Scène à faire

From left: Ester Marra, Isabella Ceccatelli, Serena Vinci, Letizia Rogai, Arianna Settembrini, and Giuditta Sottili performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Far From Over

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexander Alexandrovich Moiseenko
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 24, 2019
Nimzo-Indian Defence E36

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 c5!? 7. dxc5 d4. Moiseenko chose the sharp variation introduced by his country fellow Grandmaster Oleg Mikhailovich Romanishin in which Black sacrifices one or two Pawns for a powerful initiative. 8. Qg3 Nc6 9. Nf3. 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov paid dearly for taking the second Pawn: 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qh6 e5 11. b4 Rg6 12. Qd2 Ne4 13. Qb2 Qf6 14. e3 a5 15. b5 Ne7 16. Bd3? Nxc5 17. Bxg6 Qxg6 18. Kf1 Be6−+ Karpov – Édouard, 5th Karpov Trophy, Cap d’Agde 2016. 9. ... e5 10. b4 e4. A very interesting though controversial other line is 10. ... 0-0 11. Nxe5 Ne4 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qd3 Bf5 14. Bb2 Qg5∞ Dreev – Sakaev, 60th Russian Chess Championship, Moscow 2007. 11. Nd2. White could also continue 11. b5 exf3 (11. ... Na5 12. Nd2 appears to be more unpleasant for Black) 12. bxc6 with a very slight edge. 11. ... Be6! A powerful novelty instead of 11. ... 0-0 12. e3⩲ Ivanišević – Naiditsch, 20th Vidmar Memorial, Bled 2016. 12. e3!? Goryachkina boldly challenges her opponent to show his cards. But, objectively speaking, the best continuation seems to be 12. Qxg7 Rg8 13. Qh6 Qe7! (intending Queenside castling), with Black’s development advantage well compensating for the two sacrificed Pawns. 12. ... Nh5! 13. Qd6 Qh4! 14. g3 Qf6 15. Nxe4 Qf3 16. Ng5 Qxh1 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Qxe6+ Kf8. What an unbalance! White has two Bishops and three Pawns against Rook and two Knights, and, more importantly still, an arrow in reserve.

19. b5! Re8!? Black decides to return a Knight in order to coordinate his position without running risks. 20. Qd6+?? It is hard to understand such unbelievably bad judgment! It was natural and consequent 20. Qf5+! Nf6 21. bxc6 Qxc6 (maybe 21. ... bxc6!?∞) 22. g4!? h6!?∞ with a game unclear enough to make its outcome more unclear. 20. ... Ne7 21. exd4 Kf7 22. Be3 Nf6 23. 0-0-0. White’s position quickly deteriorates now, but there were no good moves; if 23. Qf4 there might follow 23. ... g5! with devastating force. 23. ... Nf5 24. Qf4 Nxe3 25. fxe3 Qxh2 26. Bd3. Allowing Her Majesty to enter the Queenside stage, but 26. Rd2 Qg1 27. Rf2 Rhf8 would have lead to the same outcome. 26. ... Qa2 27. g4 h6 28. Rf1 Rhf8 29. g5 hxg5 30. Qxg5 Kg8 31. Rg1 Re7 32. Qg3 Rff7 33. c6 bxc6 34. bxc6 Qxa3+ 35. Kd2 Qb4+ 36. Ke2 Nh5 0 : 1.

Don’t Forget Your Umbrella

Sofia Nutini performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Of course, Edna, I never doubted you knew what to do or not to do with their script

Artwork © Julie (@j.hundevad)

Two plus two equals four

于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) – Emily Nguyễn
58th U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 23, 2019
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 0-0 7. Bg5 Be6. The critical alternative is 7. ... h6 8. Bh4 g5 as occurred, for instance, in the 6th game of the 2016 Women’s World Chess Championship match between Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk and 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). 8. Nbd2 a5 9. a4 Re8. Or, by transposition, 9. ... Qe7 10. Qb3 Rab8 11. Rad1 h6 12. Bh4 Ba7 13. Bxe6 Qxe6 14. Bxf6 Qxb3 15. Nxb3 gxf6 16. Nbd2 Rfd8 17. Nh4 Ne7 with a rough balance, M. Adams – McShane, 105th British Chess Championship, Hull 2018, tie-break game 1 (20+10). 10. Re1. Also here 10. Qb3 came into consideration. 10. ... d5?? This is a very strange blunder which loses right off.

