A Martian Odyssey

The Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) will back the candidacy of Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov for President of International Chess Federation (FIDE), RCF President Andrey Vasilievich Filatov said to a TASS correspondent in Moscow.
Ilyumzhinov’s candidacy got a big boost when incumbent FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich announced his decision not to rerun for office in the wake of EU sanctions imposed on him.
“Tertium non datur. Now Kirsan Nikolayevich will wander in the infinity of the universe. He was the second Russian candidate in the upcoming elections. Accordingly, one is out, and the other is in”, TASS quotes Filatov as saying.
FIDE presidential election will be held at FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 26–27. In addition to Russia’s Ilyumzhinov, Germany’s tycoons Wadim Alexandrowitsch Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner announced their candidacies.

“My doors are open, not only to the backers of Dvorkovich but to anyone who cares for the unity of the chess world”, Ilyumzhinov said. ”I also welcome any suggestions from the two German candidates”. Photo: Alexander Shcherbak/TASS.

Fresh Water for Flowers

Tourists visit 玄武湖公园 (Xuánwǔ Lake Park) in 南京 (Nánjīng), 江苏省 (Jiāngsū province), China, to view blooming lotus flowers. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock.

Summer Reading

In praise of Michele Mari

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, July 21, 2026

Already since Heraclitus and Democritus, tradition has it that philosophers distrust their contemporaries, especially their fellow citizens. Perhaps this is why, perhaps wrongly and perhaps not without good reasons, I too abstain from reading books written by my fellow citizens today. It is all the more joyful and surprising when a book refutes my prejudice, as happened just ìn these days with Le maestose rovine di Sferopoli (The majestic ruins of Sferopoli) by Michele Mari. Mari’s mind is gifted with a prodigious imagination, which unites, as in Manganelli, with an intelligece and culture that are certainly beyond the ordinary. As long as this author will write, Italian literature will stay alive among the ruins, and the philosopher will have to admit that his intransigence was, for once, out of place.

(English translation by I, Robot)

M. C. Escher, Sphere Spirals, 1958. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Pavlova

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) took the stage at the Auckland Chess Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sunday, July 19, 2026, by giving a sold-out lecture and presenting prizes at the 3rd Auckland Chess Centre Rapid. Photos: New Zealand Chess News.

A Beautiful Mind

“Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is a Chinese chess grandmaster, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and is currently ranked as the number 1 female chess player in the world. She studied the Master of Public Policy at Oxford and is currently a professor at Peking University in the Department of Physical Education. Alongside teaching, she continues her work in chess education and research, and will begin a PhD in the Department of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences at Peking University this September. While she now competes more selectively, 逸凡 (Yìfán) remains committed to promoting chess beyond elite competition. Her work increasingly focuses on the educational value of chess, interdisciplinary research, and exploring how chess can contribute to education and broader societal development, public engagement and international exchange”. Caption and photo: Rhodes Trust.

