You must be indulgent, Edna. Not everyone is as smart as you

Artwork © behljac

Beaten Tracks

Batkhuyagiin Möngöntuul – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 6, 2024
Sicilian Defence B33

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 Bg7 12. Bd3 Be6 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Nc2 Bxd5 15. exd5 Ne7 16. Re1 f4 17. a4 bxa4 18. Rxa4 a5 19. Na3 f5 20. Nc4 e4 21. Bf1 Ng6

22. Qa1? White just can’t afford to hunt down such a Pawn. Theoretically speaking, 22. Qh5 ½–½ J. M. López Martínez – E. Moser, 12th Open Internacional de Ajedrez “Ciutat de Balaguer”, Balaguer 2007 is what is stored in the online databases, but further analysis might contradict any implied conclusion, because after 22. ... f3 24. g3 Ne5 24. Ne3 Qf6 Black seems to stand better. 22. f3!∞ is the engines’ recommendation, and probably a good one.
22. ... Nh4! 23. Rxa5 Rc8

24. Qa4? Her Majesty abandons the sinking ship. White had to defend with 24. Kh1, although after 24. ... f3 (24. ... Nxg2!? 25. Bxg2 Rxc4 26. f3! seems less convincing) 25. Ra4 fxg2+ 26. Bxg2 Kh8 Black keeps the upper hand.
24. ... Rxc4! Deflecting the Bishop.
25. Bxc4 Qg5−+ 26. g3. After 26. Kf1 Qxg2+ 27. Ke2 f3+ 28. Kd1 Qxf2 29. Qc2 Qxc2+ 30. Kxc2 Ng2−+ Black’s Pawn roller must win.
26. ... fxg3 27. hxg3 f4! 28. Rxe4 fxg3 29. f4

29. ... Qg4! (Δ ... Qg4-h3)
30. Qc2 g2! 31. Be2 Qh3 32. Qd1 Qh1+ 33. Kf2 g1=Q+ 34. Qxg1 Qxe4 0–1.

Goryachkina proved much better prepared than her adversary. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

狄刻 (Dike)

It’s not everyday that the arbiter is the sole most powerful queen of Caïssa’s realm. It happened at the 2nd China Chess King Tournament in 温江区 (Wēnjiāng District), 成都 (Chéngdū), 四川省 (Sìchuān province), China, on November 3–4, 2024, where a tall and slender young woman with long dark hair and oval eyes caught everyone’s glances. She was (is) 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), a four-time Women’s World Chess Champion, who showed up in 成都 (Chéngdū), not for the first time, as referee and judge of man’s affairs. “Refereeing is one of the chores of being a teacher and a researcher after all”, she said speaking to the press. “I hope in the future I will be able to referee international competitions as well”. As for her career path, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said she will never stop playing chess, but not — and no longer — in a totalising way. “Chess helped me understand life by its depth and breadth, and I wish to share my knowledge with anyone who needs it”. But of course, never say never. “That’s how I think now”, she said. “Life is not a predetermined journey. The more the trials of life are unknown, the more life is exciting!”.

The refereeing in 成都 (Chéngdū) was capably and charmingly handled by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) in all two days of the 2nd China Chess King Tournament. Photos: 成都棋院丨成都市智力运动中心 (Chéngdū Chess Academy | Chéngdū MindSports Centre).

Well, Edna, if you are both a referee and player, you can call a foul on ya’ll’s adversary whenever you need

Artwork © Christian Gallardo (@drawnbychristian)

The Ineffable Lability of Being

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Elisabeth Pähtz
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 5, 2024
French Defence C07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd7 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Nb3 a6 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxd4 Nf6 12. Be2 Bd6 13. Rd1 Ke7 14. c4 Bd7 15. b4 Bxb4 16. Rb1 a5 17. a3 Bc5 18. Rxb7 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Rhb8 20. Rxb8 Rxb8 21. f3 Rb1 22. Rd1 Ba4 23. Re1 Bc6 24. Bd2 Rxe1+ 25. Bxe1 a4 26. Kf2 e5 27. Ke3 Kd6 28. Kd3 Nd7 29. Kc3 Nc5 30. Kb4 Be8 31. Ka5 Kc6 32. Bd1 f6 33. Bxa4+ Nxa4 34. Kxa4 Bd7 35. Kb4 g6 36. Bh4 f5 37. Bf6 e4 38. fxe4 fxe4 39. Bg5 Bc8 40. Be3 Ba6 41. Kc3 Kd6 42. Kd4 Bb7 43. a4 Bc6 44. a5 Bb7 45. g4 h5 46. g5 Bc8 47. Bf4+ Kc6 48. Ke5

