Family Owned Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Owned Business - Essay Example This business enterprise has strived to accept the services of professionals in attaining a competitive edge over its rivals. In fact, it has adjusted to change and have embraced the new technologies to attain growth. Also, it believes in diversity in manpower as it helps in garnering the best talents in the market. Hence, a diverse manpower also gives this family owned business the path to flourish and excel and attain further growth. It believes in diversifying business so that the firm has greater stability in business. Moreover, this is one group which undertakes long-term planning and has formed strategic partnerships and diversified the group to include expert services into different segments of the market. This helps them to have a wider customer base. By conducting the above study on family businesses, we have observed that such business enterprises thrive in the market mainly due to the dedication and commitment displayed by members of the family. Also, these people are focu sed towards the growth of the organization as the adverse reputation of the firm may negatively hamper the reputation of the family name. Moreover, these enterprises are chiefly controlled by family members or maybe family owned. However, they may form strategic partnerships wherein family members hold key positions in the management of the company. Lastly, the key to success in such firms is by gaining a competitive edge, valuing organizational culture and allowing a diverse workforce in order to benefit from diversity.

Static Equilibrium Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Static Equilibrium - Lab Report Example From Newtons 1st law, an object is in equilibrium when it moves at constant velocity (Mathew, 2010, pp5). Static equilibrium is thus a system at rest is said to be in static equilibrium. The summation of equilibrium forces in each direction adds to zero. Also, the total net summation of torque is equates to zero. (Mathew, 2004, p.3).Ã" Fx=0, Ã" Fy=0, Ã" Fz=0, Ã" Ã"Ž=0,Fx becomes the force that occur in the X direction and Fy are the forces that occur in the Y component direction (Mathew,2010.pp.7). Fz is the force acting towards the Z direction. Force in an action as either a push or a pull that acts on an object. It has units given Newton. (N). Torque can be defined as the product as force and distance (r) about a point that causes the object to rotate. This is formal equation for torque is Ã"Ž=FrsinÏ ´ (Mathew, 2014, pp.4).F is the force in Newtons (N), r is the distance from the reference at which that the force acts at from the force vector at an angle from the distance. T orque= (Force) (Momentum arm), by convention a torque creating a clockwise rotation becomes negative torque, and a torque causing a counterclockwise rotation gives positive torque In this experiment, the force acting on a ring on a force table will be broken into constituents. The force, both magnitude and direction it will necessary to balance the ring. Equipment’s such as Force Table, Set of Hanging, Masses set of weights, three mass hangers, Ruler, Torque Balance Stand, string, two balances (Eisenberg, 2009 p.56) The mass for the 50gram disk was calculated. Also, mass of one of the hangers was measure. The mass of the disk was increased to the mass of the hanger, and its sum tabulated. This process was done again for second 50 gram disk and mass hanger. The sum was taken as M2 the components of for both X and Y of the force vectors given that m1 positioned at an angle of 40 degrees, and m2 is at 120 degree. In order to obtain the magnitude direction, a third force is necessary to balance

Photographing architecture Essay Example for Free

Photographing architecture Essay Introduction: Words are like bricks. If the bricks are of even size, arranged properly, the structure will be fine and sturdy. If the bricks are weak, broken and arranged by an imperfect mason, the results are obvious. So is the case with literature. Appropriate words needs to be used at the appropriate place; the outcome will be pleasant reading, soul-satisfying! A good author can chisel perfect statue out of the strength of words. The essential ingredients of a novel are plot, characterization and imagery and the force of the words. Poets say a beautiful girl looks more beautiful, when she is calm and polite. Likewise, a good book turns out better to read by appropriately-applied flowery vocabulary. Calvino’s book under review, â€Å"Photographing Architecture,† is the perfect example of this category, though it doesn’t have the plot as such. Calvino makes many things visible†¦. The book is about photographing architecture, through the charming, magical words-the magnetic literary skill. This book is the perfect example, to know and understand how to write about the cities. Again, the intelligent application of the words is the hallmark of the book. From the practical viewpoint, the book is easy to carry; it is small in size. The prose is breathtakingly elegant. Marco Polo describes