Within Without

The first friend and the first enemy

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, July 17, 2026

As an intellectually lively scientist friend writes to me, the fundamental event in the history of the living was the appearance of a microorganism capable of feeling pain. This thesis obviously needs to be clarified, putting before — or adding — “pleasure” to “pain”. If we relate this fundamental capability of the living to what Aristotle writes about the perception of the sensation of existence (“sensing that we are alive is in and of itself sweet, for life is by nature good and it is sweet to sense that such a good belongs to us”), we can then say that a primordial form of the capability to feel pleasure or pain refers to the very fact of existing, to the feeling of living. The sensation of the sweetness of living corresponds, indeed, to its symmetrically opposite one, in which for some reason — or even for no apparent reason — the feeling of living is painful.
The Aristotle quote is from his treatise on friendship that takes up Books VIII and IX of the Nicomachean Ethics. After defining the sweetness of the sensation of living, Aristotle adds that we feel the same sweetness for the existence of a friend and friendship is this con-senting (synasthanesthai, sensing together) (to) the existence of an-other man, who thus becomes “an other self” (heteros autos). Not only is there a sensation of existence, a feeling of living, but this sensation is always already shared, it is always already consent to the existence of the other; and friendship is the instance of this con-senting (to) the existence of the friend in the very feeling of one’s own existence.
It will then be possible to develop this thesis in relation to the other polarity of the sensation of existence, in which it no longer appears joyful, but painful. The con-senting (to) the existence of the friend will now correspond to the con-senting (to) the existence of the enemy. And if the friend-enemy pair defines politics according to Schmitt, then at the foundation of politics are the pleasure and pain that define the human sensation of existence and the con-senting of the existence of the other inherent in it. Friendship and enmity, love and hate, the philein of philos and the echthairo of echthros do not refer to a doctrine of affections, but are first and foremost two fundamental ontological-political categories. If we feel the sensation of living as sweet, then we are in friendship and peace; if, instead, we feel it as hateful, we fall into war and enmity. Once again, at the basis of our relationship with others lies the relationship with ourselves, the way we con-sent (to) our existence determines the way we situate ourselves in the world. Our first friend and our first enemy are ourselves.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Mahmoud Farshchian, Pleasure and Pain, 1990. Courtesy of WikiArt.

The Metamorphosis

The former site of the 西单 (Xīdān) restaurant in 北京 (Běijīng), China, with a history of more than 300 years, reopens as a digital art and museum space. Photo: 宋佳儒 (Sòng Jiārú)/Getty Images.

Oh yes, Edna, buffets are struggling as desserts always end too soon

Artwork © Kim Winder (The RedDot Comic) (@the__reddot)

The Queen’s Visit

A royal welcome for the queen of chess, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), at Box Hill & Canterbury Junior Chess Club in Ashwood, Victoria, Australia, on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Photos: Box Hill and Canterbury Junior Chess Clubs.

An Angel at His Table

“It’s not everyday that Chinese 4-times Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) pops by your Auckland Shopping Centre. Here a young fan poses with the legend, while Chef Yong snaps the picture”. Caption and photo: Murray Chandler.

A Search for Truth

Truth and opinion

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, July 13, 2026

The ancient problem of the relationship between truth and opinion, already articulated at the origins of Western philosophy in Parmenides’ poem, takes on a new topicality today. It is indeed evident that the clear distinction between the two forms of knowledge, taken for granted by the ancients, is now completely cancelled out. There are only opinions, which claim to be true. It is all the more urgent to remember that truth and opinions set themselves on different paths. Truth — which the Greeks called aletheia, meaning unconcealedness, openness — concerns the being, i.e. the experience that something is, that there is something rather than nothing. Opinion (which the Greeks called — and which we still call so — doxa) concerns entities, the knowledge that things are one way rather than another. The former, says Parmenides, is still (atremes, literally not-trembling, fearless), circular and timeless; the latter can be correct or erroneous and is, therefore, changeable and uncertain.
It is crucial, however, to understand the relationship between these two forms of human knowledge. The first in no way guarantees the correctness of opinions, but it provides us with a place from which to consider them, from which we can ask ourselves whether they are right or wrong. Those who dwell solely on opinion will inevitably tend to consider it correct. While truth discloses the possibility of both true and erroneous opinion, opinion can only assert its own truth. Hence the apparent paradox, according to which truth defines itself through the possiblity of error, which opinion must exclude at any costs.
It is not surprising that a culture that has lost the difference between truth and opinion has produced artificial intelligence, i.e. a doxa that asserts its own truth without being able to gain experience from it. Where this doxa, which has closed itself off to the possibility of error, will lead the people who believe they can use it, is a question we should never cease to ask ourselves.

(English translation by I, Robot)

René Magritte, The break in the clouds (The calm), 1941. Courtesy of WikiArt.

