马拉松 (Marathon)

Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina – 黄茜 (Huáng Qiàn)
43rd Women’s Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 30, 2018
8/8/5k2/1R3p2/6p1/4K1P1/r7/8 w - - 22 118

Position after 117. ... Ke5-f6

Woman Grandmaster 黄茜 (Huáng Qiàn), also known for being the wife of Grandmaster 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì), did miracles today by winning a drawn Rook and Pawn ending against Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina, thus scoring a vital equaliser in China’s crucial match with Ukraine. 118. Rb6+. Another way towards a draw could be 118. Rc5! Rg2 119. Rc3! Rxg3+ 120. Kf4= Rxc3 stalemate. 118. ... Kg5 119. Rb8?? And here is Ushenina’s drama. The White Rook had to stay (and eventually oscillate) on the third rank: 119. Rb3 and if 119. ... Rg2 then 120. Kd4 making Black’s progress virtually impossible. 119. ... Rg2 120. Rg8+ Kf6 121. Rf8+ Kg6. Now the g3-Pawn falls with fatal consequences for White. 122. Kf4 Rf2+ 123. Ke5 Re2+ 124. Kd4 (124. Kf4 Re4 mate) 124. ... Rg2 125. Ke5 Rxg3 126. Rxf5 Rf3! The rest is easy. 127. Rf4 Kg5 128. Ra4 g3 129. Ra8 Re3+ 130. Kd4 Re1 131. Kd3 Kg4 132. Kd2 Re7 133. Rg8+ Kh3 134. Rh8+ Kg2 135. Rg8 Re5 136. Rg7 Kh2 137. Rh7+ Kg1 138. Rg7 g2 139. Rg8 Rh5 140. Ke2 Kh2 141. Kf2 Rf5+ 142. Ke2 g1=Q 143. Rh8+ Kg2 144. Rg8+ Kh1 0 : 1. So angry was Ushenina that walked away denying her opponent the ritual handshake.

Seated, from left to right, are 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), 黄茜 (Huáng Qiàn), 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng), and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn); standing, from left to right, are 田红卫 (Tián Hóngwèi), Chinese Chess Association’s Delegate & Vice General Secretary, and 余少腾 (Yú Shǎoténg), head coach of Chinese women’s chess team. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

For comers and goers

Silvia Bertini (left) and Olga Calamai (right), ballerinas of Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, spent their Sunday morning volunteering to help the cause of “Corri la Vita”, a charity footrace now in its 16th recurrence in support of the fight against breast cancer. Apparently, they have been working overtime, as this year’s edition saw the participation of about 34,000 runners, some of them looking for good publicity. Photo courtesy of Silvia Bertini.

C’mon, Edna, tell your chaperone not to worry — it’s not a wedding dress that you have to worn

Artwork © Jeffrey Balch (@jeffreybalch)

Not in Time

Dum proavos atavosque refers et nomina magna, dum tibi noster eques sordida conditio est, dum te posse negas nisi lato, Gellia, clavo nubere; nupsisti, Gellia, cistifero. For rank, descent and title famed, To gentry Gellia showed her hauteur; She’d wed only a duke, she claimed — But then she ran off with a porter. Mentre d’avi e proavi eri tutta un rito, e un cavalier mio pari era un pessimo partito, e mentre, Gellia, sdegnavi di voler come marito chiunque fosse meno d’un barone hai sposato, Gellia, un garzone.

Martial, Epigrams, Book 5, XVII
English translation by John Patrick Sullivan
Italian translation by Holden Caulfield

South Korean makeup artist Dain Yoon (윤다인) painted onto her own face her remake of Henri Matisse’s picture Dance (I). Photo: Dain Yoon (@designdain).

