A Gift from the East

Fabiano Caruana – 韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
Candidates Tournament 2026; Pegeia, March 31, 2026
English Opening A34

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 g6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. Ng5!? In his time, International Master Stefano Tatai attached a “?!” to the move in the text, as “White goes hunting for the Pawn, but Black gets more than enough compensation for it”, and suggested 8. 0-0 0-0 9. a3 instead.
8. ... Nb6! A well-cooked novelty: Black sacrifices two Pawns to speed development. The whole idea is reminiscent of 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov: 8. ... e6 9. Nge4 Nb6! 10. Qb5 c4 11. Na4!? 0-0! 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. Qxc4 e5! 14.Qc2 Nd4 15. Qb1 f5 16. Nc3 e4 17. d3 b5 18. Be3 b4 19. Nd1 Re8 20. dxe4 fxe4 21. Bxd4 Qxd4 22. a3 Bg4! 23. Qc2 Qd3!! 24. exd3 exd3+ 25. Kd2 Re2+! 26. Kxd3 Rd8+ 27. Kc4 Rxc2+ 28. Kxb4 Rcd2 29. f3 Bf8+ 30. Ka5 Bd7! 0–1 Tatai – Karpov, 6th Gran Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez “Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria”, Las Palmas 1977.
9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qxc6+ Bd7 11. Qxc5 h6 12. Nf3 Rc8 13. Qa5 Bh3 14. Qb5+ Nd7 15. Rg1

15. ... 0-0!? In hindsight, 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) should have perhaps contented himself with 15. ... Be6! 16. Kf1 Bh3+ 17. Ke1 Be6 drawing by repetition.
16. g4! Rc5? The Rook is badly placed here. 16. ... Nf6! seems to be perfectly sound.
17. Qb3 Ne5?? A gross oversight, which loses a piece and the game. 17. ... Nf6 was still called for.

Of course Caruana seizes the day:
18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Nd1! 1–0.

Despite being surprised in the opening, Caruana eventually got on the lucky side of the fence. Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.

The Cuckoo’s Nest

Quem Deus vult perdere dementat

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, March 30, 2026

It is well to reflect on a fact so much incredible that one attempts to repress it at all costs: that the state that claims to be the most powerful in the world was ruled for years by men who are technically mentally deranged. It is not about giving an extreme form to a political judgment: that Trump — certainly like Biden before him — must be considered deranged in the pathological sense of the term is evidence now shared by many psychiatrists, and anyone who observes his way to express himself cannot help but agree. It goes without saying that what interests us here is not the clinical case of individuals named Trump and Biden; rather, the question we cannot help but ask is: what is the historical significance of the fact that a country like the United States — which in some ways leads the entire West — is ruled by an insane madman? What radical spiritual and moral decline, even before a political one, can have led to such an extreme consequence? That the fate of the West was sealed by nihilism was something Nietzsche had already diagnosed over a century ago, along with the death of God; but that nihilism had to take the form of dementia was not a given. It is perhaps in some way out of compassion and pity that the God who wants to lose the West, leads it to its end not through awareness and responsability, but through unconsciousness and madness.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Vasan Sitthiket, Misled – Crazy, 2002. Courtesy of WikiArt.

The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable

• Naman Ramachandran, “Taiwan’s 9m88 on Acting, Songwriting and the Space Between: ‘Both Fall Under Performing Arts, but in Many Ways They Feel Almost Contradictory’”, Variety, March 30, 2026

“Movies are about collective creative work”, she explains. “As an actor, we immerse ourselves in a character for a period of time and learn to understand and even love that character, no matter what they do”. Songwriting, she says, demands something almost opposite. “You constantly dig into your own struggles and experiences, asking yourself who you are and what you want to say. Sometimes that process can be very energy-consuming. There are moments when you feel like you’re stepping into an abyss without knowing where it will lead”. The conclusion she draws is striking in its candor: “Even though acting and songwriting both fall under the umbrella of performing arts, in many ways they feel almost contradictory”. [Read more].

9m88 says, in an inspirational kind of way: “Creativity is often an experiment”. Photo: Variety.

