Cornelian dilemma

Sabina-Francesca Foişor – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, October 9, 2022
Slav Defence D12

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Be2 Be7 8. Nxg6. Another continuation is 8. 0-0 Nbd7 9. g3 dxc4 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Bxc4 Qa5 12. Bd3 Rd8 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. Rc1 e5 15. Qf3 exd4 16. exd4 Nb6 17. Rfe1 Qd7 18. Bf1 0-0 19. Rcd1 Rfe8 20. Bg5 Nfd5 21. Bc1 Qf5 22. Kg2 Bb4 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Bc4 Ba5 26. Qxf5 gxf5 27. Bxd5 cxd5 28. Be3 Rc8 29. Rc1 Rxc1 30. Bxc1 Kf8 31. Kf3 ½ : ½ Gelfand – Goryachkina, 2nd FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, Riga 2021.
8. ... hxg6 9. Qc2 Qc7 10. g3 Nbd7 11. Bd2 g5!? Black’s move suggests that 于 (Yú) aims at something more ambitious than 11. ... a6 12. a3 (12. Rc1!?) 12. ... dxc4 13. Bxc4 c5 with approximate equality, Abramović – Sa. Martinović, International Tournament Zagreb Open 2008, Zagreb 2008
12. 0-0 dxc4 13. e4 e5! 14. d5. Obviously not 14. dxe5?? because of 14. ... Nxe5 followed by ... Qc7-d7-h3 with devastating effect.
14. ... Nb6 15. dxc6? A careless move which allows Black to get more than she was going to pay for. White’s best was 15. Bxg5 Qc8 (idem to say 15. ... Qd7) 16. h4 Qh3 (Δ ... Be7-c5) 17. Nd1! Bc5 18. Qc3 cxd5 19. Qxe5+ Kf8 20. Be3 Bxe3 21. Nxe3 Re8 22. Qd6+ Kg8 23. exd5 Re4! with a volatile, dynamic and complex equilibrium.

15. ... Qc8! This sharp zwischenzug threatens the invasion ... Qc8-h3.
16. Bf3? Another misstep. White seems to have no better than 16. g4, although after 16. ... Qxc6 (16. ... Nxg4?? 17. cxb7+−) 17. Kg2 0-0-0 Black has a Pawn ahead and the initiative (18. Bxg5? Nxe4!).
16. ... Qh3 17. Rfe1 bxc6! Cool as ice.
18. Be3

18. ... Nfd7? Strangely, 于 (Yú) is more worried about losing the g-Pawn than what she could get by pushing on her attack. Consistent and strong was 18. ... Qxh2+ 19. Kf1 Nh5! (Δ ... Nh5xg3+) 20. Ne2 (if 20. Bg2 then 20. ... Rh6! Δ ... Rh6-f6) 20. ... Nf4! and Black’s attack continues.
19. Na4! Qxh2+ 20. Kf1 Qh3+ 21. Bg2 Qe6 22. Rac1 f6 23. Red1 Kf7 24. a3 Nxa4 25. Qxa4 Nb6 26. Bxb6 axb6 27. Qxc4 Qxc4+ 28. Rxc4. The worst is now over, and Foişor can reasonably hope for a draw.
28. ... c5 29. Rc3 b5 30. Rcd3 g4 31. f3 gxf3 32. Bxf3 g6 33. Kg2 b4 34. axb4 cxb4 35. R1d2 Ra1 36. Bd1 f5 37. Rf3 Bg5 38. Rd7+ Ke6 39. Rfd3 Be7 (39. ... fxe4?? 40. Bg4+ Kf6 41. R3d6#)
40. Rb7? The curse of time (that is, the 40th move!) strikes. Correct was 40. exf5+ gxf5 41. g4! with a likely draw.

40. ... Kf6? Once again 于 (Yú) let the victory slip. Black should have played here 40. ... fxe4 eventually followed by ... Be7-c5-d4.
41. Rb6+ Kg5 42. Rb5 Rb1 43. Rxe5 Rxb2+ 44. Kf3 Bf6 45. Red5 Bc3 46. exf5 gxf5 47. Re3 Rh1 48. Be2 Rh2 49. Rd1? But again a reversal takes place! 49. Re8= was good enough to save the day.

