Chess: Description of pieces and how they move

The Queen is the most powerful piece. She can move any number of squares in any direction — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal — if her path is not blocked. She can reach any of the squares with dots in this diagram.

The Rook is the next most powerful piece. The Rook can move any number of squares vertically or horizontally if its path is not blocked.

  

The Bishop can move any number of squares diagonally if its path is not blocked. Note that this Bishop starts on a light square and can reach only other light squares. At the beginning of the game, you have one "dark-square" Bishop and one "light-square" Bishop.

 

The Knight's move is special. It hops directly from its old square to its new square. The Knight can jump over other pieces between its old and new squares. Think of the Knight's move as an "L." It moves two squares horizontally or vertically and then makes a right-angle turn for one more square. The Knight always lands on a square opposite in color from its old square.




 







The King is the most important piece. When he is trapped, his whole army loses. The King can move one square in any direction — for example, to any of the squares with dots in this diagram. (An exception is castling, which is explained later.) The King may never move into check — that is, onto a square attacked by an opponent's piece.

The Pawn moves straight ahead (never backward), but it captures diagonally. It moves one square at a time, but on its first move it has the option of moving forward one or two squares. In the diagram, the squares with dots indicate possible destinations for the pawns. The White pawn is on its original square, so it may move ahead either one or two squares. The Black pawn has already moved, so it may move ahead only one square at a time. The squares on which these pawns may capture are indicated by an X. If a pawn advances all the way to the opposite end of the board, it is immediately "promoted" to another piece, usually a Queen. It may not remain a pawn or become a King. Therefore, it is possible for each player to have more than one Queen or more than two Rooks, Bishops, or Knights on the board at the same time.

 

Chess: First Things First. Board Setup

Chess is a game for two players, one with the "White" pieces and one with the "Black" pieces. At the beginning of the game, the pieces are set up as seen below. (See diagrams below to identify pieces.) These hints will help you to remember the proper board setup:

1. Opposing Kings and Queens go directly opposite each other.
2. The square in the lower right hand corner is a light one ("light on right").
3. The White Queen goes on a light square, the Black Queen on a dark square ("Queen on color").



White always moves first, and then the players take turns moving. Only one piece may be moved at each turn (except for "castling," a special move that is explained later). The Knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces. All other pieces move only along unblocked lines. You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces. But you can capture an enemy piece that stands on a square where one of your pieces can move. Simply remove the enemy piece from the board and put your own piece in its place.

Chess? Anybody know how to play?

Years ago,...I created another blog. It was about Chess and Homeschooling, as well as others things that I was interested in. I stopped visiting the site, and then forgot my password. Needless to say, some more years passed, and I still would visit the site to try different passwords. No luck!

Well,...I was recently cleaning out a desk drawer when I came across a slip of paper that had the old blog's web address, and what appeared to be a password. Well, I gave it a shot and it worked!

So, what does this have to do with the title of this post? I'm getting to that part. On the old blog, I had posted a bunch of chess primer lessons. I had gotten so much positive feedback that I thought that I should post them here on this blog.

Look for the next few posts to be on Chess. I'm sure you'll enjoy,...and please feel free to ask questions.

Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan by Bruce Feiler (Thumbs up)

Title: Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan

 

Author: Bruce Feiler

BRUCE FEILER is the best-selling author of nine books, including WALKING THE BIBLE, ABRAHAM, and AMERICA'S PROPHET, and one of only a handful of writers to have four consecutive New York Times nonfiction bestsellers in the last decade. He is also the writer/presenter of the PBS miniseries WALKING THE BIBLE. His latest book, THE COUNCIL OF DADS, tells the uplifting story of how friendship and community can help one survive life's greatest challenge. Bruce Feiler's early books involve immersing himself in different cultures and bringing other worlds vividly to life. These include LEARNING TO BOW, an account of the year he spent teaching in rural Japan; LOOKING FOR CLASS, about life inside Oxford and Cambridge; and UNDER THE BIG TOP, which depicts the year he spent performing as a clown in the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. His recent work made him one of the country's most respected authorities on religion, politics, and the emotional issues of our time. WALKING THE BIBLE describes his perilous, 10,000-mile journey retracing the Five Books of Moses through the desert. The book was hailed as an "instant classic" by the Washington Post and "thoughtful, informed, and perceptive" by The New York Times. It spent more than a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into fifteen languages, and is the subject of a children's book and a photography book. ABRAHAM recounts his personal search for the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. "Exquisitely written," wrote the Boston Globe, "100 percent engaging." The book was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, became a runaway New York Times bestseller, and inspired thousands of grassroots interfaith discussions. WHERE GOD WAS BORN describes his year-long trek retracing the Bible through Israel, Iraq, and Iran. "Bruce Feiler is a real-life Indiana Jones," wrote the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. AMERICA'S PROPHET recounts his unprecedented journey through American history - from the pilgrims to the founding fathers, the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement - exploring how the Exodus is America's greatest story and Moses is our true founding father. Both were New York Times bestsellers. In 2006, PBS aired the miniseries WALKING THE BIBLE that received record ratings and was viewed by 20 million people in its first month. "Beguiling," wrote the Wall Street Journal. "Mr. Feiler is an engaging and informed guide." Bruce Feiler has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Gourmet, where he won three James Beard Awards. He is also a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, CNN, and Fox News. He has been the subject of Jay Leno joke and a JEOPARDY! question, and his face appears on a postage stamp in the Grenadines. His latest book, THE COUNCIL OF DADS: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me, describes how he responded to a diagnosis of cancer by asking six men from all passages of his life to be present through the passages of his young daughters's lives. "I believe my daughters will have plenty of opportunities in their lives," he wrote these men. "They'll have loving families. They'll have each other. But they may not have me. They may not have their dad. Will you help be their dad?" A native of Savannah, Georgia, Bruce Feiler lives in New York with wife, Linda Rottenberg, and their twin daughters.

