Donald is already explaining to his group how to enter the Palace Museum without tickets

北京 (Běijīng), China: U.S. President Donald Trump and the first lady, Melania, visit the Forbidden City with China’s President 习近平 (Xí Jìnpíng) and the first lady 彭丽媛 (Péng Lìyuán). Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters.

Visions of Johanna

“Giovanna 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.

Do you, Mister Jones?

Unfortunately, sometimes they fail to perform up to the expectations of elegance and savoir-faire held by her and her husband

Red Hot Chilli Carpet

A model presents a creation by 胡社光 (Hú Shèguāng) at China Fashion Week in 北京 (Běijīng), China. Photo: Thomas Peter/Reuters.

Halfway There

Well, maybe someday we’ll do better than that. Everything is perfectible. But let’s not complain too much, as most of what we’ve done has been right. So keep believing in your story and don’t miss your flight on the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s carpet-dance!

A Mediterranean mantis dancing on the line. Photo: Pinterest.

99.9 per cent of the pens are not working, and the healing water is salted. Yet there is nothing to worry about, Edna. They’ll surely find something else to sell!

Artwork © SirenFoxx

Finding Dory

Antonio Ligabue, Seafloor, 1951-1952, oil on canvas. Credit: La Stampa.

Healing Water

L’è come levassi la sete co’ i’ pprosciutto. It is like quenching thirst with ham. Florentine proverb

Did your pen stop working too, Edna?

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are generally Conservative. I believe that to be so obvious and undeniable a fact that I hardly think any hon. Gentleman will question it. John Stuart Mill

The Thing
Credit: Marvel Database

Still she can’t get over the fact that her husband’s luxury pen doesn’t work

Breaking Yawn

Lion “Kumar” yawns inside his cage at Frankfurt Zoological Garden in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa via AP.

A Bit of Difference

I think you realize that just one of Ligabue’s old worn-out pencils would be worth one thousands of Arcovazzi’s luxury pens, so please do not mistake us with him! Provided this, you are welcome to fly on the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s carpet-dance whenever you wish!

A large brown mantis (Archimantis latistyla) was caught almost in a ballet pose at Boy Scout Camp Echockotee in Orange Park, Florida, United States on August 13, 2007. Photo: Tibor Duliskovich/Wikimedia Commons.

The Leopard

Antonio Ligabue, Leopard, engraving. Credit: Antonio Ligabue Documentary Museum and Donation Umberto Tirelli, Gualtieri, Italy.

A Bowl of Flowers

Antonio Ligabue, A Bowl of Flowers, 1960-1961, oil on canvas, 70x50cm. Credit: Scenario Magazine.

Nothing. It’s all right. He’s just a little worried about his own role as a world hero

If you want to buy imported Emmentaler, just make yourself sure it is from Switzerland

Daniele Vocaturo – Yannick Pelletier
21st European Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, November 6, 2017
Caro-Kann Defence B13

In the last round of the 21st European Team Chess Championship Italy defeated Switzerland (2½ – 1½), and much credit goes to Daniele Vocaturo, who, on first board, played highly inspired brilliant chess: 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Nd2 e6 9. Ngf3 Bxf3 10. Nxf3 Be7 11. Ne5 Qc8 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Rae1. The alternative is 13. Qd1 Rd8 (better appears to be the immediate 13. ... Nxe5) 14. Re1 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. h4 with the initiative: 16. ... Nf8 17. h5 h6 18. Re3 f5 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Rg3 Kf7 21. Qf3 Qc5 22. Re1 Rac8 23. Be3 (23. Be5 seems even stronger) 23. ... Qd6 24. Bd4 Nd7 25. Qg4 e5 26. Qg6+ Kf8 27. Qh7 Nc5 28. Bf5 Rc7 29. Be3 Rf7 30. Bg6 Rc7 31. Rf3 Rdc8 32. Rd1 Ke7 33. Bxh6 Ne6 34. Bxg7 Bxg7 35. h6 Rh8 36. Rf7+ Kd8 37. hxg7 1 : 0 Tringov – Pomar Salamanca, International Tournament, Büsum 1968. 13. ... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Qc2 h6. Who knows, perhaps 15. ... g6 16. Bf4 Re8 might be a sounder formation. 16. Bf4 Re8 17. Re3 Qd8 18. Qe2 Bg5 19. Bxg5 Qxg5 20. f4 Qd8 21. g4! g6 22. Re1 Nf6 23. Rh3 h5? This doesn’t seem a good idea at all, allowing White to build up the most imposing attacking position. 23. ... Qc7(!) was a much better option for Black. 24. gxh5 Nxh5 25. Qg4 Ng7

26. Bxg6! This must be winning! You don’t need to calculate too much for knowing it. 26. ... fxg6 27. Qxg6 Re7. 27. ... Rf8 was probably more stubborn, but after 28. Qh7+ Kf7 29. Rg3 White (sooner or later) will breakthrough anyway. 28. Re5! (Δ Re5-h5-h8 mate) 28. ... Qe8 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Rh6! Threatening f4-f5. The rest comes easy. 30. ... Rf7 31. f5 Qa4 32. Re1 Rxf5 33. Rg6 Rf7 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxa8 Qb5 36. Qc8 1 : 0.

