Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of dynamite, was a chemist, engineer, businessman and, most memorably, philanthropist; he was also a scholar, fluent in Russian, French, English and German. Above all, he loved poetry.
“Chess combines intellectual and emotional discipline – both of which are desperately needed in this irrational time. At the same time chess requires players to be polite and have decorum.”
-- Gene Kalish, organizer of the Berkshire Hills Chess Club