11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. exd5 Bxd5 13. Bxd5 Qxd5 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nh4 Qe6 16. Qh5. White’s attack goes on by itself: Nh4-f5 followed by Re1-e3-h3. Black cannot do much against it. 16. ... Bf8 17. Nf5 Ne7 18. Nxe7+ Bxe7 19. Ng3 Kh8 20. Re4. The threat of Re4-h4 forces Black to give up a Pawn. 20. ... f5 21. Nxf5 Qg6 22. Qxg6. White plays it simple, contenting herself with an easy technical win. 22. ... hxg6 23. Nxe7 Rxe7 24. d4 Rd8 25. f4 f6 26. fxe5 fxe5 27. Rae1 c5 28. Rxe5 Rxe5 29. dxe5 Kg7 30. e6 Kf6 31. e7 Re8 32. Kf2 1 : 0. Thus, after four rounds, 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) is leading with 4/4.

于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) (centre) smiling and joking with 王安妮 (Annie Wáng) (left) and Emily Nguyễn (right) before the game. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Moby-Dick

青衣 (Tsing Yi), 香港 (Hong Kong), China: A fisherman sorts his net next to the 37-metre-long inflatable sculpture “KAWS:HOLIDAY” by the U.S. artist Brian Donnelly. Photo: Jérôme Favre/EPA.

Everything and More

Irina Borisivna Krush – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
58th U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 22, 2019
Caro-Kann Defence B13

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Be6 7. a3 Qd7 8. Be2 Rd8 9. Bxf6 exf6 10. c5 g6 11. Nf3 h5 12. b4 Bh6 13. b5 Ne7 14. h4 Kf8 15. a4 Kg7 16. a5 Nc8 17. b6 a6 18. Na2 Ne7 19. Nb4 Qc8 20. Ra3 Rde8 21. Rc3 Bd7 22. 0-0 Bc6 23. Ne1 Nf5 24. Nxc6 Qxc6 25. Nc2 Nxh4 26. Nb4 Qe6 27. Bd3 Bf4 28. c6!?? At the cost of only a Pawn White succeeded in achieving most of the Panov Attack’s strategic goals, and now 27. Bc2 followed by Bc2-b3 seemed strong enough to bring Black serious worries, but Krush, utterly oblivious to any danger on the Kingside, goes for a sharper Queenside breakthrough. 28 ... Bd6 29. Rc5! This is the pretty pointe of White’s 28th move and certainly an unexpected blow for 于 (Yú). 29. ... Bxc5 30. dxc5 bxc6 31. Nxa6 Qe5 32. Nc7 Re7

33. Qa4? It sounds as if Krush has the right idea but the wrong way to do it. Maybe; maybe not! Best seems to be 33. a6 Qg5 34. g3 Re3! 35. Kh1! Rf3! (35. ... Rxg3 36. fxg3 Qxg3 37. Qe2 Qh3+ only leads to a draw) 36. Kh2! Qg4! 37. a7 Rxf2+ 38. Rxf2 Qxd1 39. gxh4 Qxd3 40. b7! with incalculable complications and uncertain outcomes. 33. ... Qg5 34. g3 Nf3+ 35. Kg2 Ne1+ 36. Rxe1 Rxe1. Now the threat is ... Qg5-c1. 37. Qf4 Qg4! 38. f3. 38. Qxg4 hxg4 is of no avail, as Black does threaten ... Re1-h1-h2 mate 38. ... Qd7 39. a6 Qe7 40. Qd2. Or 40. a7 Qxc5 41. a8=Q Qg1+ 41. Kh3 Qh1 mate. 40. ... Ra1 0 : 1.

Irina Borisivna Krush (left) vs. 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) (right). Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

I have the impression he must have found particularly inspiring your quasi-Scottish look, Edna

Artwork © b.8con (@b.8con)

Wild West

Samuel L. Shankland – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
63rd U.S. Open Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 22, 2019
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nb3 Qg6 6. f3 Nf6 7. Bf4 Bb4+ 8. Kf2!? An interesting novelty in place of 8. c3 Be7 9. Qe2? (but 9. Qd2 was called for) 9. ... d5! 10. e5 Nh5 11. Bc1 Bh4+ 12. Kd1 Bg5 with an overwhelming bind, Mousavi – Safarli, 18th International Chess Open, Nakhchivan 2018. 8. ... 0-0 9. a3 Be7 10. Bd3 Nh5! 11. Bxc7 d6 12. e5 Bh4+! 13. Kf1 Qh6 14. exd6 Re8 15. Nc3 Ne5 16. Nc5? Also bad was 16. Bb5? on account of 16. ... Be6! so as to meet 17. Bxe8?? with 17. ... Bc4+ 18. Ne2 Qe3 winning right off. Comparatively best seems to be 16. Ne4, though after 16. ... Nf4 Black would have nothing to complain of.