49. ... Bf6? Carpe diem: 49. ... Bd2!−+ 50. Rd3 (should the White Rook leave the third rank, there would follow 50. ... Rb3+ with mate in two) 50. ... Bc1! 51. Rxc1 Rbxe2 52. Rf1 Ra2! 53. Rb2 Rhc2! and White cannot capture the b-Pawn because of the mate at c3.
50. Re8 Rb3+ 51. Re3 Rxe3+ 52. Kxe3 Be5 53. Rb1? White misses her last chance, that is, 53. Rd5!= (and if 53. ... Bxg3 then 54. Bd3 with a draw in view).
53. ... Bd6! 54. Kf3 Bc5! Menacing mate at f2.
55. Rf1 b3 56. Bd3 b2 57. Bb1 Rd2 58. Ba2 Bb6 59. Bb1 Bd4 60. Ba2 Rd3+ 61. Kg2 Be5 62. Rf3 Rd1 63. Rf1 Rxf1 64. Kxf1 Kg4 65. Bb1 Bxg3 66. Ke2 f4 67. Ba2 f3+ 68. Ke3 Bh4 69. Bb1 Kg3 70. Be4 Bg5+ 71. Kd4 0 : 1. And White resigned without waiting for 71. ... f2.

It is as if to say, all’s well that ends well. Photo © Bryan Adams/Saint Louis Chess Club.

On the Meaning of Life

In a long interview with journalist Anastasia A. Ratskevich of Sport-Express, three-time Russian Women’s Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (pictured above with her mother, Larisa Viktorovna Matvienko) discussed at length about her chess career, which, in fact, is a family affair, with her parents taking care of her every need. On the other hand they can hardly help her with PR and brand parternships, so most of the burden falls upon her shoulders. In fact, there’s no gossip on her, except that she has named her cat Buffon, after the former goalkeeper of Juventus. Quite inevitably, the interview touched upon the issue of the change of sports citizenship, which is the price set by the Western cartel on Russian chess practitioners. But Goryachkina, unsurprisingly, has clear ideas about it. She does not regard it as a treason at all. “It’s not a betrayal if students go to study in another country. So why not we? Yet, again, a sporting life is very short and can be exhausting. In such matters one is the master of one’s own destiny”, she said. And her? “So far I have been spared such an existential conflict — and hopefully I shall be spared in the future too”. Photo: Fedor Uspensky/Sport-Express.

Well, Edna, now they will call you an eagle without glasses

Artwork © Naïs Nicolas (@naisnicolas)

A Mating Dance

于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) – Sophie Morris-Suzuki
61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, October 8, 2022
English Opening A36

