Eternal Feminine

Les passantes Antoine Pol Je veux dédier ce poème A toutes les femmes qu’on aime Pendant quelques instants secrets A celles qu’on connaît à peine Qu’un destin différent entraîne Et qu’on ne retrouve jamais A celle qu’on voit apparaître Une seconde à sa fenêtre Et qui, preste, s’évanouit Mais dont la svelte silhouette Est si gracieuse et fluette Qu’on en demeure épanoui A la compagne de voyage Dont les yeux, charmant paysage Font paraître court le chemin Qu’on est seul, peut-être, à comprendre Et qu’on laisse pourtant descendre Sans avoir effleuré sa main A celles qui sont déjà prises Et qui, vivant des heures grises Près d’un être trop différent Vous ont, inutile folie, Laissé voir la mélancolie D’un avenir désespérant Chères images aperçues Espérances d’un jour déçues Vous serez dans l’oubli demain Pour peu que le bonheur survienne Il est rare qu'’on se souvienne Des épisodes du chemin Mais si l’on a manqué sa vie On songe avec un peu d’envie A tous ces bonheurs entrevus Aux baisers qu’on n’osa pas prendre Aux cœurs qui doivent vous attendre Aux yeux qu’on n’a jamais revus Alors, aux soirs de lassitude Tout en peuplant sa solitude Des fantômes du souvenir On pleure les lèvres absentes De toutes ces belles passantes Que l’on n’a pas su retenir

Come on, Edna, sooner or later someone will give you a ride

Artwork © Nalus_ Ilustración y Diseño (@nalus_)

Tic-Tac-Toe

Arman Mikaelyan – Abhimanyu Mishra
4th Spring Chess Classic—B; Saint Louis, March 7, 2022
Semi-Slav Defence D46

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. e4 e5 12. h3 Re8 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Be3 a6 (15. ... Qe7 16. Rae1 a6 17. Ne2 c5 18. Bxc5 Qc7 19. Bd4 ½ : ½ L. Portisch – Tukmakov, 30th New Year’s International Tournament, Reggio Emilia 1987) 16. a4 Qe7 17. Ne2 Bc7!?TN (17. ... Rad8 18. Rad1 Bb8 19. Rfe1 h6 20. Bc5 Bd6 21. Bxd6 Rxd6 22. f4 Rdd8 23. Ng3 Qb4 24. Nf5 c5 25. e5 c4 26. Bf1 Ne4 27. Qe2 Kh7 28. axb5 axb5 29. Kh2 g6 30. Ng3 Nxg3 31. Kxg3 Rd3+ 32. Kh2 Rxd1 33. Qxd1 c3 34. bxc3 Qxf4+ 35. Kg1 Be4 36. Bxb5 Rxe5 37. Bf1 h5 38. Qd4 Re7 39. c4 f5 40. c5 Ra7 41. Qd6 Qxd6 42. cxd6 Rd7 43. Rd1 Bc6 44. Bc4 Rd8 45. Kf2 Kg7 46. g3 Kf6 47. Re1 Be4 48. Rd1 Ke5 49. Ke3 Bc6 50. h4 Rd7 51. Bb3 Be4 52. Bf7 Bc6 53. Be8 Rxd6 54. Rxd6 Kxd6 55. Bxg6 Ke5 56. Bxh5 Ba4 57. Bf3 Be8 58. Be2 Bf7 59. Bd3 Bh5 60. Bf1 Be8 61. Bg2 Bh5 62. Bf3 Bf7 63. Be2 Be8 64. h5 Bf7 65. h6 Kf6 66. Kf4 Kg6 67. Bh5+ Kf6 68. Bxf7 Kxf7 69. Kxf5 1 : 0 V. P. Moskalenko – Barrientos, 7th Sants Open, Barcelona 2005) 18. Bc5 Bd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. Ng3 g6 21. Rad1 Qb4 22. f4 c5 23. e5 c4

24. Bf5? Good idea, bad execution, overlooking his opponent’s strong reply. Best was 24. Bxg6! hxg6 25. exf6 Re3 26. Kh2 Rd3! with complex but probably balanced play. 24. ... Nd5! 25. Qf2 gxf5 26. Nxf5 Re6! 27. Rd4 Kh8 28. Rfd1 Rg8 29. Nd6 Rxd6 30. exd6

