Солярис (Solaris)

The Quickest Kid

Marina Brunello – Jolanta Zawadka
17th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship; Mamaia, May 30, 2016
Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 dxe5 8. Nxe5 e6 9. 0-0 Be7 10. Nf3 0-0 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 b6 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Qc2 g6 15. Qe2. For 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Qd2 Bf6 see Pap – Atakisi, 3rd Turbo GM tournament, Novi Sad 2009. 15. ... Rc8 16. Bh6 Re8 17. Rad1. For 17. Rfe1 Bf6 18. Bf4 Na5 19. Rac1 Qd5 see Vaitonis – Witkowski, 13th Chess Olympiad, Munich 1958. 17. ... Bf6 18. Rfe1 Na5 19. c4. A very adventurous Pawn sacrifice, but as they say, audaces fortuna iuvat. On the other hand, on 19. Ne5 Bg5 Black more than equalizes matters. Therefore I guess that the White Rook on d1 is not exactly well placed 19. ... Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Bxd4 21. Bf1. “Marina Brunello is a Pawn down and stands badly with a weak Pawn on c4. However, her opponent gives her an awful blunder as a gift”, Europe Échecs’ editor-in-chief Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly wrote.

21. ... e5?? Black should have played 21. ... Qh4!, of course. 22. Rxd4! 1 : 0. In fact, after 22. ... exd4 (else 22. ... Qxd4 23. Qf6 leads to mate) 23. Rxe8+ Qxe8 24. Qf6 Black must give up her Queen to avoid mate.

Italian Woman Grandmaster Marina Brunello poses in front of a chessboard in a stylish hall at the Centro Congressi of the Industrial Union in Turin, Italy, on November 29, 2008. Photo: Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images.

迁徙 (Migrations)

刘小东 (Liú Xiǎodōng)
迁徙 (Migrations)

From 22 April 2016 to 19 June 2016, the Strozzina area of Palazzo Strozzi in Florence hosts and will host a major one-man show devoted to the work of 刘小东 (Liú Xiǎodōng), one of China’s most important and original contemporary artists. Daily 12,00 – 20,00 / Free Thursdays 18,00 – 23,00.

Rings of Saturn

Cassini orbited in Saturn’s ring plane — around the planet’s equator — for most of 2015. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.

One Day in May

On Tuesday morning, May 31, 2016 — it being a free day from the 3rd Gashimov Memorial — four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) paid a visit to the Zeka Youth Centre for Intellectual Development and Creativity in Shamkir, Azerbaijan, where she exhibited herself to the young public. Photos: gashimovchess.com.

Hands Clean

Fabiano Caruana – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, May 30, 2016
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 0-0 8. Bf4 b6. For 8. ... Nh5 9. Be3 b6 10. g4 Nf6 11. Qd2 e5 12. Bh6 see Grischuk – Radjabov, World Blitz Chess Championship, Astana 2012. 9. Qd2 Re8 10. 0-0-0 a5 11. Ne5 b5 12. Qe3. On 12. Nxc6 Qb6 would give Black obvious compensation for the Pawn. 12. ... Qb6? “Actually today, 12. ... Qb6 was a real mistake somehow, after that move position is worse for Black, despite comp’s evaluation. 12. ... Nd7!! 13. Nxd7 Bd4! would equalize after 14. Qg3 Qxd7! and it seems that Black is doing fine”, then Radjabov said. 13. Bh6 Bh8 14. f4 a4 15. Rhf1 e6 16. g4 a3? Black deprives himself of any counterplay on the Queenside. Deserving consideration was 16. ... b4. 17. b4! Nd7 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. e5. Fabi fixes the centre before launching into the Kingside attack. 19. ... f5 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. Bxg7 Kxg7

22. h4! fxg4 23. h5! gxh5 24. Ng3 Kh8 25. Nxh5 Re7 26. Nf6 Be8 27. f5! White’s attack is overwhelming. 27. ... exf5 28. Rxf5 Qc7 29. Rg5 Rg7. 29. ... Bg6 30. Rxg6 hxg6 31. Qh6+ Rh7 32. Rh1!! would have inspired a very pretty finish. 30. Rh1 Bg6 31. Rxg4 Qf7 32. Kb1 cxb4. Also after 32. ... c4 33. d4 White must win. 33. Qd4 Bf5 34. e6! It is not so hard to find, but composes an artwork. 34. ... Rxg4 35. exf7 Rxd4 36. Ne8! 1 : 0. “Anyway an interesting game, not boring at all :)”, Radjabov finally said.