Frenemies

Fabiano Caruana tries it again and starts off well. His fellow countryman, Hikaru Nakamura, now more a YouTube celebrity than an ascetic worshipper of Caïssa, can do nothing but give way to his light-square symphony, stubbornly defending every inch of white even in impossible circumstances. But just when it seemed like it was a done deal, Caruana threw it all away, and only the generosity of Nakamura allowed him to have back what he gave up.

Fabiano Caruana – Hikaru Nakamura
Candidates Tournament 2026; Pegeia, March 29, 2026
English Opening A13

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d4 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. 0-0 Bc5 6. e3 Nge7 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. b4 Bxb4 9. exd4 0-0 10. Qb3 Ba5 11. Nc3 Nf5 12. Ba3 Re8 13. d5 Nd4 14. Qa4 b6 15. Rae1 Bd7 16. Qd1 c5 17. Bb2 Rb8 18. a4 a6 19. dxe6 Bxe6 20. Nd5 Qd6 21. Bxd4 cxd4 22. Re4 Bxd5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Bxd5 Bb4? 24. ... g6! was recommended afterwards by both of them, so as to reply to 25. h4 with 25. ... h5 (Nakamura), whereas the win of a Pawn by 25. Bb7 can be countered by 25. ... d3! (Caruana).

25. h4! a5 26. d3 Qf6 27. Kg2 Qe5 28. Qf3 Qf6 29. Qg4 Bc5 30. h5 h6 31. Rh1 Qg5 32. Qd1 Qe7 33. Bc6 Rc8 34. Re1 Qc7 35. Bd5 Kf8 36. Qg4 Rd8 37. Qe4 Kg8 38. Qf5 Qd7 39. Qf3 Rf8 40. Re5 Bd6 41. Rf5 Qe7 42. Qg4 Be5 43. Rf3 Bf6 44. Rf4 Qd8 45. Be4 Re8 46. Rf5 Qd7 47. Qf4 Bg5 48. Qf3 Qc7

We find here a further confirmation of the assumption that opposite-coloured Bishops in the middle game always favour the attacker.
49. Rxf7! Qxf7 50. Bd5 Re6 51. Qg4 Kf8 52. Bxe6 Qe8 53. Bd7 Qa8+ 54. Kg1 Bf6 55. Qe6 Qd8 56. Bc6 Qe7 57. Qc8+ Qd8 58. Qb7 Be5 59. Bd5 Qc7 60. Qa8+ Ke7 61. Qg8 Kd6 62. Be4 Ke7 63. Bg6 Bf6 64. Qf7+ Kd6 65. Qd5+ Ke7 66. Bf5 Be5 67. f4 Bf6 68. Kg2 Qd6 69. Qb7+ Kf8 70. Kf3 Qe7 71. Qe4 Qxe4+ 72. dxe4 Be7 73. e5 Bb4 74. Bd3 Be1 75. g4 Ke7 76. Ke4 Bg3 77. f5 Kd7 78. Kd5 Bh4

79. f6? A moment of blindness. 79. Kxd4 was apparently the simplest way to win.
79. ... gxf6 80. e6+ Ke7? Returning the courtesy, Nakamura helped Caruana into his own armour. The right way was 80. ... Kc7! 81. Bf5 (neither 81. e7 Kd7 82. e8=Q+ Kxe8 83. Kc6 f5! 84. gxf5 Bd8= nor 81. Kxd4 Kd6= leads nowhere) 81. ... d3!! (this move was probably overlooked by both of them) 82. Bxd3 Kd8 83. Kc6 Bf2 with a dead draw.
81. Kc6 Kxe6 82. Kxb6 Be1 83. c5 1–0.

As Nakamura himself entitled his YouTube commentary, “Wow, whatta game!!”. Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.