to Kublai Khan, how each city is interestingly different, though full of contradictions. The book, therefore, becomes the tourist guide of the cities as for the architecture of the era. Marco Polo involves himself so much about the description of the cities, he is so touchy about their decline, and he says candidly to Kublai Khan about the city of his birth, Venice, â€Å"Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once, if I speak of it. Or perhaps, speaking of other cities, I have already lost it, little by little. (Calvino, 1978, p.87) Every perception of the city is taken care of, each city gets a new type of description, and how one arrives at the city, which part is toured initially, whether one resides in the city or only travels through it. Some of the descriptions look like real-life shopping—a jewelry box, a phantasmagoria etc. In the architecture school, in a part of the syllabus, the student needs to draw these cities from the descriptions provided by Calvino. Such was his perfect and realistic assessment of the architecture! The cities belong to the great Mongol Empire. Each city bears a woman’s name and yet from the description of the cities, full justice seems to have not been made to the female gender. Did Marco Polo follow the conditions of women, then prevailing? Women find little mention; their presence tends to be half-sequestered, peeping from windows and verandas, not a single positive role, while men are brave and adventurous explorers. Macro Polo seems to be the guide and philosopher of Kublai Khan. He listened to him with kindled curiosity, about the city and architecture of his own Empire, so big, that the King would not be able to travel through the cities in his lifetime. But the conversations are supposed to imaginary. The imagination of Marco Polo is so fertile, it borders reality, if not beats it in many areas. He mentally constructs the cities to perfection. â€Å"Invisible Cities† is presented as a dialogue between explorer Marco Polo and the great Kublai Khan, in which the former is describing cities he has visited in the Khans empire. In his story telling, Marco Polo describes these cities in every way possible: ‘by their inner structures, their denizens, from above, below, within, through their mirror images, and even utilizing modern day urban settings.’ Some of the cities about which Marco Polo talks about to Kublai Khan are, Armilla-unfinished or demolished, Zobeide, a white city, well-exposed to the moon, Moriana, with alabaster gates transparent in the sunlight, Ersilia, the city of labyrinth of taut strings and poles, Thekla, the city under construction, Argia, the city that has earth instead of air and Olinda, the city that grows in concentric circles. Conclusion: Books written in poetic style, with emotional contents, appeal to the heart. Marc Polo, the author-architect, makes that happen. It is the reader’s heart, and Marco Polo controls its beats not only for the duration of the reading, but even longer. References: Calvino, Italo: Book: Invisible Cities Paperback: 165 pages Publisher: Harvest Books; 1st Harvest/HBJ Ed edition (May 3, 1978) Language: English ISBN-10: 0156453800 ISBN-13: 978-0156453806

Explain what causes changes in supply and demand

Explain what causes changes in supply and demand The constancy and steadiness of any economy is based on the structure of its supply and demand. The supply and demand establish the pattern of the prices and the quantities of different commodities and products in the economy. The increase and decrease in the supply and demand fluctuates the prices and the quantities of different products. The market has a certain balance between various elements and all this symmetry is affected by the variation in the pattern of supply and demand. Various replacements and substitutions play role in adjusting the balance of the market and the prices and their elasticity are also affected by these. Furthermore all this has an effect on the society. Basically four market systems are there. Varied roles are played by the economists in different markets. Explain what causes changes in supply and demand A market is a place where various products are bought and sold. At times there is too much quantity of a certain good is present in the market then it is said that the supply of that good is high. When a product is produced and the capability and eagerness to sell this product is there at a certain price in a certain time period then this is known as supply of that product. Similarly when there is a capability and eagerness to buy a certain product at a certain price in a certain period is known as the demand of that product. The income is traded in return of various jobs and tasks. Likewise if we have a demand of any particular product we offer money in order to buy it. Market equilibrium is basically where the demand of any product is almost equal to the supply of the product. At this stage the prices for such a product are the most suitable for it. Whereas if there is too much supply and the demand for a product is comparatively low then the consumers