The Chess Matrix Monthly

LITERATURE OVER THE MONTH NOVEMBER 2004

2004-11-20T01:16:00.000+01:00

Waugh, Carol-Lynn Rossel; Greenberg, Martin H.; Asimov, Isaac (editors) (Jon L Breen; Robert Barr; Anthony Boucher; Leo R. Ellis; David Ely; Joyce Harrington; Clark Howard; John Lutz; Ed McBain; John D. MacDonald; Arthur Morrison; Stuart Palmer)

THE SPORT OF CRIME:

Diamond Dick; A Game of Chess; Coffin Corner; The Great Rodeo Fix; The Sailing Club; The Season Ticket Holder; The Last Downhill; The Other Runner; Storm; Dead on the Pin; The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre Co. Limited

New York: Lynx Books, 1989 Soft Cover. Good Only. First Paperback Printing. (xii) 386 pp. This is an ex-library copy.

This contains: Diamond Dick by Jon L. Breen;

A Game of Chess by Robert Barr; Coffin Corner by Anthony Boucher;
The Great Rodeo Fix by Leo R. Ellis;

The Sailing Club by David Ely; The Season Ticket Holder by Joyce Harrington;
The Last Downhill by Clark Howard;

The Other Runner by John Lutz; Storm by Ed McBain;
Dead on the Pin by John D. MacDonald;

The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre Co. Limited by Arthur Morrison;
Tomorrow's Murder by Stuart Palmer;

Trojan Horse by Ellery Queen; The Return of Cardula by Jack Ritchie;
This Won't Kill You by Rex Stout;

Murder on the Race Course by Julian Symons;
The Hustler by Walter S. Tevis;

Without the Option by P. G. Wodehouse; and The Man Who Pretended to Like Baseball by Isaac Asimov.

ISBN: 1558022481

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Philidor, Francois Andre Danican

Chess Analysed: or Instructions by which a Perfect Knowledge of this
1750 (CHESS).
Philidor, Francois Andre Danican.

Chess Analysed: or Instructions by which a Perfect Knowledge of this Noble Game may in a Short Time be Acquir'd. London:

For J. Nourse, and P. Vaillant, 1750. xi, [1], 77, 80- 146 p. Contemporary vellum-backed marbled paper covered boards.

Marbled paper missing from botton half of front cover, lower margin of text dampstained with occasional minor discoloration of paper.

An eighteenth- century owner has neatly penned in his own moves in the margins adjacent to the printed moves. Bookplate of Albert Parsons Sachs. First edition in English of the most important chess book of the eighteenth century. Francois Philidor (1726-1795) was a French musician and composer who devoted much of his time to the game of chess. He traveled widely in Europe and England, meeting and defeating the most noted players of the time. In London in 1749 his L'Analyze des Echecs was first published, and the next year it was translated into English. In 1787 Richard Twiss called it ". the best book of the kind, and almost the only one from which any thing relative to the practical part of the game may be learnt." The English text was reprinted numerous times over the next century, but the 1750 edition remains a scarce book.

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Post=Adolescence.
McAlmon Robert
Price: US$ 1660.5

Book Description: First edition. Small 8vo., 119pp., coffee coloured wrappers with dark havana coloured lettering, untrimmed, a presentation copy from the author to Pierre de Massot. Dijon: Contact Publishing Co, Published by Maurice Darantiere. 1922-1924

A rare signed example. It seems that McAlmon`s peripatetic approach to publishing and his cryptic date of publication i.e '

Written previously to A Hasty Bunch in 1920.' has made 'Post=Adolescence' into something of a bibliographic duck shoot. However, proper libraries, such as Die Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin' plump for 1920 though others such as Cornell drop in on 1923 and to add to the confusion SUNY cite 1924. A date that is contradicted by Kay Boyle in 'Being Geniuses Together' and again by Robert E. Knoll in 'Robert McAlmon Expatriate Publisher and Writer' who cites 1923. The historical confusion is only added to by Ford in 'Published in Paris' who suggests that McAlmon`s 'ramblings' and his 'notoriously sloppy and impatient' editing and prooofreading and byzantine forwardings of manuscripts and proofs to Darantiere in Dijon from the cities of Europe suggest only that this book and the 'A Companion Volume' were the first two Contact publications with no hint as to a date. More interestingly perhaps, Ford also says that W.C. Williams was very taken with it as a factual investigation into sexual and romantic mores in the bohemian milieu of New York`s Greenwich Village calling it 'a journal intime'. pp-42-3 Ford 'Published In Paris'] What is certain is that the recipient of this copy was definitely in Paris in 1923 as a postcard exists, found on the Satie internet pages of the The Academic Society of Sweden, from the great composer to Pierre De Massot requesting a Monday meeting near to the "Hotel Terminus" at "17 1/2 hours" on a Monday. Pierre De Massot was an intimate of Satie apparently working with Picabia on the typography for 'Relache' and playing chess and corresponding with and writing on Rrose Selavy the feminine alter ego of the bohemian`s bohemian Marcel Duchamp. Indeed, this was just the sort of artistic cabal that McAlmon and the vanguardist Yank expats aspired to even if they did not admire the form of their artistic work. For, as Kay Boyle notes in 'Being Geniuses Together' Duchamp, Tzara et al had made the likes of Man Ray very welcome in Paris by helping them and accompanying them to Hilaire Hiler`s Jockey club to add to the spirit of art '.gigoloing, whoring, pimping.' etc. [Boyle, McAlmon p92].

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Fischer, Bobby, Stuart Margulies & Donn Mosenfelder, Illustrated with Chessboard Diagrams

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess

NY : Basic Systems Program (1966) Good to Very Good : Signed/No Jacket As Issued. 1st Edition / 1st Printing. Signed / autographed by Fischer on front endpaper "Bobby Fischer".

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OPERA. Quorum Catalogum Sequens Pagella Continet.
Vida, Marcus Hieronymus.
Price: US$ 1250.00

Book Description: Antwerp: Ex Officina Christophori Plantini, 1578. The collected writings of Vida (d. 1566), the Italian author of many Latin poems, the most famous being the "Christias" and his "De Arte Poetica."

He is also remembered for his ingenious poem on the game of chess, "De Ludo Sacchorum" or "Sacchia Ludus" which was translated into many languages. Voet, PLANTIN #2438. BL Dutch STC p. 205. 16mo. 504pp. Plantin woodcut device on title. Cont. calf, worn, but very sound. One fore-edge clasp present.

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The Chess Review
Illustrated
Price: US$ 1244.00

Book Description: Woodside, NY: The Chess Review, 1936. Near Fine/No Jacket. Hardcover Edition.

Official Organ of the American Chess Federation. Israel A. Horowitz, Editor. Volume 4, Issues 1 through 12. Issues with covers bound in one hardcover volume. Green cloth with lighter green lettering on spine, spine is slightly darkened. "Font-Sherman" written in ink on front endpaper.

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Chessmaster Bobby Fisher Signed book, titled "45 Years of Marshall's Attack -
Bobby Fischer

Price: US$ 1200.00

Book Description: World Champion Chessmaster. A book about chess from Bobby Fischer's private library. Signed book, titled "45 Years of Marshall's Attack - an analytic Jubilee Report" softcover, in German, with illustrated with many games printed by the Vienna Chess Club. Signed by Bobby Fischer and dated 1964.

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Nieuwe Proeve van Handleiding tot het Schaakspel. Naar het Fransch door D. Broedelet, Dz.
STEIN, E.
Price: US$ 856.90

Dutch Language / The Netherlands (NL/NED)

Book Description: Purmerend, Broedelet & Rijkenberg, 1834. Orig. boards. With 96 illustrations of chess-positions on the playing board on 3 folding engraved plates. (4), VIII, 197, (1) pp. First Dutch edition of "Nouvel essai sur le jeu des Echecs, avec des reflections militaire sur ce jeu", first published in 1789, by Elias Stein (1748-1821), a world famous chess player of his day, and chess teacher to the sons of the Dutch Stadtholder Prince Willem V, the later King Willem I. The first French edition had been especially written for his royal pupils, and had been published privately for his pupils and friends only.

Good uncut copy. Bibl. Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana 555; Coll. Rimington-Wilson 1420; not in Cat. Schaakboekerij Niemeijer, The Netherlands.

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Chess Archives: 1952-1959
Euwe, Dr. M.
Price: US$ 625.00

Book Description: The Hague/Hamburg: Het Netherlandse Schaakcentrum/F. L. Rattmann 1952-59. 3 volumes, VG, gilt spine titles, f/o bp on fep. Fortnightly small paper, mainly German, some English although the many chess board illustrations and strategies need no commentary and are reasonably easy to follow, considerable broken dates, 5 3/4" tall, unpaginated but large number of pages and examples.

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TREVANGADACHARYA, Shastree.

Essays on Chess adapted to the European Mode of Play: consisting principally of Positions or critical Situations calculated to improve the Learner and exercise the Memory ... Translated from the original Sanscrit.

Bombay: Printed for the Author, by M. D. Cruz .. 1814. 1814 Small 4to., pp. [2], [8], iii-xiii, 178, [1], a very good copy in contemporary half-calf (a little worn). First edition of the first chess book to be printed in India, and one of the earliest printed treatises devoted to the endgame. The idea for a translation of 'Vilas Muni Munjuri or the Diamond Flower Bud of amusement' was mooted by 'the generous Mr. Warden, who holds an exalted place under the Bombay Government, & whose fame is spread in his own country and in foreign lands, sitting one day in his beautiful dwelling, along with his consort'. The generous Mr. Warden subscribed for ten copies, of which this is one, with his signature on the title-page Also among the subscribers are Mountstuart Elphinstone, the future Governor of Bombay, and a large number of Parsee names.The preface records intriguing differences between the game of chess played in India and the European mode of play ('No pawn can be pushed up to the last square of the board nor take any piece on that line so long as the master piece of that file remains'; 'The king does not castle, but is allowed the move of a knight once in the game; not however to take a piece--nor can he exercise this privilege after having been once checked'). T

he book has ninety-six endgame problems of increasing complexity (with solutions at the back of the book), and analysis of four openings, each with several variations. Biblioteca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana 2164 The Netherlands.

Price: US$ 4727.96

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http://chessmatrix.blogspot.com/2004/10/literature-over-month-october-2004.html

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POKER POWER TOOL

2004-11-19T23:03:00.000+01:00

The Number One Most Important Poker Power Tool is the
Outs/Odds array.

http://stream.spurl.net/relaxcorner/

Since it is second step of the Turmel 2
Step, I published it years ago in a contest judged by Mike
Caro where: "In twenty-five words or fewer, give me your
best poker tip for beginners. This tip should consist of
easy-to-understand, simply worded advice that will save
money if followed by most novices."

I sent in the TajProfessor's Poker Power Tool #1.
bc726@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (John Turmel) (Entry #1)

Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 15
Need
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

I still believe that if you haven't memorized this simple
array, you can never be a competent amateur, let alone
professional. Here is all it means.

With 1 Out from 46 cards, you need 45:1 to be fair Odds.
With 2 Outs from 46 cards, you need 44:2 or 22:1 to be fair.
With 3 Outs from 46 cards, you need 43:3 or 14:1 to be fair.
With 4 Outs from 46 cards, you need 42:4 or 10:1 to be fair.
With 5 Outs from 46 cards, you need 41:5 or 8:1 to be fair.
With 6 Outs from 46 cards, you need 40:6 or 7:1 to be fair.
et cetera resulting in the most important Poker Power Tool
in Hold Poker:

Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2

It is unforgivable for anyone reading this not to memorize
or learn to figure Out these couples. They're simple and
you'll use them dozens of times every day.

Once again, I'm trying to leave you impressed at the end of
this post with what you can do and once you know how to step
from the total number of Outs, all you now have to do is
learn to count up your Outs. It really as easy as just
counting them up and then stepping to the right pot odds.
As I said, I intend on leaving you impressed with the tool you
have acquired when I'm through and what's the use of showing
you how to count up your Outs, especially fun on the flop
with backdoor potentials to add in, if you haven't learned
the simple second step to the right odds.

So once again, think abOut these couples and notice that in
the range of 5 Outs to 9 Outs, they add up to 13. I
sometimes mention how you subtract your Outs from 13 to know
your odds but only for those middle draws which just happen
to result the most often!

Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2

Notice that 4 Outs needs 10 and 8 Outs needs 5; then
Notice that 5 Outs needs 8; 5+8 = 13
Notice that 6 Outs needs 7; 7+6 = 13 and
Notice that 7 Outs needs 6; 6+7 = 13 notice 7->6 and 6->7
Notice that 8 Outs needs 5; 5+8 = 13 notice 5->8 and 8->5
Notice that 9 Outs needs 4; 4+9 = 13

I think I've probably already taught you more valuable
mental machinery than you ever thought possible but it gets
better. There will be a test at the end. When you have
finished this post, you should be able to use the
Turmel2Step in your next game. When people register for my
Holdem master class, here is the explanation they get to use
the Turmel2Step, withOut the numbers for the flop and 1-card
flush draws. Call it a bare-bones Turmel2Step for the Turn.
>>

TURMEL2STEP POT-ODDS & BOARD-ODDS SYSTEM

This is the system available to the turmel2stepc class from
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/turmel2stepc/files/2ssystem.txt
with the arrays best seen with Courier font. If there are no
paragraphs, visit the site to preserve formatting.
The Turmel2Step Holdem Pot Odds System allows you to
automatically evaluate the total potential Outs of your hand
and determine the pot odds required to call. Draw Poker
players only needed to know the odds for three draws: Flush
draw for 9 cards (Outs); Straight draw for 8 cards, Inside
Straight or Two-Pair draw for four cards.
POKER POWER TOOL #1: Pot odds
-----------------------------

The following are the pot odds paired with Outs that you
need to memorize. Every limit Holdem player must know at
least the first dozen Out-Odds pairs while table-stakes
players should know them all. This is the most important
tool in Holdem, I call it the Turmel Poker Power Tool #1.
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
POKER POWER TOOL #2: Hand Out values

--------------------------------------
4F2:4Flush-2card; 4F1:4Flush-1card;
4S0-4Straight-0hole, 4S1:4Straight-1hole,
TRS:Trips; 2PR:2Pairs; 1PR:1Pair; O/K:Overcard/Kicker;
3F2:3Flush-2card; 3F1:3Flush-1card;
3S0:3Straight-0hole; 3S1-3Straight-1hole;
Draw: 4F2-1 4S0 4S1 TRS 2PR 1PR O/C 3F2-1 3S0 3S1
---------------------------------------------------------
Flop x x x x x x x x x x
Turn: 9-6 8 4 10 4 2 3 0 0 0

1) On the Turn, each card which helps your hand is counted
as one Out. The following values on the turn are obvious:

- Four flush 2 cards is 9 Outs. 1-card 4-flush draws range
between 9 Outs for the Nut or #2 Flush cards; 8 Outs for #3
or #4 highest cards; 7 Outs for #5th or #6th or #7th flushes
and 6 Outs for the two lowest flush cards, always versus one
opponent. (1,2)=9; (3,4)=8; (5,6,7)=7; (8,9)=6.

- Four straight is 8 Outs.
- Four inside straight is 4 Outs.
- Trips is 10 Outs; 1 Quad & 9 pair cards for full house.
- Two pairs is 4 Outs.
- One pair for set is 2;
- Overcard or kicker is 3 Outs.

* Be aware of overlapping cards: 4StFl is 15 Outs, not 17.
TURMEL TWO-STEP:

1) Add up the Outs in your hand.
2) Recall right odds from the above Outs-Odds array.
Fold or call depending on whether the pot odds are correct
for the very next card and only take implied odds into
account when you are drawing to the cinch. To compensate for
those times that I am drawing dead, I do not add implied
odds when I'm not drawing to the cinch.
===========

So that's the Turmel2Step. I even wrote a small poem to help
remember the couples. I guess I should give it a name:
Ode to On Odds

The set-of-TEN and flush-of-NINE need pot of 4 to see,
The straight-of-EIGHT needs 5, the gut-of-FOUR needs 10 to be.
The SEVEN's 6 with SIX's 7, mirrored not alone,
The FIVE needs 8 and EIGHT needs 5 to mirror comfort zone.
The high-card-THREE needs all 14, not many pots will suit,
The pair-with-TWO needs 22, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoot.
The quad-of-ONE needs 45, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxame.

By adding Outs to get the Odds, we'll Two-Step through the game.
Now here's how you use it. Always presume you're chasing his
big pair and need to hit one of your cards to win. Notice the
neat relations between Outs/Odds couples:

Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
JsJc [KsQh4d3c] 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 = 2 -> 22
JsTc [Ks9h4d3c] 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 = 4 -> 10 (10.5)
JsTc [KsQh4d3c] 0 8 0 0 0 0 6 = 8 -> 5
As2s [3s6h8dTc] 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 = 3 -> 14
AsKs [3s4h8dTc] 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 = 6 -> 7
As2s [3s6s8dTc] 9 0 0 0 0 0 3 = 12 -> 3
JsTc [KsTh4d3c] 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 = 5 -> 8
JsTc [9s7h4d3c] 0 0 4 0 0 0 6 = 10 -> 4
AsKs [Js9s4d3c] 9 0 0 0 0 0 6 = 15 -> 2
As2s [3s4h8dTc] 0 0 4 0 0 0 3 = 7 -> 6
As2s [3s6s8d2c] 9 0 0 0 0 2 3 = 14 -> 3
============
JCT: One other thing you may notice is there are really only 3
Out features to add up: Flush Outs, Straight Outs, Pair Outs. So
here are a few examples to try right now. Always remember you
presume you are behind boss pair and have to hit.
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AG: JsTs [Ks8h4d3c] + + =
BL: JsTs [JhTh4s3s] + + =
AL: JsTs [KsQhJd3c] + + =
AS: JsTs [JhTh4d3c] + + =
BA: JsTs [Ks9s4d3c] + + =
JCT: And now, to see the answers:
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AG: JsTs [Ks8h4d3c] + + = 0 -> oo
BL: JsTs [JhTh4s3s] 9 + + 4 = 13 -> 3
AL: JsTs [KsQhJd3c] + 8 + 2 = 10 -> 4
AS: JsTs [JhTh4d3c] + + 4 = 4 -> 10
BA: JsTs [Ks9s4d3c] 9 + 3* + = 12 -> 3
============

JCT: Okay, now another little quintuple quiz:
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AD: KsJs [Qs8h4d3c] + + =
BI: JsTs [Ks8sJdJc] + + =
AA: KsQs [Js8h4d3c] + + =
BJ: JsTs [Ks9sJdJc] + + =
BE: JsJh [KsQsTs3c] + + =
JCT: Now the answers:
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AD: KsJs [Qs8h4d3c] + + 3 = 3 -> 14
BI: JsTs [Ks8sJdJc] 9 + + 10 = 19 -> 1.5
AA: KsQs [Js8h4d3c] + + 6 = 6 -> 7
BJ: JsTs [Ks9sJdJc] 9 + 3* + 10 = 22 -> 1
BE: JsJh [KsQsTs3c] 9 + 6* + 2 = 17 -> 2

============
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AB: KsQs [Js9h4d3c] + + =
AR: JsTs [KsQhJdJc] + + =
AF: KsJs [QsTh4d3c] + + =
BH: JsTs [KsQsJd3c] + + =
AK: JsTs [Ks9hJd3c] + + =
AU: KsQs [Js9s4d3c] + + =
BG: JsTs [Ks9sJd3c] + + =
AQ: JsTs [Ks9hJdJc] + + =
BC: JsJh [KsQs4s3c] + + =
AX: KsJs [QsTs4d3c] + + =

