Thursday, September 26, 2013

Notte e giorno faticar

上海 (Shànghǎi), settembre 2013
Foto: Katie Lín

Hurry Up!

19岁侯逸凡3夺世界冠军 下个目标超越小波尔加

广州日报,2013年09月22日

侯逸凡君临天下。照片:图片联盟。

  ■ 本报记者 施绍宗

  年仅19岁的兴化姑娘侯逸凡前天重新夺回国际象棋女子世界冠军称号,这也是侯逸凡继2010年和2011年之后,第三次登上世界国际象棋女王的宝座,她同时获得了12万欧元的奖金。这一次,侯逸凡赢得特别轻松,其中有何奥秘?中方准备了什么“秘密武器”?“侯棋后”接下来的目标是什么?本报记者在此一一解密。

  夺冠“秘密武器”:

  专家指点后手棋

  在10局制的挑战赛中才下了7局,乌克兰的乌什尼娜就毫无抵抗能力地轻易交枪。输掉冠军头衔之后,乌什尼娜与她的两位教练这两天就在当地的比赛组织者安排下游山玩水去了。

  乌什尼娜这一次为何会脆败?她的两位教练或者称为助手都大有来头,除了去年的乌克兰全国冠军,刚进入了世界杯8强的克洛波夫之外,还有拿过世界冠军的哈里夫曼,可谓有名气有经验。但意外的是, 强大的助手团没能助乌什尼娜一臂之力,她甚至都没能充分发挥出自己的正常水平。对此,一直担任侯逸凡教练的余少腾在接受本报记者电话采访时表示,强大的助手团不一定能帮上忙,可能适得其反,因为乌什尼娜本身的实力就比不上侯逸凡,去年她能夺冠,有一定的偶然性。现在,乌什尼娜已不在当时的顶峰状态,没有了主场之利,而且还缺乏参加这种个人对抗赛制比赛的经验,助手团帮她备战搞不好反而成为她的压力。

  除了比赛经验和实力摆在那里之外,余少腾认为,侯逸凡如此大比分取胜夺冠还有天时地利人和的因素,再加上这一次他们还让擅长后手布局的国际大师周唯奇具体为侯逸凡作准备,取得了不错的效果。后手布局准备成功为侯逸凡获胜奠定了坚实的基础,本次对抗赛,侯逸凡七盘棋有三盘是后手棋,全都取胜,胜率高达100%,这在世界冠军赛历史中绝无仅有。

  据记者了解,早在本次世界冠军赛开赛前十天,周唯奇就已入住泰州宾馆,比赛期间为了不让乌克兰代表团发觉,周唯奇几乎天天待在房间,直到第7盘比赛大局已定时才现身赛场。而侯逸凡的父亲侯雪健还向记者透露,为了这次世界冠军赛,侯逸凡向北大请了一个月的假,早早开始全力备战。据中国国际象棋队总教练叶江川介绍,为了帮助侯逸凡重夺棋后头衔,教练组做了不少准备,比如让她参加在深圳举办的男子名人赛等。后期则做了针对性的强化训练,甚至在重庆参加活动期间,教练都会挤出时间给侯逸凡摆上几盘棋。

  这次冠军挑战赛是对抗赛制的比赛,时间漫长,下到最后不仅是实力的比拼,更是对身体的考验。侯逸凡的父亲侯雪健告诉记者,在备战阶段,他每天都会陪女儿去游泳或者跑步。而大前天正值中秋佳节,在组委会的安排下,侯逸凡的家人和叶江川夫妇乘船夜游凤城河,一起欣赏美丽的月色,这对侯逸凡来说,也是一种心理上的减压。

  下一个目标:

  超越小波尔加

  重返女王宝座之后,侯逸凡接下来的目标就是追求等级分上的突破,她的长期目标是要在等级分上超过匈牙利的天才棋手小波尔加。小波尔加从来不屑于参加女子比赛,只与男子竞争,曾两度进入男子等级分前10名,2005年更是一度排到世界第8。去年还排名世界第32位,依然是世界排名前100名中唯一的女棋手,她一直在女子等级分上遥遥领先,是公认的国际象棋无冕女王。侯逸凡曾经在慢棋比赛中战胜过小波尔加,这也是小波尔加第一次在慢棋大赛中输给女棋手,中国的棋迷们因此渴望两人来一次10局对抗赛。对此,中国队总教练叶江川表示:“要我给她一个终极目标的话,那就是成为有史以来最伟大的女棋手,这并不是说要跟小波尔加对抗,她们俩年龄不同,是看小侯能不能达到小波尔加一样的成绩。”叶江川这句话其实就是侯逸凡要表达的意思,等级分超越小波尔加曾经有过的世界前10的排名,这比在一场对抗赛中战胜小波要难得多。

行家都认为,侯逸凡是个天赋极高的棋手,自身也具备优秀棋手的各方面素质,她的水平还能再上一个台阶。

蜘蛛網 (Spider web)



Sono stanca di sentirmi inventare.

I’m tired of being invented.

ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Lunar Eclipse

Simone De Filomeno – Das Debashis
52nd World Junior Chess Championship; Kocaeli, September 25, 2013
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

Notes by Grandmaster Evgeny Vitalievich Miroshnichenko. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 0-0 7. Bd2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. 0-0 e5. Ed. Note: For 9. ... a6 take a look at 周健超 (Zhōu Jiànchāo) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán), 1st 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2010. 10. d5 Ne7 11. Qc2 a6 12. a4 h6 13. e4 Ng6 14. Rfc1 Nh5 15. Be3 Nhf4 16. Bf1 f5 17. g3 Nh5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Bd3 Qd7 20. Ne4. In this complicated position Black has started the attack with an interesting piece sacrifice: 20. ... Ngf4 21. gxf4 exf4 22. Bc5? Correct would’ve been 22. Bd4 Bh3 23. Ne5! Bxe5 24. Bxe5 where White’s Bishop all of a sudden plays defensive role, guarding g3: 24. ... Qg4+ 25. Ng3 fxg3 26. hxg3 Rae8 27. Bxc7 Qf3 28. Bf1 Bxf1 29. Rxf1 Re2 30. Qc3 Qg4!? and Black still has some potential to attack. 22. ... Bh3! 23. Ne1. After 23. Bxd6 Qg4+ 24. Ng3 cxd6 White could’ve hope to escape with 25. Bh7+ Kh8 26. Bf5 Rxf5! 27. Qxf5 Nxg3! 28. Qxg4 Ne2+ 29. Kh1 Bxg4 30. Kg2 Nxc1 31. Rxc1 and Black is “only” a Pawn up. 23. ... Qg4+ 24. Kh1 f3! Actually it doesn’t even need a precise calculation – as long as all of your pieces are in attack – there must be something! 25. Bxd6 cxd6 26. Ng3 Rae8. I like this move as it bring the last remaining piece into attack, although it turns out Black already had enough forces for the decisive strike – 26. ... Nxg3+ 27. fxg3 (27. hxg3 Bg2+ 28. Kg1 Qh3 29. Bh7+ Kh8 with mate in one to follow) 27. ... f2 28. Ng2 Qf3 29. Bf1 Rae8–+ (well, still the Rook is needed). 27. Kg1 Nf4! 28. Ra3 Bg2. 28. ... Re2 29. Bxe2 Nxe2+ 30. Qxe2 fxe2–+. 29. Nxg2 Nh3+ 30. Kf1 fxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Rxf2+ 32. Qxf2 Nxf2. Black has won enough material, albeit his attack is still not over yet.


