#Chess Needham

[lgbtqreads]

January 2024 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction Author of LOVE AT 350 Lisa Peers‘s MOTOR CITY BABY, a sapphic romance about a woman’s efforts to save a club she managed—and where she fell in love—with a Detroit indie rock star in the ’90s, until the rock star dropped out of the industry and the woman’s life; a blowout benefit concert forces her to reckon with her past and find happily ever after where she least expects it,…

[alexesguerra]

Queer Tarot: An Inclusive Deck and Guidebook [With Book(s)] The Queer Tarot: An Inclusive Deck and Guidebook Other – April 19, 2022 by Ashley Molesso (Author), Chess Needham (Author) ---Brand New-- A vibrant, deluxe illustrated tarot deck and guidebook set, centering and celebrating LGBTQ+ identity, created by queer and trans artist team Ash + Chess. AN INCLUSIVE, AFFIRMING DECK: Queer Tarot is a bright, bold interpretation of the tarot that offers inspiration, affirmation, and LGBTQ+ representation. Created by queer and trans artists Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham of Ash + Chess, this reimagining of the classic figures in the Major and Minor Arcana showcases a wide range of gender expressions and sexual orientations, and incorporates queer history and iconography throughout. DELUXE SET: This set includes 78 full-color illustrated tarot cards (3 X 5 inches), shrink wrapped in an interior travel case; a 168-page, full-color illustrated flexibind book (4 3/4 X 6 inches); and a keepsake magnetic closure box with metallic foil accents. Cards and travel case are embedded in an interior flocked tray. FULLY ILLUSTRATED TAROT GUIDEBOOK: The flexibind guidebook provides an illustrated introduction to the tarot, with LGBTQ+ descriptions and suggested interpretations for each card, as well as instructions for sample readings and a brief history of tarot. VIBRANT FULL-COLOR ART FROM ASH + CHESS: Queer Tarot features Ash + Chess's signature colorful, risograph-style illustrations, including retro color palettes and bold, detailed figures. ALL CARDS BASED ON REAL, DIVERSE MODELS: Each card in Queer Tarot is based on real LGBTQ+ folx commissioned for this project by Ash + Chess. The deck celebrates a full range of races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, sizes, and abilities. A PERFECT GIFT: This joyful, inclusive, and beautiful tarot deck set is an ideal gift for tarot novices, seasoned readers, queer folx of all ages, and their allies. A note on packaging: In order to help honor our planet and reduce waste, we have only shrink wrapped the interior tarot cards, rather than the keepsake box. Please feel confident that your product is not defective or used, but rather represents a step we are taking to protect our collective home. When you open your deck, you will find that the actual cards inside the box are shrink wrapped for protection and to ensure first use by the buyer. About the Author Ash + Chess is a cute stationery company run by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso (she/her) and Chess Needham (he/him), based out of Richmond, VA. They create greeting cards and art prints that are bold, retro color palettes and they often use their artwork to make a political statement and to uplift the queer community. Their company made its debut at the National Stationery Show in May 2017, and since then over 600+ retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia sell their art and stationery. In the short time they've been in business, Ash + Chess have worked on many collaborations including artwork for Nooworks, a clothing company based out of San Francisco, CA; Belletrist, a book club run by actress Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss; exclusive designs and patterns for Plaza Style, a Japanese retail brand; packaging design for Brooklyn Roasting Co.; Transfigure Print Co., book illustrations for HarperCollins and Workman Publishing; and t-shirt designs for The Style Club x Forever 21. They are the authors of their own illustrated book about LGBTQIA+ history, The Gay Agenda: A Modern Queer History & Handbook, and Queer Tarot: An Inclusive Deck and Guidebook. Publisher ‏ : ‎ RP Studio (April 19, 2022) Language ‏ : ‎ English Misc. Supplies ‏ : ‎ 176 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0762474882 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9780762474882 Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.63 pounds Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 2.5 x 6.65 inches