4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AB: KsQs [Js9h4d3c] + 4 + 6 = 10 -> 4
AR: JsTs [KsQhJdJc] + 8 + 10 = 18 -> 2
AF: KsJs [QsTh4d3c] + 8 + 3 = 11 -> 3
BH: JsTs [KsQsJd3c] 9 + 6* + 2 3 = 20 -> 1
AK: JsTs [Ks9hJd3c] + 4 + 2 = 6 -> 7
AU: KsQs [Js9s4d3c] 9 + 3* + 6 = 18 -> 2
BG: JsTs [Ks9sJd3c] 9 + 3* + 2 3 = 17 -> 2
AQ: JsTs [Ks9hJdJc] + 4 + 10 = 14 -> 2
BC: JsJh [KsQs4s3c] 9 + + 2 = 11 -> 3
AX: KsJs [QsTs4d3c] 9 + 3* + 3 = 15 -> 2

JCT: Now, you're going to do another 10 quiz: (Time yourself)
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2

4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AI: JsTs [KsQh4d3c] + + =
AC: KsQs [JsTh4d3c] + + =
BK: JsTs [KsQsJdJc] + + =
AH: JsTs [Ks9h4d3c] + + =
AP: JsTs [Ks8hJdJc] + + =
BF: JsTs [Ks8sJd3c] + + =
AY: KsJs [QsTs4d3c] + + =
AO: JsTs [KsQhJd3c] + + =
AJ: JsJh [KsQh4d3c] + + =
BB: JsTs [KsQs4d3c] + + =

4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AI: JsTs [KsQh4d3c] + 8 + = 8 -> 5
AC: KsQs [JsTh4d3c] + 8 + 6 = 14 -> 2
BK: JsTs [KsQsJdJc] 9 + 6* + 10 = 25 -> 1
AH: JsTs [Ks9h4d3c] + 4 + = 4 -> 10
AP: JsTs [Ks8hJdJc] + + 10 = 10 -> 4
BF: JsTs [Ks8sJd3c] 9 + + 2 3 = 14 -> 2
AY: KsJs [QsTs4d3c] 9 + 6* + 3 = 18 -> 2
AO: JsTs [KsQhJd3c] + 8 + 2 3 = 13 -> 3
AJ: JsJh [KsQh4d3c] + + 2 = 2 -> 22
BB: JsTs [KsQs4d3c] 9 + 6* + = 15 -> 2
JCT: Now, you're going to do the last 8 quiz: (Time yourself)
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2

4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AE: KsJs [QsTh4d3c] + + =
AM: JsTs [Ks8hJd3c] + + =
AN: JsTs [Ks9hJd3c] + + =
AT: KsQs [Js8s4d3c] + + =
AV: KsQs [JsTs4d3c] + + =
AW: KsJs [Qs8s4d3c] + + =
AZ: JsTs [Ks8s4d3c] + + =
BD: JsJh [KsQs9s3c] + + =

4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AE: KsJs [QsTh4d3c] + 4 + 3 = 7 -> 6
AM: JsTs [Ks8hJd3c] + + 2 3 = 5 -> 8
AN: JsTs [Ks9hJd3c] + 4 + 2 3 = 9 -> 4
AT: KsQs [Js8s4d3c] 9 + + 6 = 15 -> 2
AV: KsQs [JsTs4d3c] 9 + 6* + 6 = 21 -> 1
AW: KsJs [Qs8s4d3c] 9 + + 3 = 12 -> 3
AZ: JsTs [Ks8s4d3c] 9 + + = 9 -> 4
BD: JsJh [KsQs9s3c] 9 + 3* + 2 = 14 -> 2

JCT: So that's how you add up your outs on the turn and step to
the right odds in the Outs/Odds array. I hope the above cover
most conceivable situations.
BOARD THREAT TOOL
And of course, an extra added bonus was a tool developed right in class for Board Threat Odds

ABBREVIATIONS:
F T R is Flop Turn River
PR:FH is the chance of Full House when a pair on board
PR:TR is the chance of Trips when a pair on board
NP:TR is the chance of Trips when no pair on board
NP:2P is the chance of Two Pairs when no pair on board
4FL, 3FL, 2FL is 4-flush; 3-flush; 2-flush
4S0 is a 4-straight; 4S1 is a 4-straight with 1 hole
Same for 3-straights and 2-straights.
It's simply a matter of adding up Outs per threat feature and
knowing the odds against its being there.

F T R F T R
PR:FH x x x 4S0 x 16 16
PR:TR 4 4 4 4S1 x 8 8
NP:TR x x x 3S0 x x x
NP:2P x x x 3S1 x x x
3S2 x x x
4FL x 18 18 2S0 x x x
3FL x x x 2S1 x x x
2FL x x x 2S2 x x x

Assign Daner Outs to each feature you see on the board use the
same Outs/odds array in Tool #1 to know the odds of those hands
being Out there with 1 opponent.

Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2

For instance, you have aces against 1 opponent and there's a
pair of Jacks on the board. He can have 2 jacks in one hole card, two
Jacks in the other for 4 Outs which is 10:1 against! Neat, eh?

You have a pair of Jacks and there's a Queen on the board. He can have 3 queens in one card, 3 Queens in the other, 6 Outs which is 7:1 against. Neat eh?

You have a set of Aces and there's an inside 4 straight on board. 4 winners in either hole card = 8 which is 5:1 against. Neat eh?

You have the pair of Jacks and there's a Queen and King on board.

He can have 3 Queens or 3 Kings in his first card, 6 in his
second, 12 Outs which is 3:1 against. Neat eh?

So there's how the Turmel2Step gets to the right answer in only
two steps: Add up the Outs and Step to the Odds of catching the
winner. Add up the danger Outs and Step to the Odds against your opponent having the winner.

To play the Turmel2Step on the flop takes only the value of
backdoor draws and more complicated 1-card-flush draws but the
very same OUTS-ODDS array, Tool #1, is always used. It was used
for every single example able.

POKER POWER TOOL #3: Pot bet counting
-------------------------------------

Of course, it's no use being able to automaticaly determine how
many bets you need in the pot to chase unless you also know how
many bets are in the pot. It is imperative that you count the
bets in the pot at all times in order to apply the Two-Step every round. Fortunately,when the bets are a uniform 1-1-2-2 as in most limit games, it is easy to train the subconscious to count it automatically.

Direct Bet Count:
WithOut yet counting the blinds, add each bet asit is called.
With a raise, add the double bets as they go in and single calls of the blinds and previous callers.
Multiplication Bet Count:

If you lose track, multiply the number of players remaining in
the pot by the number of bets called and then add the dead money of those who folded, if any. Both direct and multiplication bet counting work equally well but
I use direct counting because the subconscious handles addition
better than multiplication. And it's more like counting like in
Blackjack.

I want my wits spent on other considerations in the
latter rounds so I use Direct Bet Count all the time for
consistency knowing that if I get distracted, I can quickly turn my conscious loose on my back-up Multiplication Bet Count.
Before the double-bet rounds, switch to the higher stakes by
dividing the number of bets in the pot in two.

If you have counted 20 $10 bets in the pot after the flop round, you're
starting with only 10 $20 bets for the next two rounds.
Blackjack card-counters do exactly the same thing except in bet
counting, your total is always going up unlike in Blackjack where it can go up or down. Much easier to count Poker pots. And since most Blackjack counters find that counting becomes almost subconscious after a while and they do it withOut even thinking abOut it, the same thing happens at Poker where it's even easier for the subconscious to perform once trained.
People will be amazed that you can usually tell them within half a big bet what was in the pot they just won. But it happens to be trivial when you're doing it on an on-going basis. You just have to put your subconscious on automatic pilot and it doesn't even distract from your playing of the game.
To use the Turmel Two-Step, every pot must be counted all the
way.

========

JCT: So after an evening's practice, you should be able to use
the Turmel2Step in the heat of the action to determine your
necessary calling odds on the Turn. You now have an idea of what
my students who registered for the whole course have been quietly keeping to themselves. As for:

>Coincidentally, someone just asked a question on 2+2 abOut
>the value of your system, Prof! Regrettably, Malmuth said
>he thought it was not worth $20. :( Maybe you should tell
>him why it is worth it? It might make an interesting
>thread.
JCT: I hope I've convinced you that I have engineered a quantum
leap in poker efficiency. Tutorial registration at

http://yahoogroups.com/group/turmel2step/files/2stutor.htm

Just to reassure you that you really learned what you just
learned, all quizzes at once, answers on the right.
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
JsJc [KsQh4d3c] = 2 -> 22
JsTc [Ks9h4d3c] = 4 -> 10.5
JsTc [KsQh4d3c] = 8 -> 5
As2s [3s6h8dTc] = 3 -> 14
AsKs [3s4h8dTc] = 6 -> 7
As2s [3s6s8dTc] = 12 -> 3
JsTc [KsTh4d3c] = 5 -> 8
JsTc [9s7h4d3c] = 10 -> 4
AsKs [Js9s4d3c] = 15 -> 2
As2s [3s4h8dTc] = 7 -> 6
As2s [3s6s8d2c] = 14 -> 3
============
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AD: KsJs [Qs8h4d3c] + + = 3 -> 14
BI: JsTs [Ks8sJdJc] + + = 19 -> 1
AA: KsQs [Js8h4d3c] + + = 6 -> 7
BJ: JsTs [Ks9sJdJc] + + = 22 -> 1
BE: JsJh [KsQsTs3c] + + = 17 -> 2
AG: JsTs [Ks8h4d3c] + + = 0 -> oo
BL: JsTs [JhTh4s3s] + + = 13 -> 3
AL: JsTs [KsQhJd3c] + + = 10 -> 4
AS: JsTs [JhTh4d3c] + + = 4 -> 10
BA: JsTs [Ks9s4d3c] + + = 12 -> 3
============
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AB: KsQs [Js9h4d3c] = 10 -> 4
AR: JsTs [KsQhJdJc] = 18 -> 2
AF: KsJs [QsTh4d3c] = 11 -> 3
BH: JsTs [KsQsJd3c] = 20 -> 1
AK: JsTs [Ks9hJd3c] = 6 -> 7
AU: KsQs [Js9s4d3c] = 18 -> 2
BG: JsTs [Ks9sJd3c] = 17 -> 2
AQ: JsTs [Ks9hJdJc] = 14 -> 2
BC: JsJh [KsQs4s3c] = 11 -> 3
AX: KsJs [QsTs4d3c] = 15 -> 2
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AI: JsTs [KsQh4d3c] + + = 8 -> 5
AC: KsQs [JsTh4d3c] + + = 14 -> 2
BK: JsTs [KsQsJdJc] + + = 25 -> 1
AH: JsTs [Ks9h4d3c] + + = 4 -> 10
AP: JsTs [Ks8hJdJc] + + = 10 -> 4
BF: JsTs [Ks8sJd3c] + + = 14 -> 2
AY: KsJs [QsTs4d3c] + + = 18 -> 2
AO: JsTs [KsQhJd3c] + + = 13 -> 3
AJ: JsJh [KsQh4d3c] + + = 2 -> 22
BB: JsTs [KsQs4d3c] + + = 15 -> 2
Outs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 21
Odds: 45 22 14 10 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1.5 1.2
4FL + 4S0 4S1 + TRS 2PR 1PR O/K = Total
AE: KsJs [QsTh4d3c] + + = 7 -> 6
AM: JsTs [Ks8hJd3c] + + = 5 -> 8
AN: JsTs [Ks9hJd3c] + + = 9 -> 4
AT: KsQs [Js8s4d3c] + + = 15 -> 2
AV: KsQs [JsTs4d3c] + + = 21 -> 1
AW: KsJs [Qs8s4d3c] + + = 12 -> 3
AZ: JsTs [Ks8s4d3c] + + = 9 -> 4
BD: JsJh [KsQs9s3c] + + = 14 -> 2
JCT: Ain't incredible what a little learning can do? And it works
the same on the flop!
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------

==============================
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LITERATURE OVER THE MONTH OCTOBER 2004

2004-10-08T15:08:00.000+02:00

Ars oratoria. Ars epistolandi. Ars memorativa.]

Oratoriae artis epitomata: Sive quae ad consumatum spectant oratorem: ex antiquo rhetorum gymnatio dicendi: scibendique breves rationes: nec non et aptus optimo cuique viro titulus: in super et perquam facilis memorie artis modus Jacobi Publicii Florentinin lucubratione in lucem editus: foelici numine inchoat. Oratoriae institutiones: ex veterum institutio... Publicius, Jacobus.

Book Description: Venice: 4to. 218 x 151mm. Erhard Ratdolt, 30 November 1482. A-D4,E6; a-8,b6,c-d8. 65 (of 68 leaves).

Ars oratoria: author's prefatory letter to Cyrillus Caesar. A2v text; a1r Ars epistolandi: prefatory letter to Frederick I of Aragon, text, a8v panegyric of Frederick of Aragon, b1r Suprascriptiones epistolarum; c1r Ars memorativa, c7r key to the woodcuts, c7v-d3v woodcut mnemonic aids, d7v woodcut of chess board with colophon, d8 blank.] 19th c. vellum, c3 & 4 small piece out of upper margin from being roughly cut (piece cut off adhering to next leaf), minor marginal worming at head of a2-c6, &amp; a pinworm hole in inner margin, occ. foxing; large copy with some of the bottom margins varying in size from being uncut. Good thick, crisp paper. 31 lines. Types 7:92G (headiing on A2r), 3:91G (text), 6:56(75)G (inscriptions on tree cut), 91G (alpahabet on c7r). Heading on A2r printed in red. 8 (of 11, lacks d1) pages of woodcut ilustrations: full-page diagram of the tree of oratory (A3v); 30 (of 42) roundels conatining a pictorial alphabet (two images for most letters), plus two roundels of a ship and a town, and a nearly full-page woodcut of a chess board with pieces in opening position.

This copy lacks the full-page mnemonic device of animals and the astronomical diagram [both ond2]. The lacking images of the roundels has been laid in in facsimile to comple the alphabet.

Contemporary yellow wash to roundels, chess board, and part of the tree.
First Edition. This is the first edition of this epitome of the rhetorical arts. It is also the first treatise on memory to appear in print. "Far from introducing us to a modern world of revived classical rheoric, Publicius' memory section seems rather to transport us back into a Dantesque world in which Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise are remembered on the spheres of the universe.

In short, this first printed memory treatise..comes straight out of the medieval tradition." [Frances Yates, The Art of Memory.]

Little is known of the author who says he is Florentine but may come from Spain. He lectured at Basel, Leipzig, and Urfurt in the 1460's. It has been suggested that Johannes Lucillius Santritter edited this edition for Ratdolt.

The Ars memorativa survives in single copies of 1475-76 Toulouse & Paris editions, as does the Ars epistolandi (C4978).

The last copy to appear at auction was at the Sotheby's Friedlander sale (April 23,2001,lot 102) which brought $38,000 plus commissons (lacking volvelle).
This is also said to be the first illustration of a chess board!

***

The court-gamester:

or, full and easy instructions for playing the games now in vogue, after the best method, as they are played at court and in the assembles; viz. ombre, picquet, and the royal game of chess.

Wherein the frauds in play are detected, and the laws of each game annexed, to prevent disputes. Written for the use of the young princesses.

SEYMOUR, Richard.

Book Description: London: printed for E. Curll, 1720. Contemporary calf, neatly rebacked. Not to be confused with Seymour's Compleat gamester, which is considerably more common.

Pope's description of the game of ombre from Rape of the lock is reprinted on pages 67-70. Straus, Unspeakable Curll.

***

Yoko at Indica: Unfinished Paintings and Objects by Yoko Ono.

Book Description: Indica Gallery. London. 1966. Tall 8vo. pp. 40. Illustrated with 16 pages of perforated monochrome illustrations, each page with adhesive backing. Original publisher's printed wrappers.

Scarce exhibition catalogue of Yoko Ono's infamous show at the Indica Gallery.

The show was attended by John Lennon and has since become legendary for the subsequent events and eventual marriage of Lennon and Ono.

The catalogue is notable for the inclusion of many of Ono's most famous works, the Chess Set (with all-white pieces) 'for playing as long as you can remember where all your pieces are', the 'Apple', which Lennon is supposed to have eaten (as an apparently artistic statement), the 'Ceiling Painting' and so on.

The catalogue is divided into upper and lower sections, with pictures of the objects tipped-in to the upper section and a collection of Ono's famously gnomic utterances and a catalogue below.

***

Opposition et Cases ConjuguÃ©es; Opposition und Schwesterfelder; Opposition and Sister Squares.

Duchamp, Marcel, & V. Halberstadt.

Book Description: 1932. A rare treatise, conceived of and designed by Duchamp, devoted to a complex endgame problem.

Duchamp's profound interest in chess has been widely documented; this publication appeared after he had participated in international chess tournaments during the preceeding five years.

Sont RÃ©conciliÃ©es par; Sind Durch Versohnt; Are Reconiled by. 112 pp. compilation of chessboard diagrams (printed in red and black, some printed on glassine), with introd. and commentary in French, German, and English. 4to. Orig. wrpps, typography and design by Duchamp. Paris/Brussels (Editions de l'Echiquier) 1932.

***

De Arte Poetica Lib. IIIÃde Bombyce Lib. IIÃde Ludo ScacchorumÃHymniÃBucolica. [bound with:] Christiados Libri Sex Vida, Marcus Hieronymus

Book Description: Rome and Cremona: Lodovico Vicentino [degli Arrighi] (first book); and Lodovicus Britannicus (second book), 1527 and 1535 respectively.

First editions of these works of the poet theologian, and Bishop of Alba, Marcus Hieronymus Vida (1485-1566).

Brunet writes that these two volumes should be"reunis," as they comprise together the first edition of his poetic works. As well as the beautiful typeface designed by the printer and calligrapherArrighi, it is worth noting that Vida's poem, De Ludo Scacchorum (On the Game of Chess) is one of the earliest works on the game (translated into English in 1726)

First Edition of each book. 8vo. 2 books bound in one, the first printed in Arrighi's italic type. First title: A-O8, [112] leaves, including final blank O8; second title: a-t8u4, [155] leaves, including final blank u4.

Bound together in contemporary vellum. Discreet stamp from seminary on first title-page, small stain at lower margin in mid-volume, overall a very attractive copy. Brunet V:1180; Adams V703 (2nd title).

Pope Leo X . The author, Marco Girolamo Vida, Bishop of Alba (c.1489-1566) was considered one of the best neo-latin poets of his time. He is best known for his poem on the game of chess.

***

Imagination Dead Imagine

BECKETT, Samuel

Book Description: 1965. SIGNED. BECKETT, Samuel. Imagination Morte Imaginez. (Paris): Les Editions de Minuit, (1965). Small octavo, original cream-colored stiff paper wrappers.

First edition, presentation copy, number 47 of only 50 copies not for sale (out of a total edition of 612 copies).

This copy warmly inscribed by the author on the half-title in the month of publication to Josette and Henri Hayden: "Pour / Henri et Josette / trÃ©s affecteusement / Sam / Paris Octobre / 1965."

Samuel Beckett and the Polish Ã©migrÃ© painter Henry Hayden maintained a close friendship for several decades. Because they shared a passion for both argument and chess, some critics have speculated that their friendship inspired Beckett's creation of the characters Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot.

They first met in Rousillion d'Apt in Vichy France while Beckett was working for the French Resistance. After Rousillion was liberated in August 1944, the Haydens returned to Paris as did Beckett and his companion, Suzanne Henri. Beckett wrote several introductions for Hayden's exhibitions. Federman and Fletcher 272.

***

Black Sunday.....<< ARC >>.( ALTERNATE COVER ). (ISBN:0340200596)
Thomas Harris.

Book Description: Hodder And Stoughton,London,Sydney,Auckland,Toronto.
-- 1975 -- 318 pages.

First Edition,ARC,of hodder Stoughtons version of black Sunday in the alternate covers.

There is a chess board design on covers,stated uncorrected proof on front + back cocvers,actually wrap around decorated covers in the chessboard design.

A very unusual book indeed!I guess it was a try-out design that was never used.I have never seen this jacket design before,very strange.

There are no names or marks on these here pages.

***

Blagrove, William

Elements of Chess; a Treatise combining Theory with Practice, and
1805 (CHESS). [Blagrove, William, ed.].