Fabiano Caruana vs. Teimour Radjabov
Photo: shamkirchess.az

Head Over Feet

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Olga Zimina
17th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship; Mamaia, May 30, 2016
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 b5 6. cxb5 Bxb5 7. Bg2 d5 8. 0-0 Bd6 9. Bb2 0-0 10. Nc3 Ba6 11. Rc1 Nbd7 12. Na4 Qb8!? For 12. ... Rc8 13. Ne5 c5 see Sachdev – 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě), 1st World Mind Sports Games, Women’s Rapid Team Chess Event, 北京 (Běijīng) 2008. 13. Rc2 Bb5 14. Nc5 a5 15. Ne5 a4 16. Qc1 axb3 17. axb3 Ra2 18. f4 Qa7 19. Kh1 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Rxb2. Russian-born Italian Woman Grandmaster Olga Zimina goes for an interesting, but unnecessary Exchange sacrifice (20. ... Bxe5 seemed just as good as natural). The Bishop pair and a Pawn nearly compensate Black for her little deficit. 21. Qxb2 Bxc5 22. Qc3 Bd6 23. Ra1 Qb8 24. b4 Qb6 25. Bf3 Nd7 26. Nxd7 Bxd7 27. Kg2 Rb8 28. Rb1 g6 29. h4 h5 30. Qf6 c5 31. b5 Bf8

32. f5! Giving Black the aimed second Pawn as compensation for the Exchange, but the initiative is always more important than material. 32. ... exf5. If 32. ... gxf5 there might follow 33. Qg5+ Kh7 34. Qxh5+ Kg7 35. Qg5+ Kh7 36. g4! keeping the initiative in her own hands. 33. Qxb6 Rxb6 34. Bxd5 Rxb5 35. Rxb5 Bxb5 36. Rb2 Bd7 37. Rb6 Kg7 38. Kf3 Ba4 39. Ra6 Bb5 40. Rb6 Ba4 41. Kf4 Be7 42. Ke5 Kf8 43. Bc4 Bc2 44. Rb8+ Kg7 45. Re8 Bf8. 45. ... Bf6+ 46. Kd6 Bd4 seems to offer more balanced prospects. 46. Bd5 Bd1 47. Rd8 Bxe2 48. Rd7 Kh6 49. Kf6 c4? The move that loses the game. After 49. ... Bg7+ 50. Kxf7 Kh7 51. Rd6 White hits hard, but it’s not easy to break through the Black’s barricade. 50. Kxf7! Catching the Black King in a mating net. 50. ... Ba3. Both 50. ... c3 and 50. ... Bg7 are also met by 51. Kg8. 51. Kg8 g5 52. Rg7! gxh4 53. Bf7 1 : 0. Because mate follows by Rg7-g6.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Photo: vesti-yamal.ru.

The Primacy of the Arians

Braunsbach, Germany: Cars buried under debris after torrential rainfall caused severe damage to cars and houses. Photo: Marijan Murat/EPA.

The Blind Boy’s Laughter

Lopburi, Thailand: Kanya Phu-ard, 12, bursts into laughter while rehearsing with the Thai Blind Orchestra. Photo: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA.

Round trip ticket

• Papa Francesco: “I migranti non sono un pericolo, sono in pericolo” | Pope Francis: “Migrants are not a danger, they are in danger”, tg24.sky.it, May 28, 2016

“Migrants are not a danger, they are in danger”, Pope Francis said welcoming 500 children who travelled on a special train from the Calabria region to the Vatican to meet him on Saturday, May, 28.

Pope Francis greets migrants and refugees at the Moria refugee camp on April 16, 2016 near the port of Mytilene, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

Sunny

The Last Supper of Lady Arcovazzi

Dear Lady Arcovazzi, you’ll hopefully agree that your conduct constitutes gross misconduct and that your “explanation” about it only makes your situation worse. Having taken all of the facts and circumstances into account, we urge your headmasters to summarily dismiss you from any employment with immediate effect, otherwise we’ll be forced to take drastic steps with regard to them too. Best regards P.S. The enclosed picture shows you at a “peak”, so that you can be sure of correctly interpreting the objective grounds of our formal recommendation.

