Thursday 20 July 2017

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 20-7-2017: World Chess Day

Blast … 

I have even shorter hours, this week.

Because?

Because I spent most of yesterday, throwing up!

Good knows what my innards are actually doing.   Beyond the obvious!

The only real upside?

Is that I managed to catch the last two episodes of series two of American Horror Story.

Which is well worth watching.


~≈Ê≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s teaser saw Olga* and Debbi† putting in their answers: with Olga scoring ten out of ten, and Debbi, trailing, on eight.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s themed Teaser, shall we?

Here it is, along with the How To, License and video … 

Q1) Today is World Chess Day.   Chess is played on a board made up of how many squares?
Q2) How many pieces are there, at the start of a game of chess?
Q3) How many pieces does each player start with?
Q4) Each player has eight … what?
Q5) Those pieces are usually black … or what?
Q6) Kings can move in any direction.   How many square at a time, can a king move?
Q7) Swapping the positions of the king and a rook is called what: wrangling, crowing or castling?
Q8) Which piece moves diagonally?
Q9) If the king — the key piece — is threatened with capture, this is known as what: check, cheque or checkers?
Q10) Finally … A player loses a game of Chess, if his king cannot avoid capture.   This is known as … what?
Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1) The very first tour de France was won.   On 19th July or which year: 1902, 1903 or 1904?
A1) 1903.
Q2) Who won that first race?
Q3) The leader of each of the 1903 stages would’ve worn what: a green arm band, a yellow jersey or a red hat?
Q4) The leader of each of the current stages would’ve worn what: a green arm band, a yellow jersey or a red hat?
Q5) The original Tour started in Montgeron.   Montgeron is a suburb of where?
A5) Paris.
Q6) The 1903 Tour finished in Parc des Princes.   Parc des Princes is in which French city?
A6) Paris.
Q7) The 2017 Tour is still being raced, at the time of writing.   It started in which German city?
Q8) The 2017 Tour is still being raced, at the time of writing.   Who won the 2016 Tour de France?
Q9) The Tour de France is one of cycling’s Grand Tours.   Name one of the other two.
Q10) Finally … Since 1975, the tour has always finished at which Parisian avenue?
A10) The Champs-Élysées.
I’ll leave you with a chess themed song … 


And a quote from the one author I couldn’t resist using.
“Vimes had never got on with any game more complex than darts.  Chess in particular had always annoyed him.  It was the dumb way the pawns went off and slaughtered their fellow pawns while the kings lounged about doing nothing that always got him; if only the pawns united, maybe talked the rooks round, the whole board could’ve been a republic in a dozen moves.”
Thud, Terry Pratchett.
Today’s questions will be answered in tomorrow’s Teaser.

Have a good day.




*        There’s a lot of stuff worth watching, Olga.   I might just have to check out Westworld or Man in the High Castle, at some point.   They both look interesting.   (And alternative histories can be seriously interesting!)

†        What, in the UK, Debbi?    Depends on if they’re manual or automatic … !

3 comments:

Olga said...

Sorry, I must rush to the radio and I've been stuck with technical issues at the University site (we shall see) but I just wanted to wish you that you get better soon.
I watched the first episode of the Man in the High Castle (and thought it was very good) but shortly after had to leave and have never managed to catch the rest... Another one for the list. It's getting almost as bad as my reading list.
Take care.

Debbi said...

Hee hee! :) Now I have to read THUD!

So much to read, so little time.

Given the subject, I thought you'd include this video: https://youtu.be/9wn_DdXWbfI

1. 64
2. 32 (16 each)
3. 16
4. pawns
5. white
6. one
7. castling
8. bishop
9. check
10. checkmate

I couldn't find the one of them on the chessboard.

Debbi said...

Oh, wait! I found it: https://youtu.be/1Lp_0p6TxNw

Hope your stomach's feeling better. :)