LAWN TENNIS

Brief history
The origins of Tennis can be well traced to a 12th–13th-century French
handball game called jeu de paume (“game of the palm”). It has been referred
to as the immediate offspring which was invented in the 11th century in
France.
The evolution of this medieval monument can be traced to initially being
played with bare hands, like the 16th century which witnessed the invention of
the racket and the distinct scoring model. This led to tennis directly, with its
name being traced back to the French word “tenez!”, Which you had to say to
your opponent at the point where you wanted to serve. The fame of tennis
quickly overtook that of croquet in England.
This ancient game is still enjoyed to a large extent and is usually referred
to as real tennis in Britain, royal tennis in Australia, and court tennis in the
United States. It is noteworthy that tennis is still formally referred to as lawn
tennis in Britain although it can now be played on various surfaces.
In the 1870s, it was designed and codified in England. Tennis was
initially known as lawn tennis because it was usually played on grass courts by
ladies and gentlemen of the Victorian era.
During that time, they wore long sleeved dresses while playing. Charlotte
Cooper at the age of 23, was dressed like this the first time she won her first
Wimbledon title in 1895. Charlotte Cooper became one of the first female
players to carry out a service by throwing the ball up before hitting it, amidst
her counterparts who were still underhand. She was as unique as an attacker
in that she was found always making use of any opportunity to score. She was
the winner of the final of mixed doubles along with Reginald Frank Doherty.
Her performance was outstanding; she won women’s singles in 1900
against France’s Helene Prevost, 6-1, 6-4, and changed history by becoming
the first woman to have her name written for an individual event. Welsh Major
Walter Clopton Wingfield had published his book A Portable Court of Playing
Tennis in 1874, this was the defining work in terms of stratifying lawn tennis,
and in 1877, the first Wimbledon tournament took place.
Tennis in the 1880s was strongly dominated by the magnificent twin
brothers William and Ernest Renshaw. William who won the Wimbledon singles
championship seven different times, in three instances beating his brother in
the finals. Ernest, however, was victorious once, and when they both
partnered, they won the doubles championship, which first took place at
Oxford in 1879, this they won seven times.
Basic skills
For anyone who wants to start playing tennis, it’s important to know all
the different ways you can hit the ball over the net. And for any who have
played – whether you’re still a beginner or a competitive player – there are
always ways to improve your technique.
It’s important to know the basic tennis strokes because this is the
foundation of your on-court game. How you’re able to generate power and hone
in your accuracy is going to play a huge role in how practice or a match will go.

Serve
We wouldn’t be able to have tennis without the serve – it’s the start of
everything! The general idea when it comes to the use of your body to make a
serve happen will generally be the same, but it’s also important to know your
body, what works well, and what doesn’t work as well for you specifically.
Anyone can tell you that the most frustrating part of an unsuccessful
serve is hitting the ball straight into the net. This video will help you prevent
that from happening more times than not.
Forehand
A player’s forehand is usually their strongest shot on the tennis court.
Why is that? Well, it’s because this particular stroke typically involves a
player’s dominant hand doing most of the work. Other key components of a
successful forehand stroke are to have sound footwork, make sure your racket
is prepared for impact, and to stay balanced.
There’s no tennis player on the planet that doesn’t want their forehand to
be both effortless and powerful. Learn some of the basics to making that a
reality with this video.
Backhand
There are two variations of a backhand – a one-handed shot and two-
handed shot.
One-handed backhands typically provide you with longer reach, while
also being the best way to handle shots coming into your body. On the other
side of the coin, two-handed backhands provide more control and stability. It’s
also common for players to have an easier time successfully hitting high balls
with this variation.