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 d6 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 g6 6. Nge2 Bg7 7. d3 0-0 8. 0-0 Ne8 9. Be3 Nd4 10. Qd2. Not long ago 于 (Yú) played, instead, 10. f4 Nc7 11. Bxd4 cxd4 12. Nd5 e6 (better seems 12. ... Ne8! followed by ... e7-e6) 13. Nxc7 Qxc7 14. b4 a6 15. Rc1 Rb8 16. Qd2 Qe7 17. c5 dxc5 18. Rxc5 b6 19. Rc4 Bb7 20. Rfc1 Rbc8 21. e5 Rxc4 22. Rxc4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 f6 24. exf6 Bxf6 25. Nxd4 b5 26. Nc6 Qb7 27. Rc2 Rc8 28. Qc1 Kg7 29. Kh3 Qe7?? (a most melodramatic mouse slip, which loses the Queen) 30. Nxe7 1 : 0 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) – Gaponenko-Yanovska, 3rd Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Qualifier 8 Swiss, chess.com, June 6, 2021 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move). It is obvious, however, that her win had nothing to do with the opening.
10. ... Nc7 11. f4 Rb8. Probably sounder is 11. ... f5 12. Kh1 Rb8 13. Bg1 b5 with satisfactory play for Black: 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Nxb5 Nxb5 16. cxb5 Rxb5 17. a4 Rb3 18. Rfe1 e5 19. exf5 gxf5 20. Bxd4 Bb7 21. Bxb7 Rxb7 22. Qg2 Qb8 23. Qd5+ Kh8 24. fxe5 dxe5 25. Bxe5 Bxe5 26. Qxe5+ Qxe5 27. Rxe5 Rxb2 28. Rae1 Ra2 29. a5 f4 30. gxf4 Rxf4 31. R1e2 Rxe2 32. Rxe2 Rd4 33. a6 Kg7 34. Re7+ Kg6 35. Rxa7 Rxd3 36. Rb7 Ra3 37. a7 Ra2 38. Kg1 h5 39. Kf1 Kg5 40. Ke1 Kg4 41. Kd1 Kh3 42. Kc1 Ra6 43. Rh7 h4 44. Kc2 Kxh2 45. Kb3 h3 ½ : ½ Bruno – Tatai, 41st Italian Chess Championship, Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto 1981.
12. Nd5. 12. Rf2 f5 is quite acceptable for Black, Filguth – Tsuboi, 3rd Brazilian Interclub Championship, Curitiba 1984.
12. ... Nxe2+ 13. Qxe2 Ne6 14. e5 b5 15. Rad1 Re8. 15. ... dxe5 16. fxe5 Bb7 seems more to the point, because the text allows White to push her f-Pawn and thus take the offensive.
16. b3 (16. f5!?)
16. ... b4? Black just can’t afford such luxury. 16. ... Nd4! 17. Bxd4 cxd4 was called for.

17. Qf2. Going for the Pawn. Also tempting was 17. f5! Nd4 (17. ... gxf5 18. Qh5) 18. Bxd4 cxd4 19. e6! with a vehement attack.
17. ... Nd4 18. Bxd4 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Bg4? 19. ... dxe5 20. fxe5 e6 was probably better, but then after 21. Qxa7! Rb7 22. Nf6+ Qxf6 23. Qxb7 Qxf1+ 24. Kxf1 Bxb7 25. Bxb7 Bxe5 26. c5 White is a Pawn ahead with the much better endgame.
20. Rde1 a5 21. Qb2 a4 22. d4 Qa5 23. Qd2 Qa7 24. Kh1 dxe5 25. fxe5 Red8?! It leaves White with a free hand to carry out a mating attack, but Black has no good moves anyway.

26. Qg5 Qxd4 27. Re4 Qb2 28. Rxg4 Qxa2 29. Nxe7+ Kh8. If 29. ... Kf8 then 30. Nxg6+! hxg6 31. Rxf7+! Kxf7 32. Qxg6+ with mate in a few moves.
30. Rh4 Rf8 31. Be4. In fact, 31. Nxg6+! was possible at once, but 于 (Yú), after yesterday’s disaster, wants to be over-sure that she is really going to deliver mate.
31. ... Qe2

32. Nxg6+! fxg6 33. Rxh7+! Kg8 34. Rxg7+ Kxg7 35. Qxg7+ Kh8 36. Qh7# 1 : 0.

As they say, when one door closes another opens. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Dog Days

Another day is gone, but before evening comes there is still time to have a buffet dinner and enjoy the setting sun with old and new friends at “I Pelosi di Gianna” dog shelter in south Florence. Italy.

Long Ago, Here Today

Memories of youth are inevitably evoked by a Socratic walk in the countryside around the park.

Barefoot in the Park

Enjoying the early afternoon sunshine at Alpaca Park in Ugnano, Florence, Italy.

Yes, Edna, even if it’s been sixty years since, they’re still in time to put flowers in your guns

Artwork © ❖─Doctor Rosé─❖ (@docteur.de.rose)