[ararebloom]

in the scene where the council agrees that alicent can't be regent because she's not the next male heir - imo larys's great betrayal is not just that he's abandoning her (and clearly he's been a great champion for her interests up until now, given how quickly she turns to him for backup), but that he's abandoning her for the sphere of men. like, he says his piece and then he kind of glances around the table, like they're all in this solemn male understanding together - all but alicent.

the first time we meet larys in s1 he is associated with the female sphere - literally, he is sitting with the women because his disability shuts him out from the masculine pursuit of the hunt. he attaches himself not to some male player at court, but to the young queen. and ofc he is generally a user of "soft power" and manipulation to attain his goals, as women have often had to be throughout history, pushing events forward by influencing others to act.

but now, through alicent's favor, he has risen up and doesn't have to rely on that so much anymore. quoting needham in this interview: "in season 2, because of his relationship with alicent, he's a familiar face in the court. he's in very, very close proximity to even more powerful people than alicent. his influence is growing, so he's just in these powerful circles everyday. so i think it's the fact that he's not invisible, that he is more visible now, and can be, is sort of where his power lies now." it's like he realizes that these circles of power - male power - can come to accept him, even as a disabled man, in a way they cannot accept alicent. so it's time to cast her aside now and join the domain of real influence, the domain of men.

weirdly this is one of my favorite larycent scenes in the season? i really like betrayal with my loyalty kink tbh and i love how he can't stop himself from making a jealous prod at her relationship with cole by forcing him to betray her as well. "It’s not that he’s without love; he’s just able to overcome it […] I don’t think he’s without feelings, but you have to be able to turn off your heart" (from this s1 interview). so he "overcomes" his long relationship with alicent to climb the next rung of power… but has larys really turned off his heart fully here? it's like a nasty little compulsion: he has to enjoy the thrill of moving around the chess pieces of her life one last time, has to make her suffer in this little way, make cole suffer, tear them apart, even as he is tearing himself from her too.

[jasper-tarot-reader]

hi jasper, hope u are well. i'm jonah (he/they) and my question is: what should i keep in mind as i embark on my journey of socially and medically transitioning? for some background, i am out to most of my friends and my therapist as transmasc but have been trying to work through a lot of feelings around it and figuring out how to transition and come out more fully. thank you so much <3

Welcome to the inbox, Jonah!

First thing's first, I want to tell you that I'm proud of you. We don't know each other, but you're doing a wonderful, brave thing. I'm proud of and excited for you.

For this reading, I have chosen the Queer Tarot, a deck by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham, where every card is modeled on a real queer person. (Fun fact, this is also the deck that helped me get my driver's license!) This deck has given us the 2 of Cups reversed.

Models: Anays Torres | she/her | San Diego, CA | @/anyst Kathryn Frances | they/she | San Francisco, CA | @/kthrynfrncs Two people stand across from each other, holding up cups to cheers. A rainbow in the colors of the Philadelphia flag connects their cups. Above them is a black-and-white cat.

When reversed, this card indicates that you may be feeling out of sync with something. It advises you to prioritize having an intimate relationship with yourself and focus on inner love and care. Take time to communicate your feelings with yourself and think of all the things that bring joy to your life while transitioning. What do you want most out of transitioning? Don't feel bad as it changes over time - instead, revel in the fact that you are learning new facts about yourself!

I wish you the best, Jonah. If you feel so inclined, please feel free to send feedback in my ask box and/or reblog my new reading guidelines!