The Merchant of Venice

High waters flood the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Photo: Riccardo Gregolin/EPA.

The Looking Glass

And so, if you ask yourself why Arcovazzi and his wife keep hurting a lot of people, now you know that it is just for profit. Well, it’s not so much original, but there had never been any originality in their life. They’re only a deadly combination of ignorance and power. So it’s time to make up another life and to draw other skies. Poor people cannot do much, in comparison with those who are rich, and rich people are mostly friends with Arcovazzi. So let’s stay in touch, take your place on the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s carpet-dance, and all together we’ll hopefully keep anyone informed about our progress.

A mantis dancing on the Iris Hill in Ness Ziona, Israel. Photo © Erez Marom.

They are a wonderful couple who were just made for each other. Don’t ya think, Edna?

Artwork © Dan Platt

No one can tell anyone else how to escape in time from the embrace of an oppressive mother-in-law

Artwork © GiantPanda

Do you think they had a wonderful time on their cruise honeymoon?

The cruiser Aurora, which fired the shot that signaled the start of the assault on the Winter Palace (which was to be the beginning of the October Revolution), is pictured during a light show dedicated to revolution’s centenary in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photo: Anton Vaganov/Reuters.

Longest path problem

Elena Sedina – Elena-Luminița Radu-Cosma
12th European Women’s Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, November 5, 2017
8/4R2K/4np2/1N1pk3/1P5P/2P3r1/8/8 w - - 0 123

Position after 122. ... Rg8xg3

Women’s Italian and Rumanian teams eventually equalised (2 – 2), and we cannot but feel a little regret at the half-point lost by International Master Elena Sedina, who, after working very hard (and very well) on “bringing home the bacon”, did not guess her lucky number at the very end. The diagram shows the critical moment, when White, after 122 moves, is finally on the verge of making the sting. White to move and win a piece: 123. Nc7? Oh, no! With forty seconds left, and maybe tired, Sedina plays the apparent “dual”, instead of 123. Nd4 Rxc3 124. Nxe6 Kd6 125. Nf4! (perhaps the move overlooked) which would have actually won a piece and the game (125. ... Rf3 126. Re6+ Kd7 127. Rxf6+−). 123. ... Kd6 124. Rxe6+ Kxc7. White can’t believe her luck: she didn’t get the piece and the Rook endgame is theoretically drawn. 125. h5 Rxc3 126. h6. 126. Kg6 Rh3 also leads to a draw. 126. ... Rg3 127. Rxf6 d4 128. b5 d3 129. b6+ Kb7 130. Rd6 Ka6 131. Kh8 Kb7 132. h7 Ka6 133. Rxd3 ½ : ½.

Spot the Shark

Alexander Igorevich Grischuk – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
21st European Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, November 5, 2017
Spanish Game C72

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 Bd7 6. Re1 g5!? 7. Bxc6. The historical premiere went 7. d4 g4 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Nfd2 Qh4 10. Nc4 Bg7 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Nc3 Rd8 13. Nd5?? (White ought to play 13. Qe2) 13. ... Bxd5 14. exd5 g3! Black won a piece and then the game, Kortschnoi – L. Portisch, 30th Hoogovens International Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 1968. 7. ... bxc6 8. d4 g4 9. Nfd2 exd4 10. Nb3 Ne7 11. Nxd4 Bg7 12. Nc3. If 12. Nf5 then 12. ... Nxf5 13. exf5+ Kf8 14. Qxg4 h5 15. Qf3 Qf6 and Black wins back his Pawn with a lead in development, 陈琪 (Chén Qí) – 戴常人 (Dài Chángrén), 上海 (Shànghǎi) Youth Gulf Cup, 上海 (Shànghǎi) 2017. 12. ... 0-0 13. Bg5 f6 14. Be3 Qe8 15. Qd3 Qf7 16. Qd2 Qg6 17. Bf4 h5 18. b4 h4 19. a4 Qh5 20. Be3 h3 21. Nce2 hxg2 22. Nf4 Qh7 23. Nfe6 Bxe6 24. Nxe6

24. ... Ng6! Black’s Exchange sacrifice shows that Mamedyarov has decided to initiate his attack. 25. Nxf8 Rxf8 26. Bf4 f5! 27. exf5 Nh4 28. Ra3 Qxf5 29. Bg5 Nf3+ 30. Rxf3. Grischuk has nothing better than to give back the Exchange with vague hopes of somehow holding on in spite of his minus Pawn. 30. ... gxf3 31. Bh6 Qd5 32. Qc1? Grischuk falls apart. 32. Qe3 was White’s only chance to keep playing. 32. ... Bc3 33. Re3 Bd4 34. Rd3 Re8 35. c3 Bxf2+ 36. Kxf2 Re2+ 0 : 1. Let’s think of how much geography can change in a short period of time.