The Masks of Hamlet

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd Online Chess Olympiad Top Division Pool A; Iran – China; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, September 9, 2021

Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. h4 h5 11. Nh3 Bd6 12. g3 Nd7 13. Nf4 f5!? A novelty, and a very anti-positional one as it reduces the Bishop on g6 to the status of a Pawn. 13. ... a5 is one of the usual continuations, after which there may follow 14. Kd2 Nb6 15. Bd3 Bxf4 16. gxf4 Bxd3 17. Kxd3 Nc4 18. b3 Nd6 19. f3 f5 20. Rag1 with the initiative, Aravindh – Usmanov, 47th Rilton Cup, Stockholm 2017.

14. Bd3 Nf6 15. f3 Ke7 16. Kf2 Rhe8 17. Rhc1 Nd7 18. b4 a6 19. a4. The classic minority attack. 19. ... Nb6 20. b5 axb5 21. axb5 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Ra8

23. Rb1. White decides to keep the Rooks on the board, but then 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) finds no particular difficulty in holding her own. 23. Rxa8 Nxa8 24. Na4 still offered some chances. 23. ... Ra3 24. bxc6 Rxc3 25. Rxb6 bxc6 26. Ke2 Bc7 27. Rb7 Kd7 28. Ra7 Rb3 29. Ra8 Rb2+ 30. Kf1 Rb3 31. Ke2 Rb2+ 32. Ke1 Bxf4 33. gxf4 Rh2 34. Kf1 Rd2. Clearly not 34. ... Rxh4?? on account of 35. Kg2! stalemating the Black Rook. 35. Be2 Rb2 36. Kf2 Rb3 37. Ra6 Rb2 38. Ra1 Kd6 39. Rc1 Kd7 40. Ke1 Kd6 41. Rc3 Ra2 42. Rd3 Ra1+ 43. Kf2 Ra2 44. Ke1 Ra1+ 45. Rd1 Rxd1+ 46. Kxd1 c5 47. dxc5+ Kxc5 48. Bd3 d4 49. e4 fxe4 50. fxe4 f6 51. Kd2 Bf7 52. Be2 Be8 53. Bf3 Bf7 54. Bg2 Be8 55. Bh3 Bf7 56. Bf5 Kc4 57. Bh7 d3 58. e5 fxe5 59. fxe5 Kd4 60. Bxd3 Kxe5 61. Ke3 ½ : ½.

One only motto for all schools: health before everything! Screenshot from the live stream.

Afterschool Hours

Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd Online Chess Olympiad Top Division Pool A; Kazakhstan – China; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, September 9, 2021

Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Bd3 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. g4 Bg6 11. Qe2 Qd7 (11. ... Bxd3 12. cxd3 Qd7 13. d4 d5 14. b4 Qd6 15. a4 a5 16. b5 Nd8 17. Ne5 f6 18. Nd3 Qe6 19. Nf4 Qd7 20. Bc1 Nf7 21. Ne6 Rg8 22. f4 b6 23. f5 Nd6 24. Bf4 Rc8 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 26. Kd2 Kd7 27. Rhe1 Rce8 28. Qf3 c6 29. bxc6+ Qxc6 30. Nf4 Bd6 31. Nxd5 Bf4+ 32. Kd3 Bg5 33. Rab1 Rxe1 34. Rxe1 Rc8 35. Re6 Qc4+ 36. Ke4 Rc6 37. Qd3 Qa2 38. Nxb6+ Rxb6 39. Rxb6 Qg2+ 40. Qf3 Qh2 41. Kd3 Qd2+ 42. Kc4 Qa2+ 43. Kb5 Qb3+ 44. Ka6 1 : 0 Schelfhout – van Gelder, 4th Dutch Chess Championship, The Hague 1919) 12. 0-0-0 Bxd3 13. Qxd3 h5 14. g5 0-0-0 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. Qe4 Rhe8 17. Nb3 Qc6 18. Qd4 b6 19. Kb1 f6 20. f4 Nc4 21. Bc1 d5?! (⌓ 21. ... fxg5 22. fxg5 Ne5 23. Qf2 Qf3 24. Qh2!⩲) 22. Qd3

22. ... Bf8? Now after 22. ... fxg5 23. Nd4! Qd7 24. f5! White is going to plant a Knight on e6 with obvious advantage, but it was Black’s best play, at least from a relative standpoint. 23. Rhe1 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Qd7 25. Nd4 fxg5 26. fxg5. Black came out in pieces and Abdumalik does not need to struggle too much to get her job done.

