A Chess Poem - to you from me.

Here is a poem I wrote just for Chess.com. It's called "The Better Man," about a chess battle with two lives on the line. Enjoy!

Two men sat down across a table,

both were ready, willing and able,

to have it out. The chips were down.

For the greatest game of chess in town.

It was Ted vs Tim. Two savvy men.

Who bet their very lives,

that each would win quite easily,

to the lament of their wives.

"I'm the greatest!" Ted exclaimed, setting up the white.

"I've studied hard since I was three and never sleep at night."

"Study, shmuddy!" Tim then scoffed, adjusting his black King,

"I'm a natural prodigy and never learned a thing."

The crowd it gathered, growing growing, until all the town was there.

So far away were some onlookers they had to stand on chairs.

The traffic slowed, as drivers passed, trying to steal a peek,

at Ted and Tim who stared with ire (lest one come off as weak)!

The game began. The first pawn jumped,

Their blurry fingers flew.

The center closed, a gambit then,

the tension grew and grew.

A sacrifice! A zwichenzug!

Imbalances all around.

The crowd now, 50,000 folks.

Yet not a single sound!

Their pieces lined beside the board,

as causalities accumulated.

"But who was winning?" asked one Grandmaster.

As several more debated.

Soon the kings were in the game.

Two knights vs. rook and pawn.

80 moves. No end in sight.

The game went on and on.

The sun hung low, the day was fading.

The town filled with comotion.

As Ted and Tim each had a pawn

one step from queen promotion.

Ted looked at Tim and flashed his teeth.

Tim sneered and did the same.

With one more move, the result was in!

Stalemate!

The men shook hands and said, "Good game."

The Better Man © 2010 by Daniel Cailler

I woke up, made a cup of coffee, sat down and said, "This site doesn't have enough creative writing.

Perhaps in the future I will add more.

Nice :)

Thanks

Thanks for posting me the link. I enjoyed reading it

kohai started crying when she read this ! lol

LOL

I wish I could have saw this! lol But what's a zwichenzug? Great poem! :D

Poems aren't like some other things -- you can't just hit space bar and wait for one to pop out.  Know what I'm saying?

I liked it!

A Zwichenzug, as taken from this site's chessopedia, is:

The German word zwischenzug means intermediate move and it is a common tactic that occurs in almost every game of chess. Picture your opponent making a move that directly threatens one of your pieces. After you opponent has done this you are able to follow up with the zwischenzug tactic. When this tactic is used in the game of chess you will make a move that poses an even more devastating threat, instead of countering a direct threat, which the opponent expected you to do. Often the move that you made will be a direct attack against the opponent's queen or the king. The opponent is forced to counter that threat against his or her queen or king first and this will ideally change the situation to his or her disadvantage.

Just as easily as you can use this tactic, so can your opponent's. Because this is a common, well-known tactic you should always watch out for a zwischenzug. Do not assume that the opponent has to counter your threats immediately, no matter how great they may appear in your eyes. It is good practice to always check whether your opponent has a check or a move that can threaten your queen. Conversely, anticipate your opponent's threats and plan a surprising. Zwischenzug.

Try to use this tactic when it appears to work to your advantage and guard your pieces against it, particularly guard your queen and king against the zwischenzug. This tactic is all about forcing your opponent into making tough decisions. Your opponent has to ask themselves for example "do I take his knight with my bishop, or guard or move my queen?" these types of situations generally will provide you with a tempo advantage as your opponent retreats.

Au contraire, mon Amie:
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/chess-poems-anyone

And you are more than welcom to repost this fine piece there as well.

It's like when you and your opponent are exchanging pieces, he takes your pawn, you re-capture, he captures on that square a 2nd time and you... give a check or threaten mate.  A zwichenzug is an in between move.

Maybe the best known zwichenzug happens early in the petroff

The poem was awesome. Please share another @ your earliest convenience.

Sure!