Roll Over Beethoven

No one can deny that the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” enjoys the undivided honour of being the chess school par excellence of the most Beautiful Minds in town! First and foremost Leone, a violinist prodigy who — at sixteen years old — has already played as soloist to auditoriums crowded with ecstatic audiences, and then, second but equally important, Niccolò and Riccardo who, on behalf and in representation of the Liceo scientifico statale Antonio Gramsci, will participate in the 30th edition of the Olympiads of Mathematics National Finals, scheduled in Cesenatico, Italy, on May 7–10, 2026.

Around and Around

Nevertheless, Edna, as 老舍 (Lǎo Shě) says, “For myself? I love our country, but who loves me?”

Artwork © BipBeeBoo (@bipbeeboo)

Books She Hasn’t Read Yet

• Express News Service, “Why Aleksandra Goryachkina, who prioritized humanities over Maths, is Russia’s big hope to reclaim world title”, The Indian Express, March 26, 2026

In academics, too, the chess pro known for her Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD) opening with Black, chose unconventionally. She would pass her state final exams prioritizing humanities over mathematics, which was unusual for chess players. [Read more].

Once again, Goryachkina is called to serve the empire. Photo: Chess Federation of Russia.

Above the Fray

• Express News Service, “What is 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), the greatest women’s chess player up to? ‘Making tenure as professor tougher than women’s World title!’ she jokes”, The Indian Express, March 26, 2026

Fans remembered her iconic hair clip when she would raze down entire fields to win world titles and when someone asked her where the famous accessory was, 逸凡 (Yìfán) would say, “This is definitely a friend asking this question. It’s probably at home in some boxes. I miss the clips too”. [Read more].

“If we are talking about women’s World championship, then becoming a tenured professor is tougher! But an open world title is much tougher”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) would quip. “By the way I’m still waiting on it”. Photo: Global Chess League.

All the World’s a Board

And so, Edna, to quote Byron’s own words, “There’s not a joy the world can give like that it takes away”

Artwork © AIFanSlaye

No, I’m not Byron

In an exclusive interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda, 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov opened the doors of his penthouse apartment and of his heart, sharing with the interviewers memories and secrets about his life.
The whole interview is permeated by a melancholic nostalgia for the golden times of the Soviet chess school, of which he, alongside with Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, was one of the most prominent ambassadors.
One of Karpov’s deepest regrets is that after the Soviet Union’s dissolution, the new Russian Federation was no longer so involved in funding the national chess machine, with the result that China and India can now claim the primacy of elite chess. “Our school has become practically extinct”, Karpov said. “The State is no longer involved, and if so only nominally”.
As a man from the Urals, he went a long way before getting to the chess throne, and owes much of his successes to his family. An exemplary Soviet family. “Yes, after all, both my father and mother were from working-class families. My father worked as a chief engineer at a major plant in Tula. And my father actually participated in the invention of the BM-21 Grad”, Karpov said. “He is also one of the inventors of antipersonnel ball-bombs. I remember him coming home one day with a grenade in hand. I asked what it was, and he said, ‘It’s a new ball-bomb. It will be used in Vietnam against the Americans’. It’s one of the inventions that inspired the Americans to end the Vietnam war”.
And finally, lastly, but not leastly, the sirens of the West sung to him, too. He was offered to leave the Soviet Union for a foreign land. When and where? “Well, I don’t remember. I remember it was at the 1974 Olympiad in France, when I was preparing for the match against Fischer”. Guess what his answer was. “I don’t even think about it”.

Karpov speaks out on his life and times. Photo: Ivan Igorevich Makeev/Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Legacies

Last But Not Least

“Good blood”, they say, “does not lie”. And indeed in 1911, Clarice Benini’s father participated in the historic National Tournament at Rome (the equivalent of an Italian Championship), in which he finished last with only 1 point out of 16. He won only one game, but it was a flash that illumined an otherwise shadowed biography, both for the name of the opponent and for the beauty of the combination.