Four Days in Autumn

With only four days left before knowing who will be the President of FIDE, it can be worth reading Leonard Barden’s “pre—exit polls”, so as he summed up it in his The Guardian weekly chess column. First of all, the sword of Damocles of FIDE Ethics Commission over the electoral process: “The bitter war of words between Greece’s Georgios Makropoulos, the current deputy FIDE president, and Arkady Dvorkovich, Russia’s former deputy prime minister and chief FIFA World Cup organiser, has spilled over to the FIDE Ethics Committee before the FIDE presidential election on 3 October”. Then Barden scans the respective odds of the three candidates, starting with Nigel David Short, whose anti-corruption program has been undermined at the root by two heavy rejections: “First, an English Chess Federation board meeting announced that its vote would go to Makropoulos, whose No. 2 is the ECF’s international director, Malcolm Pein, already a candidate for FIDE president in 2022”, Barden writes. Secondly and lastly, he concludes, “both Makropoulos, who is probably the narrow favourite, and Dvorkovich, but not Short, have been allocated booths at the Olympiad Expo”. And yet, a ChessBase reader poll shows that Short just leads by a huge margin the race as the most welcomed FIDE President, probably because he succeeded in not being seen as the continuation of the war by other masks. But alas for him people cannot vote at FIDE presidential election. What people can still do is to insist on their own national federations’ officials to represent them — the people — faithfully and truly.

A Call of Love

A stag in the early morning light during rutting season in Richmond Park, Greater London, United Kingdom. Photo: Reuters/Toby Melville.

One Day in September

A woman walks past murals by British street artist My Dog Sighs, in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood one day in September. Photo: AP/Alessandra Tarantino.

You are terribly angry with him, Edna, but he doesn’t seem to take it seriously

Artwork © Adamant Reflux Hater (@worldofwhut)

The Long Run

Fabiano Caruana – Boris Abramovich Gelfand
43rd Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 28, 2018
Sicilian Defence B31

Fabiano Caruana is playing non-stop super chess, apparently showing no need of hiding himself before the big clash with Magnus Carlsen in London next fall. Not to be superstitious here, but his determination may well resemble that of Alekhine before the World Championship match against Capablanca. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 0-0 8. 0-0 Ne8 9. Be3 b6 10. e5 f6 11. Re1 Nc7 12. Qd2!? New, but not too different from 12. exf6 exf6 13. Qd2 g5!∞ Mkrtchian – Ushenina, 1st Women’s World Team Chess Championship, Yekaterinburg 2007. 12. ... fxe5? 13. ... g5! was still the best move, eventually transposing into the above mentioned game. 13. Bh6! Rxf3!? Black is virtually forced to give up the Exchange for if 13. ... Bxh3 then 14. Nxe5 with great advantage to White. 14. Bxg7. Not 14. gxf3? because of 14. ... Bf6! and Black’s play on the dark squares would more than compensate for the Exchange. 14. ... Kxg7 15. gxf3 Bxh3 16. Rxe5 e6 17. Rg5! Now, White’s not only the Exchange ahead, but he is also attacking the enemy King with brio and might. 17. ... Qf6 18. Rg3 Bf5 19. Kg2 h5 20. Rh1 Rh8

21. Ne4! Qxb2 22. Qf4! Nd5 23. Qd6 e5? 23. ... h4! seems to be Black’s best chance, though after 24. Rg4! Bxg4 25. fxg4 g5! 26. Qd7+ Kg6 27. c3! White’s initiative continues. 24. Rh4! The two White Rooks are worth a kingdom! 24. ... Qd4. Or else 24. ... Nf4+ 25. Kh1 Rf8 26. c3! with an easy win. 25. Kg1 Rf8 26. Rxh5 Bxe4 27. Qd7+. Finally going for mate. 27. ... Kf6 28. Qxc6+ Kg7 29. Qd7+ Kf6 30. fxe4 Nf4 31. Rf5+ gxf5 32. Qxf5+ Ke7 33. Rg7+ 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

Randomness

Tristis es et felix. Sciat hoc Fortuna caveto: ingratum dicet te, Lupe, si scierit. Lucky yet sad? My friend, should Fortune find You lacking gratitude, she’ll change her mind. Sei fortunato e pur triste. Che mai la Fortuna lo sappia, ché ingrato ti dirà, Lupo, se lo saprà.

Martial, Epigram, Book 6, LXXIX
English translation by Brian Hill
Italian translation by Giuseppe Lipparini

Optical self-portrait by South Korean makeup artist Dain Yoon (윤다인). Photo © Dain Yoon (@designdain).