30. ... Qxd6? A very strange mistake of Mishra. 30. ... Nf6! was simple and strong, for after 31. d7 Nxd7! 32. Rxd7? Rxg2+ White’s two Rooks cannot do anything against Black’s Queen and Pawns. 31. Rxd5 Bxd5 32. Qd4+ f6 33. Qxd5 Qxf4 34. axb5 axb5 35. Re1 Qg5

36. Qxg5? Now this is really illogical. By keeping the Queens on the board (⌓ 36. Qc6), there was very high, if not certain, probability for a draw. 36. ... Rxg5 37. Re7? The second error in a row, probably due to time shortage. The prospect of defending the Rook endgame a Pawn down after 37. Kf2 Kg7 was certainly not exciting for White, but as they say, as long as there is hope there is life. 37. ... Rg3!−+ 38. h4 Rb3 39. h5 h6 40. Re2 Kg7 41. g4 Rg3+ 42. Kf2 Rxg4 43. Re7+ Kf8 44. Rh7 Rg5 0 : 1. For if 45. Rxh6 then 45. ... Kg7 forcing an easily won Pawn ending.

The In Between

Дружба Что дружба? Легкий пыл похмелья, Обиды вольный разговор, Обмен тщеславия, безделья Иль покровительства позор. Friendship What’s friendship, then? Inebriation, A liberal license to offend, A common indolence and vainness, Or shameful patronage, my friend? Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin English translation by James E. Falen

Egon Schiele, Friendship, 1913. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Once Upon Another Time

Abhimanyu Mishra – Robert Andrew Hungaski
4th Spring Chess Classic—B; Saint Louis, March 6, 2022
Two Knights Defence C55

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 g5 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Bb3 a6 9. Nc4 Be6 10. d4. Alternatively 10. Re1 g4 11. Nfd2 Qd7 12. a4 h5 13. a5 h4 14. Nf1 0-0-0 should give rise to a sharp struggle with heterogeneous castling, but, in a relatively recent game, after 15. Ba4 Black mispushed his Kingside Pawns by 14. ... g3 16. fxg3 h3 17. gxh3 Rxh3 and ended up being overwhelmed by White’s attack on the Queenside: 18. b4 Qe7 19. Nce3 d5 20. Ba3 Qe8 21. b5 axb5 22. Bxb5 dxe4 23. a6 b6 24. Qa4 Bd7 25. Nf5 Bxf5 26. a7 Kb7 27. Be7 Bd7 (27. ... Ra8 28. Qa6#) 28. Bxd8 1 : 0 Amin – Cheparinov, 1st Belt and Road 湖南 (Húnán) International Open, 长沙 (Chángshā) 2019. 10. ... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. cxd4 d5 (12. ... Nxe4?? 13. d5+−) 13. Na5 b6

14. Ba4+!?TN (14. e5 bxa5 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Be3 Qd6 17. Rc1 Bd7 18. Rc5 c6 19. Qe2 Qe6 20. Qd3 Bd8 21. Bd2 0-0 22. Bxa5 Bxa5 23. Bc2 Rfe8 24. Rxa5 Qf6 25. Qc3 Kg7 26. Bd3 Bg4 27. Rc5 Bd7 28. b4 h5 29. Bc2 h4 30. h3 Rab8 31. a4 Qf4 32. Bd1 Re4 33. Bf3 Re7 34. Bh5 Qd6 35. Qd2 Qh6 36. Re1 Rxe1+ 37. Qxe1 Re8 38. Qd1 ½ : ½ Baumgartner – Prozorovsky, Germany Candidate Master 04-B, by e-mail, 2017) 14. ... Kf8. If 14. ... b5 then 15. e5 bxa4 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Nb7 Qc8 18. Nc5⩲ regaining the Pawn with a slight edge. 15. Nc6 Qe8 16. e5 b5 17. exf6 Bxf6

18. Ne5 bxa4 19. f4 Bxe5 20. fxe5. 20. dxe5 gxf4 (Black cannot allow the advance of the f-Pawn) 21. Rxf4⩲ also deserves attention, but Mishra is playing for an attack — or something that looks like it. 20. ... Qb5 21. Be3 Rb8. After 21. ... Qxb2 22. Bc1! Qc3 23. Rf3! followed by the check of the Bishop at a3 and the doubling of the Rooks on the f-file White’s initiative, exalted by the presence of Bishops of opposite colours, more than compensates for the two Pawn. 22. Rc1 Qd7. If Black wanted to take the Pawn, then maybe he should have taken it now: 22. ... Qxb2 23. Rxc7 (23. Rc2 Qb4 24. h3!? ) Qxa2 24. Qh5 Rh7 25. Qg6 Rb2 26. Rfxf7+ Rxf7 (26. ... Bxf7?? 27. Rc8+ Ke7 28. Qd6#) 27. Qxh6+ Kg8 28. Qxg5+ with a draw by perpetual check — obviously an indicative line only. 23. Qf3 Rxb2? Black eventually decides to grab the “poisoned” b-Pawn and indeed he could not do it at a worse time than now! ⌓ 23. ... Kg8 24. Rc2 (24. Rf2 also has its points) 24. ... Rh7 25. Bd2⩲ would have left White with only a somewhat better game.