~Jasper

[stilljumpingback]

ABC - Deconstructing Gender by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham

Genre | Picture BookPublishing Date | May 2023 Be affectionate, beautiful, courageous, and more in this gender-bending ABC book. Daryl is so affectionate. Alex is gentle with the family cat. Sage and Kaylin are super strong. And Ira yearns to do ballet like their older brother. Demystify gender stereotypes while learning your ABCs in this bright, celebratory debut picture book by stationery…

[kikiskitchenwitchery]

Happy whenever this finds you! I want to get back to sharing my cards of the day with my tumblr loves. I am exploring ways to reenergize my practice with some new thought patterns and I think that this is a good way to approach it . This card is the 7 of Cups from the Queer Tarot by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham. It has made a couple of appearances in my draws lately and they have always been in reverse. In reverse it is all about feeling overwhelmed with my choices. Seeing all the options and being stuck in that undeciding place. What I find interesting about that in my life these days is that it is sort of the opposite. It isn't that I am overwhelmed with options, it is that there aren't options right now. I suppose that in a hypothetical case all the options are in front of me, if we pretend I live in a different timeline. But there are not options in front of me in this timeline.

When I have asked the cards to clarify that, to help me see where the options are, the cards revert to telling me to deal with my feelings. I am doing that work and would love to see how that affects choices in the future. Sometimes this deck really hits it on the head and gives me the insight that I am missing. Lately, however it really seems to be repeating the same things in the same way over and over. I really need the deck to reframe it for me with additional context. More tomorrow my tumblr loves.

[figdays]

The Gay Agenda: A Modern Queer History & Handbook // ashandchess

Ash + Chess is a cute stationery company run by queer power couple Ashley Molesso and Chessie Needham, based out of Richmond, VA. They create greeting cards and art prints that are bold, retro color palettes and they often use their artwork to make a political statement.

[grahamxsahi]

TASK 5: THE SEASON SO FAR

Archibald Howard St. John → met this season; Graham finds Archie both analytically minded and more adventurous than the Captain may initially appear

last seen: planning to take down Whistledown, Vauxhall Carnival

Bridget Umberville → met this season; down to earth and marriage minded

last seen: making confessions at Vauxhall Carnival

Caroline Fenn → met this season; guarded yet mystifying

last seen: at the Phantasmagoria

Dominique Dyer → met this season; bluntness hiding a vulnerable side

last seen: goading each other into walking a tight rope, Vauxhall Carnival

Frederick Howard St. John → met at Eaton College; partner-in-crime who is also an unparalleled genius inventor

last seen: chasing a Portuguese thief they once had a threesome with through the streets of London

Leo Seong → met in a previous season; excellent at chess but not so hot at cards

last seen: playing cards over drinks in Mayfair

Lucy Needham → met on a daring Channel crossing in a prior season; an oscillating voice of reason and mischief who is also a kindred spirit

last seen: having a conversation through shared expressions and gestures at a distance, Vauxhall Carnival

Marie Kenworthy → met this season; mysterious with the most irresistible and clever banter

last seen: in the library at 3 Cheyne Walk

Sebastian Herzog → childhood friend; reliable with both his wit and kindness

last seen: in the Red Room (aka the Gray Room), Cliveden

Victoria Hale → met in 1798 season; impulsive and tenacious

last seen: arguing and moving on for the second time, Vauxhall Carnival 

* * * * *

Aster Hesse & Johann Herzog → has met through Sebastian in the past but so far has actively avoided witnessing any Herzog family dynamics 

* * * * *

Aaron Knight → has not had the pleasure of meeting

Frances Fitzroy → has not had the pleasure of meeting

Isaac Ackerley → has not had the pleasure of meeting

Jeremiah Ackerley → has not had the pleasure of meeting

[genderqueerpositivity]

#also check out some of the impacted artists and shop directly from them if you can

Absolutely this!

Ash and Chess:

JZD:

Abprallen:

Bird and Marc:

Anjelica Colliard:

Flvant Streetwear:

I can't find a shop for Alice Butts, but this appears to be Alice's professional website; Alice is a graphic designer.

Unfortunately I can't find any details on the designers of the Pride swimwear items that have been removed from the website.

The week before last, a video made the rounds on Twitter, and that video was of the Pride collection at one of the Target stores local to me. As in, the one that I--a visibly trans queer person--shop at somewhat regularly.