The Island of the Day Before

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-01"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[TimeControl "300+1"]
[PlyCount "129"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 Bc5 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.O-O Qe7 8.Be3 Nd7 9.Nbd2 O-O 10.Nc4 f6 11.Nh4 Bxe3 12.Nxe3 Nc5 13.Nhf5 Qf7 14.f4 exf4 15.Rxf4 Bxf5 16.Nxf5 Ne6 17.Qg4 Kh8 18.Rf3 Rad8 19.Raf1 Nd4 20.Nxd4 Rxd4 21.b3 Qd7 22.Qh5 Qe8 23.Qf5 Qd7 24.Qc5 Re8 25.Rh3 Rd6 26.Qh5 h6 27.Qg6 Re5 28.Qg3 Rg5 29.Qe3 Qg4 30.Rg3 Qh5 31.Rgf3 Qg6 32.R1f2 Rd8 33.Qf4 Rd7 34.h3 Kh7 35.Kh2 Re7 36.Qd2 Rd7 37.Qb4 b6 38.Qa4 Rc5 39.Qxa6 Qg5 40.Qc8 Qe5+ 41. Kg1 Qa1+ 42.Kh2 Qe5+ 43.Kh1 Re7 44.Qf5+ Qxf5 45.Rxf5 Rxf5 46.Rxf5 c5 47.a4 Re6 48.Kg1 Kg6 49.Rd5 Kf7 50.Rd7+ Re7 51.Rxe7+ Kxe7 52.Kf2 Ke6 53.Ke3 f5 54.exf5+ Kxf5 55.c3 Ke5 56.d4+ cxd4+ 57.cxd4+ Kd5 58.Kd3 g5 59.b4 h5 60.a5 bxa5 61.bxa5 Kc6 62.Kc4 h4 63.d5+ Kb7 64.Kb5 Ka7 65.Kc6 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-02"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E12"]
[TimeControl "300+1"]
[PlyCount "99"]

1.d4 b6 2.c4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.a3 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6 6.Qc2 Bg7 7.e4 d6 8.Be2 O-O 9. h3 Nbd7 10.Be3 e5 11.d5 Nh5 12.g3 a5 13.Nh2 Nhf6 14.g4 c6 15.g5 Ne8 16.h4 cxd5 17.cxd5 f5 18.Nf3 fxe4 19.Qxe4 Nc5 20.Bxc5 dxc5 21.h5 Nd6 22.Qh4 Rf4 23.Qh2 Qe7 24.hxg6 hxg6 25.Qh7+ Kf7 26.Rh6 e4 27.Nh4 Ke8 28.Nxg6 Bxc3+ 29. bxc3 Qxh7 30.Rxh7 Rf5 31.Re7+ Kd8 32.Re6 Rxd5 33.Nf4 Kd7 34.Bg4 Rxg5 35. Rg6+ Rxg4 36.Rxg4 Rf8 37.Rg7+ Kc6 38.Ng6 Rf6 39.Rd1 Nf5 40.Ne5+ Kb5 41. Rxb7 Rh6 42.c4+ Ka4 43.Rxb6 Rxb6 44.Nd7 Rc6 45.Ne5 Rb6 46.Nd7 Rc6 47.Rb1 Nd4 48.Kd2 Kxa3 49.Kc3 Rg6 50.Ra1# 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-03"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[TimeControl "300+1"]
[PlyCount "59"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.Nc3 d6 8.Nd5 h6 9.c3 Rb8 10.O-O Nxd5 11.Bxd5 Ne7 12.Bb3 Bb6 13.d4 exd4 14.cxd4 O-O 15.h3 d5 16.e5 Bf5 17.Be3 Be4 18.Nd2 Nf5 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Qg4 Nxe3 21.fxe3 c5 22. e6 fxe6 23.Bxe6+ Kh8 24.Rxf8+ Qxf8 25.Rf1 Qd6 26.Rf7 Rg8 27.Rd7 Qf8 28. Bxg8 cxd4 29.Qxe4 dxe3 30.Qh7# 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-04"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A40"]
[TimeControl "300+1"]
[PlyCount "54"]