24. Bxg5! Ke8. Clearly not 24. ... hxg5 because of 25. Qa3+ winning the Exchange while retaining all his advantages. 25. Rb1 Rb5 26. Qf6 Rg8 27. Qxh6 Qc8 28. Qf6 Kd7 29. Rbc1 Qf8 30. h4 Kc8 31. Rc6 Rb6 32. Rfc1 Rxc6 33. Rxc6 Kb7 34. Rc5 Rg6 35. Qf1 Qe8 36. Qb1+ Ka8. If 36. ... Kc8 then 37. Qb6! forcing mate in a few moves. The text is only contingently better as in the end White’s attack will triumph anyway. 37. Rxc7 Qb8 38. Qc2 Qb6 39. Rc5 Qb4 40. Qd3 Kb7 41. Rc1 Ka7 42. Rb1 Qc4 43. Qa3 Qc6 44. Qe7+ Ka8 45. Rc1 Qd7 46. Qf8+ Ka7 47. Be7 Bf5 48. Bc5+ Kb7 49. Bd6 Kb6 50. Qb8+ Qb7 51. Bc7+ 1 : 0.

Any ways, Edna, to quote Pier Paolo Pasolini, “Vulgarity is the full-blown moment of high conformity”

Artwork © mariano buonsante (@mbuonsante.art)

To dissent necesse est

Doubt and Precaution Commission: To dissent necesse est
International University College of Turin, Sunday, March 6, 2022 2.30 P.M.

For a generational criticism of the surveillance

Doubt and Precaution Commission: For a generational criticism of surveillance
International University College of Turin, Sunday, March 6, 2022 10.00 A.M.

Bric-a-brac

Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov – Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev
FIDE Grand Prix 2022; 2nd stage; Pool C; Belgrade, March 6, 2022
Sicilian Defence B33

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Ne7 9. c4 Nf5 10. Bd3 g6 11. 0-0 a6 12. Nc3 Bg7 13. Bxf5 (13. b3 0-0 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. Ba3 Rd8 16. Rc1 b6 17. Re1 Nh6 18. Qd2 f5 19. Ng5 Ng4 20. b4 h6 21. Ne6 Bxe6 22. dxe6 Qe7 23. f3 Nf6 24. Qe3 Rab8 25. Bc2 Kh7 26. Bb3 Ne8 27. c5 d5 28. cxb6 d4 29. Qd3 Rxb6 30. Rc5 Nd6 31. Rcxe5 Bxe5 32. Rxe5 Nb5 33. Bc1 Nc7 34. Qd2 Qg7 35. e7 Re8 36. Re1 Rd6 37. b5 Nxb5 38. a4 Nc3 39. Ba3 Rb6 40. Bc2 Nd5 41. a5 Rb7 42. h4 Ne3 43. h5 gxh5 44. Rxe3 dxe3 45. Bxf5+ Kh8 46. Qxe3 Qf6 47. Be4 Rexe7 48. Bxe7 Rxe7 49. Qc5 h4 50. Bd3 h3 51. gxh3 Qa1+ 52. Bf1 Qe1 53. Qc8+ Re8 54. Qxa6 Qg3+ 55. Kh1 Qxf3+ 56. Kh2 Qf4+ 57. Kh1 Rg8 58. Qd3 Rg3 59. Qd8+ Rg8 60. Qd3 Rg3 61. Qd8+ Rg8 ½ : ½ Inarkiev – Fedoseev, 35th European Chess Club Cup, Ulcinj 2019) 13. ... Bxf5 14. Be3 0-0. The alternative is 14. ... Rc8 15. Qa4+ Qd7 16. Qxd7+ Bxd7 17. Ne4 Bf8 18. f4 f5 19. Nf6+ Ke7 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Nxd7 Kxd7 22. Rac1 Bg7? (⌓ 22. ... Bc5! 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. b4 Rc7 25. c5 b6!) 23. b4 f4 24. Bb6 Rhf8 25. c5 e4 26. c6+ bxc6 27. dxc6+ Ke6 28. Rfd1 e3 29. c7 Bf6 30. a4 Rfe8 31. Kf1 Kf5 32. Ke2 Re4 33. Ba5 Be7 34. Kf3 Re6 35. Rd5+ Re5 36. Rxe5+ Kxe5 37. b5 Kd5 1 : 0 Maghsoodloo – Fawzy, 4th Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship, Sharjah 2021. 15. Qb3!? A sharp novelty by Shirov. Non-relational database theory says 15. Rc1 Rc8 16. Qe2 Qh4 17. b3 Bd7 18. g3 Qh3 19. Ne4 f5 20. Ng5 Qg4?? (⌓ 20. ... Qh6 Δ 21. Ne6 f4∞) 21. Qxg4 fxg4 22. Ne4+− H. Franco – R. S. Freitas, 13th Campeonato Brasileiro Aberto, Jundiai 1998.