Generations & Geographies

• Kirill Zangalis, Майя Чибурданидзе: “Готова сыграть матч с Хоу Ифань” | Maia Grigorievna Chiburdanidze: “I’m ready to play a match with 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)”, Sport-Express, September 28, 2018

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin’s manager and Sport-Express correspondent Kirill Zangalis interviewed at length 6th Women’s World Chess Champion Maia Grigorievna Chiburdanidze in Batumi, Georgia on various matters, ranging from the 43rd Chess Olympiad to her glorious past and her ascetic present. Asked about the possibility of a comeback, she replied: “Sincerely speaking, I’m quite unlikely to travel much. I feel better — and stronger — at home. I just need to practice a little more”. “What if a sponsor were available to fund and organise a match between you and 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)?”, Zangalis asked. “Why not?”, Chiburdanidze answered. “Yes, especially at rapid and blitz chess. I think I would give her a fight”. [Read more].

Maia Grigorievna Chiburdanidze (forefront) watching the opening ceremony of the 43rd Chess Olympiad in Batumi on September 23, 2018. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

L’Interdit

A Call to Arms

Summer is flying by, so in just a few days it will be time to unpack suitcases and join the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s kaleidoscopic dance classes (already from Monday, October 1, 2018). Photo: Stefano Guerri.

Yes, Edna, believing that Cruella will let you free on next weekend may help you keep summer clothes even in the cold of winter

Artwork © LittleHailee (@littleartsyhailee)

Thoughts Behind the Thoughts

Jacek Tomczak – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
43rd Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 27, 2018
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4 Qe6 9. g3 Nb4. The alternative 9. ... d6 10. c4 Nb6 also gives Black a satisfactory game, Nepomniachtchi – Kramnik, 3rd Grand Chess Tour, 2nd stage (“Your Next Move” Blitz), Leuven 2017. 10. c4!? This is an understandable attempt to improve on 10. a3 Qd5 11. Rg1 Ba6 which gives Black a very comfortable game, Díaz – Arencibia Rodríguez, 58th Cuban Chess Championship, Las Tunas 1996. 10. ... Ba6 11. Bf4. 11. b3 Qg6! is not too exciting either, but the text is probably even worse. 11. ... d5! 12. a3!? (12. exd6 Nd3+) 12. ... Bxc4 13. Qd1 Bxf1. 13. ... Qf5 (or also 13. ... Qg6!?) 14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. 0-0 Nd3∓ is regarded by most engines as a very appealing destination for Black. 14. Kxf1 Na6 15. Nc3 Nc5 16. b4 d4 17. bxc5 dxc3 18. Qd4 Rd8? It’s quite amazing that Kramnik did not go now for 18. ... Qd5! forcing the exchange of Queens and a very favourable ending a Pawn up. 19. Qxc3 Qd5 20. Kg1 Bxc5 21. Rc1 Bb6 22. h5!? 0-0 23. h6 Rfe8 24. hxg7 Re6! 25. Bg5 Qa2? Apparently overestimating his attacking chances. Best seems 25. ... Bd4! 26. Qc2 Rg6! 27. Qf5 Re8 which leaves Black with the upper hand. 26. Rh2 Rd5? Consistently oblivious to the disaster. A much lesser evil was 26. ... Rd4! in order to reply 27. Qf3 with 27. ... Qd5 28. Qh5 Qe4 29. Bf6 Rd5 eventually followed by an Exchange sacrifice on e5.

27. Qb4! It’s strange — but of course possible — that Kramnik may have overlooked this strabic move which threatens both Qb4-f8 mate and Qb4-h4. Instead, after 27. Bf6 Qd2 Black would have avoided the worst. 27. ... c5. Of course, both 27. ... Re8 and 27. ... Kxg7 are met by 28. Qh4 with mate coming soon. 28. Qh4. The End. Kramnik chivalrously allows his opponent to deliver mate: 28. ... h6 29. Bxh6 Qb3 30. Bd2! Kxg7 31. Qh8+ Kg6 32. Qh7 mate.

