Playing Chess in English

Chess (ajedrez) has fascinated people for hundreds of years and some very great people have been chess players, including emperor Napoleon.

Where and when did it start ?  No one knows for certain, but it is now widely believed that it was invented in India about the sixth century AD, and spread (extendió) from there to Western Europe. Some changes were made to the rules in the fifteenth century, giving us the game in its present form.

The game itself is a medieval battle between two royal families, each trying to trap the other's king. It is played by two players only, on a board with sixty-four squares . It should be placed so that each player has a white square in the bottom right-hand corner of the board. One player has the white pieces and the other has the black ones. The players move alternatively and the player with the white pieces always has the first move.No one is allowed to miss a move at chess.

Another important rule of chess is the touch move rule. Once a player has touched a piece he must move it, and if he has put it down and taken his hand off it, then the move is complete and he cannot change his mind.

Each player has sixteen chessmen: eight pieces and eight pawns.

Now check this vocabulary and  its equivalent in Spanish and start playing chess in English !

pawn = peón.

The pawns are the least valuable of the pieces.

knight =  literalmente"caballero" .  En el ajedrez español "el caballo".

The knight moves three squares in the shape of an L.

bishop = literalmente "obispo"  . En español "el alfil".

The bishops move diagonally .

rook =  la torre .

Rooks move in straight lines .

queen= reina.

The queen can move in any direction.

king = rey.

The king can only move one square in any direction.

castling =enrocarse.

It is better to castle early in the game. 

pawn promotion=transformar un peón en otra pieza.

The pawn was promoted to queen.

check = jaque.

"Check ! Your king is under direct attack."

checkmate=jaque mate.

"Checkmate !   You lost the game! "

stalemate= tablas ( por "ahogar" al rey) .

A taste of Ireland

The Irish are a hospitable nation who love socializing and good food and drink form part of this. They believe in simple, hearty (copiosa) cuisine with lots of meat, potatoes and root vegetables. (tubérculos) Visitors will remember the big breakfasts and tea and cakes in the afternoon, plus the salmon, trout (trucha), oysters (ostras) and a glass or two of a certain stout (cerveza negra) beginning with the letter G.

Ballymalloe

You cannot underestimate (subestimar) the importance of the potato in Irish history. It was introduced in the sixteenth century and soon became the most important crop (cultivo) in the country. But when the potato crop failed, poor farmers (granjeros) died of famine (hambruna) and millions more emigrated to the United States. It is eaten almost every day, and used in cakes too. It is an essential ingredient in classic stews,(estofados) for example Irish Stew, Ballymalloe in Gaelic. This is made with lamb chops,(costillas de cordero) potatoes and onions and cooked slowly in the oven.(horno) This was left cooking when everyone was working in the fields. When they returned home it was ready to eat.

Pub Culture

You have probably noticed (fijarse) that there seems to be an Irish bar in every town in the world. But these are often poor imitations of a real Irish pub. Pub culture is a very important part of society and in rural communities the village pub is the centre of all social life. Men (and many women) drink pints of stout (only tourists ask for half a pint (media pinta). Make sure you buy a round (ronda) for everyone in your group. Smoking was banned (prohibido) in all pubs in Ireland last year, but the effects were not as apocalyptic as many people had predicted, and has made them more pleasant places for non-smokers.

Oysters and Guinness

With its long coastline,(litoral) it is not surprising that Ireland has excellent fish and seafood.(marisco) Salmon, trout, prawns,(gambas) mussels (mejillones) and oysters are some of its specialities. In fact there is a festival dedicated exclusively to oysters. The Galway International Oyster Festival is more than fifty years old and attracts visitors from different countries.

Barmbrack

The Irish love cakes, and one of their favourites is Barmbrack. It is made with dried fruit soaked (frutos secos en remojo) overnight (toda la noche) in tea. Originally it was a cake that was eaten at Halloween and contained a pea,(guisante) a piece of cloth,(un trozo de tela) a stick (palillo) and a ring.(anillo) The person who received a piece with the ring would be married before a year had passed! Now it is served all year with butter and lots of tea. Maybe you will still find a ring in your slice!

  Try our recipe of Barmbrack and surprise your guests with a delicious Irish dessert!    

Using Connectors in Essays 2

Last week we talked about connectors used to add and balance contrasting ideas. Today we will talk about connectors used to emphasise a contrast and give examples. It is difficult to remember all the connectors, so we will focus on the most frequently used ones and illustrate their usefulness in an essay situation. We will then test your connecting skills.

Emphasising a Contrast

There are other connectors that are used to emphasize two contrasting ideas. The most common are however and nevertheless. Both would be translated as sin embargo, but the latter is used in more formal situation. Here are some examples of their use:

This is not, however, the best method of doing things.
I thought it was an excellent plan. Nevertheless, everyone ignored my advice.

Giving Examples

The main connectors for giving particular examples are for example and for instance. You can use in particular to emphasize the one thing that is especially important. Here are some examples:

a. The weather has been very hot throughout (X) Spain. For instance/For example in Granada, the temperatures reached 43ºC.
b. I really loved the film. In particular I liked Penélope Cruz’s acting.

