Chess and Animals?

Puppy playing chess

http://www,web-l.com/cuteanimals/puppy-playing-chess

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"How to Play Chess Like an Animal"

by Anthea Carson & Brian Wall

http://www.chessville.com/reviews/HowtoPlayChessLikeanAnimal.htm

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Animal Chess Sets

http://www.chesshouse.com/animal_chess_set_s/188.htm

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Straight out of the jungle!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_(board_game)

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And of course, I'm not the only one with jokes!

http://www.ahajokes.com/ani010.html

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A Good Chess Player

A man went to visit a friend and was amazed to find him playing chess with his dog. He watched the game in astonishment for a while. "I can hardly believe my eyes!" he exclaimed. "That's the smartest dog I've ever seen."

"Nah, he's not so smart," the friend replied. "I've beaten him three games out of five."

Hazel's Jokes!

How would a bishop feel if he could move from a white square to a black square?

Answer: De-"lighted" (no longer on the light squares)

How does he feel about not being able to change colour?

Answer: It's okay. He's "light"-hearted.

How does a knight feel about not being able to change colour?

Answer: Enough silly jokes. A knight CAN change colour!

Cartoon: http://contemporarytheology.org/vision/

Happy Easter!

How do you know a chess game is over in April?

Answer: It's "chick"mate!

Why a knight? Why not a bunny?

Answer: The pieces were tired of stepping over eggs (there's not enough room on the board as it is!)

How do chess players know it's spring?

Answer: Frosty never comes to tournaments anymore.

Hazel's Mind Bender

Since I'm in a rush, you get an easy one today...

During a chess game, Mary delivers a check, but her opponent's king does not move. Furthermore, no pieces block the check, and there are no captures. However, the game is not over after this move (not checkmate, stalemate, etc.). How is this possible?

Two possible answers:

(1) This is a correspondence game, and Mary sent a monetary check (cheque) along with her move...possibly to pay an entry fee or as a gift for her opponent. She did not "check" her opponent's king.

(2) They are playing take-me, or some other variant that does not require the king to be on the board.

Hazel's Mind Bender

Not too tough...

Freddie is a talented chess player. After only three years, he is close to reaching master rating, yet he claims to have never touched a (chess) piece in his life. All his games are played in front of his opponent, and since he is a quiet boy, he never says his moves out loud. How is this possible?

Answer: Freddie must be very shy. Over the three years, he has only played against one opponent, his computer. Although he plays in front of his "opponent", he never "touches" the pieces on the screen. Instead, he simply clicks and drags them.

Seeing that his rating is limited to his computer-playing abilities, it is debatable whether or not his talent is overestimated (it is difficult to reach master rating within three years of actual tournament play).

Hazel's Mind Bender

This one is a little more straightforward...

The people of Chesstown decide to set a record. They want to participate in the longest (chess) tournament held within 1 day. They elect the cafe owner to organize the event. At exactly 12:00 am on Sunday, the owner tells everyone to begin their games. Some good games, some bad games, some really bad games, but what can you expect over such a long day? Finally, the owner glances at the clock, which reads 11:59 pm. He stops all the games and declares the tournament over.

The next morning, the owner contacts the folks at Guinness World Records. They are very impressed. However, just as the owner prepares to announce the news to the town, he receives a call. "I'm sorry, but from the information you have provided us, your tournament does not qualify for the record. You see, your tournament ended on Monday, not Sunday." How is this possible?

Assumptions:
- the cafe owner's clock is a standard analog (like the ones you see in classrooms)
- the clock never malfunctioned, and did not stop during the day
- no one tampered with the clock
- a tournament is considered to have started and stopped in the ways mentioned above (and thus, cleaning up and incomplete games are not a factor).

Do you have the answer? ...if not, you're going to be quite upset (just as the town must have been)...

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Answer: The cafe owner forgot to "spring forward" for daylight savings. His starting time was correct, because daylight savings begins around 2 am. However, his ending time was actually 12:59 am on Monday.

Hazel's Mind Bender

Better think twice...

More than 30 men are in a chess tournament. For each of the men to play in at least one standard chess game, what is the least number of games required?

Answer: One. These "men" are chessmen, and there are 32 of them "playing" on a single chessboard.

Told you to think twice...