26. ... Kb7 27. Qg6 Bd6 28. Qxh5 c5 29. Ne6 Rc8 30. g6 Be5 31. Qf5 (31. Rxe5+−) 31. ... Ka6 32. Rxe5. With 32. Nxc5+ White would have won the Queen, but she has no reason to complain of the text move either. 32. ... Nxe5 33. Qxe5 Rc6 34. Nf4 d4 35. cxd4 cxd4 36. h4 Rc5 37. Qe2+ Kb7 38. h5 Rf5 39. Qe4+ Ka6 40. a3 Rf6 41. Nd3 Re6 42. Nb4+ Ka5 43. Qf5+ b5 44. h6 gxh6 45. g7 Qe8 46. Qf8 Re1 47. Nd3 1 : 0.

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) relaxing backstage before taking her spot behind the computer at the Training Base for Chinese Chess National Team in 杭州 (Hángzhōu), China. Photo: 梁自明 (Liáng Zìmíng).

Of course, Edna, you just kept them hanging on for your next divine blessing

Artwork © Eric Maille (@elliamvi)

An Unfinished Tale

Garry Kimovich Kasparov – Wesley So

4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Saint Louis, September 8, 2021

nbrkbnrq/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NBRKBNRQ w GCgc - 0 1

Position #280

1. e4 e5 2. Ne3 Ne6 3. c3 Nb6 4. 0-0-0 g6 5. g3 c6 6. Nb3 0-0-0 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 d5 9. e5 Nc4 10. Ng4 f5 11. Nf6? (⌓ 11. Ne3) 11. ... Rf8? (11. ... Nxd4!) 12. Nxe8 Rdxe8? A little better seems 12. ... Rfxe8 vacating the f8-square for the Queen. 13. f4 g5 14. Qf3 Qg7 15. Bb4 Rf7 16. Nc5 Qh6 17. Nxe6 Rxe6 18. b3! a5 19. Bc3 Na3 20. Bd3 g4 21. Qe2 Qf8

22. h3! h5 (22. ... gxh3 24. g4!+−) 23. hxg4 hxg4 24. Bb2 Rh6? (⌓ 24. ... Bd6!) 25. Rh1. Apparently Kasparov is too concentrated in his slow and methodical squeeze to notice that 25. e6! followed by e6-e7 wins material immediately. 25. ... Rfh7 26. Rxh6 Rxh6 27. Qg2 Bc7 28. Rh1 Rxh1+ 29. Qxh1 Kb8 30. Qe1 a4 31. Bc3 Bd8 32. Bb4 Be7 33. Bxe7 Qxe7 34. Kb2 Nb5 35. Bxb5 a3+ 36. Kc2 cxb5

37. Qa5? A moment of eclipse probably due to fatigue and lack of time. After 37. e6!+− Black was completely helpless against the invasion of the White Queen on e5. 37. ... Qh7! 38. Qd8+ Ka7 39. Qa5+ Kb8 40. Qd8+ Ka7 ½ : ½.

Kasparov put his younger opponent on the ropes, only missing the last bit. Photo © Bryan Adams/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Creativity and Improvisation

Wesley So – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Saint Louis, September 8, 2021

qnrbbnkr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/QNRBBNKR w HChc - 0 1

Position #105

1. b4 d6. The alternative 1. ... a5 2. b5 d5 3. c4 dxc4 4. a4 c6 5. Rxc4 Nbd7 may be quite reasonable, Shankland – Svidler, ibidem. 2. c4 e5 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qb2 Ne6 6. Ne3 Bg5

7. Nd5! A brilliant Exchange sacrifice, which yields White a terrific initiative. 7. ... Bxc1 8. Qxc1 0-0 9. b5 Ncd8. 9. ... Ne5 10. f4! is likewise disastrous.

And now the reigning Fischerandom World Champion delivers a knockout blow: 10. Nf6+!! gxf6 (10. ... Kh8 11. Bc3+−) 11. Qh6 (Δ Bd1-c2) 11. ... f5 12. Qf6 Ng7 13. Bc3 Nde6 14. h4! Bxb5 (14. ... h5 15. Rh3 f4 16. e3+−) 15. h5! Rce8 16. h6 Qd8 17. hxg7?! So plays for a win by inertia, almost running the risk of throwing most of his advantage away. 17. cxb5! Qxf6 18. Bxf6+− was much simpler and stronger. 17. ... Qxf6 18. gxf8=Q+ Nxf8 19. Bxf6 Bxc4. Now Black can legitimately hope for a compensation. 20. Nc3 b5 21. Rh4 Re6 22. Bd8 c5 23. Bb3 Bxb3 24. axb3 b4 25. Nd5 Ng6 26. Rh3 Rxe2 27. Re3? Perhaps the only (major) inaccuracy by So in the whole game. Better to play first 27. Kf1! Rb2 and then 28. Re3! with strong initiative. 27. ... Rd2? But Black misses his only chance to stay afloat: ⌓ 27. ... Rxe3 28. Nxe3 f4 29. Nc4 Ne5∞ with an unclear ending.