33. Bf5. 33. Kxf2 Qf4+–+. 33. ... Qd4 34. Be6+ Kh8 35. Rf3 Nd1! 36. Kh3 Ne3 37. Rc7 Rxe6 38. Rf8+ Kh7 39. dxe6 Qg4 mate.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

La Crusca

Y(^_^)Y

Artwork: Brandon Loving

英雄 (Hero)

[Event "LII Campionato del Mondo Juniores"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.24"]
[Round "11.14"]
[White "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Black "Iermito, Sebastian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A67"]
[WhiteElo "2392"]
[BlackElo "2462"]
[PlyCount "103"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 8. Bb5+ Nfd7 9. a4 Qh4+ 10. g3 Qd8 11. Nf3 O-O 12. O-O Na6 13. Re1 Nb4 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nb6 16. Bg5 f6 17. e6 N4xd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bf4 Nxf4 20. e7 Qxd1 21. exf8=Q+ Bxf8 22. Raxd1 Bg4 23. gxf4 Bxf3 24. Rd3 Bg4 25. Kf2 Kg7 26. b3 a6 27. Bc4 Bf5 28. Rdd1 b5 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bxb5 Ra2+ 31. Kg3 Rc2 32. Bc4 Kh6 33. Rd8 Bg7 34. Rd5 Rc3+ 35. Kf2 Bg4 36. Re7 Rf3+ 37. Kg2 Rxf4 38. Kg3 g5 39. Rd8 Bf5 40. Rg8 Rg4+ 41. Kf3 Rf4+ 42. Ke3 Rh4 43. Rgxg7 Rh3+ 44. Kf2 Rxh2+ 45. Kg1 Rb2 46. Rgf7 Kg6 47. Rxh7 Be4 48. Rh8 Kf5 49. Rf8 g4 50. Re6 Kf4 51. Rfxf6+ Ke3 52. Bd5 1-0

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

In Hindsight

INTERVIEW WITH GM KHALIFMAN, USHENINA’S SECOND

Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich, September 23, 2013

— It remains a mystery for many people still what happened to Anna Ushenina in the Women’s World Championship Match. Please tell us about it. What were the reasons of her defeat?
— We realized that 逸凡 (Yìfán) is a favorite of the match. At the same time, we did not consider the situation so much hopeless. It was clear Anya is weaker in some points. Another thing it was not easy to direct the fight into the right way. It was obvious that Anna gives way in speed and accuracy when calculating the variations.
We still believed Anna was able to keep the balance. Well, what to say, just everything started to fall apart, from the very first game, and it continued later on. It is difficult to estimate what happened. Whether Anya was not psychologically ready for the level of pressure, or something else, but there was one obvious problem she could not solve till the end — her time management.
One should not spend so much time! She should have done something with that during the match. Actually we should have tried to work on it before the match. I feel it was my fault as well. It became crucial when Yifan. having so many pluses already, could also add such an advantage as Anna’s time troubles in each game.
And then the third game was played. It was absolutely a terrible day! It is unclear what happened on that day. And yet, the real critical moment in the match was in the fifth game. It was the most important, the most decisive and actually the final one.
If Anna would have taken that unfortunate Pawn on h4, I think she would have won this game. We could see that 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) felt uncomfortable at this point and the time was equal — a rare case during the match. The score could have been 2-3 and Anna could have taken the psychological initiative. The match could have started from the beginning. Of course it’s silly to say that Anna would have been the favorite.
Before the fourth game the dynamics of estimation in the games was in favor of 逸凡 (Yìfán). For the first time the evaluation could be changed in favour of Anna in the fourth game as Anna feels better than 逸凡 (Yìfán) in such type of positions. In the fifth game it could have been developed. Another strategically complicated endgame happened and it was not enough to calculate variations only. It’s important to understand where to place the pieces. There was this moment of fight we were looking for. And at this very moment Anna decided to capture the Pawn with comfort, but it did not work this way. Should Anya win the fifth game, we could have had an absolutely different, long and interesting match with almost equal chances. She lost her real chance and she was morally broken after that.
At this point, we really needed a day off. It was obvious that after that game she was under pressure, in a heavy state. The victory was so close, but instead she had to deal with minus two score. One can say that at this moment she lost faith in herself. And then it was a very strange sixth game, a very strange day, not that catastrophic as the third one, but still... It all started in the opening. She didn’t play what we prepared; she mixed one variation with another one.
And here one could only hope for the situation when Hou would lose concentration being so close to a success, but it did not happen. I can only say that 逸凡 (Yìfán) deserved the victory. It was obvious she is well prepared, she is aware of the balance of power in the match, she realizes what to do, what to avoid.
However, I believe, despite the catastrophic final score, the pressure and the struggle lasted for a long time. I think that we could and we should have put more serious resistance.


— Don’t you think Anna had an additional psychological pressure due to the fact that such strong players were helping her, so big effort has been done?
— I don’t think so. We didn’t have any slightest doubt that 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was getting help from very skilled team as well, even we could not see those people here. These preparations of her and Perényi Attack against Najdorf... It was clear she was not preparing with her mom and dad. I think 逸凡 (Yìfán) got help from more people than Anna and they were quite strong. So I don’t think Anya should worry. I am sure she didn’t.

— Was it your first experience as a second in the Women’s match?
— This could be my second experience. I was helping Alisa Galliamova during the training camp before the match with 谢军 (Xiè Jūn), which was also played in China. I could not attend the match because of schedule clash at that time. But I’ve some idea on women’s chess.
I can also say China is not an ideal place for such events.


— What is special in the women’s chess? Does psychological factor play great role?
— Someone holds pressure better, others are more emotional. Everybody is different and it’s all very individual. It is not clear yet for me what happened in the third game, for example. What kind of emotional breakdown was it? This game was not following the logics of events. Such a terribly poor play! Most probably it was something not about chess, it could be something emotional and we need to think and deal with it.

Tales of a Voice

Katie Lín 在 Shànghǎi (上海)

Viaggio al centro della Terra

上海 (Shànghǎi), settembre 2013
Foto: Katie Lín

Monday, September 23, 2013

Sicilian, Dragon Variation

永恆 (Eternity)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): “This match was not as easy as people might think”

Interview with the Women’s World Champion 2013

Anastasia Valeryevna Karlovich, September 21, 2013

— When I saw you in 北京 (Běijīng) in July during the Grand Prix tournament it seemed you were not really busy with preparation for the match. Was it just my impression?
— Actually I started my preparation few days after I came back from Tromsø. In total it lasted less than one month. The only difference in my preparation was that I knew my opponent and it was a bit more specific. We didn’t have much time, so we worked on some basic things, some openings.