15. ... Bd3 16. Rfc1 e4 17. c5 f5 18. cxd6 f4!? 18. ... b5 was a sound continuation, but Fedoseev aims at a more rewarding goal. 19. Bb6

19. ... Qg5? Consistently Black plays heavily on his possibility of a mating attack, which however turns out to be a chimera. A plausible continuation might be 19. ... Qxd6! 20. Bc7! Qxc7 21. Nxe4 Qxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Bxe4 23. Rc7 b5 with an unbalanced equilibrium, but an easier play for Black. 20. d7! f3 21. d6+! Clearing the d5-square for the Knight. 21. ... Kh8 22. g3 Qf5 23. Nd5 Qh3 24. Ne3. So Back’s attack came to a dead end. 24. ... Qxd7. Restoring material equality, but only temporarily, because now it is White who can afford to give up a Pawn for the sake of a direct attack on the King.

25. Rc7! Qxd6 26. Rac1. Threatening 27. Rxg7! Kxg7 28. Rc7+ Kh8 (28. ... Kh6 29. Ng4!+−) 29. Qc3!+− with mate in a few moves. 26. ... Rg8

27. Ba5! Heading for the a1-h8 diagonal. 27. ... Bb5 28. Rxb7 Rac8? That is to prevent Rc1-c7, but it costs Black as much if not more. On the other hand 28. ... Qd3 is only apparently more resilient, for after 29. Bc3! Bxc3 30. bxc3 Black would be also helpless. 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Bc3! 1 : 0.

Summing up one could say that Shirov was in his best attacking style. Photo: Mark Livshitz/Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE).

Well, Edna, that’s a theatrical simplification, but it reflects more or less the difference between You and Thou

Photo © 樂樂ఠఠ్రఠ🌈 (@lele_love_toy)

Lost in Translation

Ты и Вы Пустое в ы сердечным т ы Она, обмолвясь, заменила, И все счастливые мечты В душе влюбленной возбудила. Пред ней задумчиво стою; Свести очей с нее нет силы; И говорю ей: как в ы милы! И мыслю: как т е б я люблю! You and Thou A casual slip — and she replaced The vacant “you” with “thou” endearing, Thus all glad dreams that I had chased To hopes of love quite firmly steering. In front of her I cannot budge; I feast my eyes till I am giddy, And then I tell her: you’re so pretty — But think indeed: love thee so much! Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin English translation by Yuri Menis

Hans Bellmer, Untitled (Double-Sided Portrait of Unica Zürn) (verso), 1954. Courtesy of WikiArt.

安娜·卡列尼娜 (Anna Karenina)

The November–December 2020 issue of Peón de Rey No. 149 features an exclusive interview with four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): “侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): Dos dragones; una voluntad” [“侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): Two dragons, a will”] conducted by Jorge I. Aguadero Casado. Amongst the many topics they discussed, perhaps none were more interesting than the literary one (pp. 46-47), which may be of particular benefit to readers of any time and culture. And thus here is a list of books — probably not a definitive one — 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) would take with her to a desert island:

