Marshmallow test
(Delayed gratification)
Did you know that Stamford University conducted a study in 1970 about delayed gratification? Scientists asked little children to wait for 15 minutes without eating marshmallows, pretzels and cookies in return for more sweets if they wait. In the follow up study, 10 years later the kids who waited and not engaged in eating straight away were found to be more competent in life
Soyuz-9 mission in 1970 to investigate the physical and mental endurance of a man in space.
Did you know that it was Russian space mission Soyuz-9 (Soyuz means Union in Russian) that played chess in space with the Ground Crew in 1970 for a first time ever? The cosmonauts played whites. The games started during the orbit flight number 141 and ended during 144th. One of the cosmonauts, Vitaly Sevastianov later became a President of the Soviet Chess Federation and in 1985 became an International Arbiter for the World Chess Federation. In 1986 he was also awarded honorary membership of the World Chess Federation. The game of chess was commemorated in a stamp issued soon after the flight.
The history of the word “checkmate”
The word “checkmate” derives from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat” which means “the King is Dead”.
Even though by definition in the game of chess, a king can’t die, the game is lost when the king is put in checkmate.