— There is an opinion you don’t really try to outplay your opponent in opening. Do you try to prove you are better in middle game and endgame, same way as Magnus Carlsen does?
— Carlsen is famous for being very powerful and much stronger than most of the players in the world in the middle game and endgame. I’m not such a high level player. I believe openings are important, but for me it’s also not the most important part of the game. It’s only the first stage, and then we have two more.

— What do you think about your opponent?
— I think she is a strong player. We’ve played several games in the past, but for few years we didn’t play at all. I thought if she managed to win the World Championship in knockout it means she is a fighter, she cannot be weak.

— After few years break you had a chance to play against Anna during Women Grand Prix in Geneva and you lost that game. What did you feel after? Did you draw any conclusions?
— At that tournament I lost not only against her, I also lost to some other players. The most important thing was my bad performance, I was not in a good shape and played just terrible. This game didn’t change my attitude to match, in any case I was going to prepare seriously, as I try to do before any official event. Anybody who plays not only for fun should pay attention to preparation.

— How can you explain your results during the last year? Was it in some way connected with the forthcoming match?
— I was not in a good shape for a long period. I don’t really know the reason, but I thought it was normal in sense that in some moment it was supposed to happen. You cannot always play well and show great results. It also could happen here, but what can you do about it, except try to do your best to get ready for the tournament. I cannot also say that I pay too much attention to the match and I didn’t care about other tournaments. No, my results were not connected with the match. In 2011 I showed good results before the match with Koneru, so I think I just had a bad period.

— Did your results during the last year influence your self-belief? — I’m not the person who cares so much about the results, even though I take chess seriously.

— Was this period connected with changes in your life? As I know, you started to study in the university.
— Yes, I cannot pay as much attention to chess as I did before, because I have to study as a normal student. The only advantage I have is an opportunity not to attend lessons when I participate in tournaments, but I still have to study myself if I miss anything. Also it depends on professors — if the person is quite strict and pedantic so I cannot miss a lot.

— What did it mean for you to play in 泰州 (Tàizhōu)? What do you think about conditions? Is it important to play on “your field” as in football?
— In fact, 泰州 (Tàizhōu) is not my native city. I was born in 兴化 (Xīnghuà), which is one hour by car from here. 兴化 (Xīnghuà) has at least one million inhabitants, and many of my relatives still live there. South of China is not so polluted; there is a fresh air here, better food, vegetables. Of course, while playing here I didn’t need to change my schedule due to time difference, and food was ok for me, but in general I think the organization was more or less the same as for any other chess event.


— What was your reaction when you learnt that Khalifman and Korobov [above] were going to help Anna Ushenina during the match?
— At first when I saw her team I said, as many other people did: “Wow! Her team is so strong and so powerful!”. I thought at that moment: “Maybe I should be more serious about it? Maybe I should do something different?” (smiles). But then after Tromsø I just decided to hire a second by myself to help me preparing.

— Did you expect the match to finish so quickly?
— Well, I was expecting any situation. I expected it would be difficult, or I would have some difficult moments.

— Can you tell us which difficult moments you faceed during the match?
— The first game was very complicated and the fifth game also.

— You believed Ushenina’s team was strong. Why did you repeat Keres Attack in the fifth game? Wasn’t it a bit risky?
— It was just reasonable, so I repeated it. How can you know that other surprises are not waiting for you in other variations, other openings? (smiles).

— How did it happen that Anna lost three games with the White pieces? Do you think it was because of wrong opening choices?
— In first two games there was Nimzo-Indian, my main weapon with Black. She didn’t lose those games because of the opening. It happened later. I can only say that in the third game there was an obvious mistake made by her.

— Are you satisfied with the level of play you showed here?
— It’s okay for me, but not perfect. I didn’t make big mistakes, I didn’t blunder, but I also didn’t play precisely sometimes. I had worse positions in the games I’ve mentioned, and I think it was because of my inaccurate play.

— You had already won two matches — one in Tirana against Humpy Koneru and another one just one day ago. How can you compare them?
— I felt happy two years ago and I feel happy today, because in general I’m glad to win such important tournaments. The match in Tirana was more difficult for me. The last time in the first half of the match I had worse and difficult positions and I tried hard to fight back. This time it was more one-sided. At the same time this match was not as easy as people might think, judging only by the outcome. In Tirana I faced more problems in the openings, compared to this match. But it’s hard to say if I was better prepared in the openings for this match or not.

— You had health problems in Tirana. Have you ever had that unknown pain in stomach again?
— Sometimes I get sick during the tournaments. During this match I felt okay, but I had problems just few days before the start and had to take some medicines for 4-5 days.

— Who was helping you this time?
— I didn’t have a team this time, and as I mentioned before that I only hired a second a short time before the match started. Also you may know that GM Ye Jiangchuan is our Chinese team’s chief coach, so when he had time he also helped me a bit. But most of the time he had many other jobs to do besides preparing. That’s why finally I decided to hire a second by myself. And a lot of friends all around the world were helping, me whether with advice in chess or just support. They were cheering me up, and I feel very grateful. I really appreciate their help!

— How do you mentally prepare yourself for the games and for the match?
— Of course, I considered this match a very important event, but it’s not the most important thing in my life. For me it’s more important to be healthy, to be a happy person in my daily life. I will try to explain another way. Health and happiness means number “1” for me. Achievements, victories are the “zeros”. So I would add those zeros to the number “1”. The total can be 10, 100, 1000, 10000, but without the number “1” it’s nothing. I think my attitude helped me to enjoy the match and feel good. I try not to make it a tragedy if I lose a game. As long as the match is not over I would just focus on following games. In general when you win it doesn’t mean something crazy, if you lose it’s not the end of the world.


— But what if you lost this match?
— Yes, I thought about it before the match and for me both cases were acceptable. I know many people contributed to organize this match, I appreciate the help of the government and the organizers, but still all results were possible. I was just trying to do my best and to be optimistic.

— What does this title means for you? How is it important for you to get it back after nine and half months?
— I’m happy to get the title of the Women’s World Champion back. Last year my results were not so good and I hope it’s a signal that I have started to recover.

— Do you feel you are the strongest player among women?
— No, I don’t. There is no obvious difference in level between me and other players. There are many strong players who have rating over 2500, and against some of them I have a plus, against others balanced results. At the same time I don’t have an opponent among women whom I have difficulties playing against.

— Does it bother you that you can lose your title in the next World Championship in a knockout system like it happened to you in Khanty-Mansiysk?
— I have no idea if I’m going to play there or not, I don’t have clear schedule for the next year. You may know that I didn’t really want to participate in the World Championship, but had to go to play because of other reasons in the end. I don’t have clear idea which system should be used in women’s chess, but we can compare it with the system in men’s chess. I believe the organization of whole cycle in men chess is more reasonable, fairer. I would be glad if FIDE makes the same system for women chess.

