "You can only get good at chess if you love the game," Fischer said. You need to be endlessly fascinated by it and see its infinite potential. Be willing to embrace the complexity; enjoy the adventure. Every game should be an education and teach us something. Losing doesn't matter. Garry Kasparov, another former world champion, likes to say you learn far more from your defeats than your victories. Eventually you will start winning, but there will be a lot of losses on the way. Play people who are better than you, and be prepared to lose. Then you will learn. If you are a beginner, don't feel the need to set out all the pieces at once. Start with the pawns, and then add the pieces. Understand the potential of each piece – the way a pair of bishops can dominate the board, how the rooks can sweep up pawns in an endgame, why the queen and a knight can work together so harmoniously. Find a good teacher – your own Mr Shaibel, but without the communication issues. Once you have established the basics, start using computers and online resources to play and to help you analyse games. lichess.org, chess.com and chess24.com are great sites for playing and learning. chessbomb.com is a brilliant resource for watching top tournaments. chessgames.com is a wonderful database of games. chesspuzzle.net is a great practice program. decodechess.com attempts to explain chess moves in layperson's language. There are also plenty of sophisticated, all-purpose programs, usually called chess engines, such as Fritz and HIARCs that, for around £50, help you deconstruct your games and take you deeply into positions. But don't let the computer do all the work. You need to engage your own brain on the analysis. And don't endlessly play against the computer. Find human opponents, either online or, when the pandemic is over, in person. Bobby Fischer was stripped of his world title in 1975 after he refused to defend the title due to a row over the format. Photograph: RFS/AP Study the games of great masters of the past. Find a player you like and follow their careers. Fischer is a great starting point – his play is clear and comprehensible, and beautifully described in his famous book My 60 Memorable Games. Morphy (Harmon's favourite), Alekhine, Capablanca, Tal, Korchnoi and Shirov are other legendary figures with whom the aspiring player might identify. They also have fascinating life stories, and chess is about hot human emotions as well as cold calculation. Modern grandmaster chess, which is based heavily on a deep knowledge of opening theory, is more abstruse and may be best avoided until you have acquired deep expertise. The current crop of leading grandmasters are also, if we are brutally honest, a bit lacking in personality compared with the giants of the past. Children will often find their school has a chess club, and that club may even have links with Chess in Schools and Communities, which supplies expert tutors to schools. Provision tends to be much better at primary than secondary level, and after 11 children will probably be left to their own devices if they want to carry on playing. If a player is really serious, she or he should join their local chess club. There is likely to be one meeting nearby, or there will be once the Covid crisis is over. At the moment, clubs are not meeting and there is very little over-the-board chess being played. Players are keeping their brains active online, where you can meet players from all over the world. That is fun, but be aware that some players are likely to be cheating – using chess engines to help them, making it hard for you to assess how good your play is. And you also get some abuse online from players who want to trash-talk. You are also likely to be playing at very fast time controls – so-called blitz chess – and that is no way to learn to really think about chess. If you want to start playing over-the-board tournaments (when they resume), you will need to join the chess federation in your respective country. After you've played the requisite number of official games, you will get a rating – a bit like a handicap in golf – and can then start being paired with players of your own strength in matches. But until then, the key is to keep enjoying chess and searching for the elusive "truth" in a position. If you see a good move, look for a better one. You can always dig a little deeper in the pursuit of something remarkable and counterintuitive. Beauty and truth: the essence of chess. Stephen Moss is the author of The Rookie: An Odyssey through Chess (and Life), published by Bloomsbury

* YS Tactics: Game Collection: Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well." ― Voltaire

When does a joke become a ‘dad' joke?
When it becomes apparent.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?" ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." ― Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the United States, and former Colonel in the U.S. Army

<Dec-12-16 DrGridlock: Q: When is a pin not a pin? A: When the piece is:
(i) not pinned to the king
and
(ii) in moving the piece threatens either mate or greater material gain than what it was pinned to. (iii) in moving the piece now defends the unit it was pinned to, such as Nf3xd4 and protects the Be2 that was behind the knight.>

CAISSA
or The Game at Chess; a Poem.
(written in the year 1763, by Sir William Jones)

(pronounced ky-eé-sah)

Of armies on the chequer'd field array'd,

And guiltless war in pleasing form display'd;

When two bold kings contend with vain alarms,

In ivory this, and that in ebon arms;

Sing, sportive maids, that haunt the sacred hill

Of Pindus, and the fam'd Pierian rill.