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

Short Stories from the Twenty-First Century

Désirée Di Benedetto – Anna Maria Sargsyan
43rd Women’s Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 27, 2018
Slav Defence D17

If nothing else, at least the Italian women’s team is keeping safe the country’s honour at the 43rd Chess Olympiad. 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 g5 12. Ne3 gxf4 13. Nxf5 0-0-0 14. Qc2 Kb8 15. 0-0 fxg3 16. hxg3 a5 17. Rfd1 h5 18. Rac1 Nc5. Italian men too set their footsteps upon this long and theoretical line: 18. ... Bc5 19. Ne4 Bb4 20. Rd4 Nb6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Rd1 Rxd1+ 23. Qxd1 Qd7 24. Qxd7 Nbxd7 25. b3 Kc7 26. Nd4 Nc5 27. Kf1 Ned7 28. e3 Ne5 29. Ke2 Ng6 30. f4 Ne7 31. Bf3 Nxe4 32. Bxe4 Bc3 33. Kd3 Be1 34. Bf3 h4 35. gxh4 Bxh4 36. Bh5 f6 37. e4 Kd6 38. Kc4 Bf2 39. Nf5+ Nxf5 40. exf5 Be3 41. Bf7 Bxf4 42. Be6 b5+ ½ : ½ David – S. Brunello, 77th Italian Chess Championship, Cosenza 2017. 19. Rxd8+. Or else 19. Ne4 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 Bb4 22. Bh3 f6 23. Kg2 Qf7 24. Nd4 Ka8 25. Bf5 Rd8 26. Rh1 Rd6 27. Nf3 Nd7 ½ : ½ Smirnov – Al Sayed, 7th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2008. 19. ... Qxd8 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 f6. Another modus vivendi could be 21. ... Qf6 22. Nd4 Bg7 but then after 23. b4! White should still have prospects for initiative. 22. Nd4 Qe8? This mistake suddenly precipitates Black into hopeless ruin. Best was 22. ... h4! 23. f4 Ng4∞ 24. Bf3 f5! 25. Nxf5 Bc5+ 26. Kf1 Re8 with enough compensation for the Pawn. 23. f4 Bh6. A pin upon which Black obviously relied when playing 22. ... Qe8, but a prompt disappointment will be there for her. 24. Rc3! Ng4

25. Nxc6+! White sacrifices her Knight and launches a mating attack. 25. ... bxc6 26. Rb3+ Kc7 27. Qd4 Qc8 28. Rb6. Even stronger was 28. Bxc6! for if 28. ... Kxc6 then 29. Rb6+ Kc7 30. Qd6 mate. Almost incredulous, White held her breath and went for a safe, sure and prosaic victory. 28. ... Qe6 29. Rxc6+ Qxc6 30. Qa7+ Kd6 31. Bxc6 Kxc6 32. Qa6+ Kd7 33. Qb5+ Ke6 34. Qc4+ Ke7 35. Qc5+ Ke6 36. Qxh5 Rg8 37. e4 Ke7 38. Qc5+ Kf7 39. Qc7+ Kf8 40. Qc8+ Kf7 41. Qc7+ Ke8 42. Qxa5 Bf8 43. Qb5+ Kf7 44. Qh5+ Ke7 45. a5 Nh6 46. Qc5+ Kd7 47. Qd5+ Kc7 48. a6 1 : 0.

Désirée Di Benedetto. Photo © Chess Daily News.

Dear Prudence

Communis tibi cum viro, Magulla, cum sit lectulus et sit exoletus; quare, dic mihi, non sit et minister? Suspiras: ratio est; times lagenam. Your husband’s bed you share; Your husband’s boy you share; Tell me, Magulla, why His cup you’ll never try. Is there something of which you’re aware? O Magulla, essendo il tuo letto comune a te col marito, ed essendo abbandonato, perché, dimmi, non lo sia anche il servo? Tu sospiri: la ragione si è, tu temi la lagena.

