Chiara

Here is Chiara running after us as the crowd fades into the background. There’s no need to ask her how she feels, she graduated summa cum laude!

Engineering

Today, Wednesday, October 4 2017 we had an appointment we couldn’t miss! Chiara Angelini, priceless teacher and virtuoso dancer of Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, was presenting her graduation thesis in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florence at the majestic department in Via di Santa Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy.

大力水手

Imaginary Lines

If not Mado Flynn’s flowers, there is at least one more reason for you to pay a visit to the gallery-shop “Art of Tuscany”, Borgo Ognissanti 99/R, 50123 Florence, Italy – that’s the permanent exhibit of the artist Attilio Antonelli, whose joyous, abstract oil paintings decorate and give life to the shop’s clean-lined space. Photo courtesy of artoftuscany.it.

Micol prêt-à-porter

“Micol prêt-à-porter” ™ © Mado Flynn

Handmade in Italy by Mado Flynn

It’s worth remembering that Mado Flynn’s high fashion floral collection is permanently on display at Mrs. Paola Soldi’s newly opened gallery-shop “Art of Tuscany”, Borgo Ognissanti 99/R, 50123 Florence, Italy. Photos courtesy of Paola Soldi.

나의 길 (My Way)

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Thousands and thousands of people demonstrated outside the Barcelona headquarters of Spain’s national police force on Tuesday amid strikes in protest at police violence during the disputed referendum on Catalonian independence. Photo: AP.

Ellipses

Aerial view of geese at a breeding base in 清水台镇 (Qīngshuǐtái Town) in 沈阳 (Shěnyáng), 辽宁省 (Liáoníng province), China. 蔡竟渝 (Cài Jìngyú)/VCG via Getty Images.

Bridging the Distance

The Things That Matter

It’s no longer the case that you waste your time and heart in Arcovazzi’s badly-done parades! After humiliating his wife by forcing her to appear at his deadly boring sit in (instead of letting her perform as a star in our ultimate dance show), now he’d like to bury any woman on earth until he gets his applause! So kick him off as soon as you can and jump to fly on the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s red carpet-dance!

A mantis performing a solo dance. Photo © Igor Siwanowicz.

The Last Sunday

Honourary Professor of Russian Philology at the University of Tartu, Estonia and literary critic Larisa Ilinichna Volpert died on Sunday, October 1, in New York, United States at 92 years of age – she was born in Leningrad, Russia on March 30, 1926. As a chess player, Mrs. Volpert earned the Woman Grandmaster title in 1977, and was three times USSR Women’s Chess Champion (1954, 1958, and 1959).

Larisa Ilinichna Volpert
Photo: Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR)

Larisa Ilinichna Volpert – Milunka Lazarević
Match Leningrad – Belgrade; Leningrad, August 19, 1964
Dutch Defence A97

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. Nf3 d6 5. c4 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Qe8 8. Re1 Qh5 9. b4 Ne4 10. Qb3 c5 11. bxc5 dxc5 12. Be3 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 Nc6 14. Rab1 Bf6

15. Ne5 Rd8 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Qa5 cxd4 18. Bxd4 Rxd4 19. Bxc6 Bb7 20. Bxb7 Rad8 21. Bf3 Qh6 22. c5 Bg5 23. e3 Rd2 24. c6 Rc2 25. c7 Rf8 26. Rb8 1 : 0.

Jumping the Queue

Phoenix competes in the Super Air Semi-Final at the Splash Dog National Championships in Gardnerville, Nevada, United States. Photo: Cahn/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock.

Time

A woman looks up at a giant pendulum, which forms part of the new installation “One Two Three Swing!” by Danish art collective Superflex, at the Tate Modern in London, England. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

Random Prize-giving Ceremony

Seeing Double

Randomly Ever After

John Saunders (@johnchess)

The Vote

John Saunders (@johnchess)

票房

End-on-end

And thus ended also the 4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, which will be remembered as a triumphant solo of 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, finally alone with his fiancée Synne Christin Larsen, and finally in the mood to enjoy playing. And luckily for us, no one could do anything to eclipse his happy heart! It was said that he and his girlfriend might visit the Manx Museum and I do not despair that, among paintings and sculptures, they may succeed in finding what I haven’t yet found – Edna Mode’s double! Among other good news is the final Grandmaster norm of Nino Batsiashvili from Georgia, who fulfilled her aim despite a series of pairings that could seem prohibitive. And, finally, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion won the first women’s prize after a little controversy occurred between her and the organisers, with respect to the randomness of Swiss pairings. In the end, fate stepped in and brought her back to the “women’s door”. “All’s well that ends well, still the fine’s the crown, / Whate’er the course, the end is the renown”.