— You are young, beautiful and the World Champion! How can you describe your life at the moment?
— It’s still long way to go and I have many years ahead to do almost everything I want. It’s time to look for new things in chess, in studies, in other parts of life. I just want to expand my life. Life is wonderful!

Photos: Anastasia Valeryevna Karlovich.

午夜牛郎 (Un uomo da marciapiede)


文扬小姐的心血结晶
(Da un’idea della signorina Wényáng)


xii.

Fuori sequenza.
Le ombre stan sorgendo.
Fuori sequenza.
Le ombre iniziano il loro assalto.
In perfetta sequenza. Le ombre
lo abbracciano come un fratello.

Patti Smith

Ad maiora!

Simone De Filomeno – Vahe Baghdasaryan
lii Campionato del Mondo Juniores; Kocaeli, 22 settembre 2013
Gambetto di Donna rifiutato D46

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Cf3 c6 4. Cc3 Cf6 5. e3 Cbd7 6. Ad3 Ad6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Cxe4 Cxe4 9. Axe4 e5 10. 0-0 exd4 11. Dxd4 (11. Ag5 Cf6 12. Dxd4 h6) 11. ... Df6 12. Td1 (12. Dd1) 12. ... Ac7. Se 12. ... Dxd4 allora 13. Cxd4 Ac5 (13. ... Ae5 14. Cxc6! bxc6 15. Axc6 Tb8 16. Axd7+ Axd7 17. Te1+-; 13. ... Ac7 14. Cf5 g6 15. Cd6+ Axd6 16. Txd6 Cc5 17. Af3 Ae6 18. Ag5 0-0 19. b3±) 14. Ae3 (14. Af4 0-0 15. Cxc6? Cf6) 14. ... 0-0 (14. ... Cf6 15. Cxc6 Ad7 16. Ce5 Cxe4 17. Cxd7 Axe3 18. fxe3±) 15. Cxc6!± (analisi di Milov). L’alternativa è 12. ... Ae7 13. Ae3 Dxd4 14. Cxd4 Cf6 15. Ac2 0-0 16. h3 Te8 17. Cf5 Axf5 18. Axf5 Af8 19. Ac2 a6 20. Tac1 Tad8 21. Txd8 Txd8 22. g4 g6 23. Rg2 Ce8 24. f4 Ae7 25. Rf3 Cg7 26. f5 Ce8 27. Te1 Td7 28. Te2 g5! 29. b3 f6= Bareev – Anand, Dortmund 2000. 13. De3!? Considerati i precedenti, è ipotizzabile sull’immacolata scelta un nobile patrocinio di Michele Godena: 13. Ag5 Dxd4 14. Cxd4 h6 15. Ah4 g5 16. Ag3 con preferenza per il Bianco, Milov – Godena, Saint-Vincent 2000, mentre per 13. Ae3 0-0 14. Dd3 cfr. Graf – Godena, Ohrid 2006. 13. ... 0-0 14. Te1 h6 15. Ac2 Td8 16. Tb1! Un estetico connubio di armonia e coordinazione nello sviluppo bianco! 16. ... Cf8 17. b4 Ae6 18. Ab2 Df4 19. Dc3 f6 20. Te4 Dd6 21. Tbe1 Te8 22. Td1 De7 23. Cd4 Dd6? Dopo 23. ... Df7 24. Cxe6 Dxe6 25. c5 (Δ Ac2-b3) 25. ... Ae5 26. Db3 Axb2 27. Dxb2 Cc7! 28. Ab3 Cd5 29. Axd5 cxd5 30. Ted4 Te4 31. h3 (31. Txd5?? Dxd5!-+) il vantaggio del Bianco è più circoscritto. 24. g3 Ah3 25. Th4! Dd7


26. Df3! Minaccia d’intrappolare Sua Maestà con 27. Txh3 Dxh3 28. Af5. Probabilmente il Nero si aspettava 26. Cf5, cui avrebbe – più speranzosamente – risposto con 26. ... Dxd1+ 27. Axd1 Axf5 eccetera. 26. ... Ce6. Disperazione, ma se 26. ... Ae6 allora 27. Cf5 Df7 28. Cxh6+! gxh6 29. Axf6 finis. 27. Cxe6 Dxe6 28. Txh3 Tad8 29. Txd8 Txd8 30. Th4 Td2 31. Te4 Dh3 32. Te2 1 : 0.

秦城监狱 (Carcere di Qínchéng)


Three Days of the Condor

Controvento

[Event "LII Campionato del Mondo Juniores"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.21"]
[Round "8.13"]
[White "Petenyi, Tamas"]
[Black "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "2468"]
[BlackElo "2392"]
[PlyCount "107"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Qc2 Qc7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nh5 11. Be3 a6 12. Na3 b5 13. Qd2 Bf5 14. Bxf5 gxf5 15. Bh6 Qd6 16. Bxg7 Nxg7 17. Nc2 f6 18. a4 bxa4 19. Rxa4 a5 20. c4 Rab8 21. Ne3 dxc4 22. d5 Nb4 23. Rxa5 Rfc8 24. Qd4 Qd8 25. Ra7 Rb5 26. Nxf5 Nxf5 27. Qg4+ Kh8 28. Qxf5 Rxd5 29. Qe6 Nc6 30. Ra4 Nd4 31. Nxd4 Rxd4 32. Qxe7 Qxe7 33. Rxe7 Rd1+ 34. Kh2 Rd2 35. Raa7 Rxb2 36. Rxh7+ Kg8 37. Rag7+ Kf8 38. Ra7 Kg8 39. Kg3 Rbb8 40. Rag7+ Kf8 41. Rb7 Rxb7 42. Rh8+ Kg7 43. Rxc8 Rb3+ 44. f3 c3 45. h4 Kg6 46. Rc5 Ra3 47. h5+ Kh6 48. Kh4 Ra2 49. g4 c2 50. Rc7 Ra3 51. Kg3 f5 52. Rc6+ Kg7 53. g5 Ra6 54. Rc7+ 1-0

[Event "LII Campionato del Mondo Juniores"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.22"]
[Round "9.20"]
[White "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Black "Baghdasaryan, Vahe"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2392"]
[BlackElo "2423"]
[PlyCount "63"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 e5 10. O-O exd4 11. Qxd4 Qf6 12. Rd1 Bc7 13. Qe3 O-O 14. Re1 h6 15. Bc2 Rd8 16. Rb1 Nf8 17. b4 Be6 18. Bb2 Qf4 19. Qc3 f6 20. Re4 Qd6 21. Rbe1 Re8 22. Rd1 Qe7 23. Nd4 Qd6 24. g3 Bh3 25. Rh4 Qd7 26. Qf3 Ne6 27. Nxe6 Qxe6 28. Rxh3 Rad8 29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Rh4 Rd2 31. Re4 Qh3 32. Re2 1-0

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Sunday Bloody Sunday

CINA/ NUOVO COLPO DI SCENA DEL LEADER ROSSO
Bó Xīlái scrive alla famiglia, per domenica attesa la sentenza

Simone Pieranni, il manifesto, 20 settembre 2013

A conclusione del processo, l’ex capo del Partito di Chongqing, caduto in disgrazia, parla della Rivoluzione culturale