White has a Pawn more, but the presence of Bishops of opposite colours should enable Black to save herself without any divine aid.
48 ... e3? But not this way. Black had to play 49. ... Kb7! 50. Kxe4 Ka6 with a draw in view.
49. Bxe3 Kc7. Now is too late for 49. ... Kb7 because of 50. c5 Ka6 51. Kf6 Bf5 52. c6 Kxa5 53. c7 Kb5 54. c8=Q Bxc8 55. Kxg6 winning easily.
50. Kf6 Bf5 51. a6 Be4 52. h4 Kc6 53. Ba7 Kc7 54. c5 Kc8 55. Bb6 Kb8

56. c6! 1–0.

Even a draw by Bishops of opposite colours is never to be taken for granted. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

Arbiter of Fates

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was spotted and pictured serving as a referee at the 2nd China Chess King Tournament in 成都 (Chéngdū), 四川省 (Sìchuān province), China, Monday, November 4, 2024. Photos: 成都棋院丨成都市智力运动中心 (Chéngdū Chess Academy | Chéngdū MindSports Centre) via photo.sina.com.cn.

Yes, Edna, all things change, but only according to what you wish

Artwork © WoofieCute — Emi Schaubeck (@woofiecute)

Robinson Crusoe

An installation by the visual artist Jean-Marie Appriou, titled Vessel of Time, on display at the fourth edition of Forever is Now international art exhibition at Giza necropolis in Giza, Egypt. Photo: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters.

Please, Edna, if you do not know what to answer, just ask if you can think about it and answer through body language rather than words

Artwork © ElijahtainoCintron

Tertium non datur

The Gorgon’s Gaze

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 3, 2024
Giuoco Piano C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 h6 6. h3 a6 7. Be3 d6 8. Bxc5 dxc5 9. a4 Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6

11. 0-0? Castling into the storm. White should keep herself open to go either east or west as the case may be with 11. Nb1! at once; for example: 11. ... Nd7 12. Nbd2 Qf6 13. c3⩲ J. van Foreest – Kosteniuk, 5th PRO Chess League Main Season, chess.com, March 10, 2023 (time control: 10 minutes plus 2 seconds per move).
11. ... Qe7 12. Nb1. “My opponent blitzed out her moves in the opening and started to think only after my move of 11. ... Qe7”, Goryachkina said afterwards. “It was obvious that I was going to castle long. Maybe she mixed something up, because the position was dangerous for her”.

12. ... g5! That’s the point: Black will castle long and unleash an irresistible attack against the White King.
13. Nbd2 g4 14. hxg4 Nxg4 15. g3 0-0-0 16. Kg2 Rdf8 17. c3 h5 18. Rh1 Qg7. Clearing the e7-square for the c6-Knight.
19. Rh3 Ne7 20. Qb3 Rf6. Goryachkina is methodically massing on the f-file in order to get to breakthrough. Nevertheless, 20. ... Ng6! at once (with the threat of ... Ng6-f4+) was now very strong.
21. Rf1 Rhf8 22. Kg1. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) now surrenders her two Knights for a Rook in the vain hope to avoid worse consequences. Anyway, also after 22. Qd1 Ng6 Black dominates the situation.
22. ... Rxf3 23. Qxe6+ Kb8 24. Nxf3 Rxf3 25. Rxh5 Rxd3 26. Rh3 Rd6 27. Qc4 Rd2 28. Qxc5

28. ... Ng6! The Queen’s Knight finally arrives on the scene of the final triumph.
29. Rh5 Nf4! 30. Rh4. If 30. gxf4 then 30. ... Nxf2+ 31. Rg5 Nh3+ with mate in a few moves.
30. ... Nxf2! 31. Qe3 N4h3+ 32. Rxh3 Nxh3+ 33. Kh1 Rd8 34. Rf5 Rh8 0–1.