Not sure which one is the best fit for you? Try them both out! That’s the only
way you’ll know which one feels the most natural. Once you get the form down
of the one you like the most, you’re able to add things, like some topspin.
Volley
The keys to successfully volleying a ball back over the net is to have a
compact backswing while making sure you’re making contact with the ball in
front (and to the side) of your body, along with maintaining sound footwork.
Most of the work comes before the actual shot, so it’s imperative that you put
yourself in the proper positioning.
Overhead
Last but most certainly not least, we have the overhead stroke, which
looks very similar to a serve. The main differences, though, are that you don’t
need to toss a tennis ball up in the air and it requires more footwork. To make
contact with the ball in your ideal strike zone – which will be the same place it
is for your serve – you must be able to anticipate where the ball is going to be
so you’re able to get into position.
Equipment
The racket is of course one of the most important aspects of tennis
equipment. Tennis rackets come in many different sizes and shapes. Certain
rackets are better for certain types of players and the pros do customize their
rackets quite a bit.
Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that a good player is a good
player no matter what type of racket he uses and the same is true for a bad
player.
Tennis Strings
There are so many different types of tennis strings, it is impossible to
keep track of the developments! At the pro level strings can play a big role and
Luxilon strings have certainly had an influence on how the professional game
is played these days!
It is important to remember though that for most recreational players the
type of string does not matter nearly as much as most people believe!
Tennis Balls
 Tennis players are already confused with choosing rackets and strings
but nowadays there is also a big variety on tennis balls available. Balls usually
vary in pressure and the amount of felt that surrounds the core. I have no
particular recommendation as for which balls to play with. Use a ball that you
are comfortable playing with.
One thing to keep in mind though is that it takes a little while to get used
to a certain ball. Therefore, if you have a tournament or league match coming
up I highly recommend finding out which balls are used and practicing with
those beforehand!
Tennis Grips
The grip on a tennis racket also comes in different forms. You can either
use a leather grip, like the ones that are usually on the racket when you buy it
or you can put a grip on top, which is called an overgrip. The leather ones are
more expensive to replace but they also last a lot longer. If you use a leather
grip or an overgrip is simply a matter of feel and preference.
Is important though to have the right size of grip on your tennis racket. If
you are unsure, I highly recommend that you go into a tennis store near you
and have an expert recommend the right grip size for you! Do not order a
racket over the Internet until you have found out the right grip size for yourself!
Vibration Dampeners
Many tennis players play with so-called vibration dampers in their
strings. These dampers change the sound when you hit the ball. Some pros
play with dampers and other play without. Again, I believe it is a matter of
personal preference and whatever you are used to. It will not influence what
the ball does when you hit it!
String Savers
Tennis strings used to be very expensive and many players used so-
called string savers to make strings last longer. Nowadays strings are not that
expensive anymore and string savers are not used as much. They are great
though when you are playing in a tournament and you want to avoid switching
rackets because of a broken string!
Sweat bands
In hotter climates sweat bands can be very important for tennis players.
Getting sweat on your grip can be really annoying!
Wrist Assist
 One great device to work on your strokes is the wrist assist. It helps you
keep your wrist laid back throughout contact. This will help you hit clean
shots!
Ball Machines
A tennis ball machine can be a great way to work on your game! I am a
big fan of ball machines to work on your technique. In order to really improve a
stroke, you need tons of repetitions of the new motion and a great way to do
that is with the ball machine.
Rules of the game
Even if you’ve both geared up and warmed up, you still need to know all
the tennis basics before you step onto the court and play. You can use any
combination of tennis grips (like the Semi-Western or Continental grip) and
moves like drop shots, lobs, backhand volleys, or forehand strokes to try and
win each point. However, learning all the fundamentals of tennis is imperative
to play your best tennis:
Keep it inside the lines- For singles tennis, the serve must always land over
the net, and within the opponent’s opposite service box (the box on either side
of the center mark at the service line, also known as the “T”). If the ball hits the
net and still lands in the proper service box, it’s called a “let,” and the server
gets to start over from the first serve again. Even if the ball technically lands
outside the box, as long as any part of it still touches the line, it is still in-play.
During a rally, the ball must stay within the singles court boundaries, which
are the inner sidelines. For doubles tennis, the outer alleys are in-play.
However, most beginner players won’t have a line judge present, so they must
call the ball out or raise their finger if the ball lands outside the lines.
Keep score- Tennis has a unique scoring system, and it’s important to keep
track of your points to determine who will win (and which side you should be
serving from). The server always says their score first, even if it is lower than
their opponent’s. For example, if the server loses the first three points in a row,
the score is love-40.
Avoid touching the net- You can rush the net and perform any volleying
