Casse-tête The Legend of Zelda : Master Sword ******

Chess set inspired by the models in vogue during the 50's and 60's in the Eastern countries. The two-coloured pieces bring a special touch, but the set remains quite classical with the ultra sober design of the pieces. The set of pieces is made of acacia wood and boxwood, they are all well weighted for an excellent grip and benefit from a felt underneath for a perfect glide and a comfort of use when moving the pieces. The king measures 9.5 cm and the rook 5.5 cm, the ideal sizes for the chess board we have used it on. The board is made of Padouk wood, it measures 53 cm and each square is 5.5 cm.

Simen Agdestein was awarded the title of chess grandmaster at the age of eighteen, the youngest in the world at the time. Two years later he wrote in his diary that he believed he could become the best in the world.

But chess wasn"t his only passion. He also excelled at football and was selected nine times for the Norwegian national team. Foreign clubs wanted to sign him as a professional.

Simen Agdestein"s combined careers are unique and amazing. "I can"t choose between my left and my right arm", he once said of the choice between chess and football.

His international football career was cut short when he refused to play for Norway in a World Cup qualifier against Scotland. He opted instead to play Garry Kasparov in a chess tournament in Belgrade. A few years later, a knee injury put an end to his footballing dreams.

These days Agdestein is a coach and teacher at the Norwegian College for Top Athletes, a fertile breeding ground where his most successful pupil, Magnus Carlsen, also attended. Agdestein continues to compete in chess. In 2023 he won the Norwegian Championship for the ninth time, 41 years after his first successful bid.

Games and Goals is a gripping biography of a unique double talent, revealing his insecurities and ambitions, his doubts and dreams. The author had access to Agdestein"s private letters and diaries and conducted numerous interviews with relatives, friends and Agdestein himself.

UITVERKOCHT

The history of the Queen’s Gambit is connected with the very beginnings of modern chess, the opening being cited in the earliest published books on the science of the game, such as the Göttingen manuscript (1490) and the books of Ruy Lopez (1561) and Salvio (1604). The so-called Queen’s Gambit Declined – or Refused – is, together with the Slav, the main defense in the universe of queenside openings, and shares with the aforementioned defense a well-earned reputation for being a reliable and very solid scheme.

The main aim of the present work is to show that Black can indeed obtain positions where all three results are possible. The Queen’s Gambit Declined, about a century after its golden age, is still a reliable and lively defense, where despite all the theory developed during its long existence it still holds secrets for analysts and offers new positions to enjoy a lively game, both strategically and tactically. 620 pages Hardcover