Publisher: BookRix
If your FIDE rating is between 1200 and 2200, this can be the book for you! It contains a healthy mixture of chess patterns and psychology. Both should be useful if you face a chess master over the board. If you play without them however you will lose. In addition you may find some humor ;)
When Sir Henry Cooper died in May 2011, the depth of affection in the tributes was a testament to his remarkable popularity. Put simply, Henry Cooper was the nation's favourite boxer: a gentleman and a great sportsman of whom Muhammad Ali - famously floored by Enery's 'Ammer in 1963 - remarked, 'Henry Cooper hit me so hard my ancestors in Africa felt it.' Sir Henry's popularity transcended boxing and he became an even bigger national hero in the years after his retirement from the ring in 1971, raising millions of pounds for charity with unstinting efforts recognised and rewarded with a knighthood. During his fighting career he was the only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright, was undefeated European and Empire champion and the British title-holder for more than eleven years. Originally planned as an autobiography, and written with the blessing of Henry's two sons, A Hero for All Time is a well-informed and detailed biography that puts his life and extraordinary boxing career into fresh focus. It includes in-depth summaries of his major fights, with new commentaries from Henry himself. Featuring many previously untold stories about his boxing career, it paints an intimate portrait of a man whose courage, skill and sportsmanship lifted him into the land of sporting legend.Show book
Are you an SAFC brain-box? If so, then put that claim to the test in the Black Cats Quiz Book. If not, well you'll be well on the way to being one after having a bit of fun testing yourself and your friends. There are 100 quizzes and 1000 questions on all aspects of the red and whites, compiled by Sunderland AFC club historian Rob Mason. Right up to date with questions on the 2017-18 season, the quizzes kick-off with the traditional number one, goalkeepers, and finish with Super Kev - and he was a good finisher. The Black Cats Quiz Book covers the entire history of the club, ancient and modern. Full of fascinating facts and featuring the all-time greats as well as those of fleeting moments of fame, the Black Cats Quiz Book is something for you to dip into every now and then - but the chances are, you won't be able to put it down as you see just how much of an SAFC brain-box you really are.Show book
South Africa is a land of contrasts, as the tourist brochures promise, and this is true for the game of rugby. From the Pretoria heartland to the aspirant Eastern Cape, from the hardscrabble Cape Flats to the islands of privilege at Bishops and Grey College. No other rugby-playing nation has to grapple with so much diversity. Different languages, classes, races and cultures - each bearing the wounds of the country's fractured past - have to be melded into winning teams. Liz McGregor has spent the past three years shadowing Currie Cup, Super 14 and Springbok teams across the country, and has come to the conclusion that it is this very diversity, combined with the pain of the past and the dreams of a great united future, that provide the elusive alchemy that separates a good team from a great one. Touch, Pause, Engage! is more than a book about rugby. It is an intimate look at how South Africa's erstwhile elite is adapting to its new circumstances. Team South Africa has been through many a maul and bruising scrum, but is inching closer and closer to the tryline. Liz McGregor is a veteran author and journalist who started off her career on leading South African newspapers and subsequently moved to Britain where she worked for the Guardian for several years. Her first book, Khabzela: The Life and Times of a South African, laid bare the complex reasoning behind a DJ's refusal to take medication to stave off AIDS. She has co-edited and contributed to two collections of essays: At Risk and Load-shedding.Show book
This look at the connections between sportsmanship and statesmanship “introduces an intriguing way of evaluating presidential fitness for office” (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Whether throwing out the first pitch of the baseball season, fishing for trout, or cheating at golf, American presidents through history have had connections to the world of sports in many ways. This book explores how various commanders-in-chief worked and played—and how their athletic activities reflected their political identities. The author considers George Washington, whose athleticism contributed to his success on the battlefield and perhaps to the birth of the republic. He moves into the nineteenth century, when frontier sports were part of the formative years of Jackson, Lincoln, and Cleveland. With twentieth-century presidents—most notably the hyperactive, headline-grabbing Teddy Roosevelt—he shows how the growth of mass media and transportation transformed presidential sports into both a form of recreation and a means of establishing a positive image. Exploring everything from FDR’s fight to restore his polio-ravaged body to Eisenhower’s obsessive love affair with golf to Nixon’s enthusiasm for football, this book uses sports to open a window onto the presidency and the nation’s culture, as well as the strengths, weaknesses, and personalities of America’s leaders. “Watterson’s history rises above trivia in its attention to the political ramifications of presidents’ sports while also being a consistently entertaining trove of lore and, as the author puts it, ‘just weird stuff,’ such as John Q. Adams granting an interview while skinny-dipping. A wry and perceptive work.” —Booklist “An enjoyable study of politics and culture.” —Publishers Weekly “Will appeal to history buffs and sports fans alike.” —Library JournalShow book
Case Keenum has traveled one of the most unique paths in the NFL. Recruited by just one college, undrafted, and released three times, Case has overcome every obstacle to become a successful starting quarterback. In 2017, Keenum captured America’s imagination by leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 13-3 record and an NFC North title. His game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of their divisional playoff game against the Saints, the "Minneapolis Miracle," made Case part of NFL history. Keenum shares stories from every stage of his life, starting out as a ball boy for his father’s college team in West Texas, going on to win a state title in high school, and rewriting the NCAA record book at the University of Houston. A devastating knee injury almost derailed his football career, but helped him get closer to the woman who would soon become his wife. Throughout his story, Case will explain how being a Christian helped him navigate the winding path to success. No matter what obstacle has been placed in front of him, Case believes God has a plan for him. That’s why he plays football and that’s why he’s writing this book: To glorify God and to help others who face adversity in their everyday life. “Am I a football player who happens to be a Christian?” Case writes, "No, I’m a Christian who happens to be a football player. That’s my calling. That’s my defining characteristic. Once I realized that, everything else fell into place. I became a better football player and, more importantly, a better person.”Show book
In 1988, Stephen Venables became the first Briton to summit Everest without oxygen. Everest: Alone at the Summit is the story of his thrilling journey. Near-impossible challenges are conquered with determination and strength, and the experience of an expedition on the world's highest mountain is recounted in a refreshingly honest light. The Kangshung Face remains the least frequented of Everest's flanks due to its narrow gullies, hanging glaciers and steep rock buttresses. This, however, did not deter Venables and his team of three international climbers, Ed Webster, Robert Anderson and Paul Teare, who not only attempted this dangerous route, but did so without the use of supplementary oxygen – testing boundaries, exploring the unknown and pushing the limits of human endurance. ' … I forced my mind to concentrate on directing all energy to those two withered legs. The effort succeeded and I managed six faltering steps down the slope, sat back for a rest, then took six steps more, then again six steps. It was going to be a long tedious struggle, but I knew now that I was going to make it.' Venables' account of survival and success is fully immersive. He details the highs – the unique bonds made on the mountain, the stunning scenery, and the triumph of reaching the summit – as well as the lows: the threat of deadly high-altitude illness, turbulent weather and the exhaustion-induced hallucinations. Throughout it all, Venables' drive to keep going amidst hardship and his willingness to succeed is powerful – readers will find themselves invested in this extraordinary narrative from the start. As Lord Hunt, the leader of Everest's 1953 expedition, observes in the foreword: 'People who, in this age of ease and plenty, pause to reflect upon the reason why some prefer to do things the hard way, could hardly do better than read this book.'Show book