Artwork © ShearRayne

A Touch of Stardust

• Ruth Moore, The Timeless Cool of Soviet Film Posters, on Show in Moscow, The Moscow Times, May 26, 2016

“The Circus” | Museum of Contemporary History of Russia

• Ruth Moore, Moscow exhibition celebrates Soviet cinema’s grand designs, The Guardian, May 30, 2016

“The Story of Asya Klyachina”, 1967. Directed by Andrey Konchalovsky. Photo: Linz Design Museum.

The Importance of Dispensable Things Indispensable

Barack Obama shows his best dad moves backstage at a Sasha’s dance recitals into the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland, United States, on June 16, 2013. Photo: Pete Souza.

Ghosts

While the rain was falling hard, the spirit of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s dancers unexpectedly appeared! Claudio Rizzi’s dancers from Calenzano performed their own dance show of end year, and the audience was double.

Just Like a Girl

She is not the youngest girl I ever met on a board, but Gianna – this is her name – succeeded in persuading me to content myself with perpetual check. She told me the story of her life, and her still young heart has definitely conquered mine! She has only one regret. When she was a child her father enrolled her in a dance school, and she adored ballet. But her family could not long afford the cost of the school, and soon she would have had no choice but to give up her passion. Before saying goodbye, I just told her that in our school – the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” – anyone can always call a group to dance.

Mary Poppins’s bag

Almost always, when it rains the Comune di Calenzano is used to cancel the Festa dello Sport at Parco del Neto, but this year the city administration wanted to give a surprise to all the associations and opened the gates of its most spacious and recreational workplace: the Palazzetto dello Sport.

Here is the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s stand.

Royal Umbrella

Due to the bad weather, the Comune di Calenzano has exceptionally given the availability of the Palazzetto dello Sport, Via di Prato 64/a, 50041 Calenzano, where the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” is with its own stand to promote both classical and Fischerandom chess in the 12th Festa dello Sport, starting at 10,00 and ending at 19,00. The entrance is free.

Taj Mahal
ताजमहल
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Tears in Rain (May 29)

The Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” will participate with its own stand through which it will promote both classical and Fischerandom chess in the 12th Festa dello Sport which will be held at Parco del Neto in Calenzano on Sunday, May 29, 2016, starting at 10,00 and ending at 19,00. The event is promoted by the Comune di Calenzano and organised by the Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Primavera dello Sport. The entrance is free. The weathermen predict that it will rain on next Sunday, but... who does it care about, other than those who doesn’t care about chess?

Street chess players in the rain, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo credit: Chess Masters/John Ragal/CC BY 2.0.

The Difficult Crossing

别批判他人，因为你不知道别人经历过什么。
Bié pīpàn tārén, yīnwèi nǐ bù zhīdào biérén jīnglìguò shèn me.
Never judge others. You never know what their story is.

Artwork © MadLittleClown

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Prague, Czech Republic: A pedestrian passes a statue featuring a giant rotating head of Franz Kafka. Photo: Filip Snger/EPA.

Eye of the Storm

Petra Papp – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
17th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship; Mamaia, May 28, 2016
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 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. 0-0 0-0 14. c4 Rd8!? A novelty, as far as I know. For 14. ... f5 15. Qf3 Qb7 see Nakamura – Radjabov, 74th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2012. 15. Qh5 Rb8 16. cxb5 f5 17. exf5. Stronger seems 17. Nc4 and if 17. ... axb5 then 18. Ne3! f4 19. Nd5 with a clear edge. 17. ... e4 18. Rae1 d5