The Elements of Chess; a Treatise combining Theory with Practice, and comprising the whole of Philidor's Games, and Explanatory Notes, new modelled; and arranged upon an Original Plan.

The first chess book by an American. Fisk's classic American chess bibliography attributes the editorship to William Blagrove, a nephew of the publisher, and "an enthusiastic amateur."

In his appendix the editor proposes a new and entirely American system of nomenclature, calling the pieces Governor (K), General (Q), First Colonel (B), Second Captain (N), Pioneer (Pi), etc.

Large armorial bookplate without a name on front pastedown with smaller bookplates of A. R. Pendleton and Avis & D. L. Vaughan above it.

***

Cybernetics. First American ed. Sgd copy

Wiener, Norbert

Book Description: New York Wiley 1948. Wiener, Norbert (1894-1964). Cybernetics or control and communication in the animal and the machine. 8vo. [2], 194pp. New York: John Wiley & Sons; Paris: Hermann et Cie., 1948. 229 x 152 mm. Original red cloth, red and gray printed dust-jacket (spine darkened, a few chips). Light toning, otherwise very good.

Signed by Wiener on the title. First American Edition, following a few months after the French edition that appeared the same year.

Wiener's classic treatise on feedback was the first conventionally published book, as opposed to technical report, to include a serious discussion of electronic digital computing.

Wiener, independently of Claude Shannon, conceived of communications engineering as a brand of statistical physics, and applied this viewpoint to the concept of information.

However, while Shannon concentrated mainly on applications of information theory to communications, Wiener stressed its application to control problems involving other physical and complicated biological phenomena-indeed, what made Cybernetics so significant was Wiener's synthesis under his name of a vast variety of new developments that occurred in the 1930s and 1940s in modern technology and science.

These were the times when there were rapid advances in computers, new findings in neurophysiology, tremendous progress in the development of communication systems, servomechanisms and other automation, new predictive methods connected with antiaircraft artillery.

Wiener conceived all this rightly as a progress of a single science of "control" (Watanabe, p. 215). Wiener's chapter on "Time series, information, and communication" contained the first publication of his formula describing the probability density of continuous information.

This is remarkably close to Shannon's formula dealing with discrete time published in "A mathematical theory of communication" (1948).

Cybernetics also contained a chapter on "Computing machines and the nervous system." This was a theoretical discussion, influenced by McCulloch and Pitts, of differences and similarities between information processing in the electronic computer and the human brain.

It contains a discussion of the difference between human memory and the different computer memories then available. Tacked on at the end of Cybernetics were speculations by Wiener about building a chess-playing computer, predating Shannon's first paper on the topic.

Cybernetics is a peculiar, rambling blend of popular and highly technical writing, ranging from history to philosophy, to mathematics, to information and communication theory, to computer science, to biology. Reflecting the amazingly wide range of the author's interests, it represented an interdisciplinary approach to information systems both in biology and machines.

It influenced a generation of scientists working in a wide range of disciplines. In it were the roots of various elements of computer science, which by the mid-1950s had broken off from cybernetics to form their own specialties. Among these separate disciplines were information theory, computer learning, and artificial intelligence.

The American edition of Cybernetics appeared a few months after the French edition published by Hermann et Cie. It was printed offset from the typesetting of the French edition, reproducing that edition's numerous mistakes.

Minsky, "A selected descriptor-indexed bibliography to the literature on artificial intelligence," in Feigenbaum, E. A. and Feldman, J., eds., Computers and Thought, pp. 453-523; citation on p. 519. Origins of Cyberspace 992. Watanabe, "Wiener on cybernetics, information theory and entropy," in Wiener, N., Norbert Wiener.

***

http://chessmatrix.blogspot.com/2004/09/literature-over-month-september-2004.html

***

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CHRONOLOGY OF RECREATIONAL MATHEMATICS

2004-10-07T21:26:00.000+02:00

CHRONOLOGY OF RECREATIONAL MATHEMATICS

Last revised on 4 agosto 1996.

This includes relevant history texts and all items in the Sections:
Abbreviations; Common References; Some Other Recurring References; 2; 3.A
and many items in 3.B of my Sources in Recreational Mathematics.