Bó Xīlái ha scritto una lettera alla sua famiglia, pochi giorni prima della sentenza, attesa per domenica, a seguito del processo di cui è stato protagonista. Secondo persone vicine alla famiglia Bó la lettera sarebbe autentica ed è stata ripresa dal quotidiano di Hong Kong, South China Morning Post. Si tratta di un ennesimo colpo di teatro dell’ex capo del Partito di Chóngqìng caduto in disgrazia, ma ancora amato da molti cinesi. Nelle sue parole il ricordo di molte persone che hanno segnato la sua vita e una promessa: “un giorno il mio nome sarà riabilitato”, ha scritto Bó Xīlái. L’ex leader rosso ha ricordato la figura del padre, Bó Yībō morto a 98 anni, uno dei personaggi noti per essere tra gli Otto Immortali della Repubblica Popolare, così chiamati anche grazie alla loro straordinaria longevità politica. “Andrò in carcere, come mio mio padre, ha scritto Bó, che ha conosciuto la prigione, io seguirò i suoi passi”.
Il riferimento è agli arresti subiti dal padre ad opera dai nazionalisti e la purga patita nel 1966 durante la Rivoluzione Culturale. Il padre di Bó sarà poi riabilitato negli anni 70, in tempo per preparare il terreno di ascesa al figlio, oggi agli arresti e con il rischio di una condanna a 15 anni (fonti cinesi, infatti, sembrano scongiurare l’ipotesi di una condanna capitale).
Nella lettera Bó ha ricordato anche la madre, che secondo le cronache cinesi si sarebbe suicidata durante quel periodo burrascoso che fu per la Cina la Rivoluzione Culturale: “mio padre e mia madre sono morti, ma i loro insegnamenti continuano a servirmi. Non infangherò il loro glorioso passato”. L’ex leader politico cinese ha inoltre parlato dei suoi due figli: Li Wangzhi, 35 anni, nato durante il suo primo matrimonio, e il 25enne Bó Guāguā, nato dal matrimonio con Gǔ Kāilái e attualmente negli Usa a studiare: “Spero potranno ottenere risultati importanti nella loro vita ed essere buoni fratelli”. Un riferimento è stato fatto infine nei confronti dei familiari che hanno partecipato al processo delle settimane scorse, “in queste ore angoscianti, mi sono reso conto che il sangue non è acqua e mi sono sentito più forte quando vi siete seduti dietro di me durante il processo”, ha scritto Bó.
Con queste parole Bó Xīlái dimostra ancora una volta di essere un leader capace di molti appoggi e in grado di fare sentire la propria voce. Rimane da capire quanto del suo seguito sia riuscito a sistemarsi all’interno dell’attuale amministrazione e come riuscirà a essere ancora determinante all’interno dei processi decisionali del Partito Comunista.

美学 (Estetica)

Simone De Filomeno – Nils Axel Grandelius
lii Campionato del Mondo Juniores; Kocaeli, 19 settembre 2013
Grünfeld D94

1. d4 Cf6 2. Cf3 g6 3. c4 Ag7 4. e3 0-0 5. Ae2 c5 6. Cc3 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. 0-0 Cc6 9. Ae3. Se 9. h3 allora 9. ... dxc4 10. Axc4 b6 11. a3 e6 12. Ag5 h6 13. Af4 Ab7= Burger – P. C. Benkö, New York 1969. 9. ... Ag4. Più convincente di 9. ... b6?! 10. Ce5 Ab7 11. Af3 Ca5 12. cxd5! Cxd5 13. Cxd5 Axd5 14. Tc1! con preferenza per il Bianco, Keres – Tal, Parnü 1971. 10. c5. Lungi dalla scolorita alternativa 10. Ce5 Axe2 11. Dxe2 dxc4 12. Cxc6 bxc6= (analisi di Keres). 10. ... Ce4 11. Tc1 Cxc3 12. bxc3 e6 (12. ... b6 13. Da4) 13. Af4 Dd7 14. Tb1 Tfd8 15. Te1 Af8 16. Ab5 Axf3 17. Dxf3 b6 18. Dd1 Db7 19. Da4 Ca5 20. c6 De7 21. c7 Tdc8? Addio alle armi! La strada maestra era invece 21. ... Td6! con pervicace resistenza. 22. Ad7 Da3 23. Db5 Ad6 24. Axc8 Axf4 25. Dd7 Dd6


26. Txe6! Sacrificio elegantissimo. 26. ... Axh2+ 27. Rf1 Dxc7 28. Te8+ Rg7 29. Dxc7 Axc7 30. Tbe1 Af4 31. Aa6 Txe8 32. Txe8 Rf6 33. Re2 Cc6 34. Ta8 Re6 35. Ab5 Ca5 36. Txa7 Ab8 37. Ta8 Ad6 38. Te8+ Ae7 39. Tb8 1 : 0.

Simone De Filomeno
Foto: Scacchierando.it

Friday, September 20, 2013

The Fab Four

The Fab Four
Foto: Stefano Marmino

The Black Swan

Sofia Nutini performing her solo variation in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s last summer dance show. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Breaking Point

[Event "52nd World Junior Chess Championship"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.19"]
[Round "7.17"]
[White "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Black "Grandelius, Nils Axel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "2392"]
[BlackElo "2576"]
[PlyCount "77"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 c5 6. Nc3 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. O-O Nc6 9. Be3 Bg4 10. c5 Ne4 11. Rc1 Nxc3 12. bxc3 e6 13. Bf4 Qd7 14. Rb1 Rfd8 15. Re1 Bf8 16. Bb5 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 b6 18. Qd1 Qb7 19. Qa4 Na5 20. c6 Qe7 21. c7 Rdc8 22. Bd7 Qa3 23. Qb5 Bd6 24. Bxc8 Bxf4 25. Qd7 Qd6 26. Rxe6 Bxh2+ 27. Kf1 Qxc7 28. Re8+ Kg7 29. Qxc7 Bxc7 30. Rbe1 Bf4 31. Ba6 Rxe8 32. Rxe8 Kf6 33. Ke2 Nc6 34. Ra8 Ke6 35. Bb5 Na5 36. Rxa7 Bb8 37. Ra8 Bd6 38. Re8+ Be7 39. Rb8 1-0

On Top of the World

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 7; 泰州 (Tàizhōu), September 20, 2013
Sicilian Defence B90