16. ... Nxf3! This plain refutation, however strange it may appear, might well have been overlooked by Shankland. 17. N3e4. Clearly not 17. gxf3?? on account of 17. ... Bh3+ 18. Kg1 Qe3 mate. 17. ... Bg4? 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) much complicates the picture. Simply 17. ... f5! would have posed White insurmountable problems. 18. d7! Re5! Of course, after 18. ... Nxh2+?? 19. Rxh2 Bxd1 20. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 21. Rxh4 Black pays too much for Her Majesty. 19. Bxe5. Black’s Exchange sacrifice must be accepted due to the threat of ... Re5-f5, as the Knight was still taboo: 19. gxf3?? Bh3+ 20. Ke2 (or 20. Kg1 Qe3+ and mate next move) 20. ... Nf4+ 21. Ke3 Ne6+ 22. Ke2 Nd4 mate. 19. ... Nxe5 20. Qd2 Qc6 21. h3 Bxd7 22. Nxd7 Nxd7 23. Qc3 Qh6. White is the Exchange up; Black has no material compensation, but he does have all the initiative. Furthermore, they both are very short of time already! 24. g4? Probably best is 24. g3!? Nxg3+ 25. Nxg3 Qf4+ 26. Ke2 Re8+ 27. Kd1 Qxg3 28. Kc1 Qg2 followed by ... Bh4-f6 with fine play for Black. 24. ... f5? 24. ... Qf4+! followed by ... Nd7-f6 seems much stronger. 25. gxf5 Re8 26. Qc4+?? This is a catastrophic mistake! 26. Rh2! Kh8 27. Qd2! Qc6 28. Rg2 Ndf6 was unclear but quite balanced, though easier for Black. 26. ... Kh8 27. Rg1. Now it’s too late for 27. Rh2 on account of 27. ... Qf4+ 28. Kg2 Ne5 with irresistible attack. 27. ... Qe3! Threatening Qe3-f3+. White has no decent defence, and 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) finishes in style. 28. Rg2 Nf4 29. Rh2 Nxh3 30. Kg2 Nf4+ 31. Kh1 Qf3+ 32. Kg1 Qg4+ 33. Kh1 Qf3+ 34. Kg1 Bd8! 35. Rf1 Bb6+ 36. Nf2 Qg3+ 37. Kh1 Qf3+ 38. Kg1 Nh3+ 39. Rxh3 Qxh3 40. Qf4 Nf6 41. Bb5. It is as bad a way as another to surrender. 41. ... Re4! 0 : 1.

Samuel L. Shankland looking at Black’s Knight on f3 as if he had missed something. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Time loop

Tomorrow is Saturday and another week is going to end, but before Sunday comes, you still have to do the best you can not to miss your class of chess960 at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, starting at 16,00 as usual. Needless to say, don’t forget to take with you a pair of clean sneakers to be used in the dance room only!

Credit: Andrew Bujalski, Computer Chess, 2013.

Around the World

From left: Aurora Cheli, Giuditta Sottili, Emma Giuliani, and Sofia Nutini performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Trading Places

Isabella Ceccatelli (seated) and Giuditta Sottili (standing) performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Yes, Edna, she was prettily dressed in her very best professional clothes, but her handbag was wrong

Artwork © b.8con (@b.8con)

Arrivals & Departures

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Romain Édouard
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 21, 2019
Queen’s Pawn Game A40

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+ 3. Bd2 a5 4. e4 d5 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Nxd2 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nf6 8. Nc3 0-0 9. Be2 Na6 10. Nf3 c5 11. 0-0 Qb6

12. Na4 Qc7 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Qd4 Qxd4 16. Nxd4 a4 17. f4 Bd7 18. Bf3 Rac8 19. Rac1 Rc7 ½ : ½. Bravo to Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina for the authority with which she yielded a draw in Round 4 of the 20th European Individual Chess Championship to French Grandmaster Romain Édouard, who recently authored the book “My Magic Years with Topalov” (Thinkers Publishing, Landegem, 2019).

Two-time Russian Women’s Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina on her way back from the 7th World Women’s Team Chess Championship in Kazakhstan, where she finished undefeated with 8 out of 9. Photo © RIA Novosti/Valery Melnikov.