Thou, joy of all below, and all above,

Mild Venus, queen of laughter, queen of love;

Leave thy bright island, where on many a rose

And many a pink thy blooming train repose:

Assist me, goddess! since a lovely pair

Command my song, like thee devinely fair.

Near yon cool stream, whose living waters play,

And rise translucent in the solar ray;

Beneath the covert of a fragrant bower,

Where spring's nymphs reclin'd in calm retreat,

And envying blossoms crouded round their seat;

Here Delia was enthron'd, and by her side

The sweet Sirena, both in beauty's pride:

Thus shine two roses, fresh with early bloom,

That from their native stalk dispense perfume;

Their leaves unfolding to the dawning day

Gems of the glowing mead, and eyes of May.

A band of youths and damsels sat around,

Their flowing locks with braided myrtle bound;

Agatis, in the graceful dance admir'd,

And gentle Thyrsis, by the muse inspir'd;

With Sylvia, fairest of the mirthful train;

And Daphnis, doom'd to love, yet love in vain.

Now, whilst a purer blush o'erspreads her cheeks,

With soothing accents thus Sirena speaks:

"The meads and lawns are ting'd with beamy light,

And wakeful larks begin their vocal flight;

Whilst on each bank the dewdrops sweetly smile;

What sport, my Delia, shall the hours beguile?

Whall heavenly notes, prolong'd with various art,

Charm the fond ear, and warm the rapturous heart?

At distance shall we view the sylvan chace?

Or catch with silken lines the finny race?"

Then Delia thus: "Or rather, since we meet

By chance assembled in this cool retreat,

In artful contest let our warlike train

Move well-directed o'er the field preside:

No prize we need, our ardour to inflame;

We fight with pleasure, if we fight for fame."

The nymph consents: the maids and youths prepare

To view the combat, and the sport to share:

But Daphnis most approv'd the bold design,

Whom Love instructed, and the tuneful Nine.

He rose, and on the cedar table plac'd

A polish'd board, with differing colours grac'd;

Squares eight times eight in equal order lie;

These bright as snow, those dark with sable dye;

Like the broad target by the tortoise born,

Or like the hide by spotted panthers worn.

Then from a chest, with harmless heroes stor'd,

O'er the smooth plain two well-wrought hosts he pour'd;

The champions burn'd their rivals to assail,

Twice eight in black, twice eight in milkwhite mail;

In shape and station different, as in name,

Their motions various, not their power the same.

Say, muse! (for Jove has nought from thee conceal'd)

Who form'd the legions on the level field?

High in the midst the reverend kings appear,

And o'er the rest their pearly scepters rear:

One solemn step, majestically slow,

They gravely move, and shun the dangerous foe;

If e'er they call, the watchful subjects spring,

And die with rapture if they save their king;

On him the glory of the day depends,

He once imprison'd, all the conflict ends.

The queens exulting near their consorts stand;

Each bears a deadly falchion in her hand;

Now here, now there, they bound with furious pride,

And thin the trmbling ranks from side to side;

Swift as Camilla flying o'er the main,

Or lightly skimming o'er the dewy plain:

Fierce as they seem, some bold Plebeian spear

May pierce their shield, or stop their full career.

The valiant guards, their minds on havock bent,

Fill the next squares, and watch the royal tent;

Tho' weak their spears, tho' dwarfish be their height,

Compact they move, the bulwark of the fight,

To right and left the martial wings display

Their shining arms, and stand in close array.

Behold, four archers, eager to advance,

Send the light reed, and rush with sidelong glance;

Through angles ever they assault the foes,

True to the colour, which at first they chose.