Giuseppe Benini – Arturo Reggio
5th Congress USI; Rome, October 1911
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nf3 c5 6. Be3 cxd4 7. Bxd4 Nc6 8. Bb5 Be7 9. Qd2 0-0 10. Ne2 Qc7 11. c3 Ndxe5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. f4 Nc6 14. 0-0 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Qb6 16. Bd3 f5 17. Kh1 Bf6 18. Rf3 Bxd4 19. Bxf5 Qxb2 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Qd3+ Kg8 22. Rb1 Qxa2 23. Nxd4 Qc4 24. Qe3 Rf6 25. g4 b6 26. g5 Rf7 27. Rc1 Qa4 28. Rh3 e5

A diagram to immortalise the Benini family! An asymmetrical situation, White is two Pawns down but enjoys a powerful attack.
29. g6! Rxf4? To paraphrase in reverse Alekhine — “What joy, to have your thinking and your fantasy carried high up by another person!”. Had Black played 29. ... Rc7!, White should have contented himself with 30. Re1!! (not 30. Rxc7? on account of 30. ... Bxh3 31. Qxh3 Qd1+ 32. Kg2 Qd2+ drawing by perpetual check) 30. ... Bxh3 31. Qxe5! Bg4! (the only move!) 32. Qxc7 Qd7 33. Qe5 retaining the initiative, but, of course, it would have been another story entirely.

In his column for La Lettura, Volume 31, 1931, p. 380, Giuseppe Padulli said, “After confidently playing 29. ... Rf7xf4, with his opponent to move, [Reggio] stood up and, walking around the hall, chatted with the others about his game; indeed, when one asked him if he was satisfied, he replied that everything seemed to be well in order: three Pawns won, and two enemy pieces threatened simultaneously, suggested a quick resolution in his favour. What was his surprise, however, when, returning to the table, he saw his opponent, Benini, play his move of rejoinder and, almost speaking to himself, say under his breath: — Mate in eight moves. So strong was the move Benini had found that it didn’t take Reggio too many minutes to comprehend the ensuing epilogue and resign himself to play forced moves until checkmate”.
30. Rh8+!! Kxh8 31. Rxc8+! Rxc8 32. Qh3+ Kg8 33. Qxc8+ Rf8 34. Qe6+ Kh8 35. Qh3+ Kg8 36. Qh7# 1–0.

A Handful of Flies

The staff and the hand

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, March 16, 2026

“Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that moveth it? As if the rod moved them that lift it up, or as if the staff lifted itself up, and were not wood” (Isaiah, 10:15). The prophet’s words exactly describe what is happening today. Technological devices are the staff that claims to direct and in fact directs him who wields it or, rather, believes he wields it. And artificial intelligence appears at the moment in which man, now incapable of dominating the tools which he himself created, falls prey to what Günther Anders called Promethean shame and, by giving up thinking, submits to the staff that has slipped out from his hand.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov, Right hand, keeping the staff, ca. 1885. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Harmonic Healing

Catwoman Goes to the Opera

It was Sunday evening, and Aurora made her way up to the backstage of the Opera, posing for a Mado Flynn ad campaign for the A.M.A. (Friends of Animal World) Cat Pound.

Oh yes, Edna, at this rate they are going to self-destruct before the next war, hopefully

Artwork © Sky (@skyros_creations)

Dark Honey

Café Doney

Stefano Rosselli del Turco – Vittorio Volpi
1st Classification Tournament of Florence Chess Academy; Florence, 1899
French Defence C14

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Nb5 Qb4+? A grave mistake. Already at that time, theory recommended either 7. ... Nb6 or 7. ... Qd8.
8. c3 Qa5 (8. ... Qxb2 9. Rb1+−)
9. Qd2. The Nuova Rivista degli Scacchi, Nos. 1-2, February 25, 1900, from where we took the present game (pp. 33–34), notes, with some reason, that “9. b4! Qb6 10. a4! at once was stronger”.
9. ... a6 10. Na3 c5 11. Nf3 cxd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 13. Nc2 Qxd2+ 14. Nxd2 f6 15. f4 0-0 16. Bd3 fxe5 17. fxe5 Rf4 18. Nf3 Nf8 19. 0-0 Ng6 20. Bxg6 hxg6 21. Nd2? A tactical slip, which luckily for Rosselli del Turco passes unnoticed. White should have first driven out the Black Rook with 21. g3.
21. ... Rxf1+? Black could have simply won a Pawn with 21. ... Nxd4! 22. Rxf4 Ne2+.
22. Rxf1 Bd7 23. Nf3 Rf8 24. Ng5 Rxf1+ 25. Kxf1 Ne7 26. g4 Kf8 27. Kf2 Ng8 28. Nb4 Nh6 29. Kg3 Nf7. “Black wasted so much time to come to exchange a Knight that was so useful to him!”, writes the commentator of the Nuova Rivista degli Scacchi. “This is an error of strategy!”.
30. Nxf7 Kxf7 31. Kf4 Bb5 32. Nc2 Bd3 33. Ne3 Be4? And this can well be called the losing move!

