This is In loving memory of Michael Handel. 3 March1970 - 24 November 2013. Aka MidNigHt here, blue_Manta, my_Candle at other sites. He wrote this methinks near the year of his death. For me, it sums up why I love Y'all and our beloved game. And, as he typed it with his genius. We who knew him, know he is showing His own conception of a Higher Power how to win and, with even more humility...~*
Othello Forever by Michael Handel

“Ah, what shall I say of Othello? What entices my soul? This cauldron of reveling senses.
This arena without mercy, without stain. I am immersed in a timeless journey,
a privileged witness of eternal recreation.

The players shake hands. The clock is ticking. We dive into the clear blue opening sea.
Before our eyes, simple shapes form themselves, grow, then shift,
melting away like gathering clouds.

Behold your opponent. Your reflection. Our destinies engraved within tiny 
black and white discs.

The board begins breathing, fusing minds, uniting two creators. Energy explosion. Life
thrives in the fertile green midgame. The boundaries of our pocket universe
are comprehended and explore, save the last great frontier:corners.
One can perceive a flicker of light, as when a bird passes before the sun.

Time slows, time stares. Time shatters. Ninety seconds left.

The endgame erupts with a violent shower of crimson sparks; an, awesome
conflagration ravaging each ignited corner of the board.
The game dies, heralding another breathless challenge.

Othello forever.”
R.I.P. Michael.  I feel you are and then some! <3 Judy