ZIGGYS COLLECTABLES-N-GIFTS: European Dragon
Showing posts with label European Dragon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European Dragon. Show all posts

Monday, December 17, 2012

How To Play Chess Part 1

European Dragon Chess Set
European Chess Set

How To Play Chess Part 1


Learning how to play chess is not as simple as it may seem. Understanding the chess board set up is the first step in learning how to play chess.

When learning how to play chess the first thing you need to understand is that chess is a two player board strategy game.


  •  A chess board is a play area composed of 64 squares arranged in an 8 x 8 grid, each square alternating in color,typically in black and white. The chess pieces are also typically black and white.
  • The chess board is further broken down into 8 rows from top to bottom known as ranks and numbered 1-8.
  • The chessboard is further broken down into 8 rows from left to right known as files and are identified with letters from A-H.
  • Each chess player starts with 16 chess pieces comprised of: 1 king, 1 queen,2 rooks, 2 knights,2 bishops and 8 pawns.
  • The chess board is placed on the playing surface with the lightest colored square being in the right-hand corner, as in the following picture:
    Chess Board Set-Up
    Chess Board Set-Up
  • The chess pieces are placed on the chess board starting with the first row( the bottom row in the picture above), the chess pieces are placed from left to right starting with a rook, a knight, a Bishop, a queen, a king, a Bishop, a knight and then a rook
  • The second row of chess pieces are simply all eight pawns. The second row is the second row from the bottom in the picture above.

The Next Step Of Learning How to Play Chess Is Learning Each Of The Chess Pieces Legal Movements

To start the game of chess typically the chess player with white chess pieces will make the first move.
Each of the chess pieces can only be moved according to the chess rules for each individual chess piece: 
  • The King can move 1 square in any direction.
  • The King has a special move in the game of chess known as Castling and involves using the Rook, we will go into this in more detail in the next section.
  • The Rook can move any number of squares along any rank or file but cannot leap over other pieces. The Rook is also used in special move that can be executed by the King known as castling, we will go into this in more detail in the next section.
  • The Bishop can move any number of squares diagonally but it cannot leap over other pieces.
  • The Queen is able to move like the Rook and Bishop as well it can move any number squares along ranked, file or diagonally but it cannot leap over other pieces.
  • The Knight can move to any 2 squares vertically and 1 horizontally or it may move 2 squares horizontally and 1 square vertically, the Knights move will shape an "L". The Knight is the only piece that can leap over other pieces.
  • The Pawn can move forward to an unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file or on its first move it may move two squares along the same file as long as both squares are unoccupied. It may also move to a square occupied by your opponents chess piece diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file and capture your opponents chess piece, removing your opponents chess piece from play. The Pawn has two special moves that can be executed during the game of chess. The En Passant Capture and Pawn Promotion, we will talk about these later during this series called "How to Play Chess" this week.

Special Chess Moves

Castling
Castling is a chess move that was mentioned above that involves using the King and the Rook simultaneously in which the king moves 2 squares towards a Rook. The Rook that the King moved towards will move to the square at the other side of the game.
There are 2 types of Castling.

  • Short: on the Kings side.
  • Long: on the Queens side.
Castling is a chess move that can be executed one time during each chess game and is only allowed if certain game conditions exist.

You can see an example of this chess move in the picture below:
Castling
Castling for more detail please visit: http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/castling/index.htm

You may also follow the link underneath the picture above for a more detailed understanding of this particular chess move known as Castling.

When You Are Not Allowed To Castle

There are times during the game of chess that you or not allowed to Castle they are:
  • The King moved previously in the game.
  • The Rook that castled had been moved previously during the game.
  • When there are chess pieces between the King and Rook.
  • When your opponent or you have a King in check.
  • When the King moves through a square on the chess board that is under attack by an opponents chess pieces for piece.
  • When the execution of Castling would put the King in Check.
Well I think that this is a good place to stop for today so that you may absorb what little bit of information I have given you here on the topic of how to play chess.