Then four bold knights for courage-fam'd and speed,

Each knight exalted on a prancing steed:

Their arching course no vulgar limit knows,

Tranverse they leap, and aim insidious blows:

Nor friends, nor foes, their rapid force restrain,

By on quick bound two changing squares they gain;

From varing hues renew the fierce attack,

And rush from black to white, from white to black.

Four solemn elephants the sides defend;

Benearth the load of ponderous towers they bend:

In on unalter'd line they tempt the fight;

Now crush the left, and now o'erwhelm the right.

Bright in the front the dauntless soldiers raise

Their polish'd spears; their steely helmets blaze:

Prepar'd they stand the daring foe to strike,

Direct their progress, but their wounds oblique.

Now swell th' embattled troups with hostile rage,

And clang their shields, impatient to engage;

When Daphnis thus: A varied plain behold,

Where fairy kings their mimick tents unfold,

As Oberon, and Mab, his wayward queen,

Lead forth their armies on the daisied green.

No mortal hand the wond'rous sport contriv'd,

By gods invents, and from gods deriv'd;

From them the British nymphs receiv'd the game,

And play ech morn beneath the crystal Thame;

Hear then the tale, which they to Colin sung,

As idling o'er the lucid wave he hung.

A lovely dryad rang'd the Thracian wild,

Her air enchanting, and her aspect mild:

To chase the bounding hart was all her joy,

Averse from Hymen, and the Cyprian boy;

O'er hills an valleys was her beauty fam'd,

And fair Caissa was the damsel nam'd.

Mars saw the maid; with deep surprize he gaz'd,

Admir'd her shape, and every gesture prais'd:

His golden bow the child of Venus bent,

And through his breast a piecing arrow sent.

The reed was hope; the feathers, keen desire;

The point, her eyes; the barbs, ethereal fire.

Soon to the nymph he pour'd his tender strain;

The haughtly dryad scorn'd his amorous pain:

He told his woes, where'er the maid he found,

And still he press'd, yet still Caissa frown'd;

But ev'n her frowns (ah, what might smiles have done!)

Fir'd all his soul, and all his senses won.

He left his car, by raging tigers drawn,

And lonely wander'd o'er the dusky lawn;

Then lay desponding near a murmuring stream,

And fair Caissa was his plaintive theme.

A naiad heard him from her mossy bed,

And through the crystal rais'd her placid head;

Then mildly spake: "O thou, whom love inspires,

Thy tears will nourish, not allay thy fires.

The smiling blossoms drink the pearly dew;

And ripening fruit the feather'd race pursue;

The scaly shoals devour the silken weeds;

Love on our sighs, and on our sorrow feeds.

Then weep no more; but, ere thou canst obtain

Balm to thy wounds, and solace to thy pain,

With gentle art thy martial look beguile;

Be mild, and teach thy rugged brow to smile.

Canst thou no play, no soothing game devise;

To make thee lovely in the damsel's eyes?

So may thy prayers assuage the scornful dame,

And ev'n Caissa own a mutual frame."

Kind nymph, said Mars, thy counsel I approve;

Art, only art, her ruthless breast can move.

but when? or how? They dark discourse explain:

So may thy stream ne'er swell with gushing rain;

So may thy waves in one pure current flow,

And flowers eternal on thy border blow!"

To whom the maid replied with smiling mien:

"Above the palace of the Paphian queen

Love's brother dwells, a boy of graceful port,

By gods nam'd Euphron, and by mortals Sport:

Seek him; to faithful ears unfold thy grief,

And hope, ere morn return, a sweet relief.

His temple hangs below the azure skies;

Seest thou yon argent cloud? 'Tis there it lies."

This said, she sunk beneath the liquid plain,

And sought the mansion of her blue-hair'd train.

Meantime the god, elate with heart-felt joy,

Had reach'd the temple of the sportful boy;

He told Caissa's charms, his kindled fire,

The naiad's counsel, and his warm desire.

"Be swift, he added, give my passion aid;

A god requests." - He spake, and Sport obey'd.