#A020F0

Tatev Abrahamyan – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, October 7, 2022
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 h6 6. 0-0 d6 7. Re1 0-0 8. h3 a6 9. Bb3. 9. a4 is another popular hit; there may follow: 9. ... Ba7 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 Be6 12. Bxe6 Rxe6 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Nxe3 d5 15. Qc2 Qd7 16. Rad1 Rd8 with equality, M. O. Muzychuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Lviv 2016, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 1.
9. ... Re8 10. Nbd2 Be6 11. Bc2 Ba7. If now 11. ... d5 then 12. exd5 Bxd5 13. b4 Ba7 14. a4 b5 15. Bb2 Qb8 16. Nf1 Qb6 17. Ne3 Rad8 18. a5 Qb7 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Nh4 Re6 21. d4⩲↑ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Eljanov, 78th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Utrecht 2016.
12. Nf1 d5 13. exd5. No more promising is 13. Bd2 dxe4 14. dxe4 Qd7 15. N3h2 Rad8 16. Qf3 Qe7 17. b4 Bc4 18. a4 Qe6 19. Bc1 Nh7 20. Nd2 Rd6 21. Ra3 Ng5 22. Qg3 Red8 23. Nxc4 Qxc4 24. Ng4 Rg6 25. h4 Ne6 26. h5 Rxg4 27. Qxg4 Nxb4 28. cxb4 Qxc2 29. Be3 Bxe3 30. Raxe3 Qxa4 31. Qf5 Qb5 32. Rc1 Rd7 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Hoàng Thị Bảo Trâm, 2nd “鄞州杯” (“Yínzhōu Cup”) World Women’s Team Chess Championship, 宁波 (Níngbō) 2009.
13. ... Bxd5 14. Ng3 Nh7 15 Qe2. Likewise 15. Be3 Qf6 16. Ne4 Bxe4 17. dxe4 Rad8 18. Qc1 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 Ng5 is nothing special for White, Andriasian – Vavulin, 6th Moscow Open F Student, Moscow 2014.
15. ... Qd7 16. Nh4 Be6

17. Qh5. After a long thought, Abrahamyan throws her gauntlet at 于 (Yú). The text threatens Ng3-f5.
17. ... Nf6 18. Qf3 Bd5. Black’s last two moves were virtually forced, as well as good enough to maintain the balance.
19. Ne4

19. ... Nh7! 20. Qh5! Threatening Nh4-f5, as if 20. Nf5 at once, then 20. ... Ne7! neutralising all of White’s threats.
20. ... Ne7! 21. Be3. Wild complications arise from 21. Qxe5 f5 22. Qg3! — a sample line is 22. ... Qc6 23. Nd2 f4! 24. Qg4 g5 25. Ne4 Nxe4 26. Rxe4 Nf6 27. Qe6+ Qxe6 28. Rxe6 gxh4 29. Rxf6 Nd5 with a dynamic equilibrium.

21. ... f5!? She still seeks complications. It would have been wiser to take on e3, and then follow with ... Bd5xe4 and ... Nh7-f6.
22. Bxa7 Rxa7? An inconsistent mistake that loses instantly. For good or bad, Black should have played 22. ... fxe4 23. Bc5 (23. Be3 Bf7 24. Qxe5 exd3) 23. ... exd3 24. Bxd3 e4 with the game still going on.
23. Nc5 Qc6 24. Rxe5 Nf6 25. Qe2 Qxc5 26. Re1 g5. Desperation.
27. Nxf5 Nxf5 28. Rxe8+ Nxe8 29. Qxe8+ Qf8 30. Qg6+ Ng7 31. d4! White’s attack rolls on as Black is virtually playing a Rook down.
31. ... Ra8 32. Qxh6. Threatening Bc2-h7+ followed by mate in two.
32. ... Qf4

They both were very short of time, which may explain what follows:
33. Bh7+?? (33. Qh7+! Kf7 34. Bg6+ Kf6 35. Bd3! Kf7 36. Re5+−)
33. ... Kf8 34. Bd3 Bf7?? (34. ... Re8! 35. Rxe8+ Kxe8 36. Qxg7 Qc1+ 37. Bf1 Bc4 38. Qxc7⩲)
35. Qh8+ Bg8 36. Bc4 Qf7 37. Bxf7 Kxf7 38. Qh6 1 : 0.

To say it with Tartakower, Abrahamyan was lucky enough to be the one who made the next-to-last mistake! Photo © Austin Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

The Mall

Actor and director Dorian Chavez pushes a ball covered by clothes as epiphany of a performance called “Sisypholia” denouncing the “absurdity of overconsumption” at the “Biennale des arts vivants de Toulouse” in Toulouse, France. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images.

