Short History of Chess

Nobody knows were chess come from. Some say from India, others from China.

What seems for sure is that chess spread in  Europe through the Muslim's conquest of south territories. Among the first best players, in modern times,  are remembered the italian Gioacchino Greco, the french Philidor and the spanish churchman De Lucena.

The current rules are the result af a complex evolution made overall for quicking the game.

The first official tournament was held in England in the second half of the 19th century.

Generally speaking the strongest palyers seem to be Indians and Chinese players, though in the last fifty years the world's championship has been won by northamericans and russian players (Bobby Fisher and Gary Kasparov are may be the best known players in the public opinion).

There are millions of players all lver the world and the world champion on charge come s from Norway.

May be Chess will be included in the Olympic games since the next edition.

Wherever it comes from thanks to our ancestrors, whoever they might be, who grand manhood with a great, clever and enjoyable game. 

5 Reasons to Play with Your Child More

 

At the end of a long day many parents don’t have the energy to pull out a board game, put together a construction set or sit on the ground and play with dolls.  With having to cook dinner, clean the dishes, fold the laundry, answer the phone and take out the garbage, spending time with your kids can end up on the bottom of the evening’s list.  After all, the rewards for finishing the household chores are obvious and immediate. However, the effects of spending time playing with your children are just as real and will certainly last longer.

Through play children learn how to cooperate and share with others.  The only way a child learns to share and play nice with others is through observation and interaction with people.  Play is a great opportunity to show by example how to work with someone else even when you don’t agree with them.  While playing with your child, do not shy away from disagreements and do not always let your child have her way.  Help her learn to cooperate with others by having to figure out how to cooperate with you. Role playing can teach a child lessons that are difficult to teach through conventional means.

Playing with mom or dad meets the need for attention children have in a positive way.  Children may act out with negative behaviors because for some reason they are in need of attention.  When this need for attention is not met in a positive way, the child will begin to look for other ways to get that need met. This could be through behaviors like not following directions, doing things he has been told not to and even hitting.  Playing with your child will feed his very real need for attention and will help to make the “acting out” behaviors less frequent.

Parents will learn to understand and respect the challenging perspectives of their child.  There are many ways parents disagree and argue with their children.  In heated moments it is very easy to misunderstand a child and her opinion.  Playing with a child helps parents gain more of their child’s perspective.    Through time spent together parents can understand why a child might act in such strange ways or at least soften their hearts to not be quite as irritated.

Parents will understand to a greater degree the pressures their child is facing every day.  During lighthearted play a child will often let out her greatest worries and concerns.  It might be very difficult for her to verbalize why she is worried about a particular problem but often times those feelings reveal themselves when she plays.  During playtime parents should listen closely to these cues and use the playful atmosphere to reassure and comfort her.

Time spent together in play helps a child connect and get to know his parents.  Life moves fast.  Parents often say “It seems like he was just my little baby and now look how big he is.”  Parents will never look back at their life and say “I should have kept the dishes cleaner” or “I should have answered my phone more.”  However, if parents don’t take the time out of their busy lives to play with and engage their child, some pretty amazing opportunities might be missed. This time together not only helps parents understand, support and love their child more, but it will help the child know the parent to a greater degree which will help him become a well-balanced and emotionally whole adult.

This post has been proposed to me for publication by Anne Laurie. If you want to know more about it please just go to link below.

http://www.gonannies.com/blog/2013/5-reasons-to-play-with-your-child-more/

7 Old Fashioned Outdoor Games Everyone Should Know

Playing outdoor games gives folks the opportunity to do something fun and active together. Whether it’s playing an after dinner game with family, or hosting a backyard tournament during a cookout, when friends and families play games outside together memories are made. If you don’t already know how to play these 7 classic outdoor games, here’s a primer.

1. Croquet:  Croquet requires a croquet set and some level ground to play.  The set includes 6 mallets in various colors, 6 matching balls, 2 stakes, and wickets.  A wicket is a piece of wire bent into a “U” shape.  On either end of the field a stake is set up.  In front of each stake 2 wickets are pushed into the grass.  The wickets are about 6” apart.  The remaining wickets are set up on the field in a random path.  The object of the game is to knock your ball through all of the wickets and hit the final stake before anyone else does. 
2. Badminton:  Badminton requires special rackets, a net, and a birdie (aka shuttlecock).  The birdie is made up of a weighted point and feathers (or plastic netting) forming a cone shape.  The idea is to hit the birdie back and forth over the net without letting it drop.   The winner of the game is the first person or team to reach 21.  To score a point all you have to do is get the birdie to hit the ground on the opponent’s side of the net regardless of who served.  Three games make a match. 
3. Horse Shoes:  This game is played with metal horse shoes and two metal stakes.  There are actual horse shoe courts where the stakes are in sand boxes.  The object of the game is to throw from one end of the court to the other, which is about 40 feet, and get the horse shoe around the stake.  This is called a ‘ringer’.  A ringer is scored at 3 points.  If a horse shoe is within 6” of the stake then it counts as 1 point.  Thus the old saying, “Close only counts in horse shoes”.
4. Bocce:  This game is hugely popular in Italy.  Bocce is played with 8 balls, 2 each of four colors and a small white ball called the ‘jack’ ball.  One team throws the jack ball into a zone about 16 feet away.  Then the players take turns rolling 4 balls per team to see who can get the closest to the jack ball.  It is possible to hit someone else’s ball away to get a better score.  It is also legal to hit the jack ball to improve your score.  The winner is the first team to score 7 to 13 points depending on regional rules.
5. Shuffleboard:  Outdoor shuffleboard used to be played primarily by senior citizens or those on a cruise ship.  However, the relaxing nature of the game has broadened the audience of this game to younger people as well.  The shuffleboard court is 39 feet long and is made up of a scoring triangle on each end.  This game is played with 8 discs, 4 each of two colors, 2 cues and a court.  Line up 4 of one color to the left of the scoring triangle and 4 to the right of the scoring triangle.  The players take turns pushing the discs down the court with their cues trying to get the disc into the scoring triangle.  Depending on where the discs end up the score will be determined.  It is legal to knock your opponent’s disc out of the scoring triangle to better your position.  The first person to 75 wins.
6. Ladder Ball:    To play ladder ball you need 2 ladders, each with three rungs, 3 bolas per team and some space.  Bolas are made up of a rope between 2 golf balls.  Ladder ball can be played with up to 6 players and they each need to have their own set of bolas in a different color.  The ladders can be any distance apart and are often played in a parking lot while tailgating before the big game.  The first player stands at one end of the court and throws his bola at the ladder and tries to get it to hang on a rung.  Each rung is worth 1, 2, or 3 points depending on house rules.  All of the players throw their bolas.  Everyone gets their score and then play switches to the other end of the court.  The first person to reach 21 points wins.  
7. Yard Darts:  This game is also known as Lawn Darts or Jarts.  To play this game you need a set of yard darts, targets and a yard.  The targets look like small hula hoops.  The targets are placed about 35 feet apart.  The rest of the game continues like horse shoes.  Each player has 2 darts.  The first player stands at one end and tosses their dart underhanded and tries to get the dart into the ring.  If a dart is in the ring you score a point.  Take turns throwing the darts and then score after each inning.  The winner is the first player or team to score 21 points.  Some versions of this game have a smaller bull’s-eye ring. If a player gets a bull’s-eye, additional points are doled out.

P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by Carrie Dotson.  I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:

 

 http://www.summernannyjobs.com/blog/7-old-fashioned-outdoor-games-everyone-should-know/