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THE ASS AND THE WOLF. An Ass, feeding in a meadow, saw a Wolf approaching to seize him and immediately pretended to be lame. The Wolf, coming up, inquired the cause of his lameness. The Ass said, that passing through a hedge he trod with his foot upon a sharp thorn, and requested the Wolf to pull it out, lest when the Wolf supped on him it should injure his throat. The Wolf consenting, lifted up the foot, and gave his whole mind to the discovery of the thorn, when the Ass with his heels kicked his teeth into his mouth, and galloped away. The Wolf, being thus fearfully mauled, said: "I am rightly served, for why did I attempt the art of healing, when my father only taught me the trade of a butcher?" THE WOLF AND THE CRANE A Wolf, having a bone stuck in his throat, hired a Crane for a large sum to put her head into his throat, and draw out the bone. When the Crane had extracted the bone, and demanded the promised payment, the Wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth exclaimed: "Why, you have surely already a sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf." Moral: In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains. THE LAMB AND THE WOLF. A Wolf pursued a Lamb, which fled for refuge to a certain Temple. The Wolf called out to him and said: "The Priest will slay you in sacrifice, if he should catch you." On which the Lamb replied: "It would be better for me to be sacrificed in the Temple, than to be eaten by you."

THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD. A Wolf followed a flock of sheep for a long time, and did not attempt to injure one of them. The Shepherd at first stood on his guard against him, as against an enemy, and kept a strict watch over his movements. But when the Wolf, day after day, kept in the company of the sheep, and did not make the slightest effort to seize them, the Shepherd began to look upon him as a guardian of his flock rather than as a plotter of evil against it; and when occasion called him one day into the city, he left the sheep entirely in his charge. The Wolf, now that he had the opportunity, fell upon the sheep, and destroyed the greater part of the flock. The Shepherd on his return, finding his flock destroyed, exclaimed: "I have been rightly served; why did I trust my sheep to a wolf?" THE BLIND MAN AND THE WHELP. A Blind Man was accustomed to distinguish different animals by touching them with his hands. The whelp of a Wolf was brought to him, with a request that he would feel it, and say what it was. He felt it, and being in doubt, said: "I do not quite know whether it is the cub of a Fox, or the whelp of a Wolf; but this I know full well, that it would not be safe to admit him to the sheepfold." Moral: Evil tendencies are shown in early life. THE WOLF AND THE LAMB. A Wolf meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea, which should justify to the Lamb himself his right to eat him. He thus addressed him: " Sirrah, last year you grossly insulted me." "Indeed," bleated the Lamb in a mournful tone of voice, "I was not then born." Then said the Wolf, "You feed in my pasture." "No, good sir," replied the Lamb, "I have not yet tasted grass." Again said the Wolf, "You drink of my well." "No," exclaimed the Lamb, "I never yet drank water, for as yet my mother's milk is both food and drink to me." On which the Wolf seized him, and ate him up, saying: "WeU! I won't remain supper less, even though you refute every one of my imputations." Moral: The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.