maneuver you like. However, if any part of you or your racket physically
touches the net at any time during a point, you automatically lose. The net is
the equal divider between both sides, and any alteration to its positioning, even
accidental, is not allowed.
Hold onto your racket- Your racket must stay in your hands at all times. If
you drop or throw the racket at the ball, you will lose the point. You can only
return the ball with your racket and no other part of your body. However, the
ball doesn’t necessarily have to touch the racket face—it’s still in-play even if it
hits the handle or triangle as well.
Hit the ball after one bounce- Once the ball bounces twice, the point is over.
Similarly, you can only hit the ball once as well. Even if you clip the ball and it
lands in front of you again, the point is over if the ball doesn’t reach your
opponent’s side.
A ball in the air is a ball in play- Even if your opponent is well behind the
baseline in “out” territory, if they make contact with the ball or it hits a part of
their body before the bounce, it’s still in-play. A ball can’t be called until it
bounces.
Win by two- Both games and points must be won by two in a tennis match. In
the event of a tie, where both players each win six games in a set resulting in a
score of 6-6, a tiebreak is introduced. This is where players must face off in a
seven-point mini-match. The players switch sides after each serve point, and
the end of the court when the sum of the points equals six or multiples thereof.
The first player to reach seven points (leading by two) wins. If the tiebreaker
occurs in the last set, the points are instead played first to 10, and the winning
player must still win by two points.
How to score
Part of learning the basics of tennis involves knowing how to keep score.
Tennis scoring seems confusing at first but is relatively simple once you get the
hang of it. There are six games in a set, and most sets are played best out of
three (unless it is men’s professional tennis, in which case the sets are best out
of five). Players must win each set by two games. Here’s how the tennis scoring
system works:
The game starts at love- Each game starts out at 0-0, or “love,” increasing to
15, then 30, then 40 for each point scored. For example, if both players each
win one point in the game, it is 15-15, or 15-all.
The server’s score is announced first- Only one player serves per game, and
always starts on the right side of the court, alternating sides each point. At the
end of the game, the players switch turns serving, and on every odd game,
they’ll switch the end of the court they play on. The server’s score is always
announced first (so if the server wins the first point of the game and the
following point, the score is 30-love).
Enter the ad-phase. If each player wins enough points to get the score to 40-40
(also known as a deuce or 40-all), they enter the “ad phase.” Since every game
must be won by two points, one player must score two points in a row. If the
server wins the first point after the deuce, the score becomes advantage-in (ad-
in).
Win or go back to deuce- Winning the next point wins the game for the server,
but losing the point will return the game score back to deuce, in which case the
server must try to win two consecutive points again.
Ad-out triggers a must-win situation- If the server loses the first point after
deuce, the score becomes advantage-out (ad-out), and they must then win the
next three points in succession—the first point returns the score to deuce, and
then two more points to win the game.
No-ad scoring speeds up the pace- According to the official tennis rules, if
you prefer to play a quicker game, “no-ad scoring” is also acceptable. If you and
the opposing player elect to play that way, 40-40/deuce becomes the game
point, so the first person to win the next point wins the game.
Play area
All tennis courts should be rectangular in shape. As the sport is played
in different formats, Singles and Doubles; the breadth of the court varies with
length unchanged. The lawn should have a length of 23.77 meters for all
matches. However, the width in a singles match is 8.23 meters and 10.97
meters for a doubles match.
The court is divided into two equal halves with a net that is 0.914 meters
high from the ground. A net is tied parallel to width of the court. There is a
metal cable that holds the net tightly with two net posts on either ends of
length. These posts are not movable hence; the courts for doubles and singles
are different.
The lines drawn on wider ends of the court are called baselines and the
ones on sides are called sidelines. There will be one baseline on each end and
there are two sidelines parallel to each other. These are 1.37 meters apart. The
first of these lines is called singles sideline and the parallel one is called
doubles sideline.
Two lines are drawn parallel to net from singles sideline at 6.40 meters
from net on each side. These lines are called service lines. In addition, the area
between service line and net is divided into two equal halves with a line
perpendicular to net and service line. It is called center line. All the lines
around court should be between 2.5 and 5 centimeters except the base line
that is nearly 10 centimeters wide. The lines should have contrasted color.
Officiating officials
 There are two types of tennis umpires within the sport: line umpires and
chair umpires.
A line umpire is responsible for calling the lines on the tennis court and
the chair umpire is responsible for calling the score and upholding the rules of
tennis.
Chair umpire
A tennis player argues with the chair umpire at Wimbledon
To ensure the rules of a tennis match are upheld correctly, a chair
umpire is appointed in competitive matches to maintain the spirit of fair play.
This umpire sits in an elevated chair by the net and announces the score. Like
most sports, the chair umpire has the final word on all issues that happen
during play. This could be:

