- Grand master
- Good fortune
Tani was diligent in studying chess, and his skill increased rapidly. He practiced every evening on his father's laptop and attended three-hour practices every Saturday.
In March of 2019, Tani won the New York State chess championship, completing the whole competition without losing a match. He dreams of becoming the youngest chess grand master.
A New York Times columnist wrote an article about Tani, and many readers wanted to help his family. Several people offered them housing, and lawyers offered to help with their immigration hearings for free.
A week later, over US$200,000 had been raised to help them. Within a week, Tani was running through his family's apartment exclaiming, "I have a home!"
But Tani's family doesn't plan to keep their good fortune to themselves. They are giving ten percent of the money raised to their church, which had helped them when they were struggling. The rest of the money will go to other African immigrants who need help. "God has already blessed me," Tani's father said. "I want to release my blessing to others."
Language Lab
laptop n. (=notebook)
- I checked my email inbox on my laptop, but your email hasn't come in yet.
- Samuel spends hours writing music on his laptop every day.
desktop n.
- Many still prefer desktops because they're easier on eyes and elbows.
columnist n.
a person who writes a newspaper or magazine column
- The columnist is well-respected for his objective political views.
column n.
an article in a newspaper or magazine that appears regularly and that is written by a particular writer or deals with a particular subject
- After the bill was passed, several major columnists addressed the issue in the next day's newspaper.
- Teresa writes a gourmet column for a local newspaper.
gourmet n.
/ˈguɚˌmeɪ/
a person who enjoys and knows a lot about good food and wine
- a gourmet meal [=a meal of very high quality; a meal that appeals to gourmets]
exclaim n.
/ɪkˈskleɪm/
to say (something) in an enthusiastic or forceful way
- "Stop it!" she exclaimed as the bully continued to push her toward the door.
- Daniel exclaimed in disbelief when he heard the girl's story.
exclamation n.
/ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃən/
a sharp or sudden cry : a word, phrase, or sound that expresses a strong emotion
- The girl jumped up and down with an exclamation of surprise when she saw the new bike.
blessing n.
something that helps you or brings happiness
- My mom always says: "Count your blessings!" when I complain.
- It's a blessing that none of the passengers were injured in the accident.
bless v.
to make (something or someone) holy by saying a special prayer
- We're very blessed to have two lovely kids.
Info Cloud
Topic: check /checkmate
Welcome to info cloud. Chess is a game played around the world and has some common English expressions that is produced.
You’re right about that. Two terms that come to mind are the words, check and checkmate.
Check is said near the end of a chess match, it indicates that the opponent’s king is being attacked and if nothing is done, they’ll lose the game.
In casual conversation, someone might say “check,” to express that they have done something to bring them closer to success.
But we more often hear someone used the term, checkmate, a player says this at the very end of a match to say that their opponent has lost.
We can also use this word in casual conversation to indicate that we have achieved victory.
One other chess term used in daily life is the word, pawn.
The pawn is the least valuable piece in chess and it’s often sacrificed to protect more important pieces or advanced their player’s strategy.
And because of this, we often describe someone being used by another person or entity as a pawn.
Then it isn’t the real person making decisions, he’s just a pawn.
The game of a chess offers us a good way to sharpen our thinking skills as well as some phrases to make our English even more colorful.
