Introduction by the author:The turn of the millennium and the fifty years of my life inspired me to evaluate the past. As the years pass by, I think about my chess career with more and more nostalgia. It feels great to be lost in reveries of the good old days and the glamour of the successful years. After so many years, the intrigues and failures are less painful, and hopefully the old stories will not hurt the feelings of anyone referred to in the book, either. As I journey back in time, I occasionally quote from my mother's diary, printed italic. The fairytale-sounding title refers to the trophy I won a couple of times in Holland, and also to our 'constant' silver medals at the Chess Olympics. Along with my career, I follow the last forty years of chess history, the important chess events, Olympics, individual World Championships, spiced with about hundred decisive games. If replaying the games does not tickle your brain cells, I invite you to an interesting look behind the scenes, to find out what happened beyond the chessboard! Beside skirmishes, I cover a wide range of events, from fantastic travel experiences to the birth of my children, from my inner struggle to the delicate connection between sport and politics. The Illustrations section at the end of the book contains pictures about many memorable occasions.