 whether a ball is "in" or "out"

 if a player has a foot fault
 a service touches the net, etc.
In all matches where line umpires are present, a chair umpire is able to
have an "overrule" decision that can be made if they feel that a mistake has
been made.
Line umpire
Line umpires work on court as part of a team of between one- and nine-
line umpires. The line umpire calls all shots relating to their assigned line.
Each line umpire is assigned to one line or a position in a system if the crew is
short-handed. For example, a line umpire on the receiver's side may have to
cover the centre service line, and then move to one of the sidelines after the
serve. Line umpires are a requirement for professional tennis games.

CHESS
Equipment
Here are 7 chess equipment every player should own:

1. Chess Set
The set includes the board plus all other pieces (pawns, bishops,
rooks, knights, the king, and the queen). Chess sets are aesthetically
attractive and sleekly designed. The color and sizes of pieces are precisely
chosen to match and contrast with the board’s squares. Chess sets come in
special travel versions, which are perfect for using during a train, plane, or
car trip.
These sets usually have pegged or magnetic pieces and a separate
section or pocket to store remaining pieces. For people who want to add a
“fun touch” to their gaming experience, they can opt for themed sets, which
have special motifs and designed armies that can battle each other. These
pieces are custom made
2. Chess Board
On the chess board, the squares are 1.25 inches, and the size of the
king’s base is 1.3 inches (approx. 65mm). Squares with a size of 57mm are
usually ideal for pieces in this age range. The darker squares on the chess
board can vary from black, to dark green, or brown the lighter colored
squares can either be white or off-white in color.
Although most chessboards have standard white and black squares, you
can also find special ones made from black and red squares. Though this
looks attractive, most players have said that these colors tend to strain eyes
during a play. For tournaments, special chess boards are made, which
means they are built right into gaming tables.
Like a standard chess board, the squares must have the right
dimensions, and they should have adequate spaces or borders to place
countdown timers and all captured chess pieces.
3. Chess Table
For tournaments, the size of the table must have a minimum length
twice that of an actual chess board, and the width should be 15 to 20
centimeters more than that of a chess board. FoFIDE tournaments, players
must use a table that is 120 by 80 centimeters. For both players, the height
of the table andchair has to be comfortable. It is necessary that chairs and
tables do not make any noise while players play.
4. Chess Piece
In 1849, the first ever original pieces created were referred to as
“Staunton chess pieces.” They are still the standard ones used in all
matches, and may be made out of plastic or wooden materials. They are
usually white or black. Sometimes, you will find them in other colors, like
dark wood or red.
Even though colors may vary, players still refer to them as “black” or
“white.” On a standard chess board, the king must be 85 to 105 millimeters
tall (this is about 3.35 to 4.13 inches). The diameter of the king has to be
approximately 50% of its actual height. All other pieces need to be
proportional to the king. This means pieces have to be well-balanced for
height, width, and shape.