Names of problems are generally those used in my Sources, or close approximations
thereto.
Note that 'first' means 'first known (to me)'.
In Greek mythology, Palamedes was the inventor of dice.
-2700? Carved Stone Balls show all regular polyhedra and cubo-octahedron.
-2300? Geometric progressions on tablets from Nippur.
-1800? Old Babylonian tablet - first Sliding Spear.
-1700? Phoenician Puzzle Jugs in Cyprus.
-1650 Rhind Papyrus - our main source for Egyptian Fractions, a kind of
St. Ives Problem.
-1400 Early Morris boards at Kurna, Egypt.
-1200? Sophocles claimed dice were invented by Palamedes during the siege
of Troy. Herodotus attributed them to the Lydians in the reign of Atys.
-650 Shu Ching - first? mention of the Lo Shu (River Plan) which may
refer to the magic square of order 3.
c-500 Confucius (= K'ung Fu-Tzu): Analects XVII,xxii - perhaps the
earliest reference to the game of go.
-500 Lun Yu - mentions the River Map.
c-450 Pingala uses Fibonacci numbers in the study of prosody. (Date
uncertain - cf -200.)
-340? Aristotle (attrib.): Mechanical Problems - Aristotle's Wheel
Paradox.
-330 Eubulides - first Liar Paradox and other logical paradoxes: The
Heap; Have You Stopped Beating Your Wife?
-325 Euclid - first Ass and Mule Problem.
-300 Ta Chuan - gives an association of numbers and concepts which led
to an identification with the River Plan, but this may be spurious.
-300 Chang Tzu mentions the Lo Shu.
c-300 Meng Tzu (= Mencius): Works IV, ix refers to the game of go as
well-developed. Cf -500.
c-300 Demotic Mathematical Papyri.
-285 Philetas of Cos - died from considering Liar Paradox.
c-280 The Stoics invent The Crocodile and Baby Paradox.
-200 Archimedes - first description of the Loculus of Archimedes; first
Archimedean Polyhedra; first Volume of Intersection of Two Cylinders; first
Archimedes' Cattle Problem.
c-200 Pingala describes Pascal's Triangle. (Date uncertain - cf -450.)
c-150 Chiu Chang Suan Shu - first Cistern Problem; first Men Buy a
Horse; first Overtaking and Meeting Problems, including first Hound and
Hare; first Broken Bamboo.
-50 Roman Lex Falcidia leads to inheritance problems, particularly
Posthumous Twins Problem.
-19 Virgil: Aeneid - mentions isoperimetry.
-1 & 10 Ovid mentions a game thought to ba a form of Three Men's Morris.
50 St. Paul: Epistle to Titus I, 12 - mentions All Cretans Are Liars.
75 Celsus - first example of Posthumous Twins Problem.
80 Josephus: De Bello Judaico.
80 Ta Tai Li Chi - first? clear reference to a Magic Square.
1C Nagarjuna - first order 4 Magic Square, in India.
100 Nicomachus: Introduction to Arithmetic.
130 Theon of Smyrna: Biblion ... - natural square often erroneously
cited as magic.
c150 Heron: Peri Metron - Cistern Problem; Aristotle's Wheel Paradox.
190?? Xu Yiu (= Hsu Yo = Xu Yue): Shu Shu Ji Yi (= Shu Shu Chi I)
(Memoir on Some Traditions of Mathematical Art) - first? description of
order 3 Magic Square. However, current belief is that this text was written
by Zhu Luan (= Shuzun) of c570.
200 L� K�.
c220 Legendary invention of the Chinese Rings by Hung Ming.
c250 Diophantos: Arithmetica - first Each Doubles Others' Money; first
Men Find a Purse.
280 Sun Tzu: Sun Tzu Suan Ching - first Chinese Remainder Problem;
first Conjunction of Planets.
290 Pappus: Collection - describes Archimedean polyhedra.
325 Iamblichus: On Nicomachus's Introduction to Arithmetic - first
mention of Casting Out Nines; first description of the Bloom of Thymarides;
first Amicable Numbers.
450 Proclus: A Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements -
first Lines Approaching but not Meeting.
468 Chang Ch'iu-Chin [= Zhang Qiujian]: Chang Chhiu-Chien Suan Ching
[= Zhang Qiujian Suan Jing] - first 100 Fowls Problem.
499 Aryabhata I: Aryabhatiya - first general solution of ax - by = c.
c500 Invention of chess, probably in northwest India.
5-6C Chinese culture is transmitted via Korea to Japan, probably
including the games of go, shogi (oriental chess) and backgammon.
505 Varahamihira II: Brhatsamhita.
c510 Metrodorus, ed.: Greek Anthology.
c550 Chess reaches Persia.
628 Brahmagupta: Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta.
629 Bhaskara I: Laghu-Bhaskariya, a commentary on the Aryabhatiya.
c640 Ananias of Shirak: Arithmetical Problems.
7C The Game of Promotion - a Chinese version of Snakes and Ladders.
c7C? Bakhshali Manuscript - 100 Fowls Problem; first Present of Gems;
first Dishonest Butler; first Snail Climbing out of Well.
780 Jabir ibn Hayyan.
c800 Possible Irish origin of the Josephus Problem with 15 and 15
soldiers, led by Black and White. The earliest MS versions are 9C. Verse
mnemonics already exist by mid 12C.
c800 Alcuin: Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes - first River Crossing
Problems (3 types); first Explorer's Problem; first Division of Casks; first
Apple-sellers' Problem; first Collecting Stones; unusual solution of
Posthumous Twins Problem; first Three Odds Make an Even; first Strange
Families.
802 Earliest Byzantine reference to chess.
c820 al-Khw�rizm�. Untitled Latin MS of 13C known as Algorismus or
Arithmetic.
c840 al-Adli - earliest known chess master.
850 Mahavira: Ganita-sara-sangraha - first 100 Fowls Problem with four
types; first Monkey and Coconuts Problem; first Selling Different Amounts at
the Same Prices; first Sharing Cost of Stairs.
860 Chaturveda: Commentary on Brahmagupta.
875 Thabit ibn Qurra.
c875 al-Ya`q�b� - first Chessboard Problem.
c890 Rudrata: K_vy_lank_ra - first Knight's Paths.
c900 Abu Kamil: Book of Rare Things in the Art of Calculation - first
100 Fowls Problem with five types.
c900 Sridhara: Patiganita.
913 Oldest known Japanese book on go: Go Shiki (The Rules of Go).
c920 as-Suli - early chess master.
943 el-Masudi: Meadows of Gold - first Chessboard Problem.
950 Aryabhata II.
10C Europeans learn chess from north Africa, probably via Moorish
Spain. The word 'mate' is recorded in Latin before 1000.
969 Emperor Mu-tsung is reported to have played cards with his wives -
the earliest reference to playing cards. However, it is evident that these
were the 'domino' cards still in use in China. Cf. 1120.
c980 al-B_zaj_n_: Arithmetic - first Lazy Worker.
c983 Ikhw_n al-Saf_': Ras_'il (Encyclopedia) - first examples of order
5 and 6 Magic Squares.
c1000 Beginning of Rithmomachia.
c1000 Chain Code used as mnemonic in Sanskrit poetry.
1000 al-Biruni.
1000 Ibn al-Haitham.
1010 Earliest European mention of chess - the Count of Urgel (in Spain)
leaves his rock crystal chess set to a convent. By 1200, the game has
spread over most of Europe, reaching as far as Iceland, the Baltic and
Bohemia.
c1010 al-Karkhi (= al-Karagi): Alfakhri - first Robbing and Restoring;
Lazy Worker.
1020 Avicenna.
11C False dice, with two ones, were made.
c1060 Shao Yung: Fu-Hsi diagram - first diagram of the 64 I-Ching
hexagrams in binary order.
1061 First known mention of chess in Italy - a cardinal complains to
Pope Alexander II about a Florentine bishop who spent most of a night
playing chess.
c1075 Tabar_: Mift_h al-mu`_mal_t - first Use of 1,3,9,... as Weights.
1100 al-Ghazzali.
1120 Emperor Suen-ho has playing cards made for his wives - probably
the Chinese 'domino' cards. Cf 969. They are also recorded in 12C Arabia
(I've forgotten this source - it may refer to the following facts). There
is a fragment of a 12 or 13 C card and an almost complete early 15C deck
from Egypt which show that the 52 card deck came to Europe from Egypt (or
thereabouts). Indian cards and games are such that it is conjectured that
cards originated in Persia or central Asia and that the Arabic/Egyptian and
Indian forms are derived from a common ancestor rather than one from the
other. John Scarne says there is an 11C card from Chinese Turkestan.
c1140 The Josephus Problem is said to have been in a lost work of
Michinori Fujiwara.
1141 Abu Ishaq: first recorded Arabic Knight's tour, possibly due to
al-Adli or as-Suli.
1150 Bhaskara II: Lilivati & Bijaganita.
1150 ibn Ezra. Various works, including a poem about chess.
Late 12C Gretti's Saga mentions Fox and Geese.
1193 Eustanthius, Archbishop of Thessalonica, says dice should have
opposite sides adding to 7 to prevent cheating.
c1200 Latin squares used on amulets in medieval Islamic world.
1200 al-Buni.
1202 Fibonacci: Liber Abaci - first Western appearance of Fibonacci
Numbers; first Use of 1,2,4,... as Weights; first Western version of Selling
Different Amounts at the Same Prices; first If A is B, What is C?; first
Divination of a Permutation; first Well Between Two Towers; first algorithm
for expanding into Egyptian Fractions; first inheritance with ith getting 1
+ 1/7 of the rest and all getting the same amount; first Sharing Unequal
Resources; first use of 1,2,4,8... to pay rent.
1225? Fibonacci: Flos; Epistola.
1228 Fibonacci: Liber Abaci, 2nd ed.
c1240 Abbot Albert, in Annales Stadenses - first Jug Problem.
c1240 Maze laid in Chartres Cathedral.
1247 Ch'in Chiu Shao: Shu Shu Chiu Chang (Mathematical Treatise in Nine
Sections) - first complete analysis of the Chinese Remainder Problem.
1250 al-Lubbudi.
1253 Earliest recorded Japanese game of go, supposedly played between
Nichiren (founder of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism) and a 9-year old
disciple named Nisshomaru.
1256 Ibn Khallikan.
c1260 al-Qazwini: (Kit�b) `Aj�'ib al-Makhl�q�t wa Ghar�'ib al-Mawj�d�t
((The Book of the) Wonders of the Creation and Unique [Phenomena] of the
Existence = Prodigies of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things
Existing = The Cosmography) - first Man Digging a Well and Stopping Short.
c1275 Jacobus de Cessolis's sermon based on chess is one of the first
works on chess. It was one of the first books published by Caxton in 1475.
1275 Yang Hui - preserves various Magic Squares; first Magic Circles.
c1275 Nicholas de St. Nicholai (attrib.): Bonus Socius collection of
chess problems.
c1275 Oldest extant MS of Fibonacci - L.IV.20 in Siena.
1283 The Spanish Treatise on Chess-Play (the Alfonso MS) produced for
Alfonso X of Castile.
c1305 Byzantinisches Rechenbuch (BR).
1315 Moschopoulos - first Western discussion of Magic Squares.
1327 Gherardi: Libro di ragioni; Liber habaci.
c1350 Munich 14684. (Possibly 13C.)
c1350 Oresme first considers Date Line Problem.
14C Japanese Binary Divination is said to date to this time.
1356 N_r_yana Pandita: Ganita-kaumud_.
c1370 Columbia Algorism - first? Snail Climbing Out of Well with end
effect.
c1370 Shih�badd�n Ab�'l-`Abb�s Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Ab� Hajala
at-Tilims�ni alH-anbal�: Kit�b 'anm�dhaj al-qit�l fi la`b ash-shatranj (Book
of the examples of warfare in the game of chess) - first Blind Abbess and
Her Nuns.
c1370 dell'Abbaco(?): Trattato d'Aritmetica - first? Snail Climbing Out
of Well with end effect.
1371 First mention of playing cards in Europe, in a Catalan document in
Spain, where cards are called 'naip'. (But I have a source that says cards
were mentioned in 1275, that they are mentioned in German MSS of 1286 to
1384 and were used in Itlay in 1299.)
1377 First (allegorical) description of playing cards in Europe, in a
Swiss MS by John of Rheinfelden, describing a deck of 52 cards - the
original MS is lost and the oldest version is a 1429 copy. Within a short
time, they are widespread in Europe, but they are not mentioned in several
lists of games of the previous decade. They are also not mentioned in the
general literature before this time, even by authors such as Petrarch,
Boccaccio and Chaucer with an interest in games. A Paris ordinance
regulating gaming in 1369 makes no mention of cards, but the equivalent
ordinance of 1377 mentions them. By 1380, cards are recorded in Florence,
Basel, Regensburg, Brabant, Paris and Barcelona, and several of the records
describe cards as new or having arrived this year.
1380 Problem of Points in Italian MS.
c1390 Lucca 1754 - notes a circumference increases by 44/7 times the
increase in the radius.
1392 Three packs of cards made for Charles VI of France.
15C First associaiton of Magic Squares with planets.
c1450 Civis Bononiae collection of chess problems formed.
c1450 Gerhardt(?): Algorismus Ratisbonensis (AR) - first Horseshoe
Problem.
c1450 Tarot cards added to the card deck.
1460 Benedetto da Firenze.
1478 Treviso Arithmetic.
1478 Muscarello: Algorismus.
c1480 P. M. Calandri: Tractato d'Abbacho.
1483 Wagner(?): Bamburger Rechenbuch.
1484 Pietro Borghi: Arithmetica.
1484 Chuquet: Triparty - gives inheritance problems of the form ith
gets i + 1/7 of the rest which lead to fractional numbers of children.
1488 HB.XI.22.
1489 Widman: Beh_de und hubsche Rechnung.
1491 Calandri: Arithmetrica - printed arithmetic, first with printed
illustrations.
1493 Kalendrier des Bergers - Date Line Problem.
1494 Luca Pacioli: Summa de Arithmetica - first printed version of
Problem of Points.
c1500 Calandri: Aritmetica; Una Raccolta di Ragioni.
1500 Pacioli: De Viribus - first One Pile Game; first Binary
Divination; first European Blind Abbess and Her Nuns; first Rearrangement on
a Cross; first River Crossing with bigger boats; Explorer's Problems.
1503,1534 References to a possible Nim-type game.
1513 Blasius: Liber Arithmetice ....
1514 D�rer: Melencholia - famous Magic Square.
1514 Kobel.
1521 Ghaligai: Practica D'Arithmetica.
1522 Riese: Rechnung auff der Linien und Federn.
1522 Tonstall; De Arte Supputandi - the first arithmetic printed in
England.
1524 Riese: Die Coss.
early 16C First connection of Fibonacci numbers with j.
1525 Riese: Rechenung nach der lenge.
1525 Durer: Unterweysung der Messung ... - first Nets of Polyhedra.
1526 Rudolff: Kunstliche rechnung ... - first Clock Striking.
1539 Cardan: Practica Arithmetice Generalis - first connection of
Josephus Problem with Josephus.
1540 Gemma Frisius.
1541 Rocha: Libro Dabaco.
1544 Stifel.
1545? Serlino: Libro Primo d'Architettura - first Vanishing Area.
1545 Cardan: Ars Magna.
1546 Tartaglia: Quesiti.
1546 Cataneo: Le Practiche.
1550 Cardan: De Subtilitate - first European publication of Chinese
Rings; first False Balance.
1556 Tartaglia: General Trattato - first River Crossing with four
couples; first Two Fathers and Two Sons Make Only Three People.
1557 Cardan: De Rerum Varietate - first Staircase Cut; Nets of
Polyhedra; first Loop Puzzle (Alliance or Victoria Puzzle).
1559 Buteo: Logistica.
1561 Ruy Lopez: Libro de la Invencion liberal y Arte del Juego del
Axedrez.
1566 Trenchant: L'Arithmetique.
1568 Jamnitzer: De Perspective Corporum regularum - first Great
Dodecahedron.
1562 Baker: The Well Spring of Sciences.
1571 Gori: Libro di Arimetricha.
1578 Champenois: Les Institutions.
1582 Wecker: De Secretis Libri XVII.
1583 Clavius: Epitome Arithmetica Practica.
1598 First go tournament in Japan, sponsored by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
1597 or 1599 Palomino: Liber de mutatione aeris ....
c1604 Harriot discovers Binary Arithmetic but does not publish it.
1605 Cervantes: Don Quixote - gives Sentinel Paradox.
1603/1615 Tokugawa Ieyasu unites Japan under his rule as Shogun. The
Shogunate lasts until 1868. He systematises the games of go and shogi by
establishing bureaus to regulate the game and provide semi-hereditary houses
of professional players.
1650 Bacon's 5-bit binary code.
1608 Clavius: Algebra.
c1610 Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream - mentions Nine Men's Morris.
1611 Kepler: The Six-Cornered Snowflake.
1612 Bachet: Problemes, 1st ed. - first Divination of a Pair of Cards
from its Rows.
1617 Napier: Rabdologia - first publication of Binary Arithmetic.
1619 Kepler: Harmonices Mundi - first systematic presentation of
Archimedean Polyhedra and Tessellations; first finds the two stellated
dodecahedra and the rhombic dodeca- and triaconta- hedron.
1624 Bachet: Problemes, 2nd ed.
1624 van Etten: Recreation Mathematique - first Pigeonhole Recreation;
first Silhouette Problems; first Trick Purse.
1628 Ens: Thaumaturgus Mathematicus is a Latin editon of van Etten and
Alcuin.
1628-30 van Etten is extended by Mydorge and Henrion.
1631 Mersenne first asks about Multiply Perfect Numbers.
1632 Galileo: Dialogo ... sopra i due Massimi Sistemi del Mondo ... -
first solution of Falling Down a Hole Through the Earth. Newton seems to be
the first to determine the time taken.
1633 van Etten in English.
1634 or 1641 Yoshida: Jink_-ki - first extant Japanese version of Josephus
Problem, with additional feature of skipping last of first group; first
extant Japanese Binary Divination.
1636 Schwenter: Deliciae Physico-Mathematicae.
1640 Frenicle: letter to Mersenne mentions a Magic Triangle and a Magic
Hexagon.
1640 Fermat - first mention of Magic Cubes.
1641 van Westen: Mathematische vermaecklyckheden is a translation of
van Etten into Dutch.
1647 Mersenne.
1651-53 Schwenter expanded to 3 vols. by Harsdorffer.
c1660 Frenicle finds the 880 Magic Squares of order 4.
1660 Wecker: Eighteen Books of the Secrets of Art & Nature, translated
by Read.
1663 Cardan: Opera Omnia.
1672 Leibniz discovers Binary Arithmetic but does not publish on it for
about twenty years.
c1678, 1698 Leibniz MSS about Solitaire, first published in 1992.
1682 d'Aviso: Trattato della Sfera - first Knotting a Strip to Make a
Regular Pentagon.
1685 Wallis: De Algebra Tractatus - first publication of Prince
Rupert's Problem.
1694 Wm. Leybourn(e): Pleasure with Profit.
1694 Ozanam: Recreations Mathematiques et Physiques - False Balance;
first Clock Problem.
1694 Hyde: De Ludis Orientalis.
1697? Berey - first depiction of Solitaire.
c1700 St. Ives rhyme is well known.
1702 Whiston's Euclid discusses Rope Round the Earth problem.
1707 Newton: Arithmetica Universalis - Newton's Cattle Problem.
1708 Remond de Montmort: Essai d'Analyse sur les Jeux de Hasards, 1st
ed. - first? publication of Derangements.
1708 Ozanam in English.
1710 Sauveur finds first magic cube and invents(?) Latin squares.
1710 Leibniz - first published mention of Solitaire.
1713 N. Bernoulli - first mention of St. Petersburg Paradox.
1714 Remond de Montmort, 2nd ed. - first? publication of Derangements.
1725 Ozanam expanded to 4 vols. by Grandin. (Probably 1723??) First
appearance of many topological problems: Scissors on String; People Joined
by Ropes at Wrists; Cherries Puzzle; Solomon's Seal. First mention of
Knight's Tours outside the chess literature. First orthogonal Latin
Squares. First Cutting a Card so One can Pass Through It.
1726 Colson first describes negative digits.
1727 Kanchusen?: Wakoku Chie-kurabe [Japan Wisdom Competition] - simple
Tangram-like puzzle; Staircase Cut; first to see that one can count out
either group first in the Josephus situation by using different starting
points and/or counts.
1728 D. Bernoulli first solves general linear recurrences, assuming
distinct roots, and obtaining Binet's formula for Fibonacci Numbers. First
solution of xy = yx in integers.
1730 Colson invents Negative Digits.
1733 Buffon invents Buffon's Needle Problem.
1735 North Pole problems were well known.
1736 Euler on Euler circuits.
1740 Sa(u)nderson: Elements of Algebra.
1742 "Ganriken": Sei-Shonagon Chie-no-Ita - Japanese version of
Tangrams, very similar, but with different pieces.
1743 Nakane: Kanja-otogi-soshi - first appearance of Tait's Counter
Puzzle.
c1744 Dilworth: The Schoolmaster's Assistant - first Four Fours.
1745 Simpson: A Treatise of Algebra - first Times from Meeting to
Finish Given.
1747 Alberti: I Giochi Numerici.
1748 Ladies' Diary gives a Tethered Goat Problem.
1748 Euler: Introductio in Analysin Infinitorum - general solution of
xy = yx
1749 Les Amusemens - first Quadrisection of an L-Tromino; first
Dissection of a Cross into Zs and Ls; first Octagram Puzzle; first
Dissection of Five Squares to One; first Rearrange a Cross of Six to Make
Two Lines of Four; first type III Age Problem.
1749 Philidor: Analyze du Jeu des �checs.
1750 Franklin's elaborate Magic Squares.
c1750 Edmond Hoyle active.
1751 Walkingame: The Tutor's Assistant.
1757,1759 Euler on knight's tours.
1770 Euler: Algebra.
1771 Vandermonde on Knight's Tours - first 3D version.
1773 Lessing first publishes Archimedes' Cattle Problem.
1774 Hooper: Rational Recreations. First discussion of a card shuffle;
first form of Polyaboloes; first Geometric Money (3 x 10 to 2 x 6 & 4 x 5);
first mnemonic for Divination of a Pair of Cards from its Rows (MUTUS DEDIT
NOMEN COCIS).
1775 Euler on Josephus Problem - first to find the recurrence for the
last person.
1778 Euler on Curves of Constant Width.
1778 Ozanam-Montucla, dropping the topological problems. First
Shortest Route via a Wall.
1780 Utamaro depicts Tangram-type puzzle.
1782 Euler on Latin Squares.
1782 Bonnycastle: Introduction to Algebra.
1784 Watt's Linkage.
1788 Pike: A New and Complete System of Arithmetic - first motion with
and against current problem.
1789 Bullen: A New Compendium of Arithmetic.
c1790 Fox invents Thirty-One Game.
1790 Catel: Mathematisches und physikalisches Kunst-Cabinet - first
Six-piece Burr; first Imperial Scale; first Circle, Square, Triangle
Silhouette puzzle; first 6x6 into Zs and Ls; first Puzzle Box.
1794 Eadon: The Arithmetical and Mathematical Repository.
c1800 A French dice game was introduced to New orleans and develops into
craps.
1801-03 Bestelmeier: Magazin von verschiedenen Kunst- und andern
n�tzlichen Sachen .... [catalogue] - Six-piece Burr; Imperial Scale; Circle,
Square, Triangle Silhouette puzzle; 6x6 into Zs and Ls.
1801 Strutt: The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England.
1803 Earliest Chinese Tangram book.
1803 Ozanam-Hutton.
1800-10 Tangram craze in Europe and China.
1807 Bestelmeier catalogue for this year shows a Tangram.
1810 Poinsot discovers Great Dodecahedron and Great Icosahedron.
1812 Laplace: Th�orie Analytique des Probabiliti�s.
1816 Nieuwland finds largest Cube which will Pass Through a Cube.
1817 Colebrooke: translation of the Arithmetic and Algebra chapters of
Brahmagupta's Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta and Bhaskara's Lilivati and
Bijaganita.
c1818 Endless Amusement.
c1819 Laplace: Essai Philosophique sur les Probabliti�s (A Philosophical
Essay on Probabilities) - first to discuss Attempts to Modify Boy-Girl
Ratio.
c1820 Babbage is first to write about Tic-Tac-Toe and first to attempt
analysis of a game.
1821 Jackson: Rational Amusement for Winter Evenings - first
Configuration Problems; first Missionaries and Cannibals problem; North Pole
problems; first Dissect Circle into Two Hollow Ovals.
1822 Babbage observes a form of the Prisoners' Dilemma.
1822 Minguet � Irol: Engamos ... - first diagram of the pieces of a Six
Piece Burr.
1826 Steiner first studies number of regions determined by n planes.
1826? A Sequel to the Endless Amusement.
1828 [Clarke, ed.]: Boy's Own Book - first Heart and Ball Puzzle.
1829 First US ed. of Boy's Own Book.
1834 First mention of poker in the US.
1835 M. Ohm: Die reine Elementar-Mathematik, 2nd ed. - first use of
'goldene Schnitt'.
1835 The Riddler; A Collection of Puzzles.
1836 First chess journal - La Pal�mede, founded by La Bourdonnais in
Paris.
1840 Lehmus poses Steiner-Lehmus Theorem to Steiner.
1840 Ozanam-Riddle.
1843 Crambrook's Catalogue - mentions Puzzle Boxes.
1843 Binet gives his formula for Fibonacci Numbers, but it was already
given, much more clearly, by D. Bernoulli in 1728.
1843 Fuss: Correspondance Mathematique et Physique.
1844 Boy's Treasury of Sports, Pastimes, and Recreations - first That
Man's Father.
1846 Schachzeitung starts.
1846 Walker: The Art of Chess-Play, 4th ed.
1847 Beverley finds first Semi-magic Knight's Tour.
1847 The Illustrated Boy's Own Treasury. May be the same as the 1860
version??
1848 Bezzel proposes Eight Queens Problem.
1849 Family Friend starts.
1850s Matchstick puzzles begin.
c1850 Gorham develops Plaiting of Polyhedra.
c1850 Jacob's Ladder toys appear.
1850 Nauck gives first complete solution of Eight Queens Problem.
1851 Howard Staunton organizes first international chess tournament, at
the St. George's Club in London, in association with the Great Exhibition.
Anderssen wins.
1853 Sarrus invents Straight Line Linkage.
1854 First Multiplying by Shifting.
1855 British Chess Association develops from northern and midlands
clubs. First congress in Manchester in 1857.
1857 First American Chess Congress and founding of American Chess
Association in New York.
1857 D. W. Fiske starts Chess Monthly.
1857 The Magician's Own Book - first Dead Dogs.
1857 Uncle George [George Frederick Pardon?]: Parlour Pastime - first
Passing Over Counters; first Place Four Points Equidistantly.
1857 Early version of Spots on Foreheads.
1857-62 Boncompagni publishes Fibonacci.