Martial, Book 12, XCI
English translation by John Patrick Sullivan
Italian translation by Giuspanio Graglia

Optical self-portrait by South Korean makeup artist Dain Yoon (윤다인). Photo © Dain Yoon (@designdain).

Oh, Edna, have confidence that they will do their best to cheat you out of every thing which you hold so dear

Time to Tell

Lisandra Teresa Ordaz Valdés – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
43rd Women’s Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 26, 2018
Nimzo-Indian Defence E36

And finally, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) debuted on the stage of the 43rd Chess Olympiad, with all the burden of responsibility that rests on her shoulders. Will she be able to wear the crown? And will she be able to save the “face” of the family? Only time will tell. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6. Deviating from her early favourite 6. ... Ne4 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 Nc6 9. Nf3 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Nxd2 11. Qxd2 dxc4 12. Qxa5 Nxa5 13. e3 b5 14. cxb6 axb6 15. Nd2 b5 16. a4 Nb7 17. Ra3 Rxa4 18. Rxa4 bxa4 19. Bxc4 Bd7= 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 重庆 (Chóngqìng) 2018, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 9. 7. Nf3 dxc4. The alternative is 7. ... 0-0 9. Bg5 Ba6 10. Qa4 Qd7 11. Qc2 Qc6 12. Qxc6 Nxc6 13. Rc1 Bb7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. e3 Rac8 16. Bb5 Nb8 17. Ke2 c6 18. Bd3 a5 19. Rc3 Nd7 20. Rhc1 c5 21. Bb5 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Nc5 23. f3 a4 24. g4 Rfd8 25. Rb1 Kf8 26. b4 axb3 27. Nxb3 Nxb3 28. Rbxb3 Bd5 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Rb2 Rc3 31. a4 Bc4+ ½ : ½ Ushenina – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 12th “映美杯” (“Yìng Měi Cup”) Chinese Chess League, 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) 2016. 8. Qxc4 Ba6 9. Qa4+ Qd7 10. Qc2 h6 11. Bf4 0-0 12. Be5. Another example of how to proceed comes from a recent rehearsal: 12. Rd1 Rc8 13. Ne5 Qe8 14. b4 c5 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. bxc5 Qb5 17. g3 Bb7 18. f3 Qa5+ 19. Kf2 Nd5 20. Bd2 Qxa3 21. e4 Ne7 22. Rb1 Bc6 23. Be3 Qa5 24. Be2 Be8 25. Rb7 Nec6 26. Nc4 Qd8 27. Rd1 Qf6 28. f4 Qg6 29. Nd6 Rd8 30. Qc3 Bd7 31. g4 e5 32. f5 Qf6 33. Kg3 Nd4 34. Rxd4 exd4 35. Bxd4 Qe7 36. Bxg7 Nc6 37. Bf6 Qf8 38. Bc4 ½ : ½ Gustafsson – Braun, 37th SchachBundesliga, Berlin 2018. 12. ... Ng4! 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s novelty seems a bit more ambitious than 12. ... Qe7 13. Rc1 Rc8 14. e3 Bxf1 15. Kxf1 c5 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Ke2 Nd7 ½ : ½ Brown – Thavandiran, 4th UT Dallas Fall Open, Dallas 2017. 13. e3 Bxf1 14. Kxf1 Nc6 15. Bg3 Rac8 16. Qa4 Qd5 17. Rc1 Na5 18. h3 Nf6 19. b4 Nc4 20. Qb3 b5! 21. Kg1 Ne4! Black’s got somewhat the better game. 22. Kh2 f6 23. Rhe1 Rf7 24. Ng1 e5 25. Ne2 Nxg3 26. Nxg3 e4 27. Kg1 f5 28. Ne2 c6 29. Nf4 Qd6 30. Rcd1 Kh7. Who knows, perhaps 30. ... g5(!) might have been more functional to enhance Black’s subliminal initiative. 31. d5! a6 32. dxc6 Qxc6 33. Qc3 Rd7. And here 33. ... g5!? still deserved serious consideration. 34. Ne2 Rcd8 35. Rxd7 Rxd7 36. Nd4 Qd5 37. Rd1 Qe5 38. g3 Qe8 39. Kg2 Qh5 40. Rf1 Qf7 41. Rc1 Rc7 42. Nb3 Rd7 43. Nd4 Ne5 44. Qc8 Nd3