28. Re8+ Kg7 29. Bf6+ Kh6 30. Ne3 f4 31. Nc4 Rd3 32. Ra8 f3? 33. g4! Nf4 34. Rg8 Ne6 35. Ne3 1 : 0.

So made a spectacular début on the contemporary scene of Fischer’s chess. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

The Fool on the Hill

“French Spider-Man” Alain Robert, 59, climbed the TotalEnergies tower at the financial and business district of La Défense in Courbevoie near Paris, France to protest the COVID health pass. Usually a solo climber, Robert was first joined by three young climbers who said they felt honoured being able to accompany him to the top. Photo: Eric Gaillard/Reuters.

Yes, Edna, in a way your most divine self incarnates the synthesis between two opposing time zones

Artwork © Sally Stargazer (@sallysmadhouse)

Retiré

Working leg in retiré devant. Photo © Aditya Kshirsagar/The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

Yeah, Edna, every beginning is like a sliding door between dressing room and stage

Courtesy of holyystar📻 (@holyystarr)

Off the Beaten Track

Kangaroos doing a lively dance upon the sunburnt grass in Perth, Australia. Photo © Lea Scaddan/The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

No doubt, Edna, sometimes the line between dance and martial arts can be quite thin

Artwork © zirv (@zirv)

The Time In Between

IT DID NOT WANT TO BE It did not recognise the meeting of the he and she. The blossom so enamoured could not become flowery. It stopped its senses, refused discovery, descended diaphanous before light’s clarity. It saw tomorrow’s cloudiness, stayed, in yesterday’s history. It did not want to be. Miguel Hernández English translation by Anthony S. Kline

Jean-Michel Folon, Love and Hope, 2000. Courtesy of Invaluable, LLC.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

A cow is transported by a helicopter after its summer sojourn in the high Swiss Alpine meadows near the Klausen Pass (German: Klausenpass), Switzerland. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters.

Yeah, Edna, quite untraditionally, you began your career as a fashion designer and eventually suspended it indefinitely when you found success as supermodel and movie star

Artwork © Anima (@aarchitypee)

A Separation

After a six-year collaboration, Fabiano Caruana and his second Rustam Mashrukovich Kasimdzhanov terminated their professional relationship by a “gentlemen’s agreement” which Kasimdzhanov himself, in an interview to the ChessBase website, did not hesitate to call “like a divorce”. Kasimdzhanov had survived Caruana’s lost World Championship match against Magnus Carlsen in 2018, but apparently the subsequent failure in the Candidates Tournament 2020–21 — a pandemic odyssey — has proved too great a disappointment for Fabiano’s parents.

Yes, Edna, selling the elixir of long life to someone who is alive and well is like selling holy water to a fish

Artwork © Ariana (@aria.naart)

星迹 (Star trails)

A photomontage of star trails over the 五大连池世界地质公园 (Wǔdàliánchí geopark) in 黑河 (Hēihé), 黑龙江省 (Hēilóngjiāng province). The geopark is famed for its volcanoes and hot springs. It has 14 volcanoes and five major volcanic barrier lakes. Photo: 新华通讯社 (Xīnhuá News Agency)/Rex/Shutterstock.

Well, Edna, even in the face of expiration dates, we must not lose the hope of immortality

Artwork © David Bispo

Noah’s Ark

SAD WARS Sad wars if love is not the aim. Sad, sad. Sad weapons if they are not words. Sad, sad. Sad men if they did not die for love. Sad, sad. Miguel Hernández English translation by Ted Genoways

Jean-Michel Folon, Love Boat, ca. 1975. Courtesy of Fondation Folon.

Say it with Flowers

Thousands peacefully rally in Bangkok, Thailand, demanding government’s resignation. Photo: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA.

Yeah, Edna, if things continue this way, you might have to donate your liver to science in exchange for a dinner date on Valentine’s Day

Artwork © David Bispo

Random Dots

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) as sketched by Neil McAllister (harafri).

Dr. Strangelove

• Philip Oltermann, WHO opens pandemic intelligence hub to look out for future crises, The Guardian, September 1, 2021

A World Health Organization “pandemic intelligence hub” launched by the UN agency’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Germany’s Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday will try to help governments identify future pandemics at an earlier stage and improve monitoring of new variant strains of COVID-19. [Read more].

Muumuu

• Ian Sample, WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named Mu, The Guardian, September 1, 2021

The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, was added to the WHO’s watchlist on 30 August after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired. [Read more].

Yes, Edna, sometimes it seems like they are casting for the role of Dr. Peters in Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys”

Artwork © Chris Méndez (@1mcd)