34. Nc4!+− dxc4 35. Kxe4 b5 36. d5 exd5+ 37. Kxd5 Ke7 38. a3! Kd7 39. Kc5 Ke6 40. Kb6 Kxe5 41. Kxa6 Kf4 42. Kxb5 Kxg4 43. a4 1–0.

Play Days

Searching for Spring

Visitors make their way through 西湖 (West Lake) park in 杭州 (Hángzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China. Photo: 新华社 (Xīnhuá News Agency)/Shutterstock.

Oh, you’re right, Edna; he’s no lord!

Artwork © Sky (@skyros_creations)

Lord Voldemort

Heads of state and murderers

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, March 10, 2026

For the first time in history, we see the head of a self-proclaimed civilised state speaking openly like a murderer, saying of the religious leader of a country he assaulted: “we’re gonna kill him”, and of that country’s inhabitants: “we’ll massacre them”. Neither Hitler nor Stalin ever spoke like this. And yet, not only is this man not charged and deposed, but the heads of state of the so-called Western democracies approve of him, implicitly accepting that now politicians express themselves publicly as perhaps not even murderers dare to do among themselves.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Edvard Munch, The Murderer, 1910. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Hey, Edna, can you give us a ride?

Artwork © Sky (@skyros_creations)

E=mc²

Oh no, Edna, it is not yet clear who among Ben, Bibi and Don will turn out to be the ultimate winner

Artwork © Enya (@enya.draws4u)

On the Take

To be sure, Edna, it’s always sad to build a world no one will live in

Artwork © Kike Iturralde @kikecitox)

From Sham to Shame

Europe’s shame

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, March 5, 2026

A country was attacked without any real reason and treacherously, while a sham negotiation was going on, and its spiritual head was murdered. European Union — i.e., that illegitimate organisation which bears such name — not only failed to condemn a blatant violation of international law, committed by two countries which appear to have lost all sense of self and responsibility, but also enjoined Iranian people to cease defending themselves.

(English translation by I, Robot)

A tryst in the woods ends in shame, in Edvard Munch’s painting Ashes (1894–5, detail). Credit: Heritage.

猫城记 (City of Cats)

Love Is in the Air

An Algorithm for Peace

The Fall of the Masks

State and terror

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, March 2, 2026

What is a state that, ignoring all legality, methodically murders or kidnaps the heads of states it arbitrarily declares enemies? Yet this is what is happening with the approval or embarrassed silence of European countries. This means that we live in a time when the state threw its legal masks off and is now acting according to its true nature, which is ultimately terror. It is probable, however, that this extreme situation is literally such that the shedding of the masks coincides with that end of the state form, without which a new politics will not be possible.

(English translation by I, Robot)

James Ensor, Death and the Masks, 1897. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Lose to Win

Body and Soul

You know, Edna, when you say Bibi, you’ve said Ben, and you’ve said it all

Artwork © RM (@beccaeyesee)

Icebreaker

Timestamp

С днем ​​рождения, Хоу Ифань!

Hey, Edna, all the world’s a birthday tiramisu cake, so take a piece but not too much!

Courtesy of Versa Printing, Inc. (@versaprinting)

The Way to the Spring

Passengers head for the exit of a railway station in 南京 (Nánjīng), 江苏省 (Jiāngsū province), China, as this year’s nine-day spring festival holiday comes to an end. Photo: China News Service/Getty Images.