I was wondering about her literary tastes — this is a topic that I love to share with people from other cultures: “I love reading. Since I was a kid! I started with the classics of literature”. Chinese classics? Well, I am one of those who get excited reading 月下獨酌 (Drinking Alone by Moonlight) by 李白 (Lǐ Bái). I was just thinking that Levon Grigori Aronian, a connoisseur of 杜甫 (Dù Fǔ)’s work, would like to join us in this conversation. “No, Western classics, to be sure. It is funny that I do not know the English titles of these books, since I usually read its translations into Chinese. But among my favourites is Anna Karenina”. Of course, Tolstoy... “I am one of those who continually confound Dostoevsky with Tolstoy, though their works are very different. The passionate love of Anna Karenina comes clear to me, but the names dance in my head. Does it happen to you too? I remember, for example, that Oliver Twist was translated with something like ‘A boy under a cloudy sky’. It is completely different! Sometimes translations make it tough...” Then we exchanged views on foreign film titles in Spain. She couldn’t believe that such an imagination might be possible. And so, amid joyous laughter, a nice friendship was born. “Of course, I also know Chinese classics, which are not so well known to the West”, 逸凡 (Yìfán) said. “And subsequently I became very interested in reading biographies”. For example? “Both Chinese and Westerners personalities”, she said. “And writers. One of my favourite authors is Stefan Zweig. I came to know him by his biography of Maria Stuart, as well as by his operas. I also liked much The World of Yesterday, because of his description of Europe. No doubt it is one of my favourites. I have also read essays on personal growth such as A Message to García. I would say the author is Spanish, although I might be wrong. However, sometimes I prefer lighter readings, such as Agatha Christie’s novels”. I noticed that 逸凡 (Yìfán) signals her interest in the conversation by nimbly moving her hands, as if she is putting together a Rubik’s Cube. “There’s another feminist author very popular, whose name now I cannot remember, who cultivated the same style. I like her too”. An important difference between China and the West is that we are completely unaware of your culture — it is not taught at school. Instead, my Chinese acquaintances move around at their ease between universal classics... “Yes, it’s quite true. I guess China’s millenary culture is not of easy accessibility for Westerners due to the Chinese characters. Indeed, this is a matter which often is made more complex by misleading translations”.

Another Spring

Povera Patria Franco Battiato Povera patria Schiacciata dagli abusi del potere Di gente infame, che non sa cos’è il pudore Si credono potenti e gli va bene quello che fanno E tutto gli appartiene Tra i governanti Quanti perfetti e inutili buffoni Questo paese devastato dal dolore Ma non vi danno un po’ di dispiacere Quei corpi in terra senza più calore? Non cambierà, non cambierà No cambierà, forse cambierà Ma come scusare Le iene negli stadi e quelle dei giornali? Nel fango affonda lo stivale dei maiali Me ne vergogno un poco e mi fa male Vedere un uomo come un animale Non cambierà, non cambierà Sì che cambierà, vedrai che cambierà Si può sperare Che il mondo torni a quote più normali Che possa contemplare il cielo e i fiori Che non si parli più di dittature Se avremo ancora un po’ da vivere La primavera intanto tarda ad arrivare Poor Homeland Poor homeland Crushed by the abuses of power Of infamous people, who do not know what modesty is They believe they are powerful and they like what they do And everything belongs to them How many perfect and useless buffoons Amongst the rulers This country ravaged by sorrow How can you not feel any displeasure about Those bodies without heat on the ground? It won’t change, won’t channge No it will change, maybe it will change But how to excuse Hyenas in the stadiums and hyenas in the media? The boot(*) of the swines sinks into the mud It makes me a little ashamed and it hurts me To see a human as a beast It won’t change, won’t change Yes it will change, you will see it will change Hopefully May the world return to more normal heights May it contemplate the sky and flowers And no longer talk of dictatorships If we have a little more time still to live In the meantime, spring is late in coming (*) Because of its shape, Italian peninsula is nicknamed Lo Stivale (The Boot).

I wonder, Edna, if only they had let him be free, how many wives he would have been able to marry in only one lifetime

Artwork © D.A Alston 👑 (@thedawayy)

Newton’s Apple

27 October 1945 We are one half of an apple,                                    the other half is the big world. We are one half of an apple,                                    the other half is our people. You are one half of an apple,                                    the other half is me,                                                              us two... Nâzım Hikmet English translation by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk

Hikmet with his fourth and last wife, Vera Vladimirovna Tulyakova.