Yeah, Edna, they’re not important to anyone but themselves

Artwork © John Kindelan (@espressoyourart)

Twice Upon a Time

Anna Vitalievna Zatonskih – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, October 5, 2022
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Bxc3 d5 7. e3 b6 8. Nf3 Bb7 9. Be2 Ne4 10. Rc1 Nd7 11. 0-0 Rc8 12. b4 Nxc3 13. Rxc3 c5 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Qc2 cxb4 17. axb4 Rxc3 18. Qxc3 Qb8 19. Rc1 Nf6 20. Nd4 Ne4 21. Qa3 h6 22. b5 Rc8 23. Nc6 Bxc6 24. bxc6 Qb6 25. Bd3 Nf6 26. Qa4 Nd5 27. Qa6 Qxa6 28. Bxa6 Rc7 29. Kf1 Kf8 30. e4 Nb4 31. Bb5 Ke7 32. Ke2 Kd6 33. Rd1+ Kc5 34. Ba4 Nxc6 35. Bxc6 Kxc6 36. Rc1+ Kd7 37. Ra1 Kd6 38. Ke3 Kc5 39. Rc1+ Kb6 40. Rb1+ Ka5 41. Ra1+ Kb4 42. Rb1+ Ka3 43. Ra1+ Kb2 44. Ra5 Kb3 45. Ra1 Rd7 46. h4 e5 47. h5 Kb4 48. Rb1+ Kc5 49. Rc1+ Kd6 50. Ra1 Rb7 51. g3 Kc6

52. Rc1+? Here is where White’s trouble starts. What was required instead was a good deal of bravery: 52. f4! Rb3+ 53. Kd2! Rxg3 54. fxe5 with definite drawing chances.
52. ... Kb6 53. Rb1+ Kc7 54. Rc1+ Kb8 55. Ra1 Rb3+ 56. Kd2 Kb7 57. Ra5 f6 58. Rd5 Kc6 59. Rd8 Rb7. Nevertheless, there were some good arguments in favour of 59. ... a5! at once.
60. Kc3 a5 61. f4 exf4 62. gxf4 Re7 63. Rd4 Ra7 64. Kb3 a4+ 65. Ka3 Kc5? A slip which throws away the victory. The right way to proceed was 65. ... Ra5! (66. f5 Ra7−+).
66. Rb4!= Rd7 67. Rxa4 Rb7 68. e5 fxe5 69. fxe5 Kd5 70. Rg4 Kxe5 71. Rg6 Kd4 72. Ka4 Ke3 73. Ka5 Kf3

74. Ka4? White loses her way — 74. Rg1!□ was her “only” move to save a draw.
74. ... Re7!□ 75. Kb3 Re3+ 76. Kc4 Re4+ 77. Kd5 (77. Kd3 Rg4 78. Ra6 Rg5 79. Ra7 Kg4−+)
77. ... Rg4 78. Ke6

“Just as it looked like Zatonskih might be escaping with a draw, 于 (Yú) played the subtle yet decisive 78. ... Rg5! (if 78. ... Rxg6 79. hxg6 h5 80. Kf7 h4 81. Kxg7 both sides promote)”, Vanessa West wrote in her recap of day 1.
78. ... Rg5!□ 79. Rxg5 (79. Kf7 Kg4−+) 79. ... hxg5 80. Kf5 g4 81. Kg6 g3 82. Kxg7 g2 83. h6 g1=Q+ 84. Kh8 Qd4+ 0 : 1.

Somehow the 2019 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion managed to squeeze a win out of a drawish Rook ending. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

And yet, Edna, it is wise to never forget the old saying that when you point a finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you

Artwork © ribbitheatre

Fare adjustment mechanism

To quote Alda Merini, “Sin is never to be rejected”. Photo © Argus Paul Estabrook.

Of course, Edna, you have no such thoughts, because you are immortal and perfect as you are

Artwork © madiquin185

Another Life

If one believes in metempsychosis, it’s never too late to choose what creature one would like to be.

