Reading Today

Queen's Pawn Game



"In the most general sense the term Queen's Pawn Game can refer to any chess opening which starts with the move 1.d4. It is the second most popular opening move after 1.e4. The name is usually used to describe openings beginning with 1.d4 where White does not play the Queen's Gambit."

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Reading Today

Englund Gambit



"Black's idea is to avoid the traditional closed queen's pawn games and create an open game with tactical chances, but at the cost of a pawn. The gambit is considered weak; Boris Avrukh writes that 1...e5 "seems to me the worst possible reply to White's first move"."

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Reading Today

Scandinavian Defense



"The Center Counter Defense is one of the oldest recorded openings, first recorded as being played between Francesc de Castellví and Narcís Vinyoles in Valencia in 1475 in what may be the first recorded game of modern chess, and being mentioned by Lucena in 1497."

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Sicilian Defense

"The Sicilian Defense is the most popular defense against white’s opening 1.e4 and is used extensively at top level play. It is a very aggressive defense and immediately stakes claim at the center, denying white the double pawns on e4 and d4. Many chess champions actually prefer to start with 1.d4 because of how well the Sicilian Defense plays against 1.e4." read full text »

Reading Today

Friday Beer Thoughts: Local Demand



"Many of the business discussions surrounding beer tend to focus on the number of breweries opening or closing. We use that as a barometer for the health of the sector, including our previous look at industry dynamism. Counting breweries is pretty easy, however it also provides an incomplete picture."

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Reading Today

What People Actually Say Before They Die



"Insights into the little-studied realm of last words. Mort Felix liked to say that his name, when read as two Latin words, meant “happy death.” When he was sick with the flu, he used to jokingly remind his wife, Susan, that he wanted Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” played at his deathbed."

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