Curiously enough, the 7th game was moved to another hall as the main one was reserved for a wedding ceremony long before it was known the match would be held in China. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. Be2 e6 8. g4 h6 9. f4 g5 10. f5 Ne5 11. h3 b5 12. a3 Qe7 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Nf3 Nfd7!? For 14. ... Bb7 15. Nxe5 dxe5 16. Bd3 Qc7 17. h4 Bc5 take a look at Ponomariov – Topalov, Grand Prix 2012–2013, Thessaloniki 2013. 15. Dd2 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Ne5?! (16. ... Bg7 17. 0-0-0 Be5=) 17. Be2 Bg7 18. 0-0-0 Nf7 19. Bd4 Be5 20. Bxe5 dxe5 21. h4 gxh4 22. Qe1 Ra7 (22. ... Bb7!? 23. Rxh4 Rd8 24. Bd3 0-0 25. Rh5→) 23. Rxh4 Rd7 24. Rh5 Rg8 25. Kb1 Qc5 26. Rh3 Qb6 27. Qh4 (27. Rxd7!? Bxd7 28. Rf3 Ng5 29. Rf6±) 27. ... Rxd1+ 28. Nxd1 Bb7 29. Rc3 Qd8. International Master Elisabeth Pähtz suggests here 29. ... Bxe4!? 30. Rc8+ Nd8 31. Qxh6 Kd7 32. Rc3 Bg6, but then 33. Qh1! e4 34. Ne3 looks very strong for White. 30. Qf2


30. ... Qd4? (30. ... Ng5 31. Rd3 Qc7 32. Qf6 Bxe4 33. Rc3 Qg7 Δ 34. Rc8+? Kd7) 31. Qf6 (Δ Rc3-c7) 31. ... Qd6 (31. ... Qd7 32. Nf2 Kf8 33. g5! Rxg5 34. Nh3 Rg7 35. Bh5+-) 32. Nf2 Kf8 33. Rf3 Rg7 34. Qxh6 Kg8 35. Qf6 Bc6 36. Rd3 Qc5 37. g5 Nxg5 38. Ng4 Nf7 39. Qxe6 Qg1+ 40. Rd1 1 : 0.

After about nine months the crown is back to 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)! Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

慢慢来 (Mànman lái)


文扬小姐的心血结晶
(Da un’idea della signorina Wényáng)


nei magazzini alle fermate dell’autobus
la gente parla di situazioni
legge libri ripete citazioni
traccia conclusioni sui muri
alcuni parlano del futuro
il mio amore parla dolcemente
sa che non c’è successo come il fallimento
e che il fallimento non è per niente un successo

Bob Dylan, da love minus zero / no limit

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Guarda che luna

侯逸凡大学生活仍有遗憾 不想成为小波尔加第二

侯逸凡大学生活仍有遗憾 不想成为小波尔加第二

2013年07月30日 深圳晚报

棋后侯逸凡

侯逸凡[微博]是个大忙人。不到两个月的时间,她接连参加了捷克国际象棋节、第四届亚洲室内运动会与“育才杯·麒麟之星”棋王棋后车轮战,作为北大国际关系学院的大一学生,她还要应付繁忙的考试周。昨天下午,侯逸凡刚从重庆飞抵深圳,准备参加今日开战的“安琪杯”第三届中国国际象棋男子名人赛,日程安排如此紧凑,但侯逸凡只是轻描淡写地说了一句:“还好还好,前一段日程更紧凑。”

  大学生活仍有遗憾 英语读写还是障碍

  从去年9月开始,侯逸凡身上多了一个标签:北大国际关系学院大一学生,如今一年已过,侯逸凡这样评价她的大学生活:有收获也有遗憾。
  顶着“棋后”的帽子,侯逸凡在大学里多了一个新职位:北大国象队助教。提到这,侯逸凡不免有些腼腆,“任课老师和我早已相熟,入学的时候还帮了我不少忙,我就去校队讲了两节课。”这两节课可是相当火爆,不仅100多人的教室坐满了,还有不少人站着听完了“侯老师”的课。“很多北大人都喜欢国际象棋,相熟的朋友有时也会向我讨教”,侯逸凡介绍到。因为棋手的身份,侯逸凡还要兼顾各种比赛,大一的一年,她只有一半时间待在学校,侯逸凡无奈地说:"虽然学到了新知识、交到了新同学,但还是没有全然深入到大学生活中去。”最令她遗憾的是:她还没有过组织活动的经历。“组织能力对于进入社会很重要,而棋手还是相对欠缺一些。作为普通学生,能通过参加学生会、团委的工作能累积组织经验,而棋手经常面对的是‘64格世界’,虽然有交流,但是还是与普通学生不太一样”,侯逸凡说道。
  虽然是拥有高智商的“棋后”,但侯逸凡却认为大学的考试并不轻松,“专业课里,也就‘英语听说’考得还行,‘大学英语’就差很多了,但凡和英语阅读、写作相关的都会被拉下去很多,我的基础并没打好,英语主要靠出国比赛时和外国选手的交流积累起来的,一放到书面上我就不行了。”

  并不想成为小波尔加 成功首先是人格健全

  在侯逸凡的简历里,2012年直布罗陀公开赛战胜小波尔加绝对是里程碑的胜利。小波尔加一直是女棋手的标杆,她常年征战男子棋坛,在负于侯逸凡之前,她有20年对局女棋手的不败纪录。能否成为小波尔加第二?能否持续征战男子棋坛?也是侯逸凡绕不过去的一个话题。
  侯逸凡坦言,小波尔加是所有女棋手学习的榜样,但她并没想过要成为小波尔加第二,“如果一味地去复制别人所定义的成功,那是没有意义的事。成为小波尔加,那是要达到她今天的高度,还是她巅峰时期的高度呢?”侯逸凡的态度颇为辨证,“和男棋手下棋,并不是因为性别,并不是强求什么成绩,而是为了提升自己,如果能打进他们的圈子就更好。”
  谈到成功,侯逸凡也有着自己的定义,“我并不认同世俗标准的成功,哪怕别人都认为你是成功的,但是达不到自己的内心要求,都不算成功。对于我来说,事业上的成功之前首先是人格的健全,为人是最基本的要求。”
  “顺其自然吧,不强求。”——当被问到在大学里有没有想过找男朋友时,侯逸凡笑着给出了答案
  “现在我还是一个棋手,但我希望以后能为国际象棋项目的推广做更多贡献,在全世界范围内,它还是有很大的进步空间。”——侯逸凡介绍她的终极目标

  国象在深圳很成功 爱好不要轻易丢弃

  连侯逸凡都不记得自己来过深圳多少次了,“每次都是比赛,赛程紧,时间短,都没去过什么景点。”虽然对这让并不熟悉,但一提到国际象棋在深圳的发展,侯逸凡满是赞叹,“我觉得国际象棋在深圳的发展已经相当好了,这你也知道。有名手教棋、有良好的氛围、有大大小小的比赛,深圳一直是与时俱进的城市,小棋手的水平也都很高。”
  作为无数国象学子新一代的偶像,侯逸凡也给深圳小棋手提出了自己的建议:“我希望喜欢下棋的孩子们不要丢掉这个爱好,不要光为了学棋而去学棋,而是为了那些内在吸引你的东西。不管是否走专业道路,学棋一定有所帮助,无论是想象力还是逻辑思维能力都能得到锻炼。就算孩子们出国读书,这也是一项帮助你尽快与当你同学们打成一片的技能。”(郑安之)

In Darkness (黑暗弥漫)