You know, Edna, it is like a mantra or a prayer: the higher the tariffs the faster the decline

Artwork © marco tombart (@marco.visualart)

Afloat

Alar Puhm – Roberto Cosulich
International Team Tournament Mediolanum; Milan, February 12, 1974
French Defence C08

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. exd5 exd5 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Qe2+ Be7 8. dxc5 0-0 9. Ne5?!

Technically a novelty, but also an incongruent one which throws away the first-move advantage, leaving Black with a symbolic initiative throughout the entire game. Best is the usual 9. Nb3 which Cosulich himself played and met with both colours: Cosulich – Paoli, 3rd International Tournament, Bari 1972, and Paoli – Cosulich, 35th Italian Chess Championship, Castelvecchio Pascoli 1974.
9. ... Re8 10. Nxd7 Nbxd7 11. 0-0 Bxc5 12. Qd1 a6 13. Bd3 Qc7 14. Nb3 Bd6 15. h3 Rad8 16. Nd4 Be5 17. Be3 Nc5 18. c3 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Ne4 20. Nf3 Bd6 21. Rfe1 Qc6 22. Nd4 Qd7 23. f3 Nc5 24. Qd2 Bc7 25. g4 Ne6 26. Nxe6 fxe6 27. Bf4 Rf8 28. Bxc7 Qxc7 29. Kg2 Rf6 30. Rf1 Rdf8 31. Rae1 Qf7 32. Qd3 h6 ½–½.

It’s a Hard Life

Július Kozma – Roberto Cosulich
International Team Tournament Mediolanum; Milan, February 11, 1974
Nimzo-Indian Defence E43

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. Nf3 Ne4 7. 0-0 f5 8. Qc2 Bxc3 9. bxc3 0-0 10. Ne1. Or else: 10. Nd2 Qh4 11. f3 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Nc6 13. Rab1 Ne7 14. c5 Bc6 15. cxb6 axb6 16. Rb2 Rf6 17. e4 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Qxe4 20. fxe4 Rxf1+ 21. Kxf1 ½–½ Trincardi – Cosulich, 13th New Year’s International Tournament, Reggio Emilia 1970/71.
10. ... c5 11. f3 Nd6 12. e4 fxe4 13. fxe4 Rxf1+ 14. Kxf1 Qh4?! A bit too compromising. 14. ... e5! 15. Nf3 Nf7 gave Black a more than comfortable game in Muir – King, 74th British Chess Championship, Swansea 1987.
15. Nf3 Qg4 16. h3 Qg3

17. Be3?! Here and on the next few moves White might have played something like 17. d5 Nf7 18. Kg1 and consolidated his space advantage. Instead his half measures enable Cosulich to save himself in a drawn endgame.
17. ... Na6 18. Kg1 Rf8 19. Rf1 cxd4 20. Bxd4 Qg6 21. Ne5 Rxf1+ 22. Kxf1 Qh5 23. Qe2 Qxe2+ 24. Kxe2 Nxe4 25. Nxd7 Nec5 26. Nxc5 Nxc5 27. g3 Bg2 28. h4

28. ... Bf1+! 29. Kxf1 Nxd3 30. Ke2 Nc5 31. Ke3. White dares not exchange his Bishop for the Knight, as after 31. Bxc5? bxc5 32. g4 (32. Kf3 h5!) 32. ... h5! the Pawn ending would be lost for him.
31. ... Kf7 32. Be5 Nd7 33. Kd4 Nxe5 34. Kxe5 Ke7 35. g4 g6 36. g5 Kd7 37. c5! Nevertheless, White could also play 37. Kf6 Kd6 38. Kg7 e5 39. Kxh7 e4 40. h5! gxh5! 41. g6 e3 42. g7 e2 43. g8=Q e1=Q 44. Qd8+ Kc6 45. Qc8+ with a draw by perpetual check.
37. ... bxc5 38. c4! The fortress is now unbreakable.
38. ... Ke7 39. Kf4 Kd6 40. Ke4 ½–½.