will pay less for that product. Similarly if there is too much demand of any product but the market has a less supply of that product then the price of such a product goes high and the buyers are willing to pay even more for it. Therefore in order to maintain the market equilibrium it is better to bring the supply equal to demand and vice versa. Determine how changes in price and quantity influence market equilibrium Steven Tomilison defines equilibrium (Understanding Market Equilibrium, Determining A Competitive Equilibrium, p1,) as a state where there is no propensity to change. Market equilibrium is a stage where the prices and quantity of any product remains constant and endure the pressure by the buyers and the sellers. Here the supply of a product is basically similar to the demand of the product. This equilibrium is disturbed when there because of undue pressure a change is brought about in the prices or quantity of any product. What actually happens is that there maybe less demand of a product where the sellers might bring in too much of the product in the market. Here basically there is less willingness to buy a product or the demand of that product is reduced thus affecting the prices and also reducing them. Likewise if there is too much eagerness by the buyers to buy a certain product but the suppliers bring in lesser quantity in the market this will increase the demand thus increasing the prices of that product also. This all is actually bringing a change in the prices and quantity of a product thus affecting the supply and demand and bringing a change in the market equilibrium. This all can be stated that an increase in quantity decreases the prices whereas the decrease in quantity will increase the prices. Describe how the necessity of a good and the availability of substitutions impact price elasticity. Harrison (2004) defined elasticity as the flexibility to increase or decrease. When it comes to the elasticity of the prices this can be shown by a graph of price elasticity of demand or PED. This price elasticity of demand is calculated by dividing both the percentages of demand with the price. This PED is very useful. Companies are interested in them when investing in new business or starting new ventures. It gives them the idea of competitive prices and the profit margin. According to Harrison (2004) the influence or effect of the taxes and subsidies is seen by the governments by this PED. By levying more taxes on harmful products such as cigarettes or alcohol will increase its prices thus decreasing its demand. Similarly by providing a subsidy on any product will decrease the price of that product thus reducing its price and making it easier for the consumers to buy it or increased demand. Nowadays for every product there are different alternatives or substitutions present in the market. The necessity of a product will lead to finding its substitution and creates a direct relationship in them. This relationship fluctuates because of different situations and conditions of the market and the world and this is what capitalism is. Food has been described as essential and fundamental element for life by the China Agricultural Economic Review. This review describes the relationship between the supply, demand and the prices of different products in Nigeria. The domestic food prices were increased when Nigeria faced a food shortage between 1998 and 2001. To overcome this shortage different food products and livestock was imported from other countries. This increased the prices of these food products as large import bills came along with them which added up to the prices of these products. Automatically these prices were to be endured by the consumers. This resulted in large import bills. Now the domestic food prices were already high because of the shortage the imported food prices were almost similar or even higher then those products. This all brought about the elasticity in the prices and the economy was provided with elasticity. The market would have said to be inelastic if there was no shortage and the food p rices were normal and there were less imports and competition higher. http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/pqdweb?did=1657972491sid=3Fmt=6clientId=13118RQT=309VName=PQD). Market Systems and the Role of an Economist There are different types of business and likewise the market systems are also of different types. As per Mankiw (2007) the market systems can be divided into four basic types, and the markets not only in US but all over the world usually fall under one or the other categories. Majority of the economists also agree with this diversification of market systems. Monopoly is one of the market systems. As the name refers the market is dominated by a single or sole seller and usually no alternatives are present for such a product. Since there are no substitutions the competition factor is also absent. Due to the advancement in the technology and information explosion usually the monopoly of any one product is nowadays not commonly seen but still companies like cable companies, trash