Whether it was a chess calling, or a fascination with a royal game, a poor peasant boy from a foreign land sharpened his communication skills to teach the chess world a lesson. All he needed to accomplish his mission was anonymous opponents who were willing to sit at the same table with the young master, who was about to pave the way for generations of romantic chess. His name was Gioacchino Greco "The Calabrian" (1600-1634), and he is known to this day for recording some of the earliest chess games, demonstrating traps and checkmating patterns. Even though his recorded chess games are considered to be a fabrication by some people, and are viewed only as a lesson for beginners in this day and age, the true measuring stick reveals that his chess understanding was ahead of his time. Also, it is important to keep in mind that it was his strong desire to achieve that truly made him greater than his contemporaries, who were mostly out-classed when it came down to pure chess tactics. Despite dying at a young age, he left his mark by distinguishing himself from the amateurs, to become what is called in our generation a professional chess player. I like to think of Gioacchino Greco as one of a few prominent players riding the first wave of romantic chess that resonated until its last wave in the 20th century, marked by the emergence of the first modern player, Wilhelm Steinitz, who was quoted as saying the following: "A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it." -Wilhelm Steinitz. The founder of modern chess. (1836-1900) In other words, by accepting the sacrifice, the ball is placed in the amateur’s court and it is up to the opponent to refute it, once and for all. Yet, by not accepting the sacrifice, sportsmanship is overlooked in favor of a modern game that knows no mercy. What does this imply? From the first "big wave" of chess romantics to its last "big wave", what is truly being passed down to the later generations is the game-side of chess, as opposed to its seriousness. Interestingly, the name of this learned tactician has its origins in Joachim from the Hebraic meaning "he whom Yahweh (God) has set up". And, it makes me wonder why a poor peasant boy who happened to be Italian ("il Calabrese"), who happened to be Greek ("Greco"), and who also happened to be Jewish (from the origin of his name), would not settle for an unofficial title or at least a nick name such as "King of the Amateurs". He, instead, had the instinct to venture "as a professional" for something more, ironically, in the land where this royal game first originated. In the end, even though the last days of his chess journey were not as glorius as the first, the true lesson is one to remember: Fabrication or not, the game of chess is war in its origin (or sin by nature). (Special Note: As an amateur, I have a tendency to add a distinct flavor to chess articles. Any allusion made to a theme outside the chessboard is for illustrative purposes only, and is mainly symbolic.) For more information about Gioacchino Greco visit the link(s) below: "Gioacchino Greco" by batgirl (July 21, 2013) "White and Greco" by batgirl (May 15, 2011) "The Discoverer of Smothered Mate" by Julio_Becerra (November 11, 2009) "Classic Combinations: Historic Attacks" by IM Silman (Apr 21, 2015)

"The best chess masters of every epoch have been closely linked with the values of the society in which they lived and worked. All the changes of a cultural, political, and psychological background are reflected in the style and ideas of their play." -Garry Kasparov

"Death And The Fool" by Madison Julius Cawein (1865-1914) Here is a tale for any man or woman:A fool sought Death; and braved him with his baubleAmong the graves. At last he heard a hobble,And something passed him, monstrous, super-human.And by a tomb, that reared a broken column,He heard it stop. And then Gargantuan laughterShattered the hush. Deep silence followed after,Filled with the stir of bones, cadaverous, solemn.Then said the fool: 'Come! show thyself, old prancer!I'll have a bout with thee. I, too, can clatterMy wand and motley. Come now! Death and Folly,See who's the better man.' There was no answer;Only his bauble broke; a serious matterTo the poor fool who died of melancholy. source: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/death-and-the-fool/

"If it is true that a player's style is his person, then everyone plays as he is intended to by nature. I am naturally cautious, and I altogether dislike situations which involve risk." Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984) Soviet Armenian Grand Master, World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969, and Candidate for World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980). He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his impenetrable defensive style emphasizing safety first.

Spring and Autumn by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) Every season hath its pleasures; Spring may boast her flowery prime,Yet the vineyard's ruby treasures Brighten Autumn's soberer time.So Life's year begins and closes; Days tho' shortening still can shine;What tho' youth gave love and roses, Age still leaves us friends and wine. Phillis, when she might have caught me, All the Spring looked coy and shy,Yet herself in Autumn sought me, When the flowers were all gone by.Ah, too late;--she found her lover Calm and free beneath his vine,Drinking to the Spring-time over, In his best autumnal wine. Thus may we, as years are flying, To their flight our pleasures suit,Nor regret the blossoms dying, While we still may taste the fruit,Oh, while days like this are ours, Where's the lip that dares repine?Spring may take our loves and flowers, So Autumn leaves us friends and wine. source:http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/31853/-

If you were ever fascinated by the game of chess once in your life, chances are that you will go berserk for at least one of these 13 chess variants. Why berserk? Because the following variants have a special theme attached to them that will make you want to transform yourself into an epic hero and conquer your enemies! Or, they simply take you out of the bad habit of making "custom" moves by having you try a different type of chess. The following is just a small sample of 13 chess variants that I find interesting (for different reasons). Maybe it's just my personal taste. Tell me what you think (if you agree) or if there are any other chess variants that you would recommend: 1. Chess9602. Omega Chess 3. Fortress Chess (or Four-player Chess)4. Roulette Chess 5. Seirawan Chess 6. Dice Chess 7. PlunderChess 8. Troy9. Dragon Chess10. Triangular Chess11. Roller Ball12. Monster Chess13. Apocalypse