Or used to shop at. I'm not boycotting--I just feel like my chances of continuing to breathe might be better if I shop at the Aldi or Walmart instead.

I know that a lot of us are angry that Target chose to remove some of the Pride items. I am disappointed.

But this was also a lose/lose situation for Target and I don't really know why so many folks are surprised that it came down to this.

Rainbow capitalism is never going to save us. Keeping those products on the shelf wouldn't save us from the hate and violence currently being directed at our community--if anything, it would put LGBTQ+ Target employees and customers at even more risk than they're already facing.

And I just don't think that the employees should have to spend the month cleaning up vandalized displays, dealing with angry Christofascists, and having their lives threatened.

At this point, even the artists who created the products and GLSEN are receiving hate and threats for having partnered with Target.

So I think that doing whatever it takes to deescalate this situation was necessary.

However, I don't feel that Target has done enough to make things right. On the short list:

Apologize to the artist whose designs you removed entirely due to the outrage from the anti-Satanist crowd.

Give all of the artists back the rights to their work so that they can sell their designs in their own shops if they so choose.

I assume that these artists were paid fairly for their work, right? If not then pay them.

Donate all of the proceeds earned from the Pride line, not just a percentage, to GLSEN.

Additionally, donate to organizations currently fighting anti-trans laws in red states and donate to trans healthcare emergency funds.

And step up security in stores to protect employees and customers.

For once I'd really like to see something besides the bare minimum in allyship.

[lgbtqreads]

September 2021 Book Deals

September 2021 Book Deals

Adult Fiction R. Lee Fryar’s FLIPPING, pitched as an enemies-to-lovers mash-up of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and The Money Pit, in which a gay ghost and a psychic house flipper duke it out over a haunted house with an agenda of its own, to Lisa Green at Mystic Owl, in a nice deal, for publication in November 2022. Digital artist Ciel Pierlot‘s BLUEBIRD, in which a lesbian gunslinger fights spies in…

[chrisabraham]

The Long Night Ep10 Three men in black wait to be hanged the next day for a murder it seems any one of them might have committed. Of the three, one's holster bears a silver chess knight. Sat Aug 17 2019 Have Gun - Will Travel 1957-63 A West Point graduate becomes a gun for hire in San Francisco. Stars: Richard Boone, Kam Tong, Hal Needham

[magical-musings-of-morgan]

I love, love, love The Queer Tarot by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham. I saw them with a “Local artist” sticker in a Barnes & Noble earlier this year and had one of those, “mine now” moments. They’re my main personal deck rn, the cards are a little hard to shuffle but I don’t care. When I saw The Emperor had top surgery scars, my first flip though the cards, I knew this deck was for me.

I also really really really love Tarot Black & Gold Edition, I bought that deck with tip money and OH MY GOD it is THE most objectively gorgeous Raider-Waite deck in the world I s2g. Currently I have him in a little pouch and I think I may dedicate him to the theoi for deity communication on New Year’s.

Two decks I don’t have, but I desire greatly, are the official Binding of Isaac tarot deck (which I cannot find ANYWHERE and the website says is sold out) and the official Homestuck tarot deck (which I can find on ebay, but for hundreds of dollars). These are my “Grail decks”, like holy grail, and mayhap one day I might bring them home to me.