Within and Without

Well, Edna, keep in mind that it’s always dangerous to unmask hypocrisy and bigotry with verses like “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”

Artwork © wedrawasone (@wedrawasone)

Things Usually Left Unsaid

Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev – Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov
FIDE Grand Prix 2022; 2nd stage; Pool C; Belgrade, March 3, 2022
Semi-Slav Defence D43

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Qd3 b6 6. cxd5 Ba6!?TN (6. ... cxd5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Rc1 0-0 9. Qb1 Ba6 10. e3 Bxf1 11. Kxf1 Nc6 12. Ke2 Qd7 13. Rhd1 Qb7 14. Kf1 Rac8= Speelman – Wells, 14th “Lloyds Bank Masters” International Open Tournament, London 1990) 7. Qc2 cxd5 8. Bf4 Nbd7 9. Qa4 Qc8 10. Ne5

10. ... b5?! A Pawn pseudo-sac whose only effect is to weaken dangerously Black’s position. Black’s best seems to be 10. ... Qb7 actually threatening ... b6-b5. 11. Qa5! b4 12. Nb5 Bxb5 13. Qxb5 Qc2

14. Nd3! Qc4 15. Qa4! Alea iacta est: White will win the Exchange — at the cost of a Pawn. 15. ... Qxd4 16. Qc6 Rd8 17. Bc7 Rc8 18. Qb7 Rxc7 19. Qxc7 Be7 20. e3 Qe4

21. Qxa7. Another line of play was 21. Qc8+ Bd8 22. Nc5 Qc2 (if 22. ... Nxc5? then 23. Qxc5+− Nd7 24. Bb5 Qxg2?? 25. Qd6! Qxh1+ 26. Ke2 Qxa1 27. Bxd7#) 23. Nb7! forcing the exchange of Queens and remaining the Exchange ahead. 21. ... 0-0 22. Rc1 b3?! Seeking counterplay along the b-file. But... 23. axb3 Rb8? But this move is weak for at least two reasons: first, on b8 the Rook is half hanging; and second, the Rook cannot leave the back rank. After the comparatively better 23. ... e5 24. f3 Qg6 25. g3 h5 26. Be2± it is considerably more difficult for White to cash in on his material advantage. 24. f3! Qh4+ 25. g3 Qh6 26. Be2 g6. This allows a forced win, but 26. ... Bd6 27. 0-0 leaves Black with insufficient compensation anyway.

27. Ne5+− Rxb3 28. Nxd7 Nxd7 29. Qxd7 Bb4+ 30. Kf1 Qxe3 31. Rc7 1 : 0.

Fedoseev and Shirov sitting in the blue, both lost in their own thoughts. Photo: Mark Livshitz/Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE).

The Peacock Throne

Will and necessity

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, February 12, 2021

The question of whether governments are consciously taking advantage of the pandemic to declare a state of exception that strengthens their powers beyond all limits or whether they had no other choice but the emergency is badly posed. What is happening today, as it has been in any momentous historical crisis, is that both things are true: the resort to the state of exception as a ruse and the impossibility to govern other than through it are coincident. The sovereign, although acting in an absolutely arbitrary way, is at the same time compelled to make the incessant decision over the exception that ultimately defines its nature. The time we are now living in is one in which the illegitimacy of the powers ruling the earth appears in full light: since they lost all possibilities of configuring in a recognisable symbolic order, they are compelled to suspend the law and constitutional principles which might define it. The state of exception becomes in this sense a normal state of affairs and whoever governs can in no way rule otherwise. It is perhaps possible that the state of exception is formally revoked: but a government of national salvation such as the one which is now developing, where all oppositions cease, is the perfect continuation of the state of exception. In any case this confirms our diagnosis of a definitive decline of the age of bourgeois democracies. It remains to be seen how long the suspension of politics and the emergency as a paradigm of government can last without assuming a different form than the health terror upon which they founded themselves so far.

(English translation by I, Robot)

René Magritte, Territory, 1957. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Sure, Edna, unless it’s a war to win your heart, otherwise everyone loses at war

Artwork © °🍀°•🌿•💚•🌿•°🍀°• (@iza_.draws)

Statues and Cities

One day in October 1989, when Lenin’s statue was still prominently in place on Leninplatz (Lenin Square) in East Berlin, German Democratic Republic. Photo: Getty Images.

Witch Song

Five Ways of Life

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) will guest-star in “Champion Class”, an unique series of lectures hosted by Peking University as a key part of “Sports Culture and Innovation Spirit”, a new course of study introduced by the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Physical Education Teaching and Research Department, and the Youth League Committee of Peking University, and aimed at exploring the “five educations simultaneously” (ethics, intellect, physique, aesthetics and social skills) in oder to help students grow and enhance their potential through the examples of prominent exponents of art, culture and sports.

What did I tell you, Edna? You are still the number one superstar in the world!

Artwork © Malka Ampuero (@malkarocksboca)

In Search of the Rainbow’s End