collectors etc. are considered to be monopolies due to the uniqueness they provide through their product or services. According to Mankiw (2007) the monopolies enjoy this state because of the low marginal value they keep. Oligopoly is another type of market system. According to Mankiw (2007) in oligopoly there are very few sellers present in the market for a certain product and action of one at times affects others also. The profits of everyone are affected by oneà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s decision. This type of competition is known as imperfect competition. Monopolistic competition is one of the market systems. As per Mankiw (2007) in this type of market system there are sellers who sell products which may be alike but cannot be considered as identical. That is their few features may be similar but they do differ from one another in other features. Again this is a type of imperfect type of market systems where the buyers are same but the products are different. Perfect competition is the fourth type of market system and as the name indicates that the competition in this type of market system is perfect. The product is absolutely same but there are a number of sellers present in the market. The competition here is too high because of the number of sellers and the price of the product is usually very near to the cost of the product. It is difficult for the sellers to gain a good margin out of such type of a market. One business can only be successful if it copes up well with the type of market system it enters. Good economists tend to understand the demand of the market system. They are well aware of the cost of the production and make efforts to offer better then its competitors. The buyers are always looking for the best with the most cost effective price. In order to earn the most of the market share one has to cut down its prices to the lowest then only it can compete successfully. Conclusion Thus the price of the product, the product itself, its buyers and sellers are the factors that affect the supply and demand of a product. The decision of the buyers regarding the quantity and their purchase is very much dependent on the price of the product. They are always willing to pay for quality but it is essential that it should be affordable for them. The increase in supply is because of too much quantity of a product present in the market, similarly the demand increases when there is not enough of the product present in the market. The price elasticity is also dependent on the importance of a good and the competition present for that good.

The Eve of St. Agnes by John Keats Essay -- The Eve of St. Agnes John

Someone once said that true love is only an illusion and can never be achieved. This is evidently shown through many elements of the poem by John Keats, â€Å"The Eve of St. Agnes.† Much of this poem is about the imagination and how it can blind people and make them oblivious to the true events that are occurring. We the readers can see this very easily through the portrayal of one of the main characters Madeline. The second main character Porphyro tries to authenticate her quest for a dream experience however ends up taking advantage of her while she thinks she is still dreaming. The poem does endorse how the power of Madeline’s visionary imagination can influence her and the others around her, but also that happenings outside of the dream can cause the person in the dream to be taken advantage of with out the dreamers knowledge. The truth is that Porphyro knows exactly what he is doing and instead of doing things in a honorable way, he decides to proceed in a dishonorable way and totally violates her visionary imagination. The night that is being spoken of in this poem is a night of dreams and imagination. It is supposed to be a mystical night in which young women have dreams of their one true love. Madeline takes this to a totally different level in that she totally succumbs to the mystical ability of the night and totally loses her mind. In that she doesn’t even know if she is still dreaming or if she is wake. Some interpretations of the poem say that she is wake and know what she is doing. However, I believe the contrary that she doesn’t know what she is doing. â€Å"Hoodwink’d with faery fancy.† (70) Most of what she does is due to the mystical feeling the night causes. A mind can play may tricks and the mind can make ... ... to trick her into doing something on a night to which she seem to have no control over, on one of the most mystical night of them all. The only reason that I can think of that she goes away with him at the end is not because she truly love him, but that she is starting to realize what she did. Now the only honorable thing to do is go away with him so that she doesn’t dishonor anyone. This is kind of ironic because it was the dishonor of Porphyro, which caused all this, and yet she is doing the honorable thing. Works Cited Page Keats, John. â€Å"The Eve of St. Agnes.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol II, Ed. MH Abrams, et al. New York; Norton 2000. Pg 834-844. Stillinger, Jack. â€Å"The Hoodwinking of Madeline: Skepticism in The Eve of St. Agnes.† Twentieth Century Interpretations of the â€Å"Eve of St. Agnes.† Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Pgs. 67-94