It feels that if you look into her eyes, you will be turned to stone. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

To be sure, Edna, this year the time between Halloween and Christmas will fly by and it will seem like yesterday when Mr. Incredible cried out with envy

Artwork © True_Might

Hidden Rhythms

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Stavroula Tsolakidou
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 2, 2024
Sicilian Defence B30

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. 0-0 Nge7 5. Re1 Nd4 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. c3 a6 8. Bf1 Nc6 9. b4 Bd6 10. Bb2 dxc3 11. dxc3 Qc7 12. h3 0-0 13. Nd2 b6

14. Nc4!? Probably an improvement on Cheparinov – Caruana, 45th Chess Olympiad, Budapest 2024, which continued 14. a3 Bb7 15. c4 Bh2+ 16. Kh1 Be5 17. Qb3 Bxb2 18. Qxb2 a5 19. Kg1 axb4 20. axb4 Ne5 21. Qd4 h6 22. Rec1 Nc6 23. Qc3 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Rc8 25. Qb2 d6 with more or less equality.
14. ... Bh2+ 15. Kh1 Bf4. Likewise 15. ... b5 16. Ne3 Be5 17. a4⩲ leaves White with a slight, but lasting, edge.
16. Bc1 Rb8 17. a4 b5 18. Bxf4 Qxf4 19. Qd2 Qxd2 20. Nxd2 d6 21. Red1 Rd8 22. Nb1. The Knight is heading to a3 where it attacks the b-Pawn. Black has not yet succeeded in getting in her comfort zone due to the relative weaknesses on b5 and d6.
22. ... Kf8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Na3 Na7 25. Nc4! bxc4 26. Rxa7

26. ... Bb7? Probably the losing move. Black would have had little or nothing to worry about after 26. ... Rb7! 27. Ra5 Rbd7 followed by the advance of her d-Pawn.
27. Rd4! d5. Consistent but useless as it does not prevent White from winning a decisive Pawn.
28. Bxc4! Bc6. If 28. ... dxc4 then 29. Rxb7! Rxb7 30. Rxd8+ Ke7 31. Rc8 winning another Pawn.
29. exd5 exd5 30. Ba6. Goryachkina conducts the ending with refined and irreproachable technique.
30. ... Rd6 31. Rc7 Rf6 32. f3 Rb6 33. Bd3 g6 34. Kg1 Rb7 35. Rc8+ Ke7 36. Kf2 h5 37. h4 Kd7 38. Rh8 Kd6 39. Kg3 Ke5 40. Rc8 Kd6 41. Be4 Rb5 42. Rd8+ Ke5

43. f4+! Winning material by force.
43. ... Rxf4 (43. ... Ke6 44. c4+−)
44. Bxd5! 1–0. Black resigns as she loses either an Exchange (44. ... Bxd5 45. Rxf4) or a piece (44. ... Rxd4 45. cxd4+ Kf6 46. Bxc6).

A crystal-clear strategy may make what is difficult look easy. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

And so, Edna, to quote Shakespeare, “Keep thy friend / Under thy own life’s key”

Artwork © Aaron (@aaronandart)

Witch to the Crown

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 1, 2024
2rr2k1/2q1np1p/1p2pbp1/pBPp4/PP1N1P2/2P1Q1PP/5P2/3RR1K1 w - - 0 23

Position after 22. ... b7-b6

The position in the diagram is the outcome of a London System in which something has gone terribly wrong for Black. It is easy for a tactician such as 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) to profit by it:
23. Nxe6! fxe6 24. Qxe6+ Kg7 25. cxb6 Qxc3 26. bxa5 Qxa5

White has not only three Pawns for the Knight, but an irresistible attack as well.
27. g4! h6. This proves insufficient, but 27. ... Ng8 28. g5 Bc3 29. Re3 does not leave room for hope either.
28. h4! Bxh4 29. g5! A perfidious interference. If now 29. ... hxg5 then 30. Qxe7+ Kh6 (or 30. ... Kg8 31. Re6+−) 31. Re5! with a mating attack.
29. ... Nf5 30. Qf6+ Kh7 31. Qf7+ Kh8 32. Qf6+ Kh7

White closes the issue with another brilliant sacrifice:
33. Re7+! Nxe7 34. Qxe7+ Kh8 35. Qf6+ Kh7 36. f5! Rg8. Not 37. ... gxf5+ because of 38. g6+ followed by mate in two.
37. fxg6+ Rxg6 38. Bd3 Rg8 39. Qf7+ Kh8 40. Bxg6 Bxf2+ 41. Kg2! 1–0.