The Time It Takes

The Lagoons of Venice

Jan Hendrik Timman – Roberto Cosulich
11th International Tournament; Venice, November 1974
Nimzo-Indian Defence E45

“Cosulich was the best of the Italian masters in this tournament, although many contestants were of the opinion that his youth led him to extremes. For example, look at his draw against Mariotti: 1. P-KR4 P-QR4 2. P-QR4 P-KR4, draw?! And against Timman he played clownishly and lost in six moves by overlooking a piece”, Grandmaster Pál Charles Benkö wrote in Chess Life & Review, Vol. XXX, No. 2, February 1975, p. 81.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Ne2 Ba6 6. Ng3

6. ... d5?? It’s quite paradoxical that three years before, a game Gligorić – Cosulich, 10th International Tournament, Venice 1971, continued 6. ... Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d5 8. Ba3 dxc4 9. e4 Qd7 10. Be2 Nc6 11. 0-0 0-0-0 12. Qc2 h5 13. Rfd1 Nb8!? 14. Bc1! h4 15. Nf1 Qc6 16. Bf3 Bb7 17. Bg5 Rdg8 18. d5 Qd6 19. Nd2 Qe5! 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Nxc4 Qf4 with satisfactory play for Black.
7. Qa4+ 1–0. “It is a safe bet that this has happened before. Cosulich missed the international master norm at this tournament by half a point” — Kevin John O’Connell, The Batsfod Chess Yearbook, B. T. Batsford Limited, London, 1975, p. 79.

Sung Tales

From Rags to Stars

Professor Mauro Berni (Genoa, Italy) shared some pages from an article by Valdo Eynard, “Božo Filipović”, published in Informazione Scacchi, Year VII, No. 2, March/April 1997, pp. 73–76. Among the many illustrious victims of Filipović was International Master Alberto Mario Giustolisi who, as Berni notes, “did very badly at the 7th Italian Team Chess Championship in Monticelli Terme (2 out of 7), but a few months later he won the 27th Italian Chess Championship in Rovigo”.
Here is the game, with my light notes.

Alberto Mario Giustolisi – Božidar Filipović
7th Italian Team Chess Championship; Monticelli Terme, April 1966
King’s Indian Defence E97

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0 6. Nf3 e5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Be3 Ng4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bc1 Nh6 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Be3 Qxd1 13. Raxd1. If 13. Rfxd1 then 13. ... Be6 14. Nd5 Rf7 15. h3 Bf8 16. g4 g5 17. Rac1 Kg7 18. c5 Nd8 19. Nh2 c6 20. Nc3 Ng8 21. Nf1 Rd7 22. Ng3 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Kf7 24. Nf5 Ke8 25. b3 Nf7 26. Na4 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ Kxd8 28. Nb2 Be7 29. Bc4 ½–½ Wl. Schmidt – Pokojowczyk, 35th Polish Chess Championship, Kraków 1978.
13. ... Be6 14. Nd5 Rac8?! Proper seems 14. ... Rf7 15. b4 Nd8 followed by ... c7-c6.
15. b4! Bxd5 16. cxd5 Nxb4

17. Bc5?! White misses here a consequential opportunity to make his opponent’s defence much more difficult with 17. Rd2! threatening both Be3-c5 and a2-a3.
17. ... Nxa2 18. Rd3. After 18. Bxf8 Nc3 19. Bxg7 Nxe2+ 20. Kh1 Kxg7 Black, with two Pawns for the Exchange and two passed Pawns on the Queenside, should manage to hold his own.
18. ... b6 19. Bxf8 Bxf8 20. Ra1 Nb4 21. Rc3 a5 22. Bb5 Bd6 23. Bd7 Rd8 24. Be6+ Kf8 25. Nd2 Na6 26. Nc4 Bb4 27. Rf3 Kg7 28. g4 Nc5 29. g5 fxg5 30. Nxe5 Nxe6 31. dxe6 Re8 32. Rc1 Bd6

33. Nd3? A sloppy mistake by an out of form Giustolisi, which throws away the game. The critical line was 33. Nd7! Rxe6 34. e5! Rxe5! 35. Nxe5 Bxe5∞ when Black has two Echanges down but four Pawns up.
33. ... Ng4 34. Rf7+ Kg8 35. e5 Nxe5 36. Nxe5 Bxe5 37. Rc6 Bd6 38. Rd7 Rxe6 39. Rdxc7 Re1+ 40. Kg2 Bxc7 41. Rxc7 Re4 0–1.