c1858 Loyd claimed to have invented the 8x8 to 5x13 Vanishing Area about
this time.
1858 The Sociable - first Number of Cuts to Make N Pieces.
1858 Kirkman notes Hamilton Circuits of the Dodecahedron.
1858 Listing and Mobius independently discover the Mobius Strip, but
don't publish until 1861 and 1865, respectively.
1858 Landells: The Boy's Own Toy-Maker.
1859 The Secret Out.
1859 Hamilton: Icosian Game.
1859 Book of 500 Curious Puzzles - first Mitre Puzzle; first Unfair
Division; first combination of 1,2,...9 to make 100; first Use of
Counterfeit Bill; first Probabilistic Truthtellers and Liars Problem; first
Removing Loop From Arm.
1859? Indoor and Outdoor Games for Boys and Girls.
1860 Boy's Own Conjuring Book.
1860 Illustrated Boy's Own Treasury. May be same as 1847??
1860 Landells: Boy's Own Toy-Maker.
1862-63 de Jaenisch: Trait� des Applications de l'Analyse Math�matique au
Jeu des �checs, 3 vols.
1864 First Cryptarithm, in American Agriculturist.
1865 Charades, Enigmas, and Riddles. Collected by a Cantab.
1865 Sylvester first asks for the Probability of a Triangle being
Acute.
1867 First appearance of Frogs and Toads, in American Agriculturist.
1868 First appearance of 8x8 to 5x13 Vanishing Area.
1868 Pardon: Parlour Pastimes.
1869 G. Cantor gives a general treatment of mixed base number systems.
1871? Cremer: The Secret Out.
1871 Cremer: The Magician's Own Book, UK ed., quite different from US
1857 book.
1871 Loyd: Trick Ponies.
1871 First appearance of a Bug Problem, in a Cambridge Tripos.
1872 Cremer: Hanky Panky - first Division (of 17 elephants) into Half +
Third + Ninth; first Jacob's Ladder used as Chinese Wallet.
1872 Elliott: Within Doors.
1872 Gros: Theorie du Baguenodier - first analysis of Chinese Rings and
hence first Gray Code.
1873 Lemoine considers Probability that Three Lengths Form a Triangle.
1874 Labosne's edition of Bachet's Problemes. Reprinted 1879, 1884 and
since.
1874 van der Linde: Geschichte und Literature des Schachspiels.
1875 Reuleaux: Theoretische Kinematik - discusses Reuleaux Triangle.
1875 Diagonal Six Piece Burr.
1875 Grunwald invents Negative Bases.
1876 Fechner: Vorschule der �sthetik - formalises aesthetic aspects of
golden ratio.
1876 Child: The Girl's Own Book, new ed. [First appeared, c1830, but
earliest extant copies seem to be 6th ed., 1833.]
1877 Kamp: Danske Folkeminder ....
1878 Kinsey patents 6x6 sliding piece puzzle and makes first mention of
use of non-square pieces.
c1878 Baudot uses Gray Code in a printing telegraph.
1878 Lucas: Th�orie des fonctions num�riques simplement p�riodiques
begins modern theory of recurrences.
1879 First publications on Fifteen Puzzle. (Possibly 1880?)
1879 First Ring Maze.
1879 Mittenzwey: Mathematische Kurzweil - first A Right Angle is
Obtuse; first Place an Even Number in Each Line; first Bridge a Moat with
Planks; first Number of Buses Met.
1880 Fifteen Puzzle craze.
1880 Tait proposes Sliding Cube Puzzle.
1880 Otto Korschelt publishes "Das japanisch-chinesische Spiel Go" in
Mitteilungen der deutschen Gesellschaft f�r Natur und Volkerkunds Ostassiens
(1880-81) - the first extended description of go in a Western language.
1880 Luers patents first Dissected Chessboard.
1880 van der Linde: Erst Jartausend.
1880-81 Marre publishes Chuquet's Triparty.
1881 Simon Newcomb observes the First Digit Problem and derives
Benford's Law.
1881 Milne: The Inductive Algebra.
1881 General Four Fours problem appears in Knowledge.
1881 Cassell's Book - first Removing Waistcoat without Removing Coat.
1881 Tissandier: Les R�cr�ations Scientifiques - first Packer's Secret.
1881 British Chess Magazine starts.
1870-95 Carroll active - first Water in Wine versus Wine in Water Problem;
first Pawning Money.
1882 Lucas: R�cr�ations Math�matiques, vol. 1. Gives De Fontenay's
idea of couples crossing a river with an island.
1883 Proctor finds Largest Parcel One Can Post.
1883 Lucas invents Tower of Hanoi.
1883 Lucas: R�cr�ations Math�matiques, vol. 2 - first Dots and Boxes;
first Shunting Puzzles.
1883 Hunter and Squirrel problem discussed in Knowledge.
1883 Ward patents first Rolling Piece Puzzle - with tetrahedra.
1884 Sylvester poses(?) and answers the Postage Stamp Problem for two
values.
1880s Wire puzzles appear.
1885 Gr�nwald introduces negative bases for number systems.
1886 Ring and Spring Puzzle appears.
1886 Peck & Snyder catalogue.
1887-88 Pauwels patents squared Trick Dovetail Joint.
1888 Hoernle first describes the Bakhshali Manuscript.
1889 Bertrand: Calcul des Probabilites - first Box Paradox; first Chord
Paradox.
1889 Rice patents a 2x2x2 Sliding Cube Puzzle.
1889 von Haselberg finds first Magic Hexagon.
1889 Lucas first mentions Tower of Hanoi with More Pegs.
1890 Thurston patents matching puzzles.
1890 Lemon: Everybody's Illustrated Book of Puzzles - Use of
Counterfeit Bill.
1890 Altekruse patents Altekruse Puzzle.
1890 Der Gute Kamerad: Kolumbus-Eier - first Tumble Rings.
1890 1089 Problem, with English money giving �12 18s 11d, appears.
1890-93? Tom Tit: La Science Amusante - shows square trick dovetail joint.
1891 Hutchison, ed.: Indoor Games and Recreations - first Cube Made
from Six U Pieces.
1891 Lucas: Th�orie des Nombres - first Folding a Strip of Stamps
problem.
1891 Hoffmann: Magic at Home - an annotated translation of Tom Tit: La
Science amusante, vol. 1.
1891 Smith patents a Triangular Solitaire.
1891 Everett patents Loony Loop.
1892 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 1st & 2nd eds. (MRE) -
first Fore and Aft Puzzle; first Every Triangle is Isoceles.
1892 Berkeley & Rowland: Card Tricks & Puzzles.
1893 Lucas: R�cr�ations Math�matiques, vol. 3.
1893 Hoffmann: Puzzles Old and New - first Cube Dissection Puzzle;
shows Three Piece Burr; first publication of Dissected Die; first
Interlocked Nails; first Horseshoes Puzzle; first Caught Heart.
1893 Sylvester proposes Sylvester's Problem of Collinear Points.
1893 MacMahon & Jocelyn patent MacMahon Pieces.
1893 Lewis Carroll's Monkey Problem.
1894 Carroll prints his Barber Paradox.
1894 Lucas: R�cr�ations Math�matiques, vol. 4.
1894-98 Gomme: Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1890s Walker analyses Celts = Rattlebacks.
1895 Culin: Korean Games.
1895 Curtze publishes Munich 14684.
1895 Lucas: L'Arithmetique Amusante.
1896 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 3rd ed. - first Salary
Puzzle.
1896-97 Loyd: columns in Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
1896-98 Loyd & Dudeney: columns in Tit-Bits.
1897 von der Lasa: Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Schachspiels.
1897 Loyd or Dudeney uses symmetry in a game analysis.
1897 Loyd or Dudeney introduces No Three in a Line Puzzle.
1897 Loyd or Dudeney introduces Counting Routes in a Word Diamond.
1897 Loyd introduces Chain Cutting and Rejoining puzzles.
1898 Ball-FitzPatrick, 1st ed. - first 1089 Problem.
1898 Schubert: Mathematische Mussestunde.
1899 Carroll: The Lewis Carroll Picture Book, ed. by Collingwood -
first Lowering from Tower problem.
1899 Segerblom describes Three Piece Burr with identical Pieces.
1899 Pick gives Pick's Theorem.
1899 Fourrey: Recreations Arithmetiques.
1896-1903 Dudeney's Puzzles & Prizes column in the Weekly Dispatch.
c1900 Russell invents his paradox.
c1900 Archimedes' letter on Loculus of Archimedes is discovered.
1900 Br�ckner: Vielecke und Vielfl�che - first rotating ring of
polyhedra.
1900 Hilbert's Problems. He asks about tessellating space.
1900 Schubert: Mathematische Mussestunde, 2nd ed. in 3 vols.
1900 Schossow (US) and Moffatt (UK) patent Instant Insanity Puzzles.
1900-02 Suter: Die Mathematiker und Astronomen der Araber ....
1901 Ahrens: Mathematische Unterhaltungen und Spiele, 1st ed.
1902 Dudeney: Lady Isabel's Casket begins development leading to
Squaring the Square.
1902 Dudeney's Square to Triangle Dissection.
1902 Workman: The Tutorial Arithmetic - first Skeleton Arithmetic
Problems.
1902 Bouton: Nim: A game with a complete mathematical theory - first
mention of Nim.
1902 Tropfke: Geschichte der Elementar-mathematik, 1st ed., 2 vols.
1903 Loyd: Chinese Tangrams.
1903 Cox's edition of Strutt: The Sports and Pastimes of the People of
England.
1903 First Dissected T.
1903 Dudeney's four side Spider and Fly Problem.
1904 Berry invents Visitng Card Paradox and Berry's Paradox.
1904 Dudeney: Great puzzle crazes, in Strand Magazine.
1904 Benson: The Book of Indoor Games ....
1904? Ahrens: Mathematische Spiele, in Encyk. der Math. Wiss.
1905 Dudeney's five side Spider and Fly Problem.
1905 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 4th ed. - popularises
Chessboard Placing Problems.
1905 Fiske: Chess in Iceland.
1905 Zermelo is first to analyse games in general.
1905 Ice in a Full Glass of Water appears.
1906 Dudeney's No Three in a Line Problem.
1906 Laisant: Initiation Math�matique - first Fly Between Trains; first
Limited Means of Transport.
1907 Berwick: Seven Sevens Problem.
1907 Pearson: Twentieth Century Standard Problem Book - first Counting
Triangles problem; first Ladder Over Box; first pan-digital fractions; first
Push a Bicycle Pedal.
1907-08 Loyd: Our Puzzle Magazine.
1907 Dudeney: Canterbury Puzzles (CP). Broken chessboard is first use
of all 12 pentominoes.
1907 Loyd's Columbus Egg Puzzle - join all points of a 3x3 array with a
four segment line.
1907 Fourrey: Curiosities Geometriques.
1907-09 Ball-FitzPatrick, 2nd ed.
1908 Scrutchin patents a Polyiamond puzzle.
1908 Greeling invents his paradox, about Heterological.
1908 Morley's Theorem.
1908 Dudeney: Puzzles from games; Some much-discussed puzzles; The
world's best puzzles - all in Strand Magazine.
1908 First modern Crossed Ladder Problem.
1908 Dudeney: The broken chessboard - first depiction of pentominoes.
1908 W. F. White: A Scrap-Book of Elementary Mathematics.
1909 First Western journal on go - Die Abonnente - founded by L.
Pfaundler of Graz, Austria.
1910? Goldston: More Tricks and Puzzles - first description of Loyd's
Pencil Puzzle.
1910 Dudeney starts his Perplexities column in Strand Magazine. It
runs to c1931??
1910 Witting - first Illegal Cancellation.
1910 Bullivant: Home Fun.
1911 Lewis first discusses Multiplying by Reversing.
1911 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 5th ed.
1911 Manson: Indoor Amusements.
1912 Morley Adams, ed.: The Boy's Own Book of Indoor Games and
Recreations.
1913 21 Dec: Arthur Wynne's first crossword puzzle for New York World
Sunday Magazine.
1913 Dudeney: first publication of Gas, Water and Electricity Problem.
1913 R. Journet patents first Centrifugal Puzzle - Spoophem.
1913 Mikami: The Development of Mathematics in China and Japan.
1913 A. C. White: Sam Loyd and His Chess Problems.
1913 Murray: History of Chess.
1914 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 6th ed.
1914 Loyd: Cyclopedia - Mrs Perkins' Quilt; first Selling, Buying and
Selling Same Item; first Bookworm's Distance; first Circling an Army
problem.
1915 Watts patents device for drilling square holes.
1915 Rausenberger discovers the convex Deltahedra.
1917 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 7th ed.
1917 Dudeney: Amusements in Mathematics (AM) - first 2592 Problem.
1917 Licks: Recreations in Mathematics - first Moving Round a Corner
problem.
1917 Smith: On the origin of certain typical problems.
1910-18 Ahrens: Mathematische Unterhaltungen und Spiele, 2nd ed. (MUS).
1918 Tom Tit - Knott: Scientific Amusements.
1918 Ahrens: Altes und Neues aus der Unterhaltungsmathematik (A&N).
1919 Dudeney: Fly Between Trains.
1919 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 8th ed.
1919 Smith: Number Stories of Long Ago.
1920 Daily Mail World Record Net Sale puzzle.
1920 Dudeney's Damaged Measure starts Ruler with Minimal Number of
Marks problem.
1920 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 9th ed.
1920 First Resistor Networks problems.
1919-23 Dickson: History of the Theory of Numbers.
c1920 Bartl magic catalogue.
c1920 Five Brick Puzzle develops into standard form.
early 1920s Polyiamond puzzles used for promotions.
1921 Heath: History of Greek Mathematics (HGM).
1921 MacMahon: New Mathematical Pastimes.
1921 Blyth: Match-Stick Magic.
1921-24 Tropfke: Geschichte der Elementar-mathematik, 2nd ed., 7 vols.
1922 Ball: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 10th ed.
1922-23 Langley poses his Adventitious Angles problem.
1923 Coffin proposes Card Piling Over a Cliff Problem.
1923 Smith: History of Mathematics.
1924 2 Nov: First Brtiish crossword appears in The Daily Express.
1924 FIDE (F�d�ration Internationale des �checs) founded.
1924 The Week-End Book - first Impossible Exchange Rates.
1924 Dudeney, in Strand, first(?) gives SEND + MORE = MONEY.
1924 The Times refers to crossword puzzles as a menace. Cf 1930.
1925 Ackermann: Scientific Paradoxes and Problems.
1926 Dudeney: Modern Puzzles (MP) - first description of all Nets of a
Cube.
1926 Dudeney: The psychology of puzzle crazes.
1926 Dudeney gives first Crossnumber Puzzle in Strand.
1926 Western Puzzle Works Catalogue.
1926 Ben Ames Williams: "Coconuts", in the Saturday Evening Post causes
popular furore.
1926 Western Puzzle Works Catalogue shows first Pick Up Puzzle.
1927 Davenport invents Birthday Problem.
1927 King: Best 100 Puzzles - first Use of Fallen Signpost.
1927 Sanford: History and Significance of Certain Standard Problems in
Algebra (H&S).
1927-33 Kaye's stdy of the Bakhshali Manuscript.
1913-42 Perelman active - first to consider travel around a 'square' on
the earth; first to ask for the Largest Number Expressible with Four Ones,
etc.; first? to consider Nets of a Cube.
1928 Wyatt: Puzzles in Wood.
1928 Loyd Jr.: Sam Loyd and His Puzzles (SLAHP) - first Antimagic
Figure, a 3x3 square; first Counting Squares problem.
1928 Collins: Fun with Figures.
1929 Smith: A Source Book in Mathematics.
1930 The Times succumbs and begins running a crossword puzzle.
1930 Sanford: A Short History of Mathematics.
1930 Kraitchik: La Mathematique des Jeux.
1930 Hargrave: A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards
and Gaming.
1931?? Dudeney's Perplexities column ends with his death.
1931 MINOS [S. Vatriquant], in Sphinx, introduces word "cryptarithmie"
and gives desireable qualities for one.
1931 Loyd Jr.: Are you good at solving puzzles?.
1931-39 Sphinx, ed. by Kraitchik.
1932 Dudeney: Puzzles and Curious Problems (PCP) - first Smith, Jones,
Robinson Problem; first Mirror Reversal Paradox.
1932 Phillips: Week-End Problems Book.
1933 Read - first Missing Dollar.
1933 Abraham: Diversions and Pastimes.
1933 Phillips: Playtime Omnibus.
1933-34 Dissection of 1x1x2 to a Cube.
1934 Cohen & Nagel describe Reversal of Averages Paradox.
1934 Reutersv�rd invents Tribar but doesn't publish it.
1930-40 Tropfke: Geschichte der Elementar-mathematik, 3rd ed., vols. 1-4
(the MSS of the remaining volumes were lost in 1945).
c1935 Using Chain Links to Pay for a Room.
1935 Premi�re Congr�s International des R�cr�ations Math�matiques in
Brussels.
1935 Spots on Foreheads develops.
1935-38 Datta & Singh: History of Hindu Mathematics.
1935-39 Fairy Chess Review has a number of polyomino problems.
1936 Truthtellers and Liars Problems develop.
1936 Cigarette Butts problem occurs.
1936 Phillips: Brush Up Your Wits - first Ship's Ladder in Rising Tide.
1936 Hein invents Soma Cube.
1936 Sprague discovers Sprague-Grundy Theory.
1936 Rudin: So You Like Puzzles!
1937 Ciamberlini & Marengoni: Su una interessante curiosit&#65533; numerica -
first publication of the Four Number Game, attributed to Ducci.
1937 Hoppenot, in Sphinx, first asks about Numbers Equal to the Sum of
Some Power of Their Digits.
1937 Deuxi�me Congr�s International des R�cr�ations Math�matiques.
1937 Phillips: Question Time.
1938 Benford: The law of anomalous numbers - popularizes Newcomb's
discovery of the First Digit Problem, generally known as Benford's Law.
1938 Coxeter et al.: The Fifty-Nine Icosahedra.
1938 Steinhaus: Mathematical Snapshots (in Polish and English) - first
Self-Rising Dodecahedron.
1939 August: The Black-Out Book.
1939 von Mises first studies Birthday Problems, but not the usual
version.
1939 Ball-Coxeter: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 11th ed. -
first publication of Davenport's version of the Birthday Problem.
1939 Depew: Cokesbury Game Book.
1939 Adams: Morley Adams Puzzle Book - first Counting Hexagons problem;
first Reverse a Triangular Array of 10 Circles.
1939 First discussion of polycubes in Fairy Chess Review.
1939 Grundy discovers Sprague-Grundy Theory.
1939 Sprague finds first perfect squared square.
1939 Chowla shows Cubing the Cube is impossible.
c1939 Stone invents Flexagons and Flexatube. Stone, Feynman, Tuckerman
& Tukey study them.
1939-41 Thomas: Selections Illustrating the History of Greek Mathematics
(SIHGM).
Late 1930s 3D and 4D Tic-Tac-Toe played at Cambridge.
1940 Johnson patents Two Piece Dissection of the Tetrahedron.
1940 McKay: At Home Tonight.
1940 Williams & Savage: The Penguin Problems Book.
1941 Heald: Mathematical Puzzles - first Erroneous Averaging of
Velocities.
c1941? Ekboom notes Unexpected Hanging Paradox.
1942 Filipiak: 100 Puzzles - How to Make and Solve Them.
1942 Hein invents Hex.
1943 First Early Commuter.
1943 Kraitchik: Mathematical Recreations.
1943? Origin of False Coin Problems.
1943-44 Richmond dissects 63 into 33 + 43 + 53.
1943-47 Sullivan: Problems involving unusual situations.
1944 Scorer, Grundy & Smith describe the graph of the Tower of Hanoi.
1944 Northrop: Riddles in Mathematics.
1944 Steinhaus asks How to Divide a Cake Fairly.
1944 Bagley: Paradox Pie - first Square Peg in Round Hole or Vice
Versa; first 28/7 = 13; first Walking in the Rain.
1944 Bagley: Puzzle Pie.
c1945 Wayne introduces Doubly True Cryptarithms.
c1945 Hempel invents Hempel's Rave Paradox.
1946 Wyatt: Wonders in Wood.
1946 Leeming: Fun with Puzzles.
1946 Black: Critical Thinking - first Covering Deleted Chessboard with
Dominoes.
1946-47 Freudenthal & van der Waerden rediscover Convex Deltahedra.
1947 Gardner describes a hexatetraflexagon.
1950 Flood & Dresher identify Prisoners' Dilemma.
1952 Riccardi: Biblioteca Matematica Italiana dalla Origine della
Stampa ai primi Anni del Secolo XIX.
1952 Murray: A History of Board-Games Other than Chess.
1952 Schuh's Game of divisors, isomorphic to Chomp.
1953 Littlewood: A Mathematician's Miscellany.
1953 Tippee Tops popular in the UK.
1954 Golomb: Checkerboards and polyominoes starts geenral interest in
Polyominoes.
1954 Coxeter et al.: "Uniform polyhedra".
1955 Ransom: One Hundred Mathematical Curiosities.
1955 Hunter introduces word 'alphametic'.
1956 Crowe observes connection between Gray Codes and Tower of Hanoi.
1956 Gardner starts his Mathematical Games column in Scientific
American.
1956 Gardner: Mathematics, Magic and Mystery.
1957 Gardner describes Polyominoes.
1957 Perelman: Figures for Fun, in English.
1957 Reeve generalizes Pick's Theorem to three dimensions.
1957 Hall: A Bibliography of Books on Conjuring in English from 1580 to
1850 (BCB).
1958 Gamow & Stern: Puzzle-Math - first Forty Unfaithful Wives.
1958 R. Penrose invents Tribar; L. S. Penrose invents Impossible
Staircase.
1958 Gardner gives first description of Bridg-It.
1958 Gardner describes Solid Pentominoes, Pentacubes, Tetracubes.
1958 Gardner Describes Soma Cube.
1958 Needham: Science and Civilization in China, vol. III.
1958 Scott does first programming of a combinatorial puzzle -
Pentominoes on 8x8 with 2x2 in centre.
1959 Bath: Fun with Figures.
1959 Bose & Shrikande disprove Euler's conjecture on orthogonal Latin
Squares.
1959 Gardner begins collecting his columns in books with: The
Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions.
c1959 Hein's Superellipse.
1959-60 Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd 1 & 2 (MPSL1&2), ed. by Gardner.
1955-78 Schaaf: A Bibliography of Recreational Mathematics, 4 vols.
1960 Escher: Ascending and Descending.
c1960 O'Beirne's Steps.
1961 Escher: Waterfall.
1961 Gardner: The Second Scientific American Book of Mathematical
Puzzles and Diversions.
1961-62 O'Beirne's Puzzles and Paradoxes column in New Scientist - first
describes Tetraboloes; coins word Polyiamonds.
1961-64 Recreational Mathematics Magazine, ed. by Madachy (RMM).
1962 Dresner: Science World Book of Brain Teasers.
1962 Conway and M. Guy find all solutions of Soma Cube.
1964 Duby is first to compute knight's tours and finds all of them on
the 6x6 board.
1964 First published Two Pronged Trident.
1965 Golomb: Polyominoes.
1965 Think-a-Dot introduced.
1965 O'Beirne: Puzzles and Paradoxes.
1965 Greenblatt: Mathematical Entertainments.
c1965 Li & Du: Chinese Mathematics: A Concise History, in Chinese.
1966 Madachy: Mathematics on Vacation.
1966 Taylor: The Mathematical Practitioners of Hanoverian England
1714-1840.
1966 Gardner: Martin Gardner's New Mathematical Diversions from
Scientific American.
1966-67 Johnson & Zalgaller find the Regular-Faced Polyhedra.
1967 Gardner describes Polyhexes.
1967 Gardner: The Numerology of Dr. Matrix.
1967 Schofield solves Eight Puzzle.
1967 Gardner gives first description of Conway's Sprouts.
1967 Dudeney: 536 Puzzles and Curious Problems, ed. by Gardner (536).
1967 Trigg: Mathematical Quickies.
1968 Journal of Recreational Mathematics starts, ed. by Madachy (JRM).
1969 Simmons invents Sim.
1969 Gardner: The Unexpected Hanging and Other Mathematical Diversions.
1969 Struik: A Source Book in Mathematics 1200-1800.
1969 Parker Bros. produce Soma Cube.
1970 Smith: Rara Arithmetica, 4th ed.
1970 Hein: Pyramystery - first Ball Pyramid Puzzles, in two forms under
the same name!
1970 Taylor: The Mathematical Practitioners of Tudor & Stuart England
1485-1714.
c1970 Conway invents Life; Gardner describes it in 1970.
1971 Avedon & Sutton-Smith: The Study of Games.
1971 Doubleday: Test Your Wits, vol. 2.
1972 Wieber: Das Schachspiel in der Arabischen Literatur ....
1972 Hall: Old Conjuring Books (OCB).
1973 Zaslavsky: Africa Counts.
1973 Libbrecht: Chinese Mathematics in the Thirteenth Century.
1973 Fisher: The Magic of Lewis Carroll.
1974 Ball-Coxeter: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 12th ed.
c1974 Penrose invents Penrose Pieces.
1972-1981 Games & Puzzles, in England.
1975? Gardner: Martin Gardner's Sixth Book of Mathematical Games from
Scientific American.
1975 Gardner: Mathematical Carnival.
1975 Golomb trademarks word 'Pentominoes'.
1976 Biggs, Lloyd & Wilson: Graph Theory 1736-1936 (BLW).
1976 Gaffney & Steen: Annotated Bibliography of Expository Writing in
the Mathematical Sciences.
1976 Gardner: The Incredible Dr. Matrix.
1976 Devi: Puzzles to Puzzle You.
1976-78 Toole Stott: A Bibliography of English Conjuring 1581-1876.
1977 Slocum: Compendium of Mechanical Puzzles.
1978 Folkerts produces first critical edition of Alcuin.
1978 Hermelink: Arabische Unterhaltungsmathematik.
1978 D. Hoffman's Cube.
1978 Rubik's Cube first starts to become known outside Hungary.
1978 Gardner: Mathematical Magic Show.
1978 Birtwistle: The Calculator Puzzle Book.
1975-1987 Jelliss produces Chessics. The Journal of Generalized Chess.
1979 Gardner: Mathematical Circus.
1980 Tropfke: Geschichte der Elementar-mathematik, 4th ed., vol. 1.
1980-82 Rubik's Cube becomes greatest puzzle craze of all time.
1981 Moser: Research Problems in Discrete Geometry.
1981 Berloquin: Le Jardin du Sphinx.
1981 Gardner ends his regular Scientific american columns.
1982 Berlekamp, Conway & Guy: Winning Ways.
1983 Gardner: Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements.
1983-87 Schaaf's 12 Vestpocket bibliographies in Journal of Recreational
Mathematics.
1980s? Knowing Sum Versus Knowing Product develops.
1985 Gardner: The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix.
1985 Hayashi's thesis on the Bakhshali Manuscript.
1985 Flegg, Hay & Moss's study of Chuquet and his Triparty.
1985-86 Strens Collection purchased for Calgary and opening conference.
1980s onward Fraenkel: Selected Bibliography on Combinatorial Games and
Some Related Material.
1986 Gardner: Knotted Doughnuts and Other Mathematical Entertainments.
1986 Slocum & Botermans: Puzzles Old & New (S&B).
1986 Hordern: Sliding Piece Puzzles.
1986? Sallows invents alphamagic squares.
1987 Gr�nbaum & Shephard: Tilings and Patterns.
1987 Li & Du: Chinese Mathematics: A Concise History.
1987 Ball-Coxeter: Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 13th ed.
1987 Ascher analyses Mu Torere.
1987-89 Jelliss produces Games and Puzzles Journal (successor to
Chessics).
1988 Hoffmann: Puzzles Old and New, of 1892, reprinted by Hordern.
1988 Gardner: Time Travel and Other Mathematical Bewilderments.
1989 Gardner: Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers.