19. bxa6 Rxb2 20. Re3. A wild way to start to attack. 20. ... Qf6. Goryachkina was afraid to accept the gift with 20. ... Qxa3 because of 21. f6!? Bxf6? (this, however, is not forced) 22. Bxe4 with unclear complications. 21. a7 Bb7. If 21. ... Bxf5 then 22. Rf3! with some firework effects. 22. Bb1? Petra does not succeed to coordinate her shattered forces. It seems that 22. Bc2 Ra8 23. Bb3 Rxa7 24. Nc2 h6 25. Rg3 may still offer some ground for initiative. 22. ... Ra8 23. g4? Further worsening her own situation. Deserving consideration is 23. Rd1 Rxa7 24. Nc2 Qb6 and Black stands better. 23. ... Rxa7 24. Rd1 h6 25. Nc2 Bc6 26. Nd4 Ba4 27. Nb3 Qb6 28. g5 Bxb3 29. axb3 Ra1. White has a Pawn more, but her light-squared Bishop is doomed. 30. Bc2. More tenacious is 30. Bxe4, alhough after 30. ... Rxd1+ 31. Qxd1 dxe4 32. f6 Bf8 33. Qg4 h5! 34. Qxe4 Qb4 Black should win anyway. 30. ... Rxc2 31. Rxa1 Bxa1 32. f6 Bxf6! The simplest way. 33. gxf6 Qxf6 34. Qg4+ Kh7 35. Qg3 Qf5 36. Rc3 Ra2 37. Rc6 d4 38. Rc1 Ra6 39. Kf1 Rg6 40. Qc7 Qf3 41. Qd7 d3 0 : 1.

Petra Papp vs. Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Photo: Federația Română de Șah (Facebook)

Rain Dance

Fabiano Caruana – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, May 28, 2016
Spanish Game C83

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 d3 13. Bb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bf5 15. Re1 0-0 16. Be3 Qd5 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h4!TN

A novelty which will likely change the assessment of the variation. 18. Re3 Nxd4 19. cxd4 c5 20. Bxd3 cxd4 21. Re2 Qe6 22. Rd2 Bxd3 23. Rxd3 Bc5= leads nowhere for White, 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – So, 78th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2016. 18. ... Bg6. If 18... h6 then 19. Re3 Nxd4 20. Nxd4! Bg6 21. b4 c5 22. bxc5 Bxc5 23. Ba2 Qb7 24. Qg4± (I. Sokolov’s analysis). 19. b4! d2 (19. ... Bxb4? 20. Ba2 Qd7 21. e6 Qd6 22. Be5 Nxe5 23. Rxe5 Bc5 24. h5+−) 20. Qxd2 Bxb1 21. Raxb1 Bxb4 (21. ... Nxd4? 22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. Nxd4 Bxb4 24. Nc6+−) 22. Qf4 Be7 [22. ... Nxd4 23. Nxd4 Bc5 24. e6 (24. Nf5 Qd2 25. Qg3⩲) 24. ... fxe6 25. Nxe6 Rf8 26. Nxf8 Rxf8 27. Qe5 Bxf2+ 28. Kh2 Qd8 29. Re4 Bxh4 30. g3⩲]

23. e6! fxe6 24. Qg4 Nxd4 (⌓ 24. ... e5 25. Bxe5 Nxe5 26. Rxe5 Qd7 27. Re6 Bf6 28. Rbe1⩲) 25. Nxd4 Bf6 26. Nxe6 Rd7

27. Re3 (27. h5!?↑ Δ f2-f4-f5) 27. ... h5? (27. ... g6 28. Rbe1↑) 28. Qg6± Rf7?! (28. ... Bxh4 29. Rbe1±/+−) 29. Rbe1 Rc8 30. Nf4 [30. Rd3! Qc4 31. Rf3 (Δ Rf3xf6) 27. ... Qxh4 32. Re4+−] 30. ... Qd7 31. Qxh5+− Re7 32. Nd5 Rf7 33. Rd1 (33. Nxf6+ Rxf6 34. Re7 Qd2 35. Qg4+−) 33. ... Qc6 34. Nf4 Rd7 35. Re8+ 1 : 0.

The Twin Towers. Photos: gashimovchess.com.

La Pluie d’été

We Did Not Die

Douma, Syria: Schoolgirls sit in their classroom at the Saif al-Dawla school as they take part in an art project organised as part of a local initiative to shift the children’s minds from the atrocities of the Syrian war. Photo: Abd Doumany/AFP/Getty Images.

Sunny Rainy Day (May 29)

The Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” will participate with its own stand through which it will promote both classical and Fischerandom chess in the 12th Festa dello Sport which will be held at Parco del Neto in Calenzano on Sunday, May 29, 2016, starting at 10,00 and ending at 19,00. The event is promoted by the Comune di Calenzano and organised by the Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Primavera dello Sport. The entrance is free. The weathermen predict that it will rain on next Sunday, but... who does it care about, other than those who doesn’t care about chess?

Happy Warrior playground (98th and Amsterdam Ave), New York, United States. Photo: obBLOGato.