Horizon Line

Now all along the railway line from nowhere to nowhere there are no tickets to buy.

To be sure, Edna, in war, as in love, the only success one can obtain is to turn a zero sum game — where only one can win — into a game for two that they both lose

Artwork © Tina (@creativetart)

Translating Humour

A sunflower smiles in a field near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea. Photo: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters.

Naturally, Edna, there is no more secret place to meet than between everywhere and nowhere

Artwork © tack☆ (@dis.tacc0)

Edmond Dantès

Of course, Edna, a richness of choice is the hallmark of freedom as well as its most libertarian negation — quartum non datur

Credit: John Deering, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

From a Pawn to a Queen

FATAL DAME: SHE KNOWS NO FAILURE

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), pluri Women’s World Chess Champion and youngest ever Grandmaster, cultivates many other passions.

Jasmina Slacanin, Coopération, August 28, 2017 (Published in the print edition of Coopération, No. 35, August 29, 2017, pp. 84-85)

Sweet, feminine, self-confident and very talkative, the young Chinese has made chess a passion but not an obsession. Photo: Joel Schweizer.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) just “fell into it” when she was young. In 2008, at only 14 years old, she was the youngest female player ever to get the title of Grandmaster, and in 2010 the youngest ever to win the Women’s World Chess Championship. Since then, she has accumulated distinctions and remains today the highest ranked female player in this fascinating world.
Her style of play is attacking. Her eyes show no emotion. We met in Biel/Bienne a few weeks ago, on occasion of the 50th Biel International Chess Festival, which she won brilliantly, the 23-year-old Chinese welcome us dressed in an elegant white summer outfit, walking with ease on her dizzyingly high-heeled shoes. We are very far from the cliché of the chess player, quite neglected, a borderline serious nerd. During our encounter, a little girl, “侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s biggest fan” — according to her own mother — asks her to pose for a picture. 逸凡 (Yìfán) wholeheartedly accepts. Throughout our interview, she dismantles one by one all the stereotypes related to chess. First of all, she doesn’t devote all of her time to it, as her ranking might imply. She does not neglect either her social or family life. Furthermore, she is deeply engaged in her studies in international relations and sometimes she even does not train for weeks. “Chess is an important part of my life, but not all my life”, she sums up simply. She also finds the time to cultivate other passions such as literature, with a particular admiration for Stefan Zweig, whose works she quotes without a slip.

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“My favourite figures are Pawns because they never retreat”

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逸凡 (Yìfán) grows up successfully in a male universe, where professional female players remain rare. “We associate chess with a sport based on intelligence, of course, but also on competition. Most parents want their daughters to learn something more elegant like dance, music or Go, another very popular game in China”, the champ explains. Having participated for a long time in tournaments for women only, she now also competes against men in mixed-gender competitions. But why separate the two sexes? “If we consider other sport disciplines, women and men compete separately. Chess requires significant physical stamina because a game can sometimes last more than seven hours, without interruptions, with immense psychological pressure, where one has to make difficult decisions in just a few seconds”. 逸凡 (Yìfán), however, contradicts herself by defeating all her male adversaries at the Biel International Chess Festival.

Metaphor of life
Thanks to this “sport”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) travelled the whole world, “a true opportunity which is not given to young people of my age in China”, she explains. When asked why chess fascinates her so much, she answers with wisdom and philosophy: “It is an excellent metaphor of life. My favourite figures are Pawns as they move always forward, never back. They are able to evolve and transform”. And just to emphasise: “Like in real life, if one really wants something, if one clings to a goal, one can become whoever one wants. It is a highly encouraging discipline indeed. It teaches us strategy, the importance to make sacrifices for achieving a goal and management of time”. Words of wisdom from a grande dame who has more successes than failures.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Yes, Edna, with five years of delay, but finally mainstream media and fashion elites have noticed you

Artwork © SphinxArt (now to OSHA requirements) (@FreeSphinx76)

致命女郎 (Femme fatale)

Jasmina Slacanin, Dame fatale, Coopération, No. 35, August 29, 2017, pp. 84-85. Photo: Joel Schweizer.