Some Facts About Chess Openings

Chess openings are broadly classified into six types. Open games, closed games, semi-open games, Indian defenses, semi-closed games, and flank openings.

Open games start with the moves 1.e4 e5, and usually lead to positions with open lines, and tons of tactical ideas.

Closed games start with the moves 1.d4 d5 and usually lead to slow, positional games where each player strives to gain a long-term advantage.

15 Ways To Make Your Life Simpler

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci

Simple can sometimes be a proven pathway to calmness and happiness, so I would like to share some habits that have helped me to live a simpler life. 

I would advise just picking one of these and incorporating it into your lifestyle before tackling another. 

Ready?

1) Breathe. It's impossible to overestimate the importance of proper breathing on your stress levels. Take a couple of minutes when facing a difficult challenge and practice deep breathing exercises to lower your heart rate and focus your thinking.

2) Focus on one challenge at a time. Multi-tasking is a wonderful gift but in times of mental and physical challenges it is far more efficient to tackle only one problem at a time.

3) Write it all down. When we are stressed our mind starts leaking information. You will be less likely, (and therefore less stressed) when you are not dropping projects and meeting deadlines. This especially applies to students who are usually learning to balance work, school and life as they navigate closer to adulthood.

Takin' It To The Streets

Two Baskets of Figs

As I continue to journey through this life I become more and more convinced of certain truths. My wife is generally right, my parents were really prophets-in-training, and when God said, "My ways are not your ways," He meant it.

God didn't hide this truth or not expect us to embrace this reality. In Proverbs 14:12, He reminds us, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." In other words, if I'm relying upon my experience, judgement, and intellect to properly evaluate my circumstances, especially those life-altering moments in my life, chances are I'm going to be wrong. It's not that God doesn't expect us to use our brains to make good decisions, but He never expected us to evaluate our life through the prism of our finite minds.

Okay, if you're like me you're going to need an example. One example coming up . . .