If a caption were required, it should say “The challenger to the crown is not a paper tiger”. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

Yeah, Edna, it’s a voice worthy of your attention

Artwork © _n.d.e._

Farewell Summer (But Not Goodbye)

Maybe One Day

It is the last day of October, but a summer’s sun shines the autumn through. Walked past many things: some have changed and some have not changed at all. And some have gone or are closed for renovation, like “Spazio Uno”, a media cultural centre which, in the late 1980s, hosted a fleeting but lively chess club that the management, however, did not deem it profitable enough. Who knows, maybe one day they will regret having evicted it just to sell happy hours to yuppies in no career.

To be sure, Edna, if you were the candidate on one and Mr. Incredible on the other side, elections would be a waste of time

Artwork © Grace Alexander

Ex Machina

A man looks out from a container restaurant near an art sculpture depicting a sleeping Chinese astronaut in the 宋庄艺术区 (Sòngzhuāng art district) in eastern 北京 (Běijīng), China. Photo: 王身敦 (Andy Wong)/AP.

You know, Edna, sometimes one cannot win without the other losing

Artwork © Jose-Ramiro

New Free Style

Hikaru Nakamura – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

7th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Saint Louis, October 29, 2024

nrqknbbr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRQKNBBR w HAha - 0 1

Position #238

1. f4 f5 2. b4 b5 3. a4 a6 4. a5 Nf6 5. Ba7 Rb7 6. Bd4 g6 7. g3 Bg7 8. Bg2 c6 9. Nb3 d6 10. Nf3 Bd5 11. 0-0 0-0 12. d3 Nc7 13. Bb6 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Ncd5 15. c4 Nxb6 16. axb6 bxc4! 17. Qxc4+ d5 18. Qxa6 Qb8 19. Nc5 Rxb6 20. Qa4. Nakamura shows he isn’t interested in a draw by repetition, although perhaps he ought to have.
19. ... Qd6. 19. ... e5!? was also interesting, but probably Kasparov didn’t like allowing the White Knight to penetrate e6.
21. d4? Bad judgment. White should have broken up Black’s centre by 21. e4! so as to force a general liquidation and secure something near equality.

21. ... Ng4!? Stronger seems to be 21. ... Ne4! threatening both ... Bg7xd4+ and ... Ne4-d2 or ... Ne4-c3 at the same time.
22. Rfd1 Ne3 23. Rd3 Nc4 24. Kf2 Rbb8 25. e3 Ra8 26. Qb3 Rfb8 27. Rc1 Ra3 28. Qxa3 Nxa3 29. Rxa3 Rxb4 30. Ra8+ Kf7 31. Be2 Bf6. Now 31. ... Rxd4? doesn’t work due to 32. Nb7 followed by the check at d8.
32. Ra6? A tactical slip which could and should cost White the game. 32. Rca1 was called for, and would make White’s fortress a hard nut to crack.

32. ... Rxd4! 33. exd4. The point is that now Black can reply to 33. Nb7 with 33. ... Qb8! taking home what he did work for.
33. ... Bxd4+ 34. Kg2 Bxc5 35. Bf3 Kg7 36. Rc2 h6 37. Ra5 Bb6 38. Ra6 Bc5 39. Ra5 Bb6 40. Ra6 Bc5 ½–½. Maybe not enough time? 40. ... Qb4! 41. Rxc6 Qd2+ 42. Kh3 Bg1 43. Rxg6+ Kf8 44. Bg2 Qe2! was completely winning for Black.

Kasparov still showed flashes of his old brilliance, but his hand ultimately ran out of time. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Halfway to Nowhere

They met halfway in Sitka, Alaska, United States, enveloping each other in a great bear hug. Photo: Andrea Rosado.

Let matters take their own course, Edna: for, as they say, the one who laughs last, laughs best

Artwork © ʜᴇɴᴋᴏ ᴀʀᴛ🎨 (@henko_cnl)

Whispering in the Wind