The Matrix Reloaded

Anastasia Mikhailovna Bodnaruk – Nataliya Igorivna Buksa
17th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship; Mamaia, May 27, 2016
Spanish Game C83

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Be3 0-0 11. Nbd2 Qd7 12. Bc2 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Bg4. Curiously enough, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Law Faculty student Nataliya Igorivna Buksa is on the footsteps of her countrywoman Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk. 14. Qd3. It “promise[s] nothing”, Grandmaster Adrian Bohdanovych Mikhalchishin said. In the 2nd game of the Women’s World Chess Championship match in Lviv between 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, Chinese Grandmaster preferred 14. Bf4 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Rad8 16. Rfd1 Qe6 17. Qe3 when, rather than 17. ... Rd7, Black should have played 17. ... Na5!? 18. b3 c5 as 19. a4?! c4! would give Black a satisfactory play. 14. ... g6 15. Bh6 Rfe8 16. Rad1. Also after 16. Rfe1 Bf5 17. Qd2 Bxc2 18. Qxc2 Nd8 19. Rad1 Ne6 20. h4 c5! Black gets excellent chances, Kokarev – Short, 2nd International Chess Open, Kolkata 2015. 16. ... Bf5 17. Qd2 Bxc2 18. Qxc2 Nd8 19. Nd4 f6 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Nb3 Nb7 22. f4. Less committal seems 22. Be3 a5 with approximate equality.

22. ... Qg4. With the threat of ... Re8-e2. 23. Qd3 Rad8 24. f5? After 24. Rde1! the game was still quite even. 24. ... g5. Cutting off the White Bishop. Bodnaruk will pay very dearly for its liberation. 25. Nd4 Nc5 26. Qh3 Qxh3 27. gxh3 Kf7 28. Nf3 Ne4 29. Kg2 c5 30. h4. Finally! But it’s too late. 30. ... gxh4 31. Kh3 d4. Black’s preponderance is overwhelming. 32. cxd4 cxd4 33. Ne1 Rd5 34. Nd3 Nd6 35. Bf4 Nc4 36. Bc1 Ne3 37. Bxe3 dxe3 38. Nf4 Rxf5 39. Kg4 h5+! A pretty conclusion. 40. Nxh5. Not 40. Kxf5 Re5 mate. 40. ... Rxh5 41. Kxh5 e2 42. Rxf6+ Kxf6 43. Re1 Kf5 44. Kxh4 Kf4 45. Kh3 Ke3 0 : 1.

Nataliya Igorivna Buksa. Photo: Chess-News.ru.

The Human Hippocampus

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Eltaj Safarli
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, May 27, 2016
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. h4!? An idea launched in the 1940s by Hermann Pilnik, then lapsed into oblivion, until it was rediscovered about forty years later by Nigel David Short. 7. ... Qc7 8. Nf3 Bd7 9. h5 h6 10. Rh4. The Rook lift. That’s not the easiest way to go for an advantage, but she has a clear idea in mind. 10. ... Nbc6 11. Rg4 Nf5 12. Bd3 Nce7

13. dxc5! Maybe a new move (even though more formally than substantially), aimed to give a meaning to 10. Rh4. For 13. a4 g6 14. hxg6 Nxg6 15. Ba3 c4 16. Be2 0-0-0 17. a5 Rdg8 see Marković – Damljanović, 52nd Yugoslav Chess Championship, Nikšić 1997. 13. ... Qxc5 14. Rb4 a5. It appears a bit incautious. 15. Rxb7 Bc6 16. Rb3. Maybe letting her hook slide away. On the other hand, from a human point of view, finding over the board the paradoxical 16. Rbb1! is anything but obvious: after 16. ... Qxc3+ 17. Kf1! the f5-Knight is left hanging, while if 16. ... d4 there might follow 17. c4! with a very powerful edge. 16. ... Ba4 17. Rbb1 Qxc3+ 18. Bd2. Now 18. Kf1 can be answered by 18. ... Nc6 – Alas! The Black light-squared Bishop is not anymore in c6. 18. ... Qc5 19. Qe2 0-0 20. g4 Nd4. The worst is over. 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. c3 Qc5 23. g5 hxg5 24. Qg4 Bc6 25. Rc1. 25. h6 gxh6 26. Bxg5 hxg5 27. Qxg5+ Ng6 28. Bxg6 fxg6 29. Qxg6+ only leads to perpetual check. 25. ... Nf5 26. Bxg5 Bb5 27. Bxf5 exf5 28. Qd4 Qc4 29. Qxc4 Bxc4 30. Be7 Rfb8 31. Rab1 Bd3 32. Rxb8+ Rxb8 33. Kd2 Be4 34. Ke3 Rb2 35. Bc5 Rb5 36. Bd6 Rb2 37. Bc5 Rb5 38. Bd6 Rb2 39. Bc5 ½ : ½. A hard-fought game.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s mother, 王茜 (Wáng Qiàn), is a good photographer who has not yet received the recognition she deserves. Photos: gashimovchess.com.