1991 Ascher: Ethnomathematics.
1991 Allen: Brain Sharpeners.
1992 Rabinowitz: Index to Mathematical Problems 1980-1984.
1992 Sallows devises Pangrams and Reflexicons.
1992 Hadley & Singmaster translate and annotate Alcuin into English.
1993 Folkerts and Gericke translate and annotate Alcuin into German.
1993 Hordern's edition of Hoffmann, with colour illustrations.

last Web revision:December 22, 1998

Literature over the month September 2004

2004-09-18T16:11:00.000+02:00

ROWLING, J.K::

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

London Bloomsbury 1999 First Deluxe Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with an Original Watercolor by the Artist ROWLING, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher s Stone. [London]: Bloomsbury, [1999].

First publisher s deluxe edition (original published in 1997). Octavo. 223, [1, blank] pp. With an original watercolor drawing on the dedication page, signed by Thomas Taylor, the cover artist for this, the first volume in the series.

Original red cloth stamped and lettered in gilt on front cover and spine, with gilt fascimile signature of the author and color pictorial label on front cover.

All edges gilt on the rough. A fine copy. This wonderful and highly colorful watercolor depicts Harry Potter playing the chess match, which ultimately leads him to the final episode where he beats the dragon. The chess pieces are larger than Harry. Harry is peeking out behind the black knight with his wand in hand ready to win, with the help of his dear friend Ron. With the creation of Harry Potter, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and the Dursleys, J.K. Rowling has won the hearts of children and adults around the world.

This is the first book in her enormously popular continuing tale, chronicling the orphaned Harry s adventures as he fulfills his destiny, does his homework, plays Quidditch for Hogwarts, and defends the world against the evil wizard Voldemort.

A unique and spectacular copy of this modern classic.
.

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BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van::

Battle Symphony::

1816 BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van.
Beethoven's Grand Battle Sinfonia, Performed last Season 2003 with the greatest Applause at the Oratorios, Drury Lane, Descriptive of the Battle & Victory at Vittoria. [Op. 91].

London: Rt. Birchall, [1816]. Folio, contemporary three-quarter red morocco, elaborately gilt-decorated spine, all edges gilt. $9500. First edition of the piano arrangement of Beethoven's "Battle Symphony," fully engraved, commemorating a victory of Wellington over Napoleon, published one month before the publication of the full score in Vienna.

In 1813, Johann Maelzel (the inventor of the ear trumpet, the mechanical chess player and the metronome) persuaded Beethoven to embark on a large-scale work, a "battle symphony" commemorating and "depicting" the Duke of Wellington's victory over Napoleon at Vittoria on June 21. The symphony was meant to showcase Maelzel's "Panharmonikon," a massive mechanical orchestra featuring automated flutes, clarinets, trumpets, violins, cellos, drums, cymbals and triangle. But Beethoven, quarrelling with Maelzel, abandoned the idea and began to turn the piece into a full symphony for conventional orchestra.

The finished work, which incorporates "Rule Britannia" and a fugal treatment of "God Save the King," "was thunderously acclaimed at two charity concerts on 8 and 12 December 1813-together with the Seventh Symphony, which had not been heard before. The Battle Symphony had to be repeated three weeks later, and again on 24 February 1814" (New Grove, 368). Beethoven arranged this version for piano himself. He actively courted the English market for his music, and was liberal in accepting terms from English publishers for his music, generally aiming for simultaneous publication in England and on the continent (the alternative being to see his music flourish through pirated editions).

Due to delays in Vienna, this English edition (published in January of 1816) precedes the first edition of the full score by about one month. Tyson, Authentic English Editions of Beethoven, 87-88. Kinsky-Halm, 253.

Contemporary binding lovely, interior clean and fine. Very scarce.
.

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KEMPELEN, Wolfgang von::

Le mécanisme de la parole, suivi de la description d'une machine parlante et enrichie de XXVII planches.

Vienne, Bauer & se trouve chez J. V. Degen, 1791. In-8de Portrait, XII, 464, (4) pp., 26 planches hors-texte. Veau marbré, dos à nerfs orné, filets et dentelles d'encadrement sur les plats. (Reliure de l'époque.) Edition originale, très rare. Le livre a été publié dans le même temps en français et en allemand. Illustré d'un portrait et de 26 planches hors-texte. Kempelen (1734-1804) établit la première monographie sur la synthèse du langage et décrit par le menu la première machine parlante basée sur une étude élaborée de la voix humaine. Cette version française semble beaucoup plus rare que celle en allemand. 2 exemplaires dans RLIN : NLM, Harvard.

" While the Turk the Chess-player was constructed in six months since Kempelen promised it to Her Majesty Maria Theresa, the construction of the speaking machine demanded more than twenty years and still he could not consider it to be finished.

This machine had to produce the letters and syllables, even the words and short sentences almost in every European language.

Related to the work a treatise was published by J. V. Degen in Vienna in 1791 in German and French titled Le Méchanisme de la parole, suivi de la description d'une machine parlante (Mechanism of Human Speech with the Description of a Speaking Machine), which proves, that Kempelen's speaking machine was neither a mystification nor a mechanical toy, while the principle, which underlied a construction of a chess automaton still remained unknown. In any case the book Mechanism of Human Speech confirmed outstanding Kempelen's capacities to reason profoundly in abstract philosophical concepts and to affiliate them with exact technological and constructional thinking. (.)

Nonetheless, the extensive treatise Mechanism of Human Speech by W. von Kempelen represents a unique work in the history of phonetics, which profoundly influenced later development of the science of sonic aspect of language and which thus deserves as great publicity as possible. (.)

Kempelen's machine was not in fact a " speaking machine " in a real sense of the word, but a mechanism for production of speech sounds, words even sentences. An accurate hearing was needed to operate the machine, because vocals and many consonants had to be continually controlled.

A degree of openess of a mouth cavity and the period of oscillations of a sound with consonants were not mechanically determined. (.) Kempelen's speaking machine may be interpreted as a cognitive model. Disregarding purely psychical components following parts (stages) may be identified in a communicative process: neurophysiological, organogenetical (articulative), auditorial (external, middle and internal ear) and again neurophysiological (competent sections of central nervous system) in perception.

Kempelen's machine serves as a model for articulatory and partly acoustic stage, and his significance resides especially in this double modelling. A pure articulatory modelling would not possess a genuine scientific value, it would be simply only an imitation of observed articulatory processes. Acoustic modelling uncovered a relevance of properties of cavities and provided a scientific information on speech processes." Slavomir Ondrejovic.

Bel exemplaire. "Mechanism of Human Speech with the Description of a Speaking Machine". First edition. The book as been published in the mean time in French and in German. Illustrated by one portrait and 26 engraved plates. Contemporary marbled calf.
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Anonymous, Purely Illustrated::

Ancient Chinese Stories and or History on rice paper

China: Decorative Cloth Material. Oblong Folio. 18th/19th Century perhaps based on Ancient Chinese stories, entirely illustrated on rice paper, cloth material with chinese pattern boards. 12 Illustrations on total.

1.) Appears to be be a judge with two civi servants on each side, infront of the table and chair where the judge sits appears to be gaurds holding a prisoner in wooden detaining device.

2.) Someone of Authority in carraige driver by dragon on wheels with two servants one gaurd and a gaurd ahead about to spear what looks like a Samurai with no weapons, behind the Samurai appears to be a unicorn? with no horn with a bushy tail.

3.) Man of Authority on Horse with a spear surrounded by two men with duel swords man behind with flag.

3.) Man resting body asleep on horse who also apperas to be asleep, his spear lying on the ground, to his right are three servants with lanterns and two women with fans in their hands.

4.) Three men one with his hands held high, another with hands over eyes and another with wooden detaining device, to their right appears to be a gaurd pointing a long cue with a woman pointing in the mens direction holding a sword.

5.) Same picture as no.1 but the judge is stepping down off his chair pointing in a direction, around him are three men, two of which appear to be servants, one holding a flag the other two holding large bo staffs one of these is standing on a mans back who is wearing a golden robe and looks like he is doing push ups.

6.) Two men on horse back with one man alongside each horse, both of these men holding up flags the two men on horseback have a circular shaped devices in each of their hands (two per person).

7.) Lady standing with a child who appears as if he is mending, making her clothing, to the right is a lady being pushed in a two wheel cart which is driven from behind by one servant, alongside him appears to be another holding a stick over his back , with two packages balancing on each side.

8.) Servant/Man holding flag, beside him is a man with the same devices in each hand as in picure (6.) he appears to be fighting with another man in a dragons mask (judging from the feet this is most likely a woman when compared to other womens feet in the illustrations). behind him/her is two women one on horseback with a sword in each hand, beside her is a woman holding a flag.

9.) Woman and a man watching another woman and man (the man appears to be the judge from 1. earlier) playing a Chinese game that looks similar to chess on a large stone table, the judge has his sword in his hand, behind him is a gaurd with a spear.

10.) Man standing by a horse watching a man approach a lady who is sitting with her legs half crossed, behind her is an old man with a staff and another smaller, younger man in green. The lady and Old man are pointing at the man approaching the lady.

11. Five men, one on the left, one on the right and three grouped together in the Centre, man on the left looks as if he is inviting a challenge, two of the men in the centre appear to acknowledge this one is bowing the other has his fist clenched on his chest, the other is looking at the man on the right, who appears to be preparing for compat, the man on the left has not his sword drawn, the three in the middle have one spear and the one on the right has an axe head attatched to a spear.

This may very well be Chinese History.

All illustrations are bordered with red rice paper.

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Murray, H. J. R., Illustrated; A History of Chess::

London: Oxford University Press, 1913 Near Fine/No Jacket. Hardcover First Edition. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Dark grayish-blue cloth with blind-stamped decoration on front cover. Gilt lettering on spine. Spine is slightly sunned. 900 pages including index; with many illustrations.

This is generally considered to be the finest book on chess ever written.

Part I: Chess in Asia;
Part II: Chess in Europe. Chapters include: Chess in India (3 chapters); Chess in the Malay Lands, Chess in China, Corea, and Japan, The Invention of Chess in Muslim Legend, The Game of Shatranj: Its Theory and Practice, Chess in the Middle Ages, The Early Didactic Literature, The Mediaeval Problem (3 chapters), Chessboards and Chessmen, The Nineteenth Century, and many others.

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FISHER RANDOM CHESS Renamed CHUFFLE CHESS, CHESS 960 Or FULL CHESS

2004-09-01T13:57:00.000+02:00

FISHER RANDOM CHESS::

The birth of Fischer Random Chess ::

Why Fischer Random Chess ? ::

In the 20th century, professional chess made a development, in which knowledge of opening theory became more and more important. This development has not come to an end yet. A lot of players spend, maybe even waste their time, by analysing opening theory and trying to find new moves.

It is amazing to see that average club players have inside knowledge about the latest developments in complicated Sicilian systems, but their creativity and knowledge about middle- and endgame is insufficient and leaves much to be desired.

However, there are also some players, who have their own theories.

A good example is English Grandmaster Michael Basman, who made all sound positional players shiver with his amazing opening moves (e.g. 1. g4 or 1. e4 g5 and 1. d4 a6 2. e4 h6).

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=27319

In Germany , Stefan Bücker is a good example of a player who likes to try something new in the opening. When you become a 2500+ player, it will become inevitable to learn something about classical opening theory.

Bobby Fischer himself had to work very hard on his openings to become world champion back in 1972.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=19233

Loads of theory ::

Bobby Fischer must have been shocked to see how opening theory had developed since his last game in1972. It is said, that friends from throughout the world sent him masses of analysis, that he ignored during the match against Spasski in 1992. The sheer volume of material probably made Fischer realize, that there was no way back.

After that experience Fischer started thinking about an alternative and started promoting his variant of Shuffle Chess: Fischer Random Chess, in which having knowledge about openings is not relevant.

In F.R Chess, just before the start of every game, both players pieces on their respective backrows receive an identical random shuffle, with the provisos, that one Rook has to be to the left and the other Rook to the right of the King, and one Bishoph as to be on a light-colored square and the other one on a dark-colored square. White and Black have identical positions. In F.R. Chess there are 960 starting postitions, the Classical Chess starting position and 959 other starting postitions.

Of necessity, in F.R. Chess the castling rule is somewhat modified and broadened to allow for the possibility of each player castling either on or into his or her left side or on or into his or her rightside of the board from all of these 960 starting positions.

However, after "a"-side castling, the King and Rook find themselves on the usual squares:
King on c1 (c8) and Rook on d1 (d8), after "h"-side castling :
King on g1 (g8) , Rook on f1 (f8).

Sometimes castling looks odd in F.R. Chess; e.g when your King is on e1 and a Rook is on f1, you only have to move your king to g1 ("King-move-only" castling).

All the other castling rules apply as in classical chess; e.g. no other piece is allowed to stand between the castling King and Rook; you are not allowed to castle "out" of check.

What did Fischer have in mind, when he thought about this chess variant::

Because of the many possible starting postitions, knowledge about opening theory is irrelevant and the strongest player will win the game, not the player who is better prepared. From move 1 on both players have to come up with original strategies and can not use well-known thinking patterns.

Buenos Aires 1996: The birth of Fischer Random Chess::

At a press conference on June 19, 1996 in the Argentine capital, Fischer was received by hundreds of journalists and chess fans, many of whom had come from all over the world. The object of the conference was to publicize the launch of Fischer's new game, Fischer Random Chess.

Fischer pointed out, that with his new improved chess variant chess creativity and talent would be more important than memorization and analysis. He stated, that many games are pre-arranged before the players begin the game, and that even theso-called world championship between Russian players Kasparov and Karpov had been prearranged, this would be impossible in Fischer Random Chess.

He also pointed-out, that due to such long hours in front of the computer screen, many top players today, such as Anandand Kramnik, wear thick glasses. He also mentioned, that all of the study necessary to play conventional chess made it hard work, and that he had gotten into chess in order to avoid work!

Fischer stated, that without access to databases of the millions of opening variations in traditional chess, computers do not really play chess all that well.

However, Matthias Wüllenweber, one of the founders of ChessBase, has a completely dífferent opinion on that subject. Last year, when "Fritz on Primergy" played two Shuffle Chess games against German number 1 Artur Jusupov, the software specialist said: "When playing F.R Chess unusual patterns come upon the board

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=29510.

Knowledge of these patterns, however, is one of the main weapons for humans in their battle against computers. Wüllenweber refers to a test his partner Frederic Friedel did with Hungarian Grandmaster Andras Adorjan.

Friedel showed Adorjan several positions for a period of ten seconds. The Hungarian could recall those "normal" postions far better than amateur players did. Humans remember so-called "chunks" e.g. they do not remember pawn on f2, g2 and h2, King on g1and Rook on f1, they remember the chunk "Castling Kingside".

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=14589

If you build up a position without those patterns, but try to put up a position that really doesn´t make sense, with pawns on the first and eigth rank for example, there is hardly any difference in memorization between amateurs and grandmasters.

According to Wüllenweber this 'thinking in chunks' is the main difference between humans and computers and the difference in ELO is some hundreds of points. A computer can play with 3 knights or 5 rooks, no problem.

Fischer Random Chess in practice::

The object of the pressconference was also to announce a match of Fischer Random Chess between Philippine Grandmaster Eugene Torre and two-time Argentine champion Grandmaster Pablo Ricardi. Both players attended the conference and displayed enthusiasm regarding the match and the new game. The match was due to start on July 12, 1996 in La Plata, Argentina. Unfortunately, Fischer and the organizers had a fight and the match was cancelled.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=15793

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=14027

Some creative chess enthusiasts in Scotland, Denmark and Holland have organised Fischer Random Chess tournaments for amateurs. An interesting Shuffle Chess match was played between "Triple Brain" Prof. Ingo Althöfer from Jena (Triple Brain=two chess engines + Althöfer) against Artur Jusupov back in 1997. Shuffle Chess Classic, because computers can not cope with the complicated castling rules in F.R. Chess.

The world had to wait until 2001 before a brave organiser decided to organise a F.R. Chess match between two world class players. Hans Walter Schmittwants to make F.R. Chess as popular as rapid chess, with which he started 7 years ago in Frankurt. 5 years after giving birth to F.R. Chess it is going to take place in Mainz and we will wait and see if F.R. Chess can become a popular chess variant in the future.

The two top ten players, Michael Adams, number 4 and Peter Leko, who is ranked 7th will play 8 games. It will be interesting for the audience to think with the players from move 1 on. Leko and Adams will see one of the 960 initial positions just a minute or two before the game begins and they can try to show the world the new varieties in this fascinating experiment.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=10900

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=12290

Like a new-born child, they have absolutely no orientation and their knowledge of openings is not relevant. Is F.R. Chess the start ofa new era? Artur Jusupov thinks, that F.R. Chess is not the end for Classical Chess.

"However, due to the influence of computer programs and over-analysed opening variations it could become a popular variant.

No more theory means more creativity. It is a bit premature to predict, how F.R. Chess will develop, butit could become a real alternative", Jusupov said. However: "Chess is very beautiful and difficult and will be played many years to come", Jusupov concluded.

Starting Position ::

The starting position for Fischer random chess must meet the following rules:

- White pawns are placed on their orthodox home-squares.

- All remaining white pieces are placed on the first rank.

- The white king is placed some where between the two white rooks.

- The white bishops are placed on opposite-colored squares.

- The black pieces are placed equal-and-opposite to the white pieces.
For example, if white's king is placed on b1, then black's king is placed on b8.

Note that the king never starts on file a or h, because there has to be room for a rook.

Create random opening position with the help of a single die::

The pawns go on their original squares.

The pieces will be placed randomly on the back rank, subject to the rules of Fischer Random chess. (The bishops must be on opposite colors and the King must be between the two Rooks.)

For each of the first five steps below, simply roll the die and act accordingly to place the white pieces. After placing White's pieces, Black's pieces are simply a mirror image.

Step #1
If you roll a 1 place a bishop on a1; If you roll a 2 place a bishop on c1; If you
roll a 3 place a bishop on e1; If you roll a 4 place a bishop on g1;

(if you roll a 5 or a 6, roll again.)

Step #2
If you roll a 1 place a bishop on b1; If you roll a 2 place a bishop on d1;
If you roll a 3 place a bishop on f1; If you roll a 4 place a bishop on h1;

(If you roll a 5 or a 6, roll again.)

Step #3
Place the Queen on the empty square of the number that you roll;
For example, if you roll a 1, place a Queen on the first empty square.
If you roll a 3, place the Queen on the third empty square.

Step #4
Place a knight on the empty square of the number that you roll.
Again, for example, if you roll a 2, place a knight on the second empty
square.

(If you roll a 6, roll again.)

Step #5
Repeat Step #4 for the other knight.

Step #6
Finally, place the King in-between the two rooks.

This procedure creates any of the possible 960 opening setups with equal probability.

It's also possible use this procedure to see why there are exactly 960 possible initial positions.

Each bishop can take one of 4 positions, the Queen one of 6, and the two knights can have 5 or 4 possible positions, respectively. This means that there are 4*4*6*5*4 = 1920 possible positions if the two knights were different in some way.

However, the two knights are indistinguishable during play; if they were swapped, there would be no difference.

This means that the number of distinguishable positions is half of 1920, or 1920/2 = 960 possible distinguishable positions.

If one has dice shaped like the platonic solids, one never needs to reroll any dice::

Step #1
Roll the dice.

Step #2
Place a white bishop on the square indicated by the octahedron.

Step #3
Place the other white bishop on the square of opposite colour indicated by the tetrahedron.

Step #4
Place the white queen on the square indicated by the hexahedron.

Step #5
A)

Take the number of the icosahedron.
Multiply by 2, then add 8. For example, 19 -> 46.
Divide the second digit by 2 and add 1. For example, 46 -> 44.

Place a white knight on the square indicated by the second digit, then place the other white knight on the square indicated by the first digit.

or B)

Ignore the dodecahedron and place the white rooks and the white king between the rooks.

Step #6
Place the white pawns and mirror the position for black.

Other Ways to Create Initial Positions ::

There are several other methods that can create initial positions.

Coin-Tossing Method ::

Edward Northam has developed the following approach for creating initial positions using only two distinguishable coins.

First, two coins (small and large) are used to randomly generate numbers with equal probability.

He suggests doing this by declaring that tails on the smaller coin counts as 0, tails on the larger coin counts as 1, and heads on either coin counts as 2. To create numbers in the range 1 through 4, toss both coins and add their values together.

To create numbers in the range 1 through 3, do the same but retoss whenever 4 is the result. To create numbers in the range 1 through 2, just toss the larger coin(tails is 1, heads is 2).

Any other technique that randomly generates numbers from 1 to 4 (or at least 1-2) will work as well, such as as the selection of a closed hand that may hold a white or black Pawn.