1.d4 b6 2.c4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.a3 f5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 a6 7.Bg3 Bd6 8.Nh3 O-O 9. Nf4 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.f3 Bb7 12.Bd3 Nc6 13.Rc1 Qf6 14.O-O Nxd4 15.Nh5 Qh6 16.exd4 Qxh5 17.Bxd6 cxd6 18.Qb3 Rab8 19.Qb4 d5 20.cxd5 a5 21.Qd6 Bxd5 22.Rc7 Qh4 23.Qe5 Rbd8 24.Bb5 Rf7 25.Rfc1 Qg5 26.Rc8 Rff8 27.Rxd8 Qxc1+ 0-1

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-05"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B86"]
[TimeControl "300+1"]
[PlyCount "53"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.Qe2 Nc5 9.Bg5 Be7 10.f4 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.O-O-O Qc7 13.g4 b5 14.Rhe1 b4 15. Nd5 Nxb3+ 16.axb3 Qa5 17.Nxf6+ gxf6 18.Kb1 Bd7 19.Nf5 exf5 20.exf5+ Kd8 21.Qe7+ Kc8 22.Rxd6 Ra7 23.Red1 Rd8 24.Qxf6 Rc7 25.Rxa6 Qc5 26.Ra8+ Kb7 27.Qa6# 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-06"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E40"]
[TimeControl "180+1"]
[PlyCount "79"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Nc6 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.Ne2 e5 8.Ng3 O-O 9.Bd3 Re8 10.O-O Na5 11.e4 c5 12.d5 b6 13.f4 exf4 14.Bxf4 Ng4 15.Qf3 f6 16.Nh5 Kh8 17.Qg3 g6 18.h3 gxh5 19.hxg4 Bxg4 20.Bxd6 Rg8 21.Qf4 Rg6 22. e5 f5 23.e6 Nb7 24.Be5+ Kg8 25.Bxf5 Bxf5 26.Qxf5 Nd6 27.Qf4 Rg4 28.Qh6 Nxc4 29.Bf6 Qxd5 30.Rf2 Qxe6 31.Raf1 Qe3 32.Qxh5 Rg6 33.Bh4 Rf8 34.Qd5+ Kg7 35.Qxc4 Rxf2 36.Bxf2 Qd2 37.Qe4 Qxc3 38.Qe7+ Kg8 39.Bh4 Qg7 40.Qd8+ 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-07"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[TimeControl "180+1"]
[PlyCount "75"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 Bc5 6.c3 d6 7.O-O Ba7 8.Be3 Bxe3 9.fxe3 b5 10.Bb3 Be6 11.Nbd2 O-O 12.Qe1 Ne7 13.Ng5 Bxb3 14.axb3 d5 15.d4 Ng6 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Qg3 Qe7 18.Rf5 Rad8 19.Nge4 exd4 20.exd4 Qh4 21.Rxa6 Qxg3 22.hxg3 b4 23.Kf2 bxc3 24.bxc3 Rfe8 25.Rf3 h6 26.Rc6 f5 27.Rxf5 Nde7 28.Rfc5 Nxc6 29.Rxc6 Re7 30.Rxg6 Rf8+ 31.Ke3 Ra8 32.Kd3 Ra1 33.Nf6+ Kf7 34.Nd5 Rd7 35.Nf4 Rg1 36.Nf3 Rxg2 37.Ne5+ Ke7 38.Nxg2 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-08"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E40"]
[TimeControl "180+1"]
[PlyCount "44"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Nc6 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 b6 7.Bd3 Na5 8.e4 d6 9.f4 Bb7 10.Qe2 e5 11.Nf3 O-O 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe4 14.O-O Nxc3 15.Qg4 Nb3 16.Be3 Nxa1 17.Rxa1 Qd6 18.Rf1 Rae8 19.Qh3 Be4 20.Bxe4 Nxe4 21.Kh1 f6 22.Nf3 Ng3+ 0-1