45. Rc6! With the powerful threat of Nd4-e6. 45. ... Ne1+ (45. ... f4? 46. Ne6!+−) 46. Kh2?? A step too far! Both 46. Kg1 and 46. Kf1 would have probably kept His Majesty within the bounds of survival; for instance: 46. Kf1 Nf3 47. Kg2 f4!? (47. ... Nxd4 48. exd4 Rxd4 49. Qe6 Qh5 50. g4 fxg4 51. hxg4 Qg5 52. Rxa6 e3 53. f3 h5 54. Ra8 Rd2+ 55. Kg3 h4+ 56. Kh3 Rh2+! 57. Kxh2 Qf4+ leaves Black with the choice between a draw by perpetual check and a very drawish Queen ending) 48. gxf4 Rxd4! 49. exd4 Qxf4 50. Kf1 Nxd4 51. Rc3! Qh2 52. Rg3 e3! 53. Rxg7+! Kxg7 54. Qd7+ with a draw by perpetual check. The Cuban International Master, however, was too short of time for analysing with lucidity. 46. ... Rxd4! 47. exd4 e3! 48. fxe3. Tantamount to self-mate, but indeed 48. Rc2 f4! gave no hopes at all for White. 48. ... Qa2+ 49. Kg1 Qg2 mate.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Nana Georgievna Alexandria. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

Water skirt

А worker repairs a fountain in a park in Sofia, Bulgaria. Photo: AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff.

Different But Equal

Sure, Edna, you’re wearing Cruella’s coat, but only for fictional purposes

Artwork © REEM🎩 Mad As A Hatter (@maddrawings)

Midnight Express

Cambridge, United Kingdom: Rowers train on the Cam at sunrise, as early morning mist hangs over the water. Photo: Joe Giddens/PA.

Animorphs

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Samuel L. Shankland

Champions Showdown Chess960 2018; blitz match game 2 (5+5); Saint Louis, September 11, 2018

nqbbrkrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NQBBRKRN w KQkq - 0 1

Position 309

1. e4 c5 2. Ng3 Ng6 3. 0-0 0-0 4. c3 b5 5. d4 b4. 5. ... cxd4 6. cxd4 Bb6 was probably more advisable, but, after all, a Fischerandom blitz game has really little to do with opening philosophy. 6. dxc5 bxc3 7. Nb3 cxb2 8. Bxb2 a5 9. Nd4 Ba6 10. Ndf5!? Bxf1

11. Rxf1!? Vachier-Lagrave goes for the trickier and more speculative move order, though objectively much more unclear than 11. Nh5! f6! (Black cannot save the Bishop because of Bb2xg7 followed by Nf5-h6 mate) 12. Nfxg7 (12. Rxf1 Bc7) 12. ... Bc4 which yet could mean anything special to White. 11. ... f6? The trap worked very well! After 11. ... Bc7! it would have been quite harder for White to justify his material deficit. 12. Nxg7! And now, instead, this is simply devastating. 12. ... Bc7. Of course, 12. ... Kxg7?? loses the Queen to 13. Bxf6+. The rest is a glorious run to mate: 13. Nxe8 Qxe8 14. Bh5 Qb8 15. Rd1 Be5 16. Ba3 Nc7 17. Nf5 Nb5 18. Qb3+ e6 19. Rxd7 Nxa3 20. Qxe6+ Kh8 21. Rxh7+! 1 : 0. For after 21. ... Kxh7 22. Qd7+ mate in three moves follows.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Mediterranean Sea: People rest onboard the rescue ship Aquarius, which the NGOs SOS Méditerranée and Médecins Sans Frontières operate off the coast of Libya. Photo: Maud Veith/AFP/Getty Images.