Honorary Mention goes to Tarot of the Divine, my first deck ever, I dearly love the art style and the rich tapestry of mythology pulled for each card. I don’t use her very much but she’s still a personal treasure and I do my best to take good care of her.

to my fellow tarot/oracle deck users and collectors alike:

what is your favorite deck of all time? or your top three? i’m interested in what decks people enjoy!! ((and i also want to add more decks to my wishlist))

[blairwitchapologist]

hey y’all, that card is from a local queer + trans-owned business who’s getting a lot of shit for that card. if you feel so inclined, check out their shop and send them some love!! 🥳

https://ashandchess.com/ ❤️

[angelyndisguise-blog]

CHESS : BATTLE OF THE  BRAINS

                     Chess is a game that isn’t  quite popular and less played nowadays because of its complicated rules and is difficult to learn , Some people also said that it is boring and is a waste of time because from the time you start to learn it gets even complicated, like knowing every single pieces moves , the mechanics, how you end the game, how long it could end , castling, the scoring  and many more compared to badminton or tennis  where in you just need to make the ball fall on the opponents side . I want you all to know how mind blowing and fun it is to learn informations about  Chess and how it changed my life by telling you my personal experience.  

                I learned how to play Chess by observing how my parents played it . I can say that I was a fast learner that time and that I am destined to play that amazing sport. My mother was a teacher and was also the coach of the chess team in my Grade School during my Elementary days , My mother was strict ,perfectionist and is very hard to please so when she entered me into the Barangay Meet I had no other choice but then I  have won and it made her proud and that was the time my mother started noticing me and it helped improve my relationship with her .  I have had a life changing moment because of Chess. It helped me overcome my shyness, my communication skills, My logical thinking, my self-esteem and most especially gave me passion for wanting to be a Chess Master someday. Can you see how big its impact on me?

  Well, Here are some helpful benefits it can give you.

 ·        Promotes brain growth: Games like chess that challenge the brain actually stimulate the growth of dendrites, the bodies that send out signals from the brain’s neuron cells. With more dendrites, neural communication within the brain improves and becomes faster. Think of your brain like a computer processor. Interaction with people in challenging activities also fuels dendrite growth, and chess is a perfect example.

·        It exercises both sides of the brain: A German study indicated that when chess players were asked to identify chess positions and geometric shapes, both the left and right hemispheres of the brain became highly active. Their reaction times to the simple shapes were the same, but the experts were using both sides of their brains to more quickly respond to the chess position questions.

·        Raises your IQ: Do smart people play chess, or does chess make people smart? At least one scientific study has shown that playing the game can actually raise a person’s IQ.

·        Helps prevent Alzheimer’s: As we age, it becomes increasingly important to give the brain a workout, just as you would every other major muscle group, in order to keep it healthy and fit.

·        Sparks your creativity: Playing chess helps unleash your originality, since it activates the right side of the brain, the side responsible for creativity

·        Increases problem-solving skills: A chess match requires fast thinking and problem-solving on the fly because your opponent is constantly changing the parameters.

·        Teaches planning and foresight: Because playing chess requires strategic and critical thinking, it helps promote prefrontal cortex development and helps teenagers make better decisions in all areas of life, perhaps keeping them from making an irresponsible, risky choice.

·        Improves reading skills: In an oft-cited 1991 study, Dr. Stuart Margulies studied the reading performance of 53 elementary school students who participated in a chess program and evaluated them compared to non-chess-playing students in the district and around the country. He found definitive results that playing chess caused increased performance in reading. In a district where the average students tested below the national average, kids from the district who played the game tested above it.

·        Optimizes memory improvement: Chess players know that playing chess improves your memory, mainly because of the complex rules you have to remember, as well as the memory recall needed when trying to avoid previous mistakes or remembering a certain opponent’s playing style. Good chess players have exceptional memory performance and recall.

·        Improves recovery from stroke or disability: Chess develops fine motor skills in individuals who have disability or have suffered a stroke or other physically debilitating accident. This form of rehabilitation requires the motion of chess pieces in different directions (forward, backward, diagonally forward motion, diagonally backward motion), which can help develop and fine tune a patient’s motor skills, while the mental effort required to play the game can improve cognitive and communication skills. Playing can also stimulate deep concentration and calm, helping to center and relax patients who are experiencing different degrees of anxiety.

  Here are some facts about the game of chess  

1. The number of possible unique chess games is much greater than the number of electrons in the universe. The number of electrons is estimated to be about 10^79, while the number of unique chess games is 10^120.