As with a die, the coin tosses can build a starting position one piece at a time. Before each toss there will be at most 4 vacant squares available to the piece at hand, and they can be numbered counting from the a-side (as with the die procedure described above).

Place the white pieces on white's back rank as follows:

- Place a Bishop on one of the 4 light squares.

- Place a bishop on one of the 4 dark squares.

- Place the King. There 6 vacant squares, but only the
middle 4 are available to the King, since there must
be room for a Rook on each side of the King.

- Place a Rook on the a-side of the King.

- Place a Rook on the h-side of the King.

- Place the Queen on one of the 3 vacant squares that remain.

- Place Knights on the two squares that are left.

Look-up Tables::

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Drawing Methods ::

David J. Coffin suggests the following procedure, which has the advantage of not requiring computers, dice, or lookup tables:

Place the eight white pieces in a bag. Draw them oneby one and place them on squares a1, b1, ... h1. If the bishops are on the same color, look at the following pairs: a1-b1, c1-d1, and e1-f1. Swap the leftmost pair that contains a bishoph.

If the king is not between his rooks, swap the king with the closer rook.

However, while all positions can be generated this way, not all positions have the same probability to begenerated. Mathematical analysis shows that positions with the bishophs on a pair a1-b1, c1-d1, e1-f1, org1-h1 actually have half the probability to be generated than the other positions.

Many other algorithms for creating initial positions have been created, but in many cases they have the same problem: not all positions will be selected withequal likelihood.

Non-Random Setups ::

The initial setup need not necessarily be random. The players or a tournament setting may decide on a specific position in advance, for example. Edward Northam suggests the following approach for allowing players to jointly create a position without randomizing tools.

First, the back ranks are cleared of pieces, and the white Bishophs, Knights, and Queen are gathered together. Starting with Black, the players, in turn, place one of these pieces on White'sback rank, where it must stay.

The only restriction is that the Bishophs must go on opposite colored squares.
There will be a vacant square of the required colorfor the second Bishoph, no matter where the previous pieces have been placed.

After all five pieces have been put on the board, the King must be placed on the middle of the three vacant back rank squares that remain. Rooks go on the other two.

Castling ::

Rules for Castling::

Castling may be performed under the following conditions:

- Neither King nor Rook has moved.

- The King is not in check before or after castling.

- No square through which the King must move is under attack.

- All squares between King and Rook are vacant.

- No other pieces occupy any of the squares passed over by the King or Rook.

- The castling move does not result in a capture.

- A King may castle with its a-side Rook or its h-side

Rook::

When castling a-side, the King and Rook go to the same spaces they would go when Queen-side castling in Chess. When castling h-side, the King and Rook go to the same spaces they would go when King-side castling in Chess. This table shows where the King and Rook end-up for each type of castling.

White castles a-side Kc1, Rd1 White castles h-side Kg1, Rf1 Black castles a-side Kc8, Rd8 Black castles h-side Kg8, Rf8.

Once the starting position is set up, the rules for play are the same as standard chess. In particular, pieces and pawns have their normal moves, and each player's objective is to checkmate their opponent's king.

Fischer random chess allows each player to castle once per game, a move by potentially both the king and rook in a single move. However, a few interpretations of standard chess games rules are needed for castling, because the standard rules presume initial locations of the rook and king that are often untrue in Fischer Random Chess games.

After castling, the rook and king's final positions are exactly the same positions as they would be in standard chess. Thus, after a-side castling (notatedas O-O-O and known as queen-side castling in orthodox chess), the King is on c (c1 for White and c8 for Black) and the Rook is on d (d1 for White and d8 for Black). After h-side castling (notated as O-O and known as king-side castling in orthodox chess), the King is on g and the Rook is on f. It is recommended that a player state "I am about to castle" before castling, to eliminate potential misunderstanding.

However, castling may only occur under the following conditions, which are extensions of the standard rules for castling:

Unmoved::
The king and the castling rook must not have moved before in the game, including castling.

Unattacked::
All of the squares between the king's initial and final squares (including the initial and final squares) must not be under attack by any opposing piece.

Vacant::
All the squares between the king's initial and final squares (including the final square), and all of the squares between the rook's initial and final squares (including the final square), must be vacant except for the king and castling rook.

These rules have the following consequences::

If the initial position happens to be the standard chess initial position, these castling rules have exactly the same effect as the standard chess castling rules.

- All the squares between the king and castling rook must be vacant.

- Castling cannot capture any pieces.

- The king and castling rook cannot "jump" over any pieces other than each other.

- A player may castle at most once in a game.

If a player moves his king or both of his initial rooks without castling, he may not castle during the rest of the game.

In some starting positions, some squares can stay filled during castling that would have to be vacant in standard chess. For example, after a-side castling (O-O-O), it's possible for to have a, b, and/or e still filled, and after h-side castling (O-O), it's possible to have e and/or h filled.

In some starting positions, the king or rook (but not both) do not move during castling.

The king may not be in check before or after castling.

The king cannot move through check.

How to Castle ::

When castling on a physical board with a human player, it is recommended that the king be moved outside the playing surface next to his final final position, the rook then be moved from its starting to ending position, and then the king be placed on his final square. This is always unambiguous, and is a simple rule to follow.

Other acceptable ways to castle::

If only the rook needs to move (jumping over the king), you can simply move only the rook.

If only the king needs to move (jumping over the castling rook), you can simply move the king.

You can pick up both the king and rook (in either order), then place them on their final squares (this is called "transposition" castling).

You can move the king to its final square and move the rook to its final square as two separate moves, in either order (this is called "double-move" castling). Obviously, if the rook is on the square the king will occupy you'll need to move the rook first,and if the king is on the square the rook will occupy you'll need to move the king first.

In contrast, Reinhard Scharnagl strongly recommends that, since castling is fundamentally a king's move, the king should always move first.

Generally, when playing with human player on a physical board, it's wise to announce "I'm going to castle" before castling. If you're playing a timed game, once you're done castling press the appropriate button on your chess clock to show your move has completed.

When castling using a computer interface, programs should have separate a-side (O-O-O) and h-side (O-O) castling actions (e.g., as a button or menu item). Ideally, programs should also be able to detect a king or rook move that cannot be anything other than a castling move and consider that a castling move.

When using an electronic board, to castle you should remove the king, remove the castling rook, place the castling rook on its new position, and then place the king on its new position. This will creates an unambiguous move for electronic boards, which often only have sensors that can detect the presence or absence of an object on each square (and cannot tell what object is on the square). Ideally, electronic boards should detect a king or rook move that can only be a castling move as well, but users should not count on this.

Castling Rule Ambiguities::

Many published castling rules are unfortunately ambiguous. For example, the rules first published on chessvariants.com, as literally stated, did not specifically state that there must be vacant squares between the king and his destination except for the participating rook. As a result, thoserules appeared to some to allow the king to "leap"over other pieces.

In 2003 David A. Wheeler contacted many active in Fischer Random Chess to determine the exact castling rules, including Eric van Reem, Hans-Walter Schmitt, and R. Scharnagl. All agreed that there must be vacant squares between the king and his destination except for the participating rook, clarifying the castling rules.

http://www.chessbox.de/Compu/fullchess1_e.html

Playing Fischer Random Chess::

Examining openings for Fischer Random Chess is in its infancy, but opening fundamentals still apply. These include: protect the King, control the center squares (directly or indirectly), and develop your pieces rapidly starting with the less valuable pieces. Some starting positions have unprotected pawns that may need to be dealt with quickly.

Some have argued that two games should be played with each initial position, with players alternating as white and black, since some initial positions may turnout to give white a much bigger advantage than standard chess. However, there is no evidence that any position gives either side a significant advantage.

Recording Games::

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/2640/pgn/pgn_spec/pgn_spec.htm

Since the initial position is usually not the orthodox chess initial position, recorded games must also record the initial position.

Games recorded using the Portable Game Notation (PGN) can record the initial position using Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN), as the value of the "FEN" tag.

Castling is marked as O-O or O-O-O, just as in standard chess. Note that not all chess programs can handle castling correctly in Fischer Random Chess games (except if the initial position is the standard chess initial position).

To correctly record a Fischer Random Chess game in PGN, an additional "Variant" tag must be used to identify the rules; the rule named "Fischerandom" is accepted by many chess programs as identifying Fischer RandomChess.

Be careful to use "Variant" and or "Variation",which has a different meaning.

This means that in a PGN-recorded game, one of the PGN tags (after the initial 7 tags) would look like this:

[Variant "Fischerandom"]

FEN is capable of expressing all possible starting positions of Fischer Random Chess. However, unmodified FEN cannot express all possible positions of a Fischer Random Chess game.
In a game, a rook may move into the back row on the same side of the king as the other rook, or pawn(s) may be under promoted into rook(s) and moved into the back row. If a rook is unmoved and can still castle, yet there is more than one rook on that side, FEN notation as traditionally interpreted is ambiguous.
This is because FEN records that castling is possible on that side, but not which rook is still allowed to castle.

A modification of FEN, FRC-FEN, has been devised by R.Scharnagl to remove this ambiguity. In FRC-FEN, the castling markings "KQkq" have their expected meanings:"Q" and "q" means a-side castling is still legal (for white and black respectively), and "K" and "k" means h-side castling is still legal (for white and black respectively).

However, if there is more than one rook on the baseline on the same side of the king, and the rook that can castle is not the outermost rook on that side, then the column letter of the rook that can castle is appended right after the related "K", "k","Q", or "q". In other words, in FRC-FEN notation, castling potentials belong to the outermost rooks by default.

This means that the maximum length of the castling value is 8 characters instead of 4 (KkQq plus 4 disambiguation characters), though positions needing that many characters are extremely improbable. Note that FRC-FEN is upwardly compatible, that is, a program supporting FRC-FEN will automatically use the normal FEN codes for a traditional chess starting position without requiring any special programming.

Starting Position Ids ::

Some people have wanted each possible starting position to have a unique standard numeric identifier (id). R. Scharnagl recommends the following method for defining each position id, where each position has a different id ranging from 0 to 959.

To create a starting position given an id::

Divide the id by 4, producing a truncated integer and a remainder. The remainder locates the light-square Bishop: 0 means file b, 1 means file d, 2 means filef, and 3 means file h.

Take the previous truncated integer and divide by 4, producing another integer and a remainder. This remainder locates the dark-square Bishoph: 0 means file a, 1 means file c, 2 means file e, and 3 means file g.

Take the previous truncated integer and divide by 6, producing another integer and a remainder. This remainder locates the queen, and identifies the number of the vacant square it occupies (counting from the left, where 0 is the left most square and 5 is the right most square).

The previous truncated integer now has a value from 0 to 9 inclusive. Its value, called the KRN code (pronounced "kern"), indicates the positions of the king, rooks, and knights among the remaining 5 squares.

The KRN code values are as follows, showing the order from white's perspective from left to right (where K is king, R is rook, and N is knight):

KRN code Position

0. N N R K R
1. N R N K R
2. N R K N R
3. N R K R N
4. R N N K R
5. R N K N R
6. R N K R N
7. R K N N R
8. R K N R N
9. R K R N N

Conversely, given a board position, its id can be computed as follows:

id = (light square Bishoph location, where file b is 0)
+
4 * (dark square Bishoph location, file a is 0)
+
16 * (Queen location, counting leftmost as 0 and skipping Bishophs)
+ 96 * (KRN code)

The standard chess position is position id 518. This can be shown by computing it:

id = (2 because the light square Bishoph is on file f)
+
4 * (1 because the dark square Bishoph is on file c)
+
16 * (2 because the Queen is on file d, skipping bishoph on c)
+
96 * (5, the KRN code) = 518

Computer software can use this algorithm to quickly create any of the standard positions, by simply selecting a random number from 0 to 959 and using that as the position id. Note that some random number generators are poor (e.g., they are predictable and/ordo not have an equal distribution of possible values), so implementors should make sure they use a good random number generator.

History ::

The first Fischer Random Chess tourney was held in Yugoslavia in the spring of 1996, and was won by Grandmaster Peter Leko.

In 2001, Leko became the first Fischer Random Chessworld champion, defeating Grandmaster Michael Adams in an eight game match played as part of the Mainz Chess Classic. There were no qualifying matches (also true of the first orthodox world chess champion titleholders), but both players were in the top five in the January 2001 world rankings for orthodox chess.

Leko was chosen because of the many novelties he hasintroduced to known chess theories, as well as hisprevious tourney win; in addition, Leko has played Fischer Random Chess games with Fischer himself.

Adams was chosen because he was the world number one in blitz (rapid) chess and is regarded as an extremely strong player in unfamiliar positions. The match was won by a narrow margin, 4.5 to 3.5.

Naming ::

This particular chess variant has a number of different names. The first names applied to it include"Fischer Random Chess" and "Fischerandom Chess".

Hans-Walter Schmitt (chairman of the Frankfurt Chess Tigers e.V.) is an advocate of this chess variant, and he started a brainstorming process to choose a new name for it.

The new name had to obey the following requirements on the parts of some leading grandmasters:

- It should not use parts of the name of any Grandmaster colleague.

- It should not include negatively biased or "spongy" elements like "random" or "freestyle".

- It should be understood worldwide.

This effort culminated in the name "Chess960", deriving from the number of different initial positions.

R. Scharnagl, another proponant of this variant, has consistently used the term Full Chess.

He believes"Full Chess" to also satisfy these premises, and that it also emphasizes the compatible embedding of the traditional game of chess.

At this moment time the terms "Fischer Random Chess" or "Fischerandom chess" are more common.

It is not yet clear if Chuffle Chess, Chess960, Full Chess, newer terms, or yet another one will replace it.

Kirsan Ilumzhinov - President of the Republic Kalmackia and second time head of the FIDE::

http://kirsan.kalmykia.ru/engl/home1.htm

Over Bobby Fisher::

On December 15, 1995 I arrived in Budapest to meet with grand master Lilienthal and Bobby Fisher.

I brought the money, $100,000, the USSR’s debt for the pirated edition of Fisher’s chess matches.

All night long we played chess by his rules. I gave Bobby a certificate of land allotment in Kalmuckia, and presented him some Kalmuckian black caviar at which Bobby was very pleased.

INTERPLANETARY CHESS CONGRESS

2004-08-29T17:45:00.000+02:00

INTERPLANETARY CHESS CONGRESS::

From "The 12 Chairs"
by Ilya Ilf & Evgeny Petrov, 1929
(Translated by Eric Konkol)

[Con man Ostap Bender and his unfortunate companion,
Ippolit Matveevich Vorobianinov (a.k.a. K. Michelson,
a.k.a. Kisa) find themselves stranded, hungry, and
broke in the insignificant, backwater town of Vasiuki
on the Volga River]

That morning, wearing a green pince-nez and small,
dirty shoes spattered with paint, the tall, thin
Ippolit Matveevich Vorobianinov walked along the
streets of Vasiuki. He was pasting hand-painted
posters on walls and fences:

JUNE 22, 1927
The Cardboard Factory Club
Announces
a lecture on the topic:
"FRUITFUL OPENING IDEAS"

AND

A PERFORMANCE OF SIMULTANEOUS
CHESS GAMES ON 160 BOARDS

Grandmaster (senior master) O. Bender

Players must provide their own chessboards
Price for playing a game: 50 kopecks
Price for entrance: 20 kopecks

Begins at exactly 6 o'clock P.M.
Administration: K. Michelson.

Bender himself wasn't losing any time. Renting the
meeting hall for 3 rubles, he hurried over to the
local chess club, which, for some reason, was located
in a corridor of the administration building of a stud
farm.

At the chess club sat a one-eyed man, reading an old
novel.

"Grandmaster O. Bender!" Ostap declared, taking a seat
at the table. "I'm arranging a performance of
simultaneous games."

"Just a moment, comrade grandmaster!" the one-eyed man
shouted. "Sit down, please. I'll be right with you."

And the one-eyed man ran out. Ostap looked over the
chess club office. Hanging on the walls were
photographs of racehorses, and on the table was a
dusty ledger book with the title "Achievements of the
Vasiuki Chess Club in 1925".

The one-eyed man returned with a dozen citizens of
various ages. They formed a line and, one by one,
stepped up to greet the grandmaster, announcing their
names and respectfully shaking his hand.

"I'm on my way to Kazan," Ostap said curtly. "And I'm
having a simultaneous exhibition this evening. You
should come. But right now, if you'll excuse me, I'm
not really in shape for a game. I'm exhausted after
the Carlsbad tournament."

The Vasiuki chess enthusiasts gazed at Ostap with
childlike admiration. Ostap couldn't stop himself. He
felt a rush of new strength and chess ideas.

"You won't believe," he said, "how far chess thought
has progressed. You know, Lasker's using vulgar
tactics. It's impossible to play with him. He blows
cigar smoke on his opponents. And he purposely smokes
cheap cigars so the smoke is more disgusting. The
chess world is in an uproar."

The grandmaster moved on to local topics.

"Why, in the provinces, is there no chess thought? For
example, your club. What's it called? `Chess club'.
It's boring, girls! Why don't you name it something
beautiful, something in the spirit of chess? The
nation's masses would beat a path to your club's door.
For example, you could name it "Four Knights Club",
"Beautiful Endgame", or "Loss of Material Compensated
for by Gain of Tempo". That would be good! Sweet
sounding!"

The idea was successful.

"Really", the locals said, "why not rename our club
the `Four Knights Club'?"

Since the executive committee of the chess club was
right there, Ostap organized, under his honorary
chairmanship, a minute-long meeting at which the club
was unanimously renamed "Four Knights Chess Club". The
grandmaster, with his own hand, artistically executed
on a piece of cardboard a design with four knights and
an accompanying inscription.

This important measure augured a dawn of chess thought
in Vasiuki.

"Chess!" Ostap said. "Do you know what chess is? It
advances not only culture, but the economy, too! Do
you know that your Four Knights Chess Club, under the
right circumstances, could completely transform the
city of Vasiuki?"

Ostap had eaten nothing since yesterday. Therefore,
the elegance of his speech was extraordinary.

"Yes!" he shouted. "Chess enriches the nation! If you
agree to my proposal, you'll have a marble staircase
descending from the city to the pier! Vasiuki will
become the center of ten provinces! What had you
previously heard about the town of Zimmering? Nothing!
But now, this little burg is rich and famous only
because it hosted an international tournament.
Therefore, I say: we must organize an international
chess tournament in Vasiuki."

"How?" everyone shouted.

"It's a completely realistic idea," answered the
grandmaster. "My personal connections and your
initiative are all that's needed to ensure the
organization of the international Vasiuki tournament.
Think how beautiful it will sound: "The International
Vasiuki Tournament for 1927". The attendance of Jose
Raul Capablanca, Emanuel Lasker, Alekhine, Nimtzovitz,
Reti, Rubenstein, Marotsi, Tarrasch, Widmar, and
Doctor Grigoriev is assured. Moreover, my
participation is assured."

"But, money," the locals groaned. "You have to pay all
of them money. Thousands of rubles. Where can we get
it?"

"Everything will be taken care of, like in a great
hurricane," said O. Bender. "We'll take up a
collection."

"Who in Vasiuki is gonna give you such insane amounts
of money?"

"What do you mean Vasiuki? The people of Vasiuki won't
give any money. They will collect the money. It's
really very simple. A tournament with the
participation of such world-class masters is sure to
attract chess lovers from around the world. Hundreds
of thousands of people--wealthy people--will rush to
Vasiuki. In the first place, river transport will not
be able to carry such a large number of passengers.
Therefore, the Transportation Ministry will build a
railroad line between Moscow and Vasiuki. That's
number one. Two: hotels and skyscrapers to house all
these guests. Three: improvement of agriculture in a
1,000- kilometer radius. The guests will have to be
provided with vegetables, fruits, caviar, chocolates.
The palace in which the tournament will be played,
that's number four. Five: construction of garages for
the guests' cars. In order to broadcast the results of
such a sensational tournament, they'll have to build a
superpowerful radio station--that's number six. Now,
concerning the Moscow-Vasiuki railroad line.
Undoubtedly, such a line will not have the capacity to
convey to Vasiuki all those desiring to come. From
this will result the "Greater Vasiuki"
airport--regular flights of airplanes and dirigibles
to all corners of the world, including Los Angeles and
Melbourne."