For beginners, you will find special pieces that have legal moves printed
on the individual pieces. This makes it easier for beginners, like training
wheels on a bicycle. Beginners quickly replace these introductory sets with
normal ones. When not it in use, it is important to store pieces in some kind
of container or pouch. Appropriate storage increases the lifespan of a chess
set, and also makes it easier for people to transport it. Sometimes, you may
also find special custom made or personalized gift boxes, which are ideal
gifts for chess players.
5. Chess Clock
In chess games where players use time control, adjacent game clocks
(consisting of two buttons) may be used. One button stops the clock and the
other starts the timer. These buttons prevent the clocks from
simultaneously running. The clocks can either be digital or analog.
Before the game starts, the arbiter has to decide which kind should be
used for the game. Historically, the first ever clocks used to record game
time in a chess tournament were back in the early 19th century.In that era,
hourglasses with sand were common clocks, keeping track of the time spent
to finish the game. Each player had separate hourglasses to track time.
They were eventually replaced by connecting two analog clocks. The time on
one player’s clock starts ticking as soon as the other one makes a move and
punches the clock.
In the analog clock, a flag will be sandwiched between 11:00 and 12:00
on both clocks. Once the minute hand comes closer to 12:00, the tip
touches the flag and the clock continues to move ahead. This moves the flag
from a vertical position to a horizontal one. Once the hand reaches 12:00
again, the flag drops. If the player hasn’t made any moves within that time,
it will be recorded as a time loss.
These days, digital clocks which allow players to more effectively control
time, have become more popular. Whenever a player makes a move, they
punch the clock, and it saves additional time. An important feature of chess
clocks is their sturdiness.
During a match, players under pressure tend to punch the clock hard
and sometimes even knock them to the floor. This is seen mostly in times of
 trouble and during blitz games. Another quality to note is loudness. The
clock has to be audible, but not distracting.
6. Travel Chess Bag
Apart from the above-mentioned equipment, you should also have a
travel chess bag, which makes it a lot easier to carry your board, clock,
pieces, and other equipment. This is especially important for tournament
players in the United States. In Europe, tournaments provide players with
all necessary equipment.
7. Score Sheets
To record your chess moves, it is important to keep a score sheet,
especially in tournament and matches. Usually, these are distributed to
players at the start of every round. However, most players prefer to record
their individual scores in scorebooks.

How to score
Traditional Scoring
In most chess tournaments held since the middle of the 19th century,
there has been a very simple scoring system used. Players who scored a win in
a game were awarded a point, while those scoring draws were given a half-
point. Losing a game, as you might expect, was worth zero points.
There were, and continue to be, many good reasons why this system
became the standard in tournament play. First, there’s a certain logic to the
“zero-sum” nature of the scoring. Every game is worth exactly one point, and
(barring unusual circumstances such as double forfeits) the players will also
find a way to split that point amongst them. It’s very simple for fans to keep
track of, and while a score can’t always tell you at a glance how many games a
player has won or lost, it can at least tell you if the player has more wins or
losses. For instance, a player with a 4/7 score can also have their score
expressed as 4-3, or +1, which tells us that they won one more game than they
lost during the tournament.
Another argument in favor of this scoring system in modern chess is that
the rating system is based on the idea that a draw is half as valuable as a win.
If scoring systems are changed to incentivize wins over draws, players may play
in ways that are successful in tournaments, but which hurt them in the
ratings, making those ratings less accurate.
3-1-0 Scoring
 Recently, some tournaments have moved to a 3-1-0 scoring format. This
format has also been called Football Scoring, thanks to the fact that it has
widely been adopted in soccer leagues around the world.
In this system, players are given an added incentive to win games. Each
win is worth three points, while a draw is only worth one, and losses are still
worth zero. The major difference in this scoring system is that players who
score a win and a loss are ranked above those who have scored two draws
(three points vs. two), so fighting play is encouraged.
Many organizers have used such a scoring system as a way to discourage
draws in tournament play, arguably with some level of success. Since a player
must only win more than one-third of their decisive games to do better than
drawing every game, many risky moves are actually correct to play, even if the
outcome is unclear.
One interesting consequence of this scoring system is that it is possible
for a player who would have finished behind someone under traditional scoring
to finish above them under the 3-1-0 system. While both systems are
essentially arbitrary, these results still seem “incorrect” to many players, as the
traditional scoring system has become deeply ingrained in the culture of chess.
A more convincing concern is the potential for collusion when such a system is
used in double round-robin events, as friendly players could do better by
“trading wins” rather than simply drawing two games against each other.

Officiating officials
Arbiter
The officials in the game of chess are responsible for keeping a watch
over the match in the tournament to avoid cheating and conflict between the
players.
An arbiter is an official who is appointed by the FIDE in the official chess
tournaments. He is the one who keeps a check on the moves and positions
made by the players in the game.
They also keep a keen eye on the clocks of the players and must not give
biased decisions. Whenever an illegality is committed by a player in the game,
the arbiter is the one who is authorized to provide penalties to the player
whosoever has violated the rules and regulations of the same.