2. The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves.

3. The word “Checkmate” in Chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat,” which means “the King is dead.”

4. The Police raided a Chess Tournament in Cleveland in 1973, arrested the Tournament director and confiscated the Chess sets on charges of allowing gambling (cash prizes to winners) and possession of gambling devices (the Chess sets).

5. The longest official chess game lasted 269 moves (I. Nikolic – Arsovic, Belgrade 1989) and ended in a draw.

6. The new Pawn move, advancing two squares on its first move instead of one, was first introduced in Spain in 1280.

7. Dr. Emanuel Lasker from Germany retained the World Chess Champion title for more time than any other player ever: 26 years and 337 days.

8. The first Chessboard with alternating light and dark squares appears in Europe in 1090.

9. During World War II, some of the top Chess players were also code breakers. British masters Harry Golombek, Stuart Milner-Barry and H. O’D. Alexander was on the team which broke the Nazi Enigma code.

10. The folding Chess board was originally invented in 1125 by a Chess-playing priest. Since the Church forbids priests to play Chess, he hid his Chess board by making one that looked simply like two books lying together.

11. The worst performance by a player was Macleod of Canada who lost 31 games in the New York double-round robin of 1889.

12. In 1985, Eric Knoppert played 500 games of 10-minute Chess in 68 hours.

13. Albert Einstein was a good friend of World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker. In an interview with the New York Times in 1936 Albert said, “I do not play any games. There is no time for it. When I get through work I don’t want anything which requires the working of the mind.” He did take up Chess in his later life.

14. There were 72 consecutive Queen moves in the Mason-Mackenzie game at London in 1882.

15. The record of moves without capture is of 100 moves during the Match between Thorton and M. Walker in 1992.

16. Rookies or, players in their first year, are named after the Rook in Chess. Rooks generally are the last pieces to be moved into action, and the same goes for Rookies.

17. Blindfold chess is an impressive skill that many stronger chess players possess. It certainly requires a keen ability to see the board clearly, which can get difficult after many moves. The record was set in 1960 in Budapest by Hungarian Janos Flesch, who played 52 opponents simultaneously while blindfolded – he won 31 of those games.

18. There are well over 1,000 different openings, including variations within larger openings/defenses that one can learn.

19. Chess is often cited by psychologists as an effective way to improve memory function. Also allowing the mind to solve complex problems and work through ideas, it is no wonder that chess is recommended in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Some contend that it can increase one’s intelligence, though that is a more complex topic. The effects of chess on young individuals had led to chess being introduced in school districts and various countries. It has been shown to improve children’s grades and other positive effects as well.

20. FIDE stands for Fédération Internationale des Échecs, which literally translates into World Chess Federation.

21. The second book ever printed in the English language was about chess

22. The first computer program for playing chess was developed in 1951, by Alan Turing. However, no computer was powerful enough to process it, so Turing tested it by doing the calculations himself and playing according to the results, taking several minutes per move.

23. The oldest recorded chess game in history is from the 900s, between a historian from Baghdad and his student.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS

Origins of chess

Many countries claim to have invented the chess game in some incipient form. The most commonly held belief is that chess originated in India, where it was called Chaturanga, which appears to have been invented in the 6th century AD. Although this is commonly believed, it is thought that Persians created a more modern version of the game after the Indians. In fact, the oldest known chess pieces have been found in excavations of ancient Persian territories.

Another theory exists that chess arose from the similar game of Chinese chess, or at least a predecessor thereof, existing in China since the 2nd century BC. Joseph Needham and David Li are two of many scholars who have favored this theory.