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-09"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[TimeControl "180+1"]
[PlyCount "89"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bd7 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Qd2 Nf6 9.f3 Rc8 10.O-O-O Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bxb5 12.Nxb5 a6 13.Nc3 O-O 14.h4 b5 15. h5 b4 16.Nd5 e6 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Qxd6 Rf7 21. Qxb4 Rfc7 22.Rd2 Qg5 23.Kb1 Rc4 24.Qd6 R4c6 25.Qd7 h5 26.a3 a5 27.Rhd1 Qf6 28.Qb7 R6c7 29.Qb6 a4 30.Qb4 Ra7 31.Rd7 Rxd7 32.Rxd7 Rd8 33.e5 Qg5 34. Rxd8+ Qxd8 35.Qxa4 Qd1+ 36.Ka2 Qd2 37.Qe8+ Kg7 38.Qe7+ Kh6 39.Qxe6 Qxg2 40.Qf7 h4 41.e6 h3 42.e7 h2 43.e8=Q h1=Q 44.Qh8+ Kg5 45.Qff6# 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-10"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E40"]
[TimeControl "180+1"]
[PlyCount "91"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Nc6 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.Ne2 b6 8.Ng3 Na5 9.Bd3 Ba6 10.e4 O-O 11.Qe2 d5 12.cxd5 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 exd5 14.e5 Ne8 15. O-O Qd7 16.Rb1 f5 17.Re1 Qe6 18.Nh5 c6 19.Nf4 Qe7 20.Qf3 Nc7 21.a4 Nc4 22. Rb3 Ne6 23.Nd3 Rae8 24.h3 Rf7 25.Rb1 Qb7 26.Nb4 a5 27.Nd3 Qd7 28.Nb2 Na3 29.Ra1 Nc2 30.Bd2 Nxa1 31.Rxa1 f4 32.Nd3 Ng5 33.Qh5 Ne4 34.Bxf4 Nxc3 35. Be3 Re6 36.Nf4 Rh6 37.e6 Rxe6 38.Nxe6 Qxe6 39.Qh4 Qf6 40.Qg4 h6 41.Rc1 Nxa4 42.Qc8+ Rf8 43.Qd7 Rf7 44.Qc8+ Rf8 45.Qd7 Rf7 46.Qc8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-11"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B86"]
[TimeControl "60+1"]
[PlyCount "71"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.Qe2 Nc5 9.Bd2 b5 10.f3 Bb7 11.O-O-O Qc7 12.g4 Rc8 13.a3 Be7 14.Ba2 Na4 15.Kb1 Nxc3+ 16.Bxc3 Nd7 17.Bxe6 fxe6 18.Nxe6 Qc4 19.Nxg7+ Kf7 20.Qxc4+ Rxc4 21. Nf5 Rxc3 22.bxc3 Rc8 23.Nxd6+ Bxd6 24.Rxd6 Ke8 25.Rhd1 Ne5 26.Re6+ Kf7 27. Rxe5 Kf6 28.Rf5+ Ke6 29.Kb2 a5 30.g5 Rc4 31.Rf6+ Ke7 32.Rdd6 b4 33.axb4 axb4 34.cxb4 Rxb4+ 35.Kc3 Rb5 36.Rb6 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-12"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A50"]
[TimeControl "60+1"]
[PlyCount "60"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.a3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Qc2 d6 7.e4 O-O 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.h3 e5 10.d5 a5 11.g4 Nc5 12.Be3 a4 13.Nd2 c6 14.g5 Nfd7 15.h4 cxd5 16. cxd5 f6 17.Nc4 Qe7 18.Kf1 f5 19.Kg2 f4 20.Bxc5 Nxc5 21.Nb5 Rad8 22.Rad1 Ba6 23.Nc3 f3+ 24.Bxf3 Bxc4 25.Bg4 Bb3 26.Qd2 Bxd1 27.Qxd1 Rf4 28.Kg3 Rdf8 29.f3 Qf7 30.Nxa4 Rxg4+ 0-1

