Saw this 'April's fool chess joke' post on the Chessgame.com newsletter. And I thought it's quite well... engineered.
Here's a neat little joke you can play on your friends. You're guaranteed to share a good laugh.
The next time you are at a chess club or tournament, set up a chessboard to the diagram at the right. It won't be long until a passerby stops and asks you what on earth this is.
Explain, "It's a chess problem. White to play. I'm trying to figure out how White can survive all of those pawns."
Anybody with the tiniest amount of chess knowledge should conclude that White is lost. A typical response might be "You are wasting your time--obviously White is doomed! Two knights can stop a few pawns from marching down the board, but not all eight!"
That's when you say "March down the board? You misunderstand, these pawns aren't on their second rank, they are all on the seventh. They are one step away from becoming queens!" (At this point, you might rotate the board 180 degrees to emphasize your point.) Your victim will surely conclude that in that case, White's demise is all the quicker, because Black will soon have multiple queens!
That's when you show them the punchline to this little chess-joke. Offer to let them have the black pieces, while you take white. Do you see the continuation? It's White to play and mate in two moves: 1. Ne3! seals the fate of the Black king. If Black now promotes the a, b, c, or d pawn you play Nf3#, and if they promote the f, g, or h pawn you play Nd3#.
君 の 影 星 の よう に 朝 に 溶 け て 消 え て い く
你的身影如闪烁的星空 逐渐融于晨光之中
kimi no kage hoshi no you ni asa ni to ke te ki e te i ku
行 き 先 を 失 く し た ま ま 想 い は 溢 れ て く る
失去了你的身影 我的思念日益渐浓
i ki saki wo na ku shi ta ma ma omo i ha afu le te ku lu
强 さ に も 弱 さ に も こ の 心 は 向 き 合 え た
无 论坚强或是软弱 愿此刻心永远能与你交融
tsuyo sa ni mo yowa sa ni mo ko no kokoro ha mu ki a e ta
君 と な ら どん な 明日 が 来 て も 怖 く な い の に
只要有你伴随 我不畏惧明天会有怎样的天空
kimi to na la don na ashita ga ki te mo kowa ku na i no ni
二人 歩 い た 时 を 信 じ て い て 欲 し い
两人一同走过的时光 请你永远在心中珍藏
futali alu i ta toki wo shin ji te i te ho shi i
真 実 も 嘘 も な く 夜 が 明 け て 朝 が 来 る
无论真实 还是谎言 夜已破晓 黎明重现
shin jitsu mo uso mo na ku yolu ga a ke te asa ga ku lu
星 空 が 朝 に 溶 け て も 君 の 辉 き は わ か る よ
虽然星空渐渐融 在晨光中 你的光辉依然那样夺目灿烂
hoshi zola ga asa ni to ke te mo kimi no kagaya ki ha wa ka lu yo
さ よ な ら を 知 ら な い で 梦见 た の は 一人 き り
不知你为何要说再见 在梦中的是孤独的身影
sa yo na la wo shi la na i de yumemi ta no wa hitoli ki li
あ の 顷 の 君 の 目 に は 何 が 映って い た の ？
在那时候 你的眼中 映照的是什么
a no goro no kimi no me ni ha nani ga utsutte i ta no
二人 つ な い だ 时 を 谁 も 消 せ は し な い
那个时候二人的羁绊 任谁也无法抹灭
futali tsu na i ga toki wo dale mo te se ha shi na i
孤独 と か 痛 み と か どん な 君 も 感 じ た い
无论你的孤独 你的悲伤 我都想试着感受
kodoku to ka ita mi to ka don na kimi mo kan ji ta i
も う 一度 见 つ め 合 え れ ば 愿 い は きっと 叶 う
倘若二人的眼神再度交会 那愿望定会实现
mou itido mi tsu me a e le ba nega i ha kitto kana u
夜 明 け 前 ま どろ み に 风 が 颊 を 流 れ てい く
拂晓的时刻 在半梦半醒之间 风从我的脸颊吹过
yoa ke mae ma dou mi ni kaze ga hoo wo naga le tei ku
君 の 声 君 の 香 り が 全 て を包ん で 满ち てい く
你的声音 你的气味 全部充满在四围
kimi no koe kimi no ka o li ga sobe te wo tsutsun de mi chi tei ku
思 い 出 を 羽 ば た か せ 君 の 空 へ 舞 い 上 が る
放飞思念 展开翅膀 在与你同一片的天空下飞翔
omo i de wo ha ba ta ka se kimi no sola he ma i a ga lu
星 空 が 朝 に 溶 け て も 君 の 辉 き は わ か る よ
虽 然星空渐渐融在晨光中 我依然能看见你那灿烂的光芒
hoshi zola ga asa ni to ke te mo kimi no kagaya ki ha wa ka lu yo
爱 し て る た だ そ れ だ け で 二 人 は い つ か ま た 会 え る
就是如此喜欢你 愿两人终会相遇在未知的彼方
ai shi te lu ta da so le da ke de futali ha i tsu ka ma ta a e lu
From 英雄传说 VI 空之轨迹 (动听且感人的主题曲)
I found an old recording of Elman playing Choping E flat Nocturne.
In most situations, I am too busy and volatile a presence to enjoy symphonic works like I used to. Hours of pure listening and appreciating... (not many do that really, most people listen to music while doing something else, which is good; I love to drive race & jog when listening to music) ...I ask myself where in the world did I find the time to do that? Seriously, it seems like too much to ask one to listen to a symphony mindfully, unless it is done with the visual complement of an actual orchestra in front the seated individual.
And I was entranced. For five minutes I was able to savour the Chopin in the hands of Elman. Mischa Elman, if I remember his first name correctly... a dimunitive man with deep talent and a priceless tone. It isn't a 20 or 24bit recording but his musicality and tone is instantly captivating through the dated recording quality.
Thank you, Abba, for this enjoyment.