The Manx Museum Exploratorium gallery in Douglas, Isle of Man features items and themes associated with entertainment and amusement during the peak tourism period of the early 20th century. Photo: gov.im.

The Library Cat

Viswanathan Anand – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, October 1, 2017
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3!? Nf6 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Re1 Bg4 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Re8 12. c3 c6 13. Qc2 h6 14. Bf4 Nh5 15. Be5! The same position can be reached by transposition from a French Exchange Variation: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Bg5 Bg4 8. Re1 Nbd7 9. Nbd2 Re8 10. c3 c6 11. Qc2 h6 12. Bf4 Nh5 13. Be5 (French Defence C01). 15. ... Bg5!? This novelty does not improve substantially over 15. ... Nxe5 16. Bh7+! Kf8 17. Nxe5 Nf6 18. h3 Be6 19. Ndf3 Bd6 20. Re3 Rc8 21. Rae1 c5 22. Bf5 Bxf5 23. Qxf5 Qc7 24. Ng4! Rxe3 25. Rxe3 Nxg4 26. hxg4 Rd8? (26. ... Kg8±) 27. Qh7 f6 (Glek – Dolmatov, 20th “Dortmunder Schachtage” International Tournament, Dortmund 1992) and now 28. Nh4!+− finishes the game immediately. 16. h3 Bxf3. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was already sure of winning the best women’s prize, which may justify her uninspiration. Now, for instance, she’d have done better not to exchange the Bishop for the Knight. 17. Nxf3 Bf4 18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. Bxf4 Nxf4 20. Bf5 Qc7?! (20. ... Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Nf8 22. Ne5⩲/±) 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Ne5 Qe6 (22. ... Qc7? 23. Qf5+−) 23. Re3!± Kg8. 23. ... Ng6 24. Nxg6+ Qxg6 25. Qxg6 fxg6 26. Rae1± also gives White — who dominates the open e-file — a clear advantage. 24. Rae1 Qc8?! This loses a Pawn. 24. ... Rf8 25. h4± was Black’s best worst option.

25. Nxf7! Rxe3 26. Rxe3 Kxf7 27. Rf3 Kg8 (27. ... g5? 28. Qh7+ Ke8 29. Re3+ Ne6 30. Qg7!+−) 28. Rxf4 Qe6 29. Qf5 Re8 30. Qxe6+ Rxe6 31. Kf1. White has precisely calculated that the Rook ending a Pawn up is won for him, even if impeccable technique is required. 31. ... a5 32. Rf3 Rg6 33. a4 Rd6 (33. ... Re6 34. Re3+−) 34. Ke2 Rd8 35. Kd3 Rb8 36. Rf5 b5 37. axb5 Rxb5 38. Kc2 Rb7 39. f4 Rb8 40. g4 a4 41. Re5 Kf7 42. f5 Ra8 43. Re6 Rc8 44. Re5 Ra8 45. h4 a3 46. bxa3 Rxa3 47. Kb2 Ra8 48. g5 hxg5 49. hxg5 Rb8+ 50. Kc2 Rh8 51. Re6 Rh5 52. g6+ Kf8 53. f6 1 : 0.

Anand showed 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) that not all rook endings are drawn. Photo: John Saunders.

Autumn Rain

Raindrops on a window pane reflect the melancholy hues of autumn of a maple leaf during a rainy morning in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Photo: Brian Davies/The Register-Guard via AP.

The Longest Wave

Next Monday will be October 2, and it is time to take seriously your afternoon and evening dance classes at the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”! Arcovazzi of course is saying that he is a friend of ours and that he too can offer dance classes: well, don’t believe him! So just don’t mistake our address: Viale De Amicis, 99/A, 50137 Florence, Italy. Follow the music, and jump onto our carpet-dance!

Two mantises dancing on a twig. Photo: Hasan Baglar/Medavia.

梦龙

Rhetorical question

Time to Be a Hero