He fram'd a tablet of celestial mold,

Inlay'd with squares of silver and of gold;

Then of two metals form'd the warlike band,

That here compact in show of battle stand;

He taught the rules that guide the pensive game,

And call'd it Cassa from the dryad's name:

(Whence Albion's sons, who most its praise confess,

Approv'd the play, and nam'd it thoughtful Chess.)

The god delighted thank'd indulgent Sport;

Then grasp'd the board, and left his airy court.

With radiant feet he pierc'd the clouds; nor stay'd,

Till in the woods he saw the beauteous maid:

Tir'd with the chase the damsel set reclin'd,

Her girdle loose, her bosom unconfin'd.

He took the figure of a wanton faun,

And stood before her on the flowery lawn;

Then show'd his tablet: pleas'd the nymph survey'd

The lifeless troops in glittering ranks display'd;

She ask'd the wily sylvan to explain

The various motions of the splendid train;

With eager heart she caught the winning lore,

And thought ev'n Mars less hateful than before;

"What spell," said she, "deceiv'd my careless mind?

The god was fair, and I was most unkind."

She spoke, and saw the changing faun assume

A milder aspect, and a fairer bloom;

His wreathing horns, that from his temples grew,

Flow'd down in curls of bright celestial hue;

The dappled hairs, that veil'd his loveless face,

Blaz'd into beams, and show'd a heavenly grace;

The shaggy hide, that mantled o'er his breast,

Was soften'd to a smooth transparent vest,

That through its folds his vigorous bosom show'd,

And nervous limbs, where youthful ardour glow'd:

(Had Venus view'd him in those blooming charms,

Not Vulcan's net had forc'd her from his arms.)

With goatlike feet no more he mark'd the ground,

But braided flowers his silken sandals bound.

The dryad blush'd; and, as he press'd her, smil'd,

Whilst all his cares one tender glance beguil'd.

He ends: To arms, the maids and striplings cry;

To arms, the groves and sounding vales reply.

Sirena led to war the swarthy crew,

And Delia those that bore the lily's hue.

Who first, O muse, began the bold attack;

The white refulgent, or the mournful black?

Fair Delia first, as favoring lots ordain,

Moves her pale legions tow'rd the sable train:

From thought to thought her lively fancy flies,

Whilst o'er the board she darts her sparkling eyes.

At length the warrior moves with haughty strides;

Who from the plain the snowy king divides:

With equal haste his swarthy rival bounds;

His quiver rattles, and his buckler sounds:

Ah! hapless youths, with fatal warmth you burn;

Laws, ever fix'd, forbid you to return.

then from the wing a short-liv'd spearman flies,

Unsafely bold, and see! he dies, he dies:

The dark-brow'd hero, with one vengeful blow

Of life and place deprives his ivory foe.

Now rush both armies o'er the burnish'd field,

Hurl the swift dart, and rend the bursting shield.

Here furious knights on fiery coursers prance,

but see! the white-rob'd Amazon beholds

Where the dark host its opening van unfolds:

Soon as her eye discerns the hostile maid,

By ebon shield, and ebon helm betray'd;

Seven squares she passed with majestic mien,

And stands triumphant o'er the falling queen.

Perplex'd, and sorrowing at his consort's fate,

The monarch burn'd with rage, despair, and hate:

Swift from his zone th' avenging blade he drew,

And, mad with ire, the proud virago slew.

Meanwhile sweet smiling Delia's wary king

Retir'd from fight behind the circling wing.

Long time the war in equal balance hung;

Till, unforseen, an ivory courser sprung,

And, wildly prancing in an evil hour,

Attack'd at once the monarch and the tower:

Sirena blush'd; for, as the rules requir'd,

Her injur'd sovereign to his tent retir'd;

Whilst her lost castle leaves his threatening height,

And adds new glory to th' exulting knight.

At this, pale fear oppress'd the drooping maid,

And on her cheek the rose began to fade:

A crystal tear, that stood prepar'd to fall,

She wip'd in silence, and conceal'd from all;

From all but Daphnis; He remark'd her pain,

And saw the weakness of her ebon train;

Then gently spoke: "Let me your loss supply,

And either nobly win, or nobly dir;

Me oft has fortune crown'd with fair success,

And led to triumph in the fields of Chess."