Chess eventually spread westward to Europe and eastward as far as Japan, spawning variants as it went. One theory suggests that it migrated from India to Persia, where its terminology was translated into Persian, and its name changed to chatrang. The entrance of chess into Europe, notably, is marked by a massive improvement in the powers of the queen. The oldest known texts describing chess seem to indicate a bi-directional spread from the Persian empire. In fact, the oldest known reference points to Shah Ardashir as being a master of the game, his rule was from 224 - 241 AD. This would indicate that chess was invented some time before his rule.

From Persia it entered the Islamic world, where the names of its pieces largely remained in their Persian forms in early Islamic times. Its name became shatranj, which continued in Spanish as ajedrez and in Greek as zatrikion, but in most of Europe was replaced by versions of the Persian word shah = "king".

There is a theory that this name replacement happened because, before the game of chess came to Europe, merchants coming to Europe brought ornamental chess kings as curiosities and with them their name shah, which Europeans mispronounced in various ways.

* Checkmate: This is the English rendition of shah mat, which is Persian for "the king is finished". * Rook: From the Persian rukh, which means "chariot", but also means "cheek" (part of the face). The piece resembles a siege tower. It is also believed that it was named after the mythical Persian bird of great power called the roc. In India, the piece is more popularly called haathi, which means "elephant". * Bishop. From the Persian pil means "the elephant", but in Europe and the western part of the Islamic world people knew little or nothing about elephants, and the name of the chessman entered Western Europe as Latin alfinus and similar, a word with no other meaning (in Spanish, for example, it evolved to the name "alfil"). This word "alfil" is actually the Arabic for "elephant" hence the Spanish word would most certainly have been taken from the Islamic provinces of Spain. The English name "bishop" is a rename inspired by the conventional shape of the piece. In Russia, the piece is, however, known as "elephant". In the Indian lingo however, the piece is more popularly known as oont = "camel". * Queen. Persian farzin = "vizier" became Arabic firzan, which entered western European languages as forms such as alfferza, fers, etc but was later replaced by "queen". Incidentally, the Indian equivalent of "queen", rani is used for the piece by Indians.

The game spread throughout the Islamic world after the Muslim conquest of Persia. Chess eventually reached Russia via Mongolia, where it was played at the beginning of the 7th century. It was introduced into Spain by the Moors in the 10th century, and described in a famous 13th century manuscript covering chess, backgammon, and dice named the Libro de los juegos. Chess also found its way across Siberia into Alaska.

THE PIECES AND THEIR MOVES

·        The king moves one square in any direction. The king also has a special move called castling that involves also moving a rook.

·        The rook can move any number of squares in horizontal and vertical lines only. Along with the king, a rook is involved during the king's castling move.

·        The bishop can move any number of squares diagonally, but cannot leap over other pieces.

·        The queen combines the power of a rook and bishop and can move any number of squares but cannot leap over other pieces.

·        The knight  move forms an "L"-shape: two squares vertically and one square horizontally, or two squares horizontally and one square vertically. The knight is the only piece that can leap over other pieces.

The pawn can move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file, or on its first move it can advance two squares along the same file.

           Chess has helped me gain knowledge and improved me as a whole person. As I play I can relate to every move as if Chess and my life are as one .  I wrote this to inspire others to nurture and let your talents grow for a better understanding of yourself and make their dreams be a reality . I myself will continue joining competitions and will master Chess.

Reference :

www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/03/25/10-big-brain-benefits-of-playing-chess/

https://thechessworld.com/articles/.../40-facts-about-chess-most-people-dont-know/

ancientchess.com/page/01.htm

[jewishcomix]

The Gay Agenda

Ash Molesso and Chess Needham

2020, HarperCollins Publishers

this has been one of my favorite quarantine reads. a must-read for anyone interested in a primer on U.S. LGBT history and cultural milestones.

[peterfritzwalter]

Chess

Although most historians of chess believed that the game was invented in India, Needham has been able to establish that it originated in China.

Chess took its present form as a militaristic combat game in India but its origins were connected with astrology, magnetism and divination. According to Needham: ‘The battle element of chess seems to have developed from a technique of divination in which…