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-13"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[TimeControl "60+1"]
[PlyCount "99"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.O-O Ng6 7.b3 e5 8.Bb2 d6 9.Nbd2 f5 10.exf5 Bxf5 11.Ne4 Be7 12.Ng3 Be6 13.Nd2 O-O 14.Nge4 Qd7 15.f3 Rae8 16.Qe1 Nf4 17.Nc4 Bf5 18.Ng3 Bg6 19.Kh1 Bh4 20.Qf2 Qe6 21.Rae1 Qd7 22.Qd2 h6 23.a4 Kh7 24.Qe3 Bg5 25.Qf2 Bh4 26.Ba3 Nd5 27.Nxd6 Qxd6 28.Bxc5 Qe6 29.Bxf8 Rxf8 30.Qxa7 Nf4 31.Qe3 Qf6 32.Qxe5 Qd8 33.a5 Qc8 34.b4 Qa6 35.Qc5 Rb8 36.Rb1 Rb5 37.Qd6 Nd5 38.Ne4 Ne3 39.Nc5 Qa8 40.Rfc1 Bg5 41.a6 Rxc5 42.Qxc5 Qxa6 43.Re1 Nd5 44.Re6 Nf4 45.Rxc6 Qa2 46.Rg1 Qb2 47.b5 Bf6 48.Rxf6 Qxf6 49.b6 Ne2 50.Rb1 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-14"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A50"]
[TimeControl "60+1"]
[PlyCount "84"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.a3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Qc2 d6 7.e4 O-O 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.h3 c5 10.d5 e5 11.g4 a6 12.a4 Ne8 13.Be3 Nc7 14.h4 h6 15.Qd2 Kh7 16.h5 g5 17.Nh2 Bf6 18.Nf1 Ne8 19.Ng3 Ng7 20.Nf5 Nxf5 21.exf5 Be7 22.Bd3 Nf6 23. f3 Qd7 24.O-O Kg7 25.Kg2 Rfe8 26.Rg1 Bd8 27.Rh1 Kf8 28.Ne2 e4 29.fxe4 Nxe4 30.Bxe4 Rxe4 31.Kf3 Re5 32.Bf2 Bf6 33.Bg3 Re7 34.Nc3 Rae8 35.Rae1 Kg7 36. Ne4 Be5 37.Bf2 f6 38.Bg3 b5 39.axb5 axb5 40.b3 bxc4 41.bxc4 Qa4 42.Qc3 Bxc3 0-1

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-15"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B86"]
[TimeControl "60+1"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.Qe2 Nc5 9.Bd2 b5 10.O-O-O Bb7 11.f3 Qc7 12.g4 b4 13.Na4 Nxb3+ 14.axb3 a5 15.g5 Nd7 16.Be3 Be7 17.h4 d5 18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Nf5 Bxb3 20.Rxd7 Qxd7 21.Nb6 Qb7 22.Nxe7 Ba4 23.Nxa4 Rd8 24.Nf5 O-O 25.Nh6+ Kh8 26.Ng4 b3 27.Nc5 Qc6 28. Nxb3 a4 29.Nd4 1-0

[Event "8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event"]
[Site "chess.com"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[Round "01-16"]
[White "Dordzhieva-Wagner, Dinara Mergenovna GER"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A50"]
[TimeControl "60+1"]
[PlyCount "64"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.Nf3 g6 5.Qc2 Bg7 6.a3 d6 7.e4 O-O 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.O-O e5 10.d5 h6 11.h3 Nh7 12.b4 f5 13.g3 f4 14.Nh2 Ng5 15.h4 Nh7 16.Bg4 Kh8 17.Ne2 Ndf6 18.Bh3 Nh5 19.Bg4 Bc8 20.Bxc8 Qxc8 21.g4 f3 22.gxh5 Qh3 23.Nxf3 Rxf3 24.Ng3 Raf8 25.Qe2 gxh5 26.Be3 Qg4 27.Qd2 Nf6 28.Bxh6 Nxe4 29.Bxg7+ Kxg7 30.Qe2 Nxg3 31.fxg3 Rxg3+ 32.Kh2 Rh3# 0-1

