Whites And Blacks

Chess has a very long and distinguished history.  It is believed to originate out of India during the Gupta empire, and subsequently made its way to the West in the 9th century.  Of course there have been many different advancements between the time periods of then and now, which has made chess what it is today.

The longest tournament game of chess lasted for 269 moves (20 hours, 15 minutes), which ended in a draw.  Theoretical estimates for a longest game are varied and extreme (5,000+ moves), which are complicated by special rules (and bad play!); i.e. the 50-move rule and 3-move repetition.

There could be a top 10 list just on the queen, which has undergone a number of changes over history. Starting out as being able to move only one square diagonally, it was later able to move two squares – and further along the road, able to move like a knight.  Of course now, thankfully, the queen is able to move diagonally, horizontally, and vertically to the scope of another piece. Originally the queen was the “fers,” a counselor or prime minister, the king’s advisor.  The Europeans later changed it in the 1400s to become the strongest piece in chess.

After three moves – that is three moves by each side (each “move” in chess takes into consideration a move by White and Black) – there are over nine million possible positions.  Similar calculations have been made; if you’re mathematically-inclined, look up Shannon number for estimates on the complexity of chess. The possibilities in chess add to its beauty.  You surely don’t have to worry of the same position when you play, which lends to the importance of pattern recognition and position-specific strategies.  In other words, you have to think when at the board – it’s definitely not all the same.

Source : www.toptenz.net/top-10-interesting-facts-about-chess.php?wpst=1

Talk About Cricket

The exact origins of cricket are uncertain. The name 'cricket' possibly derives from the Anglo-Saxon word 'cricce,' meaning 'crooked staff,' and the precursor to cricket may have been the 13th century English game called club-ball. An alternate theory connects the name with a short Church stool known as a 'krickstoel' in Flanders and a 'cricket' in England, a side view of which suggested the long, squat wicket of the game in its fledgling stage.

A game known as 'criquet' is also historically mentioned in northeastern France in 1478 and conjectural evidence points to the game’s evolution in southeastern England in the Middle Ages. Rather than a single ancestral pastime however, is the greater probability of several variant sporting pursuits gradually merging to form the game loved by so many.

The earliest cricket bats were shaped like hockey sticks, while the balls were bowled with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward. This is known as underhand ball delivery. It was only in the mid-19th century that bats were introduced which more closely resembled those of today; overhand delivery of the ball was simultaneously legalized.

The enthusiasm of wealthy landlords in engaging their leaseholders and the district country folk in competitive recreation contributed immensely to the establishment of cricket as a major English sport by the time of the 18th century Anglo-French wars. Official transcripts chronicle matches between teams from London and Kent in 1719 and between Sussex and Kent in 1728. The game’s original written regulations, however, appeared in 1744.The first great cricket club was established at Hambledon in County Hampshire, remaining the host ground of matches between 1768 and 1788.

Source : www.nalis.gov.tt/Research/SubjectGuide/Sport/Cricket/tabid/181/Default.aspx