A Horse of Course

Undenis pedibusque syllabisque et multo sale nec tamen protervo notus gentibus ille Martialis et notus populis — quid invidetis? — non sum Andraemone notior caballo. Martial, renowned throughout the world’s domain, The moral jester in Catullus’ vein, There is small ground for envy at my star; The horse Andraemon is more famed by far. Pe’ miei senari e per i miei esametri, per i miei sali, molti e non protervi, io, quel noto alle genti Marziale, e noto al mondo — ma perché invidiarmi? —, non son più noto del cavallo Andrèmone.

Martial, Epigrams, Book 10, IX
English translation by A. L. Francis and H. F. Tatum
Italian translation by Giuseppe Lipparini

South Korean artist Dain Yoon (윤다인) painted onto her own face her autographed copy of Michelangelo’s famous picture The Creation of Adam. Photo: Dain Yoon (@designdain).

Marriage Under Fire

Chinese marriage suddenly turns into a battlefield for the wedding convoy after something went wrong with the ignition of firecrackers and fireworks.

Yes, Edna, I, too, fear that worse is still to come

Artwork © Margo’s Illustrations (@margosillustrations)

Arcovazzi’s Permanent Commission

The reports of her remarriage are greatly exaggerated

The rumours which have been circulating about HyunA (pictured above, from Allure’s October 2018 issue) signing with AOMG after her breakdown with Cube Entertainment have not yet been confirmed nor denied, but her worldwide fans can be reasonably confident that the K-pop superstar won’t be able to keep the secret much longer. Photos: Mok Jung Wook/Allure.

Who’s Where

愛民邨 (Oi Man Estate). 何文田 (Ho Man Tin), 九龍 (Kowloon), 香港 (Hong Kong), China. Photo: Peter Stewart.

Quarter-Page Ad

Maria Elena Rodríguez Arrieta – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
43rd Women’s Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 24, 2018
King’s Indian Attack C00

As always happens at Olympiads, outsiders make headlines, with Sabina-Francesca Foişor from United States losing to Andreina Quevedo from Uruguay in the women’s arena, and 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) from China losing to Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou from Morocco in the unisex camp — luckily for them both without damages for their teams. Two-time Russian Women’s Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina also ran big risks against Costa Rica’s Maria Elena Rodríguez Arrieta: 1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 c5 5. g3 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c3 Nc6 9. Re1 b6 10. e5 Nd7 11. d4 a5. It’s never too late to take a look at Leonid Zakharovich Stein’s games: 11. ... f6 12. exf6 Qxf6 13. Nb3! Ba6? 14. Be3 Bc4? 15. dxc5 Bxb3 16. axb3 Nxc5 17. Ng5 Rfe8 18. b4 Nb7 19. Bxd5! Rad8 20. Bxc6! Rxd1 21. Rexd1 Rb8 22. Rxa7 Nd8 23. Bg2+− L. Z. Stein – Sokolsky, Semifinal of 27th Championship of USSR, Odessa 1960 — it is remarkable the resemblance to the actual script! Furthermore, another of his game is not too dissimilar either: 11. ... Qc7 12. Nf1 Ba6 13. Bf4 Rac8 14. Ne3 Qb7 15. Qd2 Rfe8? 16. Ng4 cxd4 17. cxd4 f6 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. Bh3 Nd8 21. Ne5± L. Z. Stein – Zhukhovitsky, 37th USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1969. 12. Nf1 Ba6 13. Bg5 Qc7. If, instead, 13. ... Qb8 there might follow 14. Ne3 cxd4 15. cxd4 h6 16. Bf4 g5 (Rotstein – A. Rombaldoni, 3rd International Open, Forni di Sopra 2012) and now after 17. Nxg5! hxg5 18. Bxg5 f6 19. Rc1! White should keep a powerful initiative. 14. Qd2 Rfe8 15. Bh6 Bh8? Goryachkina might have paid dear for her reluctance to get rid of the fianchettoed Bishop. The immediate 15. ... Rac8 was quite called for. 16. h4 Rac8 17. Rac1 Qb7 18. a3 b5 19. N1h2 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Qf4 Bd3 22. Ng5 Re7 23. Ng4. Most engines argue that White could have played even more strongly somewhere, but what she’s got so far is just impressive enough: Black has fallen deep into a nightmare.