 Using Connectors In An Essay

 Now you know the most important connectors, let’s put them into an essay that compares two different types of summer holiday.

Holidays on the Beach or in the Mountains?

Choosing a destination for your summer holidays is often a difficult decision. In Barcelona many people like to escape from the hot humid conditions that frequently occur during the summer months. During August, many Catalans leave their city residences and descend in their thousands to spend their holidays on the beach, whilst others prefer the mountains. Clearly, there are arguments for and against each type of holiday.

Beach holidays in Catalonia are not only popular with the Spanish people, but also with people who come from colder countries such as the UK and Germany on package holidays.( vacaciones organizadas) They like to return to their countries with a golden suntan (bronceado) from the guaranteed Spanish sunshine on the beaches. The Coast Brava’s Callela or Tossa de Mar, for example, provide a paradise for sun worshippers. (devotos del sol ) In addition to going to the beach, holidaymakers can swim in the sea and do more energetic activities that help keep them fit and healthy, for instance swimming, snorkelling, or scuba diving. Furthermore, there is usually vibrant nightlife in the seaside resorts that appeal to many people. For example, these resorts have discos, bars and nightlife to keep the tourists entertained throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning.

However, beach holidays do not appeal to everyone’s taste. Some people find it incredibly boring to lie on the beach all day and hate having to listen to disco music every night. Catalonia also provides many wonderful places to enjoy the mountains, especially the Pyrenees. There tourists explore the mountainous terrain by doing various activities. They can go trekking along mountain trails, while those looking for a challenge (reto) can do some rock climbing. Moreover, the tourist can enjoy the excitement of mountain biking. All these activities enable people to admire the breathtaking ( impresionante, que quita el aliento ) scenery, the abundant wildlife, such as birds, butterflies and mammals, or different types of mountain flower. As well as this, some tourists can enjoy the greater tranquillity and cleaner air that mountainous regions bring. At night, you can go camping and see the stars more clearly, whereas in the beach resorts there is too much light pollution from the streetlights, shops and hotels. Maybe you may be fortunate enough to see a shooting star! 

So are beach holidays better than mountain holidays? Personally, I would vote for mountain holidays because of the greater tranquillity they bring. On the other hand, I enjoy the seaside once in a while  if the place is not too packed (lleno) and like to do different water sports. If, however, you and the rest of your family or friends cannot decide between a mountain and beach holiday, the simplest solution is to spend half of the holiday in the mountains and the other half by the beach.

Connectors Test

 Here’s our test on connectors. Just fill in the gaps with one of the appropriate words . Good luck!

however/ in addition /while/ in particular

1. Barcelona won the Champions League.__________   they won the Spanish league.(adding ideas)
2. Mediterranean food is  the best in the world,________olive oil, salads and pasta. (giving examples)
3. John plays the piano,__________ Ben plays the guitar in the band. (balancing contrasting ideas)
4 Margaret is a schoolteacher who works 45 hours a week. ___________, she gets a ten week summer holiday. (emphasising contrasting ideas)

Solutions: 1. In addition 2. in particular 3. while 4. however

Saint George and the Dragon

Saint George was a knight and was born in Cappadocia. One time he came to the city of Silene in the province of Libya. Near this city was a pond (estanque) where there was a dragon which was poisoning (envenenando) all the country. Whenever he approached (acercaba) the city he poisoned the people with his breath (aliento), and therefore the people of the city gave to him every day two sheep to eat, so that he would do no harm (daño) to the people. When they ran out of sheep, he was given a man and a sheep. Then an ordinance (ordenanza) was made that the children and young people of the town should be chosen by lottery to feed (alimentar) the dragon. Whoever the lot fell upon, wealthy or poor, he or she was delivered (entregado) to the dragon.

 This continued until the king's daughter was selected. The king tried to bargain (negociar) his way out of it, but the townspeople were adamant (firmes) that she should be delivered to the dragon just as many of their children had been. Then did the king embraced (abrazó) her, kissed her and gave her his benediction, and after, led her to the place where the dragon was.

George, who was passing, asked the lady what was happening. She told him about the dragon and begged (suplicó) him to leave before it appeared because the dragon would kill him too.

 

Then said S. George:

Fair daughter, doubt ye no thing hereof for I shall help thee in the name of Jesu Christ.  She said: For God's sake, good knight, go your way, and abide not with me, for ye may not deliver me.

Thus as (mientras) they spoke together the dragon appeared and came running to them, and S. George was upon his horse, and drew out (blandió) his sword and garnished him (adornado) with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him, and smote him (le golpeó) with his spear (lanza) and hurt him sore and threw him to the ground. And after said to the maid:  Deliver to me your girdle (faja) and bind it (átala) about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard.(no tengas miedo)

The princess led the defeated (derrotado) dragon into the city, causing much panic and alarm until George told the people not to be afraid: "Ne doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to be baptized (sed bautizados) and I shall slay (mataré) the dragon."

The king was baptised (bautizado), followed by all his people, whereupon (con lo cual) George killed the dragon and its body thrown (lanzado) into the fields.

The king set up a church of Our Lady and Saint George. On the site there sprang up  (brotó) "a fountain of living water, which healeth (curaba) sick people that drink thereof (que bebia de ella) ".