文扬小姐的心血结晶
(Da un’idea della signorina Wényáng)


un tempo odiavo enzo
un tempo l’odiavo
tanto che avrei potuto ucciderlo
era corrotto e spietato
e impegnato a sgraffignare quel che poteva
ne ero sicuro
la mia bella lo incontrò
in un paese lontano
e si trattenne laggiù
per via di lui
io gracchiavo isterico
che lui la faceva veramente felice
non lo conobbi mai
a volte lo vedevo
sul soffitto
avrei potuto sparargli
il vagabondo fasullo
l’idiota romantico
gli uomini li conosco
perché sono un uomo anch’io
il veleno fa oscillare i suoi pendoli
con una sensazione da mal di mare
e un tempo volevo calpestarlo
un tempo volevo massacrarlo
un tempo volevo assassinatlo
desideravo così tanto esser come lui
da starne male
un tempo odiavo enzo
Bob Dylan

中秋节 (Mid-Autumn Festival)

On Thursday, September 19, 2013, concurrently with the third and last day off between games 6 and 7 at the Women’s World Chess Championship match, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), her mother 王茜 (Wáng Qiàn) and Grandmaster 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān), slowly in the moonlight of the Mid-Autumn Festival, enjoyed a boat trip through the 凤城河风景区 (Fèngchénghé River Scenic Area) in 泰州 (Tàizhōu), 江苏省 (Jiāngsū province), China. Photos: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Stuck in the Middle/I Surrender

... To know that the glass is half full, but with tears.

Kaos One, from Il Sesto Senso (The Sixth Sense)

Courtesy of Acidkiss

The Bride Price

The bride who got lucky... Photo: 林丽丽 (Lín Lìlì).

Paeonia (芍药属)

Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 6; 泰州 (Tàizhōu), September 18, 2013
Queen’s Indian Defence E17

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 0-0 7. Qc2 c5 8. d5 exd5 9. Nh4 Nc6 (9. ... b5!?) 10. cxd5 Nd4 (10. ... Nb4 11. Qd1 d6 12. a3 Na6 13. Nf5 Re8 14. 0-0 Bf8 15. e4 c4 16. Be3 Rc8 17. f3 Nc5 18. Bh3 a6 19. a4 Rc7 20. Qc2 Bc8 21. g4 g6 22. Nh6+ Kg7 23. Bd4 Nb3 24. Bxb6 Qe7 25. Qg2 Rb7 26. Be3 Nxa1 27. Rxa1 Kh8 28. g5 Nh5 29. Bxc8 Rxc8 30. Qh3 Rcb8 31. Bd4+ Bg7 32. Bxg7+ Kxg7 33. Qxh5 gxh5 34. Nf5+ Kg6 35. Nxe7+ Rxe7 36. Nd1 Kxg5 37. Kf2 Kf4 38. Rc1 Rb3 39. Rc3 Rxc3 40. Nxc3 Rb7 41. Ne2+ Ke5 42. Ke3 Rb3+ 43. Nc3 Rxb2 44. f4+ Kf6 45. Kd4 Rd2+ 46. Kxc4 Rxh2 47. Kd4 Rd2+ 48. Kc4 Rc2 0 : 1 Bergraser – Raizman, 16th French Chess Championship, Nice 1938) 11. Qd1 Ne8 12. Nf3 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 d6 14. 0-0 Nc7 15. a4 a6 16. Rb1 Bf6 17. Bd2 (⌓ 17. Bf4) 17. ... b5 18. axb5 Nxb5!? 18. ... axb5 19. b4 c4⩱ “It would be a different game”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said afterwards. “I just preferred to activate my Knight”. 19. Bg2 Bc8 20. Ne4 Re8 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. e4 a5 23. Ra1 Bd7 24. Ra2 a4 25. Re1 h6 26. Be3 a3 27. Qd2 axb2 28. Rxb2 Nc3 29. f3 Ra3 30. Bf2 Nb5 31. Reb1


31. ... c4! Very sharp! With 3 minutes on her clock, maybe Ushenina was hoping for 31. ... Nc3 32. Re1 Nb5= offering a draw by repetition. 32. Rxb5 Bxb5 33. Bd4? Should be the losing blunder! White ought to play 33. Qb4= Ra2 34. Qxb5 Rxe4! 35. Rf1 Ree2 36. Qxc4 Qb2 37. Qc8+ Kh7 38. Qf5+ drawing by perpetual check.


33. ... c3!−+ 34. Qf2 Qg5 35. f4 (35. Rxb5 Qc1+ 36. Bf1 Qd1−+) 35. ... Qg4 36. Re1 (36. Rc1 Bd3 Δ 37. Bxc3 Rxc3 38. Rxc3 Qd1+ 39. Bf1 Bxf1 40. Qxf1 Qd4+−+) 36. ... Rea8 37. h3 Qc8 38. e5 Ra1 39. exd6 c2 40. Bxa1 0 : 1. Ushenina’s flag fell, but after 40. ... c1=Q she could well resign!

Photos: Anastasiya Karlovich.

满月 (Plenilunio)



侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) vs. Anna Ušenina
泰州 (Tàizhōu), 15 settembre 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

保釋 (Cauzione)

Courtesy of 9GAG

文扬小姐的心血结晶
(Da un’idea della signorina Wényáng)

Through the Barricades

[Event "LII Campionato del Mondo Juniores"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.17"]
[Round "5"]
[ECO "B51"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[White "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Black "Javakhadze, Zurab"]
[WhiteElo "2392"]
[BlackElo "2457"]
[PlyCount "84"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. O-O e5 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 Be7 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 exd4 10. Nxd4 Bd7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 Re8 13. Qd2 h6 14. Bf4 Qb6 15. Rad1 Rad8 16. Qc2 Bf8 17. Re2 c5 18. Nb3 Bc6 19. h3 Qb4 20. a3 Qb6 21. Nd2 Qa6 22. Nf1 Qb7 23. f3 d5 24. exd5 Nxd5 25. Red2 Nxc3 26. Qxc3 Rxd2 27. Nxd2 Qd7 28. Be3 g6 29. Bf2 Re2 30. Qc1 Qe6 31. Re1 Bd5 32. Ne4 Rxe1+ 33. Qxe1 Bxe4 34. Qxe4 Qxe4 35. fxe4 c4 36. Bd4 Bg7 37. e5 Kf8 38. Kf2 Ke7 39. Ke3 a6 40. Bc3 Ke6 41. Ke4 h5 42. a4 1/2-1/2

软肋 (Tallone d’Achille)

Archiloco

Sapiente tessitore di frodi
e di frasi sparate a zero
ma umile fior di loto:
davanti a una fanciulla
diventavi un millepiedi felice
abbandonavi anche l’umanità.

Archilochus

Masterly weaver of frauds
And ruthless sentences
But humble lotus flower:
In front of a girl
You turned yourself into a happy centipede
You also abandoned humanity.

