Weather: 70 degrees and pleasant
19 pax for chess lessons in the gloom. May I say, the new parking lot is lovely! I sprinkled in some chess trivia. Each time the pax got the question wrong, it was 10 burpees.
Warmup
16 SSH (IC)
16 TTT (IC)
16 Imperial Walkers (IC)
16 Merkins OYO
Chess trivia: How many squares are on a chessboard?
Answer: 64 √ Correct.
Run down to the football field
Pawns:
Pawns, singularly, are the weakest chess piece. However, as a unit they are the strongest force on the board. In the 1600’s, the theologian, mathematician, and chess master Francois Andre Philidor correctly remarked, “Pawns are the soul of chess.” It’s true. Almost anything you want to do, strategically, in a game of chess revolves around how the pawns are structured. In the game of chess itself, pawns are meant to represent a phalanx of soldiers shield locked. It’s also why pawns attack diagonally. In a classic phalanx you do not engage the enemy in front of you, you attack the enemy in front of the man beside you. In F3, we have a concept called Shield Lock in the lexicon.
SHIELD LOCK: The horizontal relationship between men.
You can read more about Shield lock in this blog post from the Q source: https://f3nation.com/2018/03/04/shield-lock-q1-7/
Pax were instructed to partner up with someone they don’t know very well and take a lap around the football field. Tell your partner your hospital name, one thing you struggle with, and one thing you excel at.
Knights:
Knights are the only chess piece that can jump over other pieces. In a chess game, knights become ferocious when they cross into enemy territory.
Start from the far end of the field and execute team broad jump burpees. Make sure you cross the mid way point. Partner 2 lunges beside the partner doing burpees. Flip flop when P1 becomes tired.
Chess trivia: Who is the current world champion?
Answer: X Incorrect. No answer submitted. For shame! Magnus Carlsen from Norway
10 Burpees OYO
Bishops:
Bishops move diagonally and can tear across a chess board fast. However bishops are restricted to one color the entire game. Thus, it is generally considered better two have two bishops in a game. They work well together.
Sprint from one diagonal of the field and back while partner 2 planks. Flip flop.
Rooks:
Rooks (the best piece, of course), were intended to represent elephants in the original game, but were replaced with siege towers because of European influence.
Rooks move side to side, back and forth.
Karaoke across the track and back to the start. Then backwards run to the far side of the field and sprint back to the start.
Chess Trivia: There are two special moves in chess (technically 3, promoting a pawn to a queen is considered a special move). Name them.
Answer: Castling and En Passant √ Correct!
En passant is a bit of a weird rule where in some cases you can capture an enemy pawn with another pawn as the pawn passes you. “En Passant” is French for “in passing.” The short version is, a pawn can move 2 squares on their first move. This rule was installed to speed up the game. However, players started using at as a defensive resource. If an enemy pawn is in your territory, you can not speed past them with your pawn by moving 2. You must give the other player the option to engage your pawn in combat. Therefore, the other player can treat your pawn as if you only moved one square instead of two and can capture you by moving into the space you just passed. Like I said, kinda strange.
Chess trivia: Which country has produced the most chess champions? Bonus question: How many has the United States produced?
Answer: India X Incorrect. Russia is the correct answer.
Queens:
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game. Just like in life, a good queen will make or break you. In the F3 Lexicon, the significant other is referred to as the M. Most people errantly believe this means “the missus,” but it in fact does not. M refers to “the Most” as in the most important relationship a man can have.
Here is what the Q source says on the M.
At the bullseye of the Q’s Concentrica is his M, his relationship with his wife, the one upon which all of his other relationships are founded. The M is the Q’s transformative relationship because through it he becomes something new—legally, practically and spiritually. Before marriage, a man is an “I”, but afterwards he is an “Us”. The Q aims most of his arrows at the M because if that fails, the rest of his relationships will fail as well.
The Queen on a chessboard combines the Bishop and Rook’s movement. With your partner, repeat the Bishop and Rook’s exercise. But this time while you are running, tell your partner about how you met your M, what’s she like, what can you do to show her more value? If you do not have an M, tell your partner about the qualities you want in one.
Repeat Bishop + Rook circuits.
Kings:
Kings do not have restrictive, free movement like Queens. Although Kings are the most important piece on the board, the Queen is still the most powerful. Kings can move one space in any direction. (And sometimes we move backwards!)
32 Team box jumps (Jump left, jump forward, jump right, jump back in the shape of a square).
Back to the Shovelflag
Chess trivia: How world champions has the United States produced?
Answer: 6 X Incorrect. One. Bobby Fischer
10 Burpees OYO
It was at this point I revealed to the Pax that I play chess, and compete in tournaments and do so to beat an addiction. Early on in my marriage I was addicted to gambling. It nearly cost me everything. It wasn’t just the gambling, it was the lies, the deception, the compulsive behavior, and the hubris that all went along with it. It was definitely one of the darkest times of my life. I encouraged the pax to lean on YHC if they’re struggling with any kind of addiction. Whether it’s drinking, or pornography, or video games, or gambling. Addiction can take many forms, and I’ve been there. It’s a lonely place.
Announcements:
-We need mentors. Hit up Ken Doll for details
-8/25 Stomp the Swamp. Register: https://www.runhard.org/pages/race-swamp.php
-9/7 Blue Ridge Relay – Short Haul from Graveyard has a free, paid spot for a last minute addition.
-Rocking Chair 60th Birthday Q upcoming
-11/10 The Cheech. Register here: https://lexingtonhalf.com/pages/race-10k.php
-12/14 F3/FiA Christmas Party
Prayer Requests:
Granola Grandmother
Dear Diary Procedure
Cobains for missing any other, my audio messed up at this point