Chess for Oldtimers --- Good Idea !

Today we have a quote from a unknown source: " 60 ! Now is the time to make your mark on the world   ---   explore the Antarctic or become an astronaut . Make your mind up to take on exciting new challenges   ---   straight after your afternoon nap. "  

haha! my dad saved a cartoon that stated that he was able and willing to take on the challenges of the day.

but, let's start with a nap.

Thanks for the post AlCzevik.

A quote from Alexander Pope: " When we are young we are slavishly employed in procuring something whereby we may live comfortably when we grow old; and when we are old, we perceive it is too late to live as we proposed.

Wow, that Pope guy sounds pretty smart, but it sounds like he could be kind of a downer sometimes, too.

Thanks for the post Motherinlaw. Yeah I must admit that item was not a cheerful kind of quote.

Interesting quote from Fay Weldon: " You end up as you deserve. In old age you must put up with the face, the friends, the health, and the children you have earned."

There's certainly much truth in Fay Weldon's epigram, though there are rare exceptions such as the folks who post here .

Thanks for the post Fightingbob.

Earlier today I saw this funny item from T.Kinnes: " On the bright side of life you will probably save a lot on shampoo when getting old and bald, and no longer have to suffer from thwarted and long gone ambitions. "

Now that's what I call an eternal optimist.  We need to put Mr. Kinnes to work on a Keep Your Sunny Side Up for the new millennium.

Thanks for the post and the info Fightingbob.

Well the shampoo savings hasn't been significant but the second part strikes a chord.  It's a good reminder that it's been a Long time since I've agonized over my sad epiphany at age 8, the end of my first  tap-dancing recital -- that I was Never going to hired to perform at the  Radio City Music Hall as one of the "Rockettes." 

That's okay, motherinlaw, no matter your age you'll always be our favorite Rockette here at Chess.com.

Thanks for the new posts.

This is a cute item ( author unknown ): " Statistics show that at the age of 70, there are five women to every man. Isn't that the darnedest time for a guy to get those odds ? "  

Thanks for the post.

Getting proper rest ( including naps ) is very important, a subject on which the one and only Yogi Berra once said: " I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four. " 

Loved the early 1960s Yankees, and loved Yogi Berra.  Here are a few Yogi-isms to "catch" you off guard.

I, retired and looking for mental stimulation, returned to chess in December after over a decade away from the game.  I just ran across this thread.  Yes, I feel benefits from the mental exercise.  I don't know how much of that is due to the excitement over the huge increase of information, online games and tactics training, YouTube lesson series on tactics, strategies, openings, endgames, etc.

But it seems to have improved my memory.

As a scientist and retired teacher, I decided to examine why I was rated no higher than the 1200's in the '90's despite being able to coach a high school team to three consecutive county championships and 3rd-4th-5th in state: the only team able to do that without a couple Eastern European immigrants.

Thanks to the incredible explosion of information and training instruments on the Internet, I was able to quickly realize I was very weak in tactics.  So I've been doing tactics problems online at least one hour/day, studying (with chapter outlining: not just "reading") tactics books, and looking at openings that fit best with a player who doesn't want wide-open positions, where overprotection of pieces is easier to do, yet provide opportunities to employ combinations if you can see them: the Giuoco Piano (now mostly called the "Italian Game") and c3 Sicilian as White, the Caro-Kann and Slav as Black, and General Principles if they don't fit.

In any case, it's kept me busy this winter!