He said: the willing nymph her place resign'd,

And sat at distance on the bank reclin'd.

Thus when Minerva call'd her chief to arms,

And Troy's high turret shook with dire alarms,

The Cyprian goddess wounded left the plain,

And Mars engag'd a mightier force in vain.

Strait Daphnis leads his squadron to the field;

(To Delia's arms 'tis ev'n a joy to yield.)

Each guileful snare, and subtle art he tries,

But finds his heart less powerful than her eyes:

Wisdom and strength superior charms obey;

And beauty, beauty, wins the long-fought day.

By this a hoary chief, on slaughter bent,

Approach'd the gloomy king's unguarded tent;

Where, late, his consort spread dismay around,

Now her dark corse lies bleeding on the ground.

Hail, happy youth! they glories not unsung

Shall live eternal on the poet's tongue;

For thou shalt soon receive a splendid change,

And o'er the plain with nobler fury range.

The swarthy leaders saw the storm impend,

And strove in vain their sovereign to defend:

Th' invader wav'd his silver lance in air,

And flew like lightning to the fatal square;

His limbs dilated in a moment grew

To stately height, and widen'd to the view;

More fierce his look, more lion-like his mien,

Sublime he mov'd, and seem'd a warrior queen.

As when the sage on some unfolding plant

Has caught a wandering fly, or frugal ant,

His hand the microscopic frame applies,

And lo! a bright hair'd monster meets his eyes;

He sees new plumes in slender cases roll'd;

Here stain'd with azure, there bedropp'd with gold;

Thus, on the alter'd chief both armies gaze,

And both the kings are fix'd with deep amaze.

The sword, which arm'd the snow-white maid before,

He noew assumes, and hurls the spear no more;

The springs indignant on the dark-rob'd band,

And knights and archers feel his deadly hand.

Now flies the monarch of the sable shield,

His legions vanquish'd, o'er the lonely field:

So when the morn, by rosy coursers drawn,

With pearls and rubies sows the verdant lawn,

Whilst each pale star from heaven's blue vault retires,

Still Venus gleams, and last of all expires.

He hears, where'er he moves, the dreadful sound;

Check the deep vales, and Check the woods rebound.

No place remains: he sees the certain fate,

And yields his throne to ruin, and Checkmate.

A brighter blush o'erspreads the damsel's cheeks,

And mildly thus the conquer'd stripling speaks:

"A double triumph, Delia, hast thou won,

By Mars protected, and by Venus' son;

The first with conquest crowns thy matchless art,

The second points those eyes at Daphnis' heart."

She smil'd; the nymphs and amorous youths arise,

And own that beauty gain'd the nobler prize.

Low in their chest the mimic troops were lay'd,

And peaceful slept the sable hero's shade.

Red means stop.
The truth hurts.

"If a disciple is old,
a master should be mature.
If a disciple is young,
a master should be accessible.
If a disciple is brave,
a master should be fearless.
If a disciple is shrewd,
a master should be wise.
If a disciple is strong,
a master should be powerful.
If a disciple is learned,
a master should be enlightened.

If a disciple is contented,
a master should be joyful.
If a disciple is faithful,
a master should be devoted.
If a disciple is tolerant,
a master should be peaceful.
If a disciple is intro inspective,
a master should be self-aware.
If a disciple is focused,
a master should be determined.
If a disciple is exceptional,
a master should be perfect."
― Matshona Dhliwayo

comment by C.J.S. Purdy on page 34 of the February 1960 Chess World:

‘Zugzwang just doesn't happen in a middle-game. There is a win by Nimzowitsch against Sämisch in the middle-game which one annotator has called a "Zugzwang" finish. It is true that any move by Sämisch loses, but he would lose just as surely if his opponent had to move. It is not the compulsion to move that hurts him; his position is lost anyway. So it is no more Zugzwang than any other resignable position.'

/