Double Fantasy

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dinara Mergenovna Dordzhieva-Wagner

8th Online Women's Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Round of 16 match game 5; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, July 13, 2026

Sicilian Defence B86

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 Nbd7 8. Qe2 Nc5 9. Bg5 Be7 10. f4 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. 0-0-0 Qc7 13. g4 b5 14. Rhe1 b4? (14. ... Bd7)

15. Nd5! Nxb3+ 16. axb3 Qa5 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Kb1 Bd7

19. Nf5! White boldly sacrificed both Knights, so as to fulfil the aims of late Serbian tactician Dragoljub Velimirović.
19. ... exf5 20. exf5+ Kd8 21. Qe7+ Kc8 22. Rxd6 Ra7 23. Red1 Rd8 24. Qxf6 Rc7 25. Rxa6 Qc5 26. Ra8+ Kb7 27. Qa6# 1–0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) defeated Wagner 13½ – 2½ and advances to the quarterfinals! Screenshot from the live stream.

To be sure, Edna, it is a way like another to wait for the setting sun without ever waiting for it

吃過路兵 (En passant)

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), her mother 王茜 (Wáng Qiàn), and their loyal squire Jamie Kenmure, enjoy their time and absorb all the sea and sun of Port Vila, Vanuatu, Oceania, early days of July. Photos: Sean Su.

Circle of fifths

On Top of the World

Solfège

One at a time

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) delighted her fans with a guest appearances on the Gold Coast Open and a Q&A interview, moderated by her cavalier servant Jamie Kenmure, at Broadbeach Cultural Centre in Mermaid Waters, City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, Friday, July 10, 2026. Photos: Gardiner Chess.

Fama crescit eundo

A King’s Incognito

The story of the visit incognito of dethroned World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer in West Berlin in 1978, so as it appeared in BSV-Mitteilungsblatt, Volume 58, Issue 2, March/April 2008, pp. 14-15. It also reproduced the fateful picture — originally published in the Berliner Morgenpost of the time — that costed Alfred Seppelt the excommunication by Fischer.

Photo taken by Bobby Fischer’s mother at the Brandenburg Gate in 1978. (From the photo archive of Alfred Seppelt, left in the picture).

Of course, Edna, your approbation is — to say it with Honoré de Balzac — “the only reward which one ought to seek in an intimacy with a superior mind”

Artwork © Jose-Ramiro

Sea Cucumber Stories

The queen of chess, a very tanned 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), graced with her presence the participants at the 4th tournament of the Vanuatu Chess Club in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Oceania, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Photos: Sean Su.

美人魚 (The Little Mermaid)

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) will make a guest appearance on the Gold Coast Open at Broadbeach Cultural Centre in Mermaid Waters, City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, Friday, July 10, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM.

Edmund Dulac, The Little Mermaid — The Prince Asked Who She Was, 1911. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Planet of the Apes

A way out

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, July 6, 2026

Often, amid widespread awareness that we are living in the end of a culture, the need — or hope — for a new beginning arises, that is, that after the collapse of a long tradition, a new and more alive one will sooner or later come into being. Against this naive expectation, one must remember that we don’t need a new beginning, but a way out. Assuming that a new beginning were possible, then everything would start again as before, possibly with different ideas and projects, but still within the frontiers of a historical age and tradition somehow homogeneous with the previous one. After the collapse of the history of the West, the last thing we may want is a new historical age; rather, we want to put an end to ages, to get out once and for all, and not simply to start again. Get out where? We can’t say it, but this is good. Our silence is more precious than chatters about the characters of an improbable future, which betray its solidarity with the past by repeating old-fashioned formulas such as “new or post- or transhumanism”. As the monkey in A Report to an Academy, which has become something radically other, says: “I didn’t want freedom, only a way out”.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 626 The Way to You, 1966. Courtesy of WikiArt.