Alda Merini

Le relazioni lontane

eccetera eccetera eccetera

小琳 (Xiǎolín)

She Who Lived in the Whale

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina
泰州 (Tàizhōu), 17 settembre 2013
Siciliana B90

1. e4 c5 2. Cf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Cxd4 Cf6 5. Cc3 a6 6. Ae3 e6 7. g4 h6 8. h4. Nella 4ª del match (15 settembre) Yì​fán ha preferito 8. Df3. 8. ... Cc6 9. Cxc6 bxc6 10. Df3 h5 11. gxh5 Cxh5 12. 0-0-0 Tb8 13. Ac4 Il precedente era 13. Ac5 Dc7 14. Aa3 g6 15. Dd3 c5 16. Ae2 Cf4 17. Df3 Ah6 18. Rb1 Da5 19. Ra1 Ag7 20. Dxf4 Dxa3 21. Tb1 Dxc3 22. bxc3 Axc3+ 23. Tb2 Axb2+ 24. Rb1 Ae5+ 25. Rc1 Axf4+ 26. Rd1 Tb1 matto, Grivich – Kosmol, ICCF e-mail 2001. 13. ... Df6 14. Dg2 Cf4 15. Dg5 e5 16. Dxf6 gxf6 17. Axf4 exf4. Commenta Tania Sachdev: “Tre isole compresi Pedoni tripli (Jonathan Rowson l’ha definito un treno senza locomotiva)! Il Nero non ha chiaramente la struttura pedonale più bella. Tuttavia, la coppia degli Alfieri, le colonne aperte e il debole Pedone bianco ‘h’ possono compensarla, se il Nero crea celermente controgioco. Era dunque cruciale per la Ušenina giocare attivamente per neutralizzare lo svantaggio strutturale. E... ben le riesce!”. 18. Ce2 Tb4 19. Ad3 f5!? 20. exf5. Dopo 20. c3 Txe4 21. Axe4 fxe4 22. Tde1 d5 23. f3 Ad6 i due Alfieri e la preponderanza centrale di Pedoni compensano ad abundantiam la Qualità. 20. ... f3 21. Cc3. Ancora la Sachdev: “Anche il suggerimento del computer 21. Cg1 conduce ad una posizione agevole per il Nero: 21. ... Ah6+ 22. Rb1 Ag7 23. b3 Tbxh4 24. Txh4 Txh4 25. Cxf3 Tf4 – benché sostenibile, l’Alfiere nero camposcuro non renderà facile la vita al Bianco”. 21. ... Ah6+?! Più proficuo e naturale 21. ... Tbxh4! 22. Txh4 Txh4 23. Te1+ Rd8 24. Ce4 d5 25. Cd2 Th3 26. c3 Ac5 27. Tf1 Re7 con una duratura iniziativa del Nero. 22. Rb1 d5 23. a3 Tf4 24. Tde1+ Rd8 25. Cd1 a5. L’alternativa 25. ... Axf5 26. Axa6 Tg4 27. Teg1 Txg1 28. Txg1 Af4 29. Th1 Ag5 è comunque equilibrata. 26. Ce3 Tg8 27. h5 Ad7 28. Teg1. “Il Bianco procede per una serie di scambi che producono un perfetto equilibrio. Una scelta pratica di Yìfán”. (Sachdev). 28. ... Txg1+ 29. Txg1 Th4 30. Cg4 Txh5 31. Ce5 f6 32. Cxd7 Rxd7 33. Tg3 Th2 34. Txf3 Ag5 35. Ra2 Ah4 36. Rb3 Axf2 37. Ra4 Ab6 38. b4 axb4 39. axb4 Rd6 40. Tg3 Th1 41. c3 Af2 42. Tf3 Th2 43. Rb3 Re5 44. Ac2 Rd6 45. Ad3 Rd7 46. Ac2 Tg2 47. Td3 Tg4 48. b5 Tf4 49. bxc6+ Rxc6 50. Td1 Tf3 51. Ad3 Ag3 52. Rc2 Rc5 53. Tf1 Te3 54. Ta1 Ae5 55. Ta5+ Rc6 56. Ta6+ Rc5 57. Ta5+ Rc6 58. Ta6+ Rc5 59. Ta5+ Rc6 60. Ta6+ Rc5 61. Ta5+ ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Foto: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich

Phyllis

Cum duo venissent ad Phyllida mane fututum
et nudam cuperet sumere uterque prior,
promisit pariter se Phyllis utrique daturam,
et dedit: ille pedem sustulit, hic tunicam.

Two youths came one morning fair Phyllis to fuck,
And quarrelled which of them should have that good luck,
But she woved that for each she a place would soon find,
Stuck one prick in before and the other behind.

Martial, Epigrams, Book 10, LXXXI

Doctor Frieda Boher, the fictional anti-heroine of Necron, a humorous-horror adult comics miniseries (1981), scripted by Mirka Martini (a.k.a. Ilaria Volpe) and illustrated by Magnus (a.k.a. Roberto Raviola).

Monday, September 16, 2013

卧虎藏龙 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

Il cavaliere implacabile

[Event "LII Campionato del Mondo Juniores"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.16"]
[Round "4"]
[ECO "D00"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Ashiku, Franc"]
[Black "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[WhiteElo "2253"]
[BlackElo "2392"]
[PlyCount "52"]

1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 c6 4. Nd2 Qb6 5. Nb3 Bf5 6. e3 a5 7. a4 e6 8. g4 Bh7 9. Bg3 Nf6 10. f3 Nbd7 11. h4 e5 12. dxe5 Qxe3+ 13. Qe2 Nxg4 14. e6 fxe6 15. Bh3 Bxc2 16. Qxe3 Nxe3 17. Nd4 Bf5 18. Kf2 Bxh3 19. Nxh3 Nf5 20. Nxe6 Nxg3 21. Kxg3 Bd6+ 22. f4 Kf7 23. Nd4 Rae8 24. Kf3 Re4 25. Nf5 Bc5 26. Rhg1 g6 0-1

丝绸之路


文扬小姐的心血结晶
(Da un’idea della signorina Wényáng)

Vertigine

Simone De Filomeno – Urii Eliseev
lii Campionato del Mondo Juniores; Kocaeli, 15 settembre 2013
Siciliana B51

1. e4 c5 2. Cf3 Cc6 3. Ab5 d6 4. Axc6+ bxc6 5. e5!? f6!?N 6. exd6 e5


7. Cxe5?? Un ingiustificato pseudo-Gambetto di Damiano! Da considerare semmai 7. Ch4 cui il Nero può eventualmente rispondere con 7. ... Ch6 8. d3 Cf7. 7. ... fxe5 8. Dh5+ Rd7 9. f4. Sempre più irretito nel raptus romantico, Simone immola tutti i suoi fantaccini centrali. Tuttavia, anche dopo 9. Ca3 Axd6 10. Cc4 Aa6 (oppure 10. ... Cf6) è chimerico sperare che l’attacco possa compensare il Cavallo sacrificato. 9. ... Axd6 10. fxe5 De7 11. d4 cxd4 12. Af4 Cf6 13. De2 Axe5! 14. Axe5 Te8 0 : 1.

草帽 (Straw hats)

厦门 (Xiàmén), China, August 2013. Photo: Mado Flynn.