Book Description:

Learning to Bow has been heralded as one of the funniest, liveliest, and most insightful books ever written about the clash of cultures between America and Japan. With warmth and candor, Bruce Feiler recounts the year he spent as a teacher in a small rural town. Beginning with a ritual outdoor bath and culminating in an all-night trek to the top of Mt. Fuji, Feiler teaches his students about American culture, while they teach him everything from how to properly address an envelope to how to date a Japanese girl.

Gort's Review (Thumbs up):

I'd highly recommend this book as a first step in understanding the Japanese culture. The stories and experiences of the author are humorous and sometimes culturally baffling. After reading this book, and also studying Japanese myself, I felt compelled to e-mail the author. I received a prompt and warm response back.

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom (Thumbs up)

Title: Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson

 

Author: Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is an author, playwright, and screenwriter who has written seven books, including the international bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time. His first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, as were For One More Day, his second novel, and Have a Little Faith, his most recent work of nonfiction. All four books were made into acclaimed TV films. Albom also works as a columnist and a broadcaster and has founded seven charities in Detroit and Haiti, where he operates an orphanage/mission. He lives with his wife, Janine, in Michigan. 

Book Description:

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.

For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.

It’s been ten years since Mitch Albom first shared the wisdom of Morrie Schwartz with the world. Now–twelve million copies later–in a new afterword, Mitch Albom reflects again on the meaning of Morrie’s life lessons and the gentle, irrevocable impact of their Tuesday sessions all those years ago. . .

Gort's Review (Thumbs up):

Another Mitch Albom book that I would highly recommend to others.

Why the increase in the electric bill, and what's a Kill-a-Watt

I've been running my unRaid server (see prior posts) 24 hours a day for a little more that one month now. Just received my electric bill and it was about $30 more than last month. Yes, we've been running the air conditioners but it seems to be more when compared to last year, but I needed to understand what was going on. But how??

Well with a Kill-a-Watt meter and here's what one looks like.

Okay, but what does it do?
The meter once connected to your appliance will assess how efficient they really are. The display will count consumption by the kilowatt/hour, same as your local utility. You can track minute-by-minute changes in electric consumption as major appliances are turned on and off. It lets you track the amount of electricity that your household uses in real time. It helps you reduce your energy consumption and decrease your monthly bills. The unit displays the total cumulative appliance power consumption in kilowatt hours (KWH). The unit will display KWH from 0.01 KWH to 9999 KWH.


So, I plugged this into the wall, and then plugged my server into the meter. I then powered on the server. The meter showed that my server uses 175W. I then spun down the 5 internal hard drives, and the meter showed that it now used only 143W.

Knowing this information,..I could "guesstimate" how much it costs each month to run the server.
In the US, 1 Watt running 24x365 costs about $1/year. Multiply the Watts being pulled by the server, times 8.76 to give you kWh for an entire year.

In the US, 1 kWh costs about $0.12, so a server that pulls 40 Watts, costs $42/year to run 24x365.... less in many places. According to the math where 1 Watt is about $1 per year,....175/12 = $14.58 per month. Of course that assuming constant 175W. With drives spun down 143/12 = 11.92 per month

So, this helps explain why I saw a bump in my electric bill.

If you've found this or any of my articles helpful, would you consider a small donation of any size. It would be much appreciated and help us to keep this site going,..and going,...and going,.. Please use the PayPal link below to make that donation.

Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji,...Say What?!

Say what is right!

When I first got interested in learning the Japanese language,...I had no clue about Hiragana and Katakana. I thought that the written Japanese language only consisted of Kanji. Not so.

So you might be saying, "Well, what is Hiragana and Katakana,..in fact what is Kanjii?"

Let's start with Hiragana (ひらがな):
Hiragana is a character sets in which each character represents one sound in the Japanese language. Hiragana is used to write native words for which there are no kanji. Hiragana is also used to write words whose kanji form is obscure, not known to the writer or readers, or too formal for the writing purpose.

Now onto Katakana (カタカナ):
In contrast to the hiragana syllabary, which is used for those Japanese language words and grammatical inflections which kanji does not cover, the katakana syllabary is primarily used for transcription of foreign language words into Japanese.

and now Kanji (漢字):
Chinese characters (Japanese: kanji) first came to Japan on coins, mirrors, and other decorative items imported from China. In modern Japanese, kanji are used to write parts of the language such as nouns, adjective stems, and verb stems.


I actually found that learning Hiragana and Katakana were not that hard if you studied well. Here is a practice chart showing you how to learn to write hiragana:

So, you know Japanese?

Well,....yes,..no,..maybe...sukoshi (a little).

At my prior company we worked on software that had to be internationalized and localized for the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese languages.

i18n  =  i + "the18 middle letters that make up nternationalizatio" + n
and
L10n  =  L + "the 10 letters that make up ocalizatio" + n

It's easier to walk around and saying "L10n" and "i18n" than "localization" or "internationalization".

Anyway, I had been studying Japanese on my own and I wanted to take some formal classes.
Fortunately, my company paid for me to go to school (Ramapo College) to take classes in Japanese.
I'd like to tell you it was easy,..but it was not.
I did however enjoy learning the language even though the other students were half my age.

Here are some of the books/tools that I brought on Amazon that really helped me learn Japanese.

Next Post: "Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanjii,...Say What?!"

Question: So Gort, why are your reviews so brief?

Answer:

Not to worry my friends. I have read a lot of books over the years.
One day, I decided that I should keep track of the books I've read over time.
And not just keep track, but I should review them too, so I know what books I may want to read again or avoid like the plague.

So, the first few reviews you see are from the first books I started keeping track of recently.
My first reviews were, well,..brief and to the point.
However, as time goes by, you'll see that I start to really get into this whole review business.

Another thing you'll probably see, is that I give a Thumbs Up to the majority of books I've read.
One of the major reasons (at least I think so) is that I read mainly non-fiction books.
These books tend to relate to things that are almost stranger than fiction.


Next Post: "So, you know Japanese?"

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (Thumbs up)

Title: The Five People You Meet in Heaven

 

Author: Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is an author, playwright, and screenwriter who has written seven books, including the international bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time. His first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, as were For One More Day, his second novel, and Have a Little Faith, his most recent work of nonfiction. All four books were made into acclaimed TV films. Albom also works as a columnist and a broadcaster and has founded seven charities in Detroit and Haiti, where he operates an orphanage/mission. He lives with his wife, Janine, in Michigan. 

 

Book Description:

Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.

 

Gort's Review (Thumbs up):

Another Mitch Albom book that I would highly recommend to others.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom (Thumbs up)

Title: For One More Day

Author: Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is an author, playwright, and screenwriter who has written seven books, including the international bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time. His first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, as were For One More Day, his second novel, and Have a Little Faith, his most recent work of nonfiction. All four books were made into acclaimed TV films. Albom also works as a columnist and a broadcaster and has founded seven charities in Detroit and Haiti, where he operates an orphanage/mission. He lives with his wife, Janine, in Michigan. 

 

Book Description:

Mitch Albom mesmerized readers around the world with his number one New York Times bestsellers, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie. Now he returns with a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss.
For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one
As a child, Charley "Chick" Benetto was told by his father, "You can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy, but you can't be both." So he chooses his father, only to see the man disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence.
Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding. And he decides to take his own life.
He makes a midnight ride to his small hometown, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing even to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother--who died eight years earlier-is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing ever happened.
What follows is the one "ordinary" day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain the family secrets, and to seek forgiveness. Somewhere between this life and the next, Charley learns the astonishing things he never knew about his mother and her sacrifices. And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together.
Through Albom's inspiring characters and masterful storytelling, readers will newly appreciate those whom they love--and may have thought they'd lost--in their own lives. For One More Day is a book for anyone in a family, and will be cherished by Albom's millions of fans worldwide.

Gort's Review (Thumbs up):

Just finished this book. The author has a way of writing piercing stories that make you think you own personal relationships through. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.