Tomorrow we will break down how to play chess even more starting with the 2 types of Castling.

I hope you enjoyed this post and would like you to know that here At Ziggys Collectables-N-Gifts You May Purchase High-Quality Chess Sets, They Range from Myth and Legend themed To Historical themed chess sets just follow the link over at the side of this post labels High Quality Chess Sets. 

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Differences Between European Dragons, Chinese Dragons


The Differences Between European Dragons, Chinese Dragons 

According to a collection of books by a Greek author Claudius Aelianus, dragons could grow to 180 feet long and had a very long lifespan.

Dragon King Statue for christmas
Dragon King Statue

The legend of the Dragon has been around for centuries.
 There are two main groups of Dragons that come from two distinct cultures.


The first group is the European Dragon

The first group is the European Dragon, influenced by European folk traditions which are strongly derived from Greek and Middle Eastern myths.
European Dragons typically have wings and are more reptilian in form. 
Although they still have serpentine features.
European Dragons are usually shown in a malevolent form, although there are exceptions like that of the "Red Dragon Of Wales"
European Dragons often are shown living underground, in a cave.
European Dragons are not known to fly usually, although we usually show them flying.

  Dragon with Globe Table Lamp  for christmas

The second group of Dragons is the Chinese Dragon

The second group of Dragons is the Chinese Dragon, it has counter parts in Eastern Asia, such as Japan,Vietnam and Korea.
The Chinese Dragon is typically in serpentine form, shown in artifacts dating back to the 16th century B.C.
The Chinese Dragon at one time was associated with the emperor and is the highest ranking animal on the Chinese Animal Hierarchy.
The Chinese dragon is the only one of the mythological animals that represents the Chinese calender, this year is the year of the water dragon.


 Dual Dragon Plaque for christmas
Dual Dragon Plaque


The two groups of Dragons have influenced each others evolution through the centuries  via cross contact with each others cultures, as we travel from one country to the next.
No Evil Dragons for christmas
No Evil Dragons

The Chinese Dragons Most Notable Influence Is On The Japanese Dragon

The Japanese adopted a version of the Chinese Dragon in the 9th century A.D. and it  spread through Buddhism.
The Japanese Dragon is derived from stories of dragons from their own culture and are intertwined with the stories from China, Korea and India.
The Japanese Dragons typically are long serpents shown with 3 claws. 



Dragon Incense Burner for christmas




European Or Chinese Dragons In The End Its All Just 

Dragon's are a legendary mythological representation of a reptilian creature or that of a serpentine creature or a combination of the both.
Dragons can have some legs or none.
They may have a row of dorsal fins or have wings.
Some Dragons are fire-breathing, while some are poisonous. 
Some Dragons have scales for skin, while some have feathers like birds do.   In the Middle ages Dragon's started being depicted with legs making them look more like a Lizard.



Fire Dragon Statue for christmas
Fire Dragon Statue

There are many different stories and legends around the world, depending on the part of the world you may be in will dictate the stories and legends you may encounter.
Throughout history many cultures around the world have beliefs that Dragons are very spiritually significant to their religions.
 Many Asian cultures still do revere the dragon as the representatives of the primal forces of nature, the universe and religion.
There are beliefs that Dragons had magical powers typically related to rain, rivers or wells.
 Dragons are believed to be symbols of wisdom and wiser than man.
It is even believed  by some cultures that dragons taught man to talk.

JADE-FIRE GEODE DRAGON for christmas
JADE-FIRE GEODE DRAGON 
The blood of the dragons is said to be beneficial in some cases, it may give you skin that is more durable like armor.
Dragons blood is also said to be poisonous or acidic.
Dragons have been shown as symbols of sin as well as a force fighting against man.
In more modern times Dragons have influenced games like D&D.
Some people think that the reason that we have dragon myths is because dragons are actually dinosaurs that died out in the last Ice Age.
In The end European or Chinese Dragons are both very cool to collect and they are an important part of our mythological history. 


UNTIL NEXT TIME:



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