Lab Report: Testing How the Length of a Wire Determines its Resistance :: essays research papers

Science Coursework The Resistance of a Wire Aim: To find out how the length of a wire affects the resistance of it. Knowledge: Ohms Law is a mathematical equation that shows the relationship between Voltage, Current and Resistance in an electrical circuit. It is stated as: , V = I x R , R = V / I , I = V / R Where  · V = Voltage  · I = Current (I stands for INTENSITY)  · R = Resistance In order to understand what Ohms Law is all about you need to understand electricity and what makes Voltage, Current and Resistance in a circuit. Current Current is the movement of electrons in a circuit but "What are electrons and what makes them move?" All matter is made up of Atoms. Piece of metal made up of Atoms Each atom is made up of a nucleus that has a certain number of protons and neutrons with an equal numbers of electrons in orbit. The copper atom has 29 protons in its nucleus with 29 electrons orbiting the nucleus. The electrons are arranged in orbits called shells. Notice that in the copper atom, the outside shell has only one electron. The outer shell of any atom is called the valence shell. When the valence electron in any atom gains sufficient energy from some outside force, it can break away from the parent atom and become what is called a free electron. It is very easy to provide enough energy to cause the valence electron to become free. Some sources of energy are heat, light, magnetic fields and a voltage source. When the valence electron becomes free it leaves behind an atom that has a positive charge. Remember that the copper atom has 29 + protons and 29 electrons so if one electron leaves orbit we are left with +29 protons and 28 electrons. That means the atom has a more positive charge because of the one less electron. This is an unbalanced atom and is not natural. The atom will always try to get an electron back into the valence orbit to become normal or balanced again. This is the one fact that you should remember and try to visualize when working with electrical circuits. Electric current is the movement of electrons from one atom to another in a conductor. If you can visualize a piece of copper wire with billions of atoms and each one of them losing an electron and all the electrons jumping to other atoms, you will begin to see what current is.

How to Play Chess

Learn How to Play Chess: The Rules It's never to late to learn how to play chess – the most popular game in the world! If you are totally new to the game or even want to learn all of the rules and strategies, read on! |History of Chess |Special Rules |Chess960 | |Starting a Game |Check & Checkmate |Basic Strategies & Openings | |How the Pieces Move |Draws & Repetition |Getting Better at Chess | pic]Prefer to watch a video? Click here to learn chess with a 15 minute video! [pic] History of Chess The origins of chess are not exactly clear, though most believe it evolved from earlier chess-like games played in India almost two thousand years ago. The game of chess we know today has been around since the 15th century where it became popular in Europe. The Goal of Chess Chess is a game played between two opponents on opposite sides of a board containing 64 squares of alternating colors. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king. Checkmate happens when the king is in a position to be captured (in check) and cannot escape from capture. At the beginning of the game the chessboard is laid out so that each player has the white (or light) color square in the bottom right-hand side. The chess pieces are then arranged the same way each time. The second row (or rank) is filled with pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights next to them, followed by the bishops, and finally the queen, who always goes on her own matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square. The player with the white pieces always moves first. Therefore, players generally decide who will get to be white by chance or luck such as flipping a coin or having one player guess the color of the hidden pawn in the other player's hand. White then makes a move, followed by black, then white again, then black and so on until the end of the game. How the Chess Pieces Move Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then captured. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in case of capture, or control important squares in the game. The King The king is the most important piece, but is one of the weakest. The king can only move one square in any direction – up, down, to the sides, and diagonally. Click on the â€Å">† button in the diagram below to see how the king can move around the board. The king may never move himself into check (where he could be captured). [pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. Kd4 Kf6 2. Kd5 Kf5 3. Kd6 Ke4 4. Ke7 Kd4 5. Ke6 Kc5 6. Kf5 Kd5 7. Kf4 Ke6 8. Ke4 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | The Queen The queen is the most powerful piece. If moved she can move in any one straight direction – forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally – as far as possible as long as she does not move through any of her own pieces. And, like with all pieces, if the queen captures an opponent's piece her move is over. Click through the diagram below to see how the queens move. Notice how the white queen captures the black queen and then the black king is forced to move. [pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. Qg4 Qa8 2. Qg7 Qa2 3. Qc7 Qg8 4. Qb6 Qe6+ 5. Qxe6+ Kd8 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | The Rook The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. The rooks are particularly powerful pieces when they are protecting each other and working together! pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. Rh7 Rc8 2. Rb6 Rc1+ 3. Kd2 Ra1 4. Rb8# [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | The Bishop The bishop may move as far as i t wants, but only diagonally. Each bishop starts on one color (light or dark) and must always stay on that color. Bishops work well together because they cover up each other’s weaknesses. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. Bc4 Be7 2. Bf4 Bd7 3. Bb8 Bg4 4. Bb5+ Kf7 5. Be5 Bh5 6. Bc4+ Kg6 7. Bd3+ Kg5 8. Bh7 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | The Knight Knights move in a very different way from the other pieces – going two squares in one direction, and then one more move at a 90 degree angle, just like the shape of an â€Å"L†. Knights are also the only pieces that can move over other pieces. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. Ne2 Nc6 2. Nd2 Nf6 3. Nf 1 Ne5 4. Kf2 Nh5 5. Ne3 Nf6 6. Nf5 Ne4+ 7. Ke3 Nc5 8. Nc1 Nd7 9. Ng3 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | The Pawn Pawns are unusual because they move and capture in different ways: they move forward, but capture diagonally. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except for their very first move where they can move forward two squares. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally in front of them. They can never move or capture backwards. If there is another piece directly in front of a pawn he cannot move past or capture that piece. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. c4 dxc4 5. b3 cxb3 6. axb3 c5 7. dxc5 a5 8. f4 f6 9. g4 g5 10. fxg5 fxg5 11. h4 h6 12. h5 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | Promotion Pawns have another special ability and that is that if a pawn reaches the other side of the board it can become any other chess piece (called promotion). A pawn may be promoted to any piece. [NOTE: A common misconception is that pawns may only be exchanged for a piece that has been captured. That is NOT true. ] A pawn is usually promoted to a queen. Only pawns may be promoted. [pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. a7 f2 2. a8=Q f1=N+ 3. Kd3 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | En Passant The last rule about pawns is called â€Å"en passant,† which is French basically means â€Å"in passing†. If a pawn moves out two squares on its first move, and by doing so lands to the side of an opponent’s pawn (effectively jumping past the other pawn’s abili ty to capture it), that other pawn has the option of capturing the first pawn as it passes by. This special move must be done immediately after the first pawn has moved past, otherwise the option to capture it is no longer available. Click through the example below to better understand this odd, but important rule. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. e4 dxe3 2. dxe3 e5 3. fxe6 fxe6 4. g4 g5 5. h3 b5 6. axb6 axb6 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | Castling One other special rule is called castling. This move allows you to do two important things all in one move: get your king to safety (hopefully), and get your rook out of the corner and into the game. On a player’s turn he may move his king two squares over to one side and then move the rook from that side’s corner to right next to the king on the opposite side. (See the example below. ) In order to castle, however, it must meet the following conditions: it must be that king’s very first move it must be that rook’s very first move there cannot be any pieces between the king and rook to move the king may not be in check or pass through check [pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. O-O O-O-O [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | Notice that when you castle one direction the king is closer to the side of the board. That is called kingside. Castling to the other side, through where the queen sat, is called castling queenside. Regardless of which side, the king always moves only two squares when castling. Check and Checkmate As stated before, the purpose of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king. This happens when the king is put into check and cannot get out of check. There are only three ways a king can get out of check: move out of the way (though he cannot castle! ), block the check with another piece, or capture the piece threatening the king. If a king cannot escape checkmate then the game is over. Customarily the king is not captured or removed from the board, the game is simply declared over. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4# [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | Draws Occasionally chess games do not end with a winner, but with a draw. There are 5 reasons why a chess game may end in a draw: The position reache s a stalemate where it is one player’s turn to move, but his king is NOT in check and yet he does not have another legal move The players may simply agree to a draw and stop playing There are not enough pieces on the board to force a checkmate (example: a king and a bishop vs. a king) A player declares a draw if the same exact position is repeated three times (though not necessarily three times in a row) Fifty consecutive moves have been played where neither player has moved a pawn or captured a piece. Chess960 Chess960 (also called Fischer Random) is a chess variant that follows all of the normal rules of chess, but where the â€Å"opening theory† does not play a large role in the game. The starting position of the pieces is randomly chosen by following only 2 rules: the bishops must be on opposite colors, and there must be one rook on each side of the king. The black and white pieces are in a mirrored position. There are exactly 960 possible starting scenarios that follow these rules (thus the name â€Å"960†). The only odd rule is with castling: the rules are mostly the same (king and rook cannot have moved and cannot castle through check or in check), with the additional rule that the squares between where the king and castled rook will end up must be vacant from all pieces except the king and rook. For more info and examples, click here. Some Tournament Rules Many tournaments follow a set of common, similar rules. These rules do not necessarily apply to play at home or online. Touch-move If a player touches one of their own pieces they must move that piece as long as it is a legal move. If a player touches an opponent’s piece, they must capture that piece. A player who wishes to touch a piece only to adjust it on the board must first announce the intention, usually by saying â€Å"adjust†. Introduction to Clocks and Timers Most tournaments use timers to regulate the time spent on each game, not on each move. Each player gets the same amount of time to use for their entire game and can decide how to spend that time. Once a player makes a move they then touch a button or hit a lever to start the opponent’s clock. If a player runs out of time and the opponent calls the time, then the player who ran out of time loses the game (unless the opponent does not have enough pieces to checkmate, in which case it is a draw). Click here to watch two players quickly playing a timed game of chess! Basic Strategy There are four simple things that every chess player should know: [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nxd5 Nf6 5. Nxc7+ Kd8 6. Nxa8 Ne4 7. f3 Bf5 8. fxe4 Bxe4 [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | #1 Protect your king Get your king to the corner of the board where he is usually safer. Don’t put off castling. You should usually castle as quickly as possible. Remember, it doesn’t matter how close you are to checkmating your opponent if your own king is checkmated first! #2 Don’t give pieces away Don’t carelessly lose your pieces! Each piece is valuable and you can’t win a game without pieces to checkmate. There is an easy system that most players use to keep track of the relative value of each chess piece: A pawn is worth 1 A knight is worth 3 A bishop is worth 3 A rook is worth 5 A queen is worth 9 The king is infinitely valuable At the end of the game these points don’t mean anything – it is simply a system you can use to make decisions while playing, helping you know when to capture, exchange, or make other moves. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] 8 a b c d e f g 8 h 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 a b c d e f g h 1 pawn  promotion [pic][pic][pic][pic] 1. e4 a6 2. d4 h5 3. Nf3 Rh6 4. Bxh6 Nxh6 5. Bc4 b6 6. O-O f6 7. Nc3 g6 8. Re1 Bg7 9. Qd3 Bb7 10. Rd1 Qc8 11. e5 Qd8 12. Qxg6+ Kf8 13. exf6 Bxf6 14. Qxh6+ Ke8 15. Qg6+ Kf8 16. Qf7# [pic] Copy/paste the code below into your webpage or blog html to display this game: [pic] |HELPRESTARTSOLUTION |P|| | |FLIP|SHARE |ANALYZE |PGN | | | | | #3 Control the center You should try and control the center of the board with your pieces and pawns. If you control the center, you will have more room to move your pieces and will make it harder for your opponent to find good squares for his pieces. In the example below white makes good moves to control the center while black plays bad moves. #4 Use all of your pieces In the example above white got all of his pieces in the game! Your pieces