La Diagonale du Fou (1984) (Dangerous Moves) youtube channel: chessmovies (subscribers:2114, views: 32,815, runtime: 1:43:05) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIxht8-c0Gg (published November 2013) For more information about this film: (English): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Moveshttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087144/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl (French): https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Diagonale_du_fouhttp://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=174.html

The present avatar for The Un-Orthodox is: The Wizard (W). In Omega Chess, beyond the 10X10 chessboard there are 4 outer corners reserved for the Wizards. Like the bishop in standard chess, the Wizard is a color-bound piece, yet, it is classified as a leaper (or a jumper). It can move one square diagonally in all four directions or, like an exaggerated knight move, it can jump three squares horizontally (or vertically) and then one square to either side. The Wizard can contol up to twelve squares and is bound to the color of its starting square. The squares for the Wizards are designated w1, w2, w3 and w4, beginning at White's Queen Wizard square and proceeding counter-clockwise. For more information see see http://omegachess.com

"I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style." -Magnus Carlsen Magnus Carlsen is the reigning World Champion in classical, rapid and blitz chess. His peak rating (2882) on FIDE's May 2014 rating list is the highest in history. He also became the youngest player in history to be ranked Number 1 on January 1st, 2010, at the age of 19 years and 32 days.

"Chess is thirty to forty percent psychology. You don't have this when you play a computer. I can't confuse it." -Judit Polgar The strongest woman chess player in history, and, the only woman to qualify for a World Championship tournament. Also, the first and only woman to have surpassed the 2700 Elo rating barrier.

"As a rule, so-called "positional" sacrifices are considered more difficult, and therefore more praise-worthy, than those which are based exclusively on an exact calculation of tactical possibilities." -Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946) Russian chess grandmaster and fourth World Chess Champion (1927-1935, 1937-1946). Alekhine is widely considered one of the greatest chess players, and, is known for his fierce and imaginative attacking style, combined with great positional and endgame skill.

In the following game (Bobby Fischer(USA) vs. Hector Rosetto(ARG),1959,1-0) Black is not only "in zugzwang" on the 37th move but, the superiority of a bishop over a knight in the endgame is exemplified. Perhaps the Bishop outwitted the Knight this time around but, do not be fooled. Bishops are not always favoured over knights in the endgame. In this particular example, some of the Bishop's qualities have come to light in the endgame, including perseverance, persistence, resilience and an overall resolved nature. Whereas the "galloping" Knight, and last defender of what seemed to be an equal position, was finally neutralized. All Black could do was resign in a position that is termed "zugzwang" (German for "compulsion to move"). A player is said to be "in zugzwang" when any possible move will worsen his position. article: "Super bishop zugzwangs Fischer's opponent" by FM FM_Eric_Schiller (February 3, 2009)

"It so often happens that after sacrificing a pawn, a player aims not to obtain the initiative for it, but to regain sacrificed material." -Yefim Geller (1925-1998) A Soviet chess player, and openings expert, considered one of the best chess players in the world in the late 1960s. He won the Soviet Championship twice (in 1955 and 1979) and was a Candidate for the World Championship six times. Also, a chess author and coach to World Champions Boris Spassky and Anatoly Karpov.

I want to share the following article with our group members. "Lasker's Bishop Chase" by GM Gserper (Nov 17, 2013)

The Rolling Stones- Paint it Black (1966) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6d8eKvegLI The Rolling Stones- Paint it Black Live OFFICIAL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50u9bxRwBJI

Considering Bishops are confined to their own color squares, they can be the most ruthless and relentless of all pieces. Working in pairs, they can even be unstoppable. But, to come out of this mind game victorious they must be offensive-minded, and, they must resort to (whenever the occasion presents itself) a classic weapon of attack: A Sacrifice in the King's Field. The following article by GM DanielNaroditsky was posted earlier this year on chess.com, and I was just waiting for the occasion to share it with members of our group (who have not already read it). The occasion being our group's most recent MAKEOVER! article: "The Double Bishop Sacrifice" by GM Naroditsky (Feb 13, 2015)

"It is often said that an ounce of common sense can outweigh a ton of variations." -Savielly Tartakower(1887-1956)

Pop or Rock? Either way, it's time to cool off! Fall Out Boy - Beat It (MTV Version) ft. John Mayer (music video posted on youtube.com by FallOutBoyVEVO)