23. ... Qb8 24. Nf3. The Costa Rican player concentrates herself on aiming and getting an imposing ending a Pawn up, but... will she have sufficient technique to win by it? 24. ... f5 25. exf6 Qxf4 26. Bxf4 Nxf6 27. Nge5 Nxe5 28. Nxe5 Bb5 29. cxb4 c4 30. Bh3 Ree8 31. Kg2 Nd7 32. Nf3! Rc6 33. Ra1 Nf8 34. Ra5 Rb6 35. Bc7! Rb7 36. Bd6 Bd7 37. Rea1 Bf6 38. Ra8. 38. Ra7 seems even more merciless. 38. ... Be7 39. Rxe8 Bxe8 40. Bxe7 Rxe7 41. Ra6. 41. Ne5! followed by Ra1-a8 would have put an end to any further resistance. 41. ... Rb7 42. Bxe6+? Rodríguez Arrieta feels only too happy to win a draw. 42. Ne5! followed by Ra1-a8 was still quite conclusive — the b4-Pawn being obviously taboo. What instead follows is quite consistent with White’s ultimate goal: 42. ... Nxe6 43. Rxe6 Bd7 44. Re5 Rxb4 45. Rxd5 Bc6 46. Rc5 Bb7 47. d5 Rxb2 48. Rxc4 Bxd5 49. Rc3 h5 50. Rd3 ½ : ½.

C’mon, Edna, you’ve enough time to think about how you will dress yourself up!

Artwork © Adamant Reflux Hater (@worldofwhut)

A Friday next year

The Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” will participate in the fourth edition of the ballet festival “Le ali della danza”, which will be staged at the Teatro Aurora, Via San Bartolo in Tuto, 1, 50018 Scandicci, Florence, on Friday, January 25, 2019, starting at 20,45. The event is organised by Lions Club Fiesole under the patronage of the Comune di Scandicci. The proceeds will be donated to support non-profit charity institutions as usual. Further details will follow.

Blowin’ in the Wind

A stag bellows in a field in the Naliboki Forest (Nalibotskaya Pushcha) at nearby of Koz’liki village, Belarus as rutting season approaches. Photo: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters.

黑寡婦 (Black Widow)

The Chinese teams arrived in Batumi, Georgia a couple of days ago with great expectations for the coming 43rd Chess Olympiad. Whereas, indeed, the Chinese unisex team formed by 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī), 韦奕 (Wéi Yì), 李超 (Lǐ Chāo), and 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) can legitimately strive for gold, the women’s team formed by 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng), 黄茜 (Huáng Qiàn) and 翟墨 (Zhái Mò) shall have instead to be able to do better than Russia and Ukraine, the two top seeded teams. That means that the consummated experience of 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) will have to serve their younger and more inexpert teammates, so as to save themselves from having to make an excuse for the absence of four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) — who officially gave priority to her Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford — and 16th Women’s World Chess Champion 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) — due to untold reasons. The Chinese government preferred not to stage such a motivational endorsement as that of the Russian teams, but, loyal to its style, deployed a handsome lady, 左洪波 (Zuǒ Hóngbō), Political Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Georgia, who cordially welcomed the delegations, chatting and posing with them for group pictures. Photos: qipai.org.cn.

Lost in Translation

Our first summer walk on Sunday morning around Pietrasanta, Italy amidst the spectacular sculptures of the Spanish artist Manolo Valdés. The exhibition, entitled “Manolo Valdés — Poetica della Traduzione” (Manolo Valdés — Poetics of Translation), will stay on display till next Sunday, September 30, 2018. Photos: Isadora Duncan.

Oh, Edna, you won’t ever believe it, but I always guessed that deep, deep in your heart you’ve always been wishing to be a top supermodel

Artwork © SuperSpoe

Singular they

• James Griffiths, Can K-Pop stars have personal lives? Their labels aren’t so sure, CNN, September 22, 2018

There is controversy around K-pop band Triple H after two of the three members, namely HyunA (centre) and E’Dawn (left), decided to reveal they were dating since two years. Photo: OSEN.