Out from the barrio

Pavel Eljanov – Fabiano Caruana
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, May 27, 2016
Grünfeld Defence D91

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Bf4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. e3 0-0 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nd7 11. 0-0 Nb6 12. Bb3 c4 13. Bc2 Nd5 14. Qd2 Nxf4. Another try was 14. ... Qa5 15. Be4 Nf6 16. Bb1 Bg4 17. Ne5 Be6 18. Rc1 Rfd8 19. Qe1 Rac8 20. h3 Qa3 21. Nf3 Nd5 ½ : ½ Sikorsky – Yamaliev, correspondence game, 2012. 15. exf4 Be6 16. a4 Bd5 17. Ne5 e6 18. Rfb1 Rb8 19. Qe3 a6 20. a5 b5 21. axb6 Rxb6 22. g3 Rxb1+ 23. Rxb1 Bxe5 24. Qxe5 Qa8 25. h4 Bh1 26. Kf1 h5 27. Ke1 a5 28. Ra1 Qg2 29. Rxa5 Qg1+ 30. Ke2 Bg2 31. Qe3 Rb8 32. Ra2 Bh3 33. Kd2 Bf5 34. Qe1 Qg2 35. Bxf5 exf5 36. Kc2?? Black’s position is easier to play, especially in a time scramble, but it is likely that after 36. Rc2 White may hold everything together.

36. ... Qb7?? Fabi, too, finds himself in terrible time pressure and misses the killer 36. ... Qf3!-+ 37. Kc1 (or 37. Rb2 Qd3+ 38. Kc1 Ra8-+) 37. ... Rb3 winning immediately. 37. Kd2 Qg2 38. Kc1?? Repetita non semper iuvant. Eljanov was still in time to play 38. Rc2. 38. ... Qf3! Caruana doesn’t give him a second chance! The rest is almost smooth :). 39. Rc2 Ra8 40. Qe2. On 40. Kb1 Ra3! (Δ ... Qf3-a8) 41. Kb2 Qb7+! wins. 40. ... Qh1+ 41. Kd2 Ra1. White is virtually in Zugzwang. 42. Qe8+ Kg7 43. Qe5+ Kh7 44. Qe2 Rb1 45. f3. Or 45. Qxc4 Rd1+ 46. Ke2 Qe1+ 47. Kf3 Qe4 mate. 45. ... Rg1 0 : 1.

Fabiano Caruana
Photo: shamkirchess.az

The Mask Makers

Masks of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are seen drying on shelves. Photo: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.

A worker checks a mask in quality control. Photo: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.

• The Chinese factory mass producing Donald Trump masks – in pictures, The Guardian, May 27, 2016

A Long Journey

The interview about Belaya Ladya and other RCF projects was published in sport-express.ru. On June 1, the International Children’s Day, Dagomys will host yet another final of Belaya Ladya, a team chess tournament for schools. For the second consecutive year, foreign teams will participate in the final along with Russian schoolchildren. This year the tournament will welcome more youngsters from abroad, and the RCF takes special pride in succeeding to invite Chinese schoolchildren. Russian Chess Federation (RCF) President Andrey Vasilievich Filatov discusses the tournament and the activities of the RCF. [Read more].

• Kirill Zangalis, Andrey Filatov: We are Just at the Start of a Long Journey, ruchess.ru, May 27, 2016 (English language)
• Kirill Zangalis, Андрей ФИЛАТОВ: “МЫ ТОЛЬКО ВНАЧАЛЕ БОЛЬШОГО ПУТИ”, sport-express.ru, May 27, 2016 (Russian language)

Russian Chess Federation President Andrey Vasilievich Filatov
Photo: ruchess.ru