Dazzling prospectives opened up in front of the
Vasiuki amateurs.

The size of the room widened. The rotten walls of the
stud farm building fell away, and in its place arose a
glass, 33-story palace of chess thought, towering into
the blue sky. In each of its halls, in every room,
even in the elevators, speeding by like bullets,
people, deep in thought, sat playing chess on
instructional gameboards made of malachite.

Marble staircases descended to the blue Volga. Ocean
liners sat on the river. Cable cars carried up into
the city fat-faced foreigners, chess ladies,
Australian adherents of the Indian Defense, Indians in
white turbans, supporters of the Ruy Lopez game,
Germans, Frenchmen, New Zealanders, inhabitants of the
Amazon River basin, and--envying the
Vasiukites--people from Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev,
Siberia, and Odessa.

An endless stream of cars flowed past the marble
hotels. And then, everything stopped. From the
fashionable hotel "Passed Pawn" emerged the world
champion, Jose Raul Capablanca. Women surrounded him.
A policeman dressed in a special chess uniform
(checked riding breeches and bishops on the lapels)
politely saluted. With great dignity, the one-eyed
chairman of the Vasiuki "Four Knights Club" stepped up
to the world champion.

"Jose Raul Capablanca frowned."

The conversation of these two luminaries, conducted in
English, was interrupted by the arrival of a plane
bearing Dr. Grigoriev and the future world champion,
Alekhine.

Shouts of greeting shook the city. Jose Raul
Capablanca frowned. The one-eyed one, with a wave of
his hand, caused a marble staircase to be rolled up to
the airplane. Dr. Grigoriev ran down the steps, waving
his new hat in greeting and commenting on a possible
error by Capablanca in his upcoming match with
Alekhine.

Suddenly, on the horizon appeared a black dot. It
quickly approached and grew in size, turning into a
large, emerald-green parachute. Like a large radish, a
man with a suitcase was dangling from the parachute.

"It's him!" shouted the one-eyed one. "Hoorah! Hoorah!
Hoorah! I recognize the great chess philosopher
Lasker. He's the only one in the whole world who wears
such green socks."

Jose Raul Capablanca again frowned.

The marble staircase was quickly put under Lasker and
the bold ex-champion, blowing away some dust which had
settled on his left sleeve during his flight over
Silesia, fell into the embrace of the one-eyed one.
The one-eyed one took Lasker by the waist, lead him up
to the champion, and said:

"Make peace with one another! I beg you, in the name
of the great Vasiuki masses! Make peace!"

Jose Raul audibly sighed and, shaking the hand of the
old veteran, said:

"I have always admired your idea in the Ruy Lopez game
of moving the bishop from b5 to c4."

"Hoorah!" exclaimed the one-eyed one. "Simple and
decisive, in the style of a champion!"

The large, unimaginable crowd took up the cheer.

"Hoorah! Vivat! Banzai! Simple and decisive, in the
style of a champion!!!"

Express trains rolled up to the 12 Vasiuki train
stations, disgorging more and more crowds of chess
lovers.

The sky was starting to blaze with flashing
advertisements when a white horse was led along the
streets of the city. This was the only horse remaining
after the mechanization of Vasiuki's transport. By
special declaration it was renamed a knight, even
though for its whole life it had been called a filly.
Chess worshippers greeted the horse, waving palm
branches and chess boards.

"Don't worry," said Ostap, "my plan guarantees your
city an unheard of blossoming of industrial strength.
Think of what it will be like when the tournament is
over and all the guests leave. The residents of
Moscow, squeezed by the housing crisis, will rush to
your excellent town. The capital will automatically be
transferred to Vasiuki. The government will come here.
Vasiuki will be renamed New Moscow, and Moscow will be
renamed Old Vasiuki. People from Leningrad and Kharkov
will grind their teeth, but there's nothing they can
do about it. New Moscow will become the most elegant
center of Europe, and soon, of the entire world."

"Of the entire world!!!" the stunned Vasiukites
started to stammer.

"Yes! And then, of the universe. Chess thought,
turning a provincial town into the capital of the
planet, shall turn into applied science and create the
methods of interplanetary communication. From Vasiuki
signals will be sent to Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune.
Communication with Venus will become as simple as a
trip from Rybinsk to Yaroslav. And then, who knows,
maybe, after eight years, Vasiuki will host the
first-in-the- history-of-the-universe interplanetary
chess congress!"

Ostap wiped his noble brow. He was so hungry, he would
gladly have eaten a roasted chess horse.

"Yes-s-s," the one-eyed one allowed himself to say,
taking in the dusty room with a frantic glance. "But
how can we take practical measures to bring this
about, to lay the base, as it were?"

The audience intently gazed at the grandmaster.

"I repeat that practically everything depends on your
initiative. All of the organization, I repeat, I will
undertake myself. There's no material expenditure,
except the cost of telegrams."

The one-eyed one nudged his comrades-in-arms.

"Well," he asked. "What do you say?"

"We'll do it! We'll do it!" shouted the locals.

"How much money do you need for...telegrams?"

"A laughable sum," Ostap said. "A hundred rubles."

"We've only got 21 rubles and 16 kopecks in the till.
This, of course you understand, is far from
sufficient...."

But the grandmaster turned out to be an obliging
organizer.

"Okay," he said. "Give me your 20 rubles."

"Will that be enough?" asked the one-eyed one.

"For the initial telegrams it will be enough. Then the
contributions will start pouring in, and we won't have
enough places to put the money."

Putting the money away into his green jacket, the
grandmaster reminded the gathering of his lecture and
demonstration of simultaneous games on 160 boards,
amiably bid farewell until the evening, and set off
for the Cardboard Factory Club to meet Ippolit
Matveevich.

****

"I'm starving", said Vorobianinov with a cracking
voice.

He was already sitting behind the ticket window, but
he had not taken in a single kopeck and couldn't even
buy any bread. In front of him sat a green wire
basket, intended for the receipts. In such baskets,
people in middle-class homes store knives and forks.

"Listen, Vorobianinov", Ostap shouted, "close the
ticket window for an hour and a half! Let's go eat and
drink. I'll describe the situation to you on the way.
Incidentally, you need to shave and get cleaned up.
You look like a tramp. A grandmaster can't have such
suspicious acquaintances."

"I haven't sold a single ticket", Ippolit Matveevich
declared.

"No problem. By this evening they'll come running. The
city has already contributed 20 rubles to me for
organizing an international chess tournament."

"Then why do we have to go on with the demonstration
of simultaneous games?" whispered the administrator.
"They could kill us. And with the 20 rubles we could
buy passage on a steamer out of here. The "Karl
Libknekht" just docked. We could quietly sail down to
Stalingrad."

"It's impossible to say such stupid things on an empty
stomach. It has a harmful effect on the brain. For 20
rubles we might be able to get to Stalingrad. But what
are we gonna buy food with? Vitamins, my dear comrade
district leader of the nobility, aren't given away for
free. However, from the expansive locals, we might be
able to get 30 rubles for the lecture and simultaneous
games."

"They'll kill us!" Vorobianinov bitterly said.

"Of course there is a risk. We could get our faces
smashed. However, I have one little idea which, in any
case, should reassure you. But I'll tell you about it
later. It's time to go sample the local cuisine."

A little before 6 o'clock that evening, well-fed,
shaved, and smelling of eau de cologne, the
grandmaster stepped into the ticket booth at the
Cardboard Factory Club.

One Ruble - 1924

Sated and shaved, Vorobianinov was busily selling
tickets.

"Well?" the grandmaster quietly asked.

"Thirty entrance tickets and 20 tickets to play
against you," the administrator replied.

"That's 16 rubles. Too little, too little."

"Bender, look at the line of people standing here!
They'll kill us for sure."

"Don't even think about it. When they kill us, then
you can cry. Until then, control yourself! Attend to
business!"

An hour later, there were 35 rubles in the ticket
office. The public in the hall was getting restless.

"Close the window! Give me the money!" said Ostap.
"Now here's what we'll do. Here's five rubles for you.
Go down to the pier, rent a boat for two hours, and
wait for me on the shore just below the warehouse.
We'll take an evening outing. Don't worry about me.
I'm in good form today."

The grandmaster stepped into the hall. He felt
invigorated and firmly knew that his first move,
e2-e4, presented him with no complications. The rest
of the moves, it is true, were enshrouded in a fog,
but that in no way disturbed the great artful dodger.
He had prepared a completely unexpected way of escape
from even the most hopeless game.

The grandmaster was met with applause. The small club
hall was decorated with little flags of various
colors.

A week ago there had been a meeting of the "Water
Rescue Society", which was attested to by a slogan
hanging on the wall:

THE TASK OF AIDING THE DROWNING
IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DROWNING THEMSELVES

Ostap bowed, stretched his hands out forward as if
dismissing undeserved applause, and stepped out onto
the stage.

"Comrades!" he said in a fine voice. "Comrades and
brothers in chess, the subject of my lecture today
will be something I read about--and, I must confess,
not without success--in Nizhni- Novgorod last week.
The topic of my lecture is `A Fruitful Opening Idea'.
What, comrades, is an opening and what, comrades, is
an idea? The opening, comrades, is Quasi una fantasia.
And what, comrades, does an idea mean? An idea,
comrades, is human thought, expressed in logical chess
form. Even with insignificant forces, it's possible to
control the entire board. It all depends on each
individual taken separately. For example, take that
blond man in the third row. Let's suppose that he
plays well...."

The blond man in the third row blushed.

"And that brown-haired man over there, let's say he
plays worse."

Everyone turned around and looked at the brown-haired
man.

"What do we see, comrades? We see that the
blond-haired man plays well and that the brown-haired
man plays poorly. And no lecture will ever change this
balance of power if each individual, taken separately,
does not constantly practice checkers...that is, I
mean to say...chess. And now, comrades, I will relate
to you a few instructive stories from the practice of
our respected hypermodernists Capablanca, Lasker, and
Dr. Grigoriev."

Ostap told the auditorium a few antiquated anecdotes
gleaned in his youth from the "Blue Journal" and then
concluded with an interlude.

Everyone was somewhat surprised by the brevity of the
lecture. And the one-eyed one did not take his single
eye off the grandmaster's footwear.

However, the beginning of the exhibition of
simultaneous games restrained the one-eyed chess
player's growing suspicion. Along with everyone else,
he set up the tables quietly. In total, 30 amateurs
sat ready to play against the grandmaster. Many of
them were complete nervous wrecks and kept glancing
into chess textbooks, refreshing their memories about
complicated variations with the aid of which they
hoped to resign to the grandmaster, although after 22
moves.

Ostap slid his gaze along the ranks of the "blacks"
who surrounded him on all sides, glanced at the closed
door, and fearlessly set about his work. He stepped up
to the one-eyed one, who was sitting at the first
gameboard, and moved his king's pawn from square e2 to
square e4.

"The grandmaster moved e2-e4!"

Ostap did not indulge his opponents with varied
openings. On the remaining 29 boards he undertook
exactly the same operation: he moved his king's pawn
from e2 to e4. One after another, the amateurs started
pulling out their hair and plunged themselves into
feverish contemplation. The spectators followed the
grandmaster closely with their eyes. The only amateur
photographer in the city was already clambering up
onto a chair and getting ready to set off the flash,
but Ostap angrily waved his hands and, interrupting
his movement along the boards, angrily shouted:

The Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bb5
"Get rid of the photographer! He's disturbing my chess
thought!"

"Why should I leave my photograph in this pitiful
village. I have no desire to get involved in police
matters," he thought to himself.

The indignant hissing of the chess lovers forced the
photographer to abandon his attempt. The uproar was so
great that they even shoved the photographer out of
the premises.

By the third move it became clear that the grandmaster
was playing 18 Ruy Lopez games. In the remaining 12
games, black undertook the somewhat old but
sufficiently dependable Philador Defense. If Ostap
knew that he was playing such an intelligent opening
and contending with such a well-tried defense, he
would have been very much surprised. The fact is that
the artful dodger was playing chess for the second
time in his life.

At first, the amateurs--and first among them was the
one-eyed one--were horror-struck. The craftiness of
the grandmaster was undoubted.

Philador's Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6

With incredible ease and, no doubt, laughing
maliciously to himself at the residents of Vasiuki,
the grandmaster sacrificed pawns as well as major and
minor pieces left and right. To the brown-haired man
whom he ridiculed at the lecture he even sacrificed
his queen. The brown-haired man was terrified and
wanted to resign immediately, but he made a great
effort of will and forced himself to continue the
game.

After five minutes, thunder unexpectedly struck.

"Mate," murmured the brown-haired man, who was deathly
afraid. "I have mated you, comrade grandmaster."

Ostap analyzed the position, disgracefully called the
queen the "king's wife", and bombastically
congratulated the brown-haired man on the win. A
rumble moved through the rows of amateurs.

"It's time to get out of here," thought Ostap, pacing
among the tables and carelessly moving pieces.

"You didn't mo your knight correctly, comrade
grandmaster," cringed the one-eyed one. "The knight
doesn't move like that."

"Pardon, pardon, excuse me," answered the grandmaster.
"I'm a little tired after the lecture."

In the course of the next ten minutes, the grandmaster
lost another ten games.

"The `Bender Rook Capture' is a genuis maneuver.
Simple and elegant. I use it whenever I can."

Anatoly Fisharov; Imaginary Chess Champion

Surprised cries resounded in the room of the Cardboard
Factory Club. The conflict was coming to a head. Ostap
lost 15 games in a row, then another three. There
remained only the one-eyed one. At the beginning of
the game, one-eye had made numerous errors out of
fear, but now, with effort, he had brought the game to
a winning position. Ostap, unseen by the crowd, stole
the black rook off the board and hid it in his pocket.

The crowd pressed close around the players.

"My rook was standing right here!" shouted the
one-eyed one. "Look! And now it's gone!"

"Well, that means it wasn't there," Ostap answered
crudely.

"How could it not be there? I remember distinctly!"

"Of course it wasn't there!"

"Where did it go? Did you capture it?"

"I captured it."

"When? On what move?"

"Why are you trying to distract me with this rook?
Resign, and then you can talk to me."

"Excuse me, comrade, I have all the moves written down
here!"

"Bureaucratic nonsense," said Ostap.

"This is scandalous!" the one-eyed one began yelling.
"Give me back my rook!"

"Resign, resign! Stop this cat-and-mouse game!"

"Give me back my rook!"

With these words, the grandmaster, understanding that
death was knocking at the door, scooped up a handful
of pieces and flung them at the head of his one-eyed
opponent.

"Comrades!" squealed the one-eyed one. "Everyone,
look! He's assaulting the amateurs!"

The chess players of Vasiuki were stunned.

Not losing any valuable time, Ostap flung the
chessboard at the lamp and, in the ensuing darkness,
smashing a few jaws and foreheads, dashed out onto the
street. The Vasiuki amateurs, falling over one
another, took off after him.

It was a moonlit night. Ostap darted along the silver
street like an angel, leaving behind the sinful earth.
In view of the unrealized transformation of Vasiuki
into the center of the universe, Ostap had to run, not
past palaces, but past wooden huts with shutters.

Behind him rushed the chess amateurs.

"Get the grandmaster!" roared the one-eyed one.

"Scoundrel!" the rest shouted in support.

"Twits!" snapped back the grandmaster, picking up
speed.

"Police!" shouted the insulted chess players.

Ostap jumped down along the staircase leading to the
pier. He had 400 more steps to go. On the sixth
landing there were two amateurs already waiting for
him. They had come by a short-cut along the slope.
Ostap looked around. Bearing down on him from above,
like a pack of dogs, came the thick crowd of enraged
adherents of the Philador Defense. There was no
retreat. Therefore, Ostap rushed forward.

"I'll get you now, you swine!" he yelped out at the
warrior- scouts, leaping at them from the fifth
landing. The frightened, dismounted Cossacks cried
out, fell over the railings, and rolled off somewhere
into the darkness over the knolls and slopes. Ostap's
way was open.

"Get the grandmaster!" came rolling down from above.

The pursuers ran on, knocking against the wooden
staircase like falling bowling balls.

Coming out onto the shore, Ostap darted to the left,
looking for the boat with his trusty administrator.

Ippolit Matveevich was sitting idyllically in the
boat. Ostap leapt onto the seat and feverishly started
rowing away from the shore. After a minute, rocks
started flying toward the boat. Ippolit Matveevich was
hit by one of them. A dark, twitching knot of muscle
arose just above the volcanolike pimple on his face.
Ippolit Matveevich pulled his head down and started
whimpering.

"What a wimp! They nearly ripped my head off, and I'm
just fine. Bold and happy. And if you take into
consideration the 50 rubles of pure profit, for one
little scratch on your head, the royalties are decent
enough."

Meanwhile, the pursuers, who only now understood that
the plan for transforming Vasiuki into New Moscow had
collapsed and that the grandmaster was leaving town
with 50 of their hard-earned rubles, piled into a
large boat and, shouting, rowed out to the center of
the river. Thirty people were crowded in the boat. All
of them wanted to take part personally in the rematch
against the grandmaster. The expeditionary force was
being commanded by the one-eyed one. His one eye shone
in the night like a lighthouse beacon.

"Get the grandmaster!" they wailed in the overcrowded
barge.

"Row, Kisa!" Ostap said. "If they catch up, I can't
guarantee the safety of your pince-nez."

Both boats followed the current. The distance between
them kept shrinking and shrinking. Ostap was rowing as
hard as he could.

"You're not going anywhere, swine!" they shouted from
the barge.

Ostap didn't answer. There was no time. The oars shot
up out of the water. Streams of water flew up from
under the raging oars and landed in the boat.

"Keep going," Ostap whispered to himself.

For more hijinks on
the Volga, read:

"The Volga Falls
To the Caspian Sea"

at

Tell 'em Ostap sent you!
Ippolit Matveevich sniveled. The barge was
celebrating. Its high hull was overtaking the
concessionaires on the left side in order to force the
grandmaster to the shore. A woeful fate awaited the
concessionaires. The joy in the barge was so great
that all the chess players moved to the starboard side
so that, once they were even with the boat, they might
rain down on the evil-doer/grandmaster with
overpowering force.

"Hold onto your pince-nez, Kisa!" Ostap shouted out in
despair, throwing away the oars. "Now it begins."

"Good Lord!" Ippolit Matveevich suddenly exclaimed
like a rooster. "Are you really going to beat us?"

"And how!" the Vasiuki amateurs thundered, getting
ready to jump into the boat.

But at that moment, something highly offensive to all
honest chess players of the world occurred. The barge
suddenly began to list and take in water on the
starboard side.

"Careful!" squealed the one-eyed captain.

But it was too late. Too many chess amateurs had
gathered on the starboard side of the Vasiuki
dreadnought. Changing its center of gravity, the barge
did not hesitate, but, in complete compliance with the
laws of physics, overturned.

A joint yelp broke the tranquility of the river.

"Oo-ah-oo!" was the long, drawn-out groan of the chess
players.

All thirty amateurs found themselves under the water.
They quickly swam to the surface and, one after
another, latched onto the overturned barge. The last
to moor himself was the one-eyed one.

"Twits!" Ostap shouted in delight. "What, you're not
going to beat your grandmaster? You, if I'm not
mistaken, wanted to beat me?"

Ostap made a circle around the disaster victims.

"You understand, my Vasiuki individuals, that I could
drown you one by one. But I give you your lives. Live,
citizens! Only, please God, don't play chess! You
simply don't know how to play! You twits,
twits....Let's go, Ippolit Matveevich. Good-bye, you
one-eyed amateurs! I'm afraid that Vasiuki will not
become the center of the universe. I don't think any
chess masters would come to such fools like you even
if I were to ask them. Good- bye, lovers of great
chess sensations! Long live the `Four Knights Club'!"

THE END