Love in the Time of Cholera

Politics in the time of impossibility of politics

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, February 18, 2026

In the Seventh Letter Plato links his decision to consecrate himself to philosophy to the wretched political conditions of the city in which he lived. After trying every way to participate in public life — he writes — he finally realised that all cities were politically corrupt (kakos politeuontai), and he felt, therefore, compelled to abandon politics and devote himself to philosophy.
Philosophy presents itself, from this perspective, as a substitute for politics. We must engage with philosophy, because — now no less than then — engaging in politics has become impossible. One must not forget this particular nexus between politics and philosophy, which makes philosophising a substitute for political action, a supply and a compensation, certainly not fully satisfying, for something we can no longer practise. What value should we then set upon this substitute, which we would not have chosen had political life been still possible? Philosophy shows here its true meaning, which is not to work out theories and opinions to propose to those who believe they can still engage in politics. Philosophy is a form of life, that allows us to live in politically unlivable conditions. Thus — just because it enables us to inhabit the uninhabitable and impolitic city — philosophical life proves to be the only possible politics in the time of impossibility of politics.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Edvard Munch, Kiss, 1897. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Words of Wisdom

As a Young Global Leader (YGL) of the World Economic Forum and a Mastercard Fellow, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Peking University lecturer 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was a featured speaker at the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, January 21, 2026, with a conference entitled What Chess Teaches Humans When Machines Play Better. Photo via The Forum of Young Global Leaders.

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The fall of the West

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, February 16, 2026

The word “Occidente” (“West”), with which we define our culture, derives etymologically from the verb cadere (to fall) and literally means: “that which is falling, that which never ceases to fall”. Also connected to this verb are the terms caso (case, chance) and casuale (chance, random). That which never ceases to fall and set (occasus is the Latin for sunset) is for this reason also prey to chance, to an unceasing randomness. It is therefore not surprising that the government of men and things takes today the form of intervention protocols, independent of certain outcomes, in a world conceived as available and calculable just because of its being random. The West exists and rules itself only in the time of its end and its constant fall and, like its God, is uninterruptedly in act of dying. But just herein lies its strength: an incessant death is properly endless; an infinite transience or randomness is meant to be just unarrestable.
A strategy that seeks to confront this perpetual decline must find in it an interstice or an interruption where the West loses its continuity and falls down once and for all. This abysmal caesura is memory. The West, as it is random and fleeting, has no memory of itself, knows no way or form where something like a memory may for a moment burst forth and grow up. It can certainly construct, as it does, archives and registers in which to chronologically arrange the events — the cases — of its history, but it lacks the capacity to truly carry out a past, to open itself to something that breaks the uniform thread of its representations. Anamnesis, memory, instead, takes the form of an interstice where the decline — chance — is halted for an instant and lets a heterogeneous and unrepresentable past appear as if it had never been. “Oh, past, thou abyss of thought!” (Schelling): only the thought that resolutely descends into this abyss can lead the West once and for all to its end.

(English translation by I, Robot)

As Tennessee Williams said, “In memory everything seems to happen to music”. Photo © 陈漫 (Chén Màn).

Oh yes, Edna, they all, and each of them, are like the hours of a clock counting and recounting the infinite time you have ahead of you

Artwork © AGtheOG123

Queen Kong

For the fourth year in a row, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is going to grace the WR superteam — sponsored and owned by the German tycoon Wadim Alexandrowitsch Rosenstein — with her favours in the 4th FIDE World Rapid Team Championship and 3rd FIDE World Blitz Team Championship, scheduled to take place in 香港 (Hong Kong), China, June 17–21, 2026.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) at last year’s World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships in London. Photo via Sina Sports.