Every programming language works similarly to others, and differently than others. Python is no exception. Its mechanisms for supporting variables have an underlying simplicity, but preconceptions from other languages can obscure their true behavior. Starting from "x = 23", we'll cover how Python names and values work together to provide variables. Along the way, we'll touch on immutability, containers, reference counting, sharing, copying, the diversity of assignment, dynamic typing, and a tiny bit of chess.