Dis-Enclosure

From left: Maddalena Sottili, Matilde Guerri, and Aurora Cheli performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Other Voices

Akshita Gorti – 叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip)
58th U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 21, 2019
King’s Indian Defence E61

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. e3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. c4 0-0 5. Be2 d6 6. Nc3 c6 7. 0-0 a6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Rd1. A somewhat similar game continued 9. b4 b6 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. Rfd1 Qc7 12. Rac1⩲ Winants – Brenninkmeijer, 52th “Hoogovens” II International Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 1990. 9. ... Qc7 10. b4 c5 11. bxc5 dxc5 12. d5 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. f4 Qf5 15. Bd3 Qh5 16. Bd2 e5. 16. ... b5!? was also interesting and quite consistent. 17. dxe6!? Bxe6 18. Rab1 Rad8. Black’s game may be a little easier to play, but after both 19. Be2!? and 19. h3!? White should somehow manage to hold her own together. In any event, nothing could be worse than what Gorti played: 19. Ne4? Nxe4 20. Bxe4 Qe2! That’s hard reality: Black is winning.

21. Bxb7. If 21. Bf3 then 21. ... Qxc4 22. Qxc4 Bxc4 23. Rxb7 Bd5! elegantly forcing the win, while 21. Rxb7 is also met by 21. ... Bf5! followed, after the exchange of the Bishops, by the doubling of the Rooks on the d-file. 21. ... Bf5 22. e4. Unlike the actual game, now 22. Qc1 Bxb1 23. Bf3 Qd3 24. Ba5 Qxe3+ 25. Qxe3 Rxd1+ 26. Bxd1 Bd4 would leave White the Exchange down and a comppletely lost position. 22. ... Bh3? Throwing away the win. With the same idea in mind, Black ought first to play 22. ... Bd4+! and after 23. Kh1 then 23. ... Bh3! 24. e5 Bf5! winning easily. Of course, 22. ... Bg4 23. e5 Rd4 (“adjudicated” as a definite win by most computer engines) was also possible. 23. e5 Bf5 0 : 1. And Gorti, like hypnotised, resigned! Indeed, after 24. Qc1 Bg4 (24. ... Bxb1? 25. Bf3 Qd3 26. Ba5! would end very badly for Black) 25. Bd5! Qxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Bxd1 27. Rxd1 the extra Pawn and the Bishop pair would provide White with more than enough compensation for the Exchange, and, most likely, it would be Black who should strive for a draw.

叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip) smiling for luck. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Don’t kid me, Edna. I will never believe they made you pay the ticket

Artwork © b.8con (@b.8con)

Waiting for Time

Maddalena Sottili performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Popcorn and peanuts

From left: Letizia Rogai and Arianna Settembrini performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Frankenstein on Stage

London, United Kingdom: The Royal Ballet’s principal dancer, Nehemiah Kish, is transformed into “The Creature” during a laborious process ahead of the company’s revival of Frankenstein. The production is running until Saturday 23 March. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian.

On the Ceiling

A gallery assistant poses besides a fresco during the reopening of the Painted Hall — the so-called “Sistine Chapel of the UK” — in the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. Photo: Dylan Martinez/Reuters.

成衣 (Prêt-à-porter)

JosH.Film (@joshfilm35mm)

Dancing with the Colours

Viola Rocchini performing in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s summer dance show on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo: Stefano Marmino.

Yes, Edna, you look like an infrared self-portrait, but of course you are always you

Artwork © Ubeen Lee (@beendrawing)

The Night Diary

Timur Gareyev – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
63rd U.S. Open Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 20, 2019
Réti Opening A09

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 Bg4 4. Ne5 Bf5 5. e3 Nf6 6. g4!? And that is White’s opening surprise, which, however, may well be more improvised than prepared, at least judging by the huge amount of time Gareyev will take for his next moves. 6. ... Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Bb2 dxe3 9. dxe3 Nbd7 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Nc3 e6 12. c5 c6 13. g5 Nd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. f4 Qe7 16. Qd2 Rh4 17. Qf2 Qe4 18. a3. Now Gareyev has only 5 minutes left for the next 22 moves, so it’s not too hard to figure out how it’s gonna end. 18. ... Qxh1 19. Qxh4 a5∞

20. Qf2? The crisis begins. Worth considering was 20. Qh3! axb4 21. Kd2! (Δ Bf1-d3) 21. ... Qe4 (21. ... bxa3?? loses the Queen after both 22. Bg2 and 22. Bd3) 22. Bd3 Qe7 23. axb4 Rxa1 24. Bxa1 b6!∞ with an uncertain balance between hate and love. 20. ... axb4 21. axb4 Rxa1+ 22. Bxa1 Qe4 23. Bc3? This leads to a quick defeat. White’s best — and maybe only — chance to hold on was 23. Qb2! offering a Pawn in order to exchange Queens (23. ... Qxe3+ 24. Qe2). 23. ... b6! 24. Kd2 bxc5 25. b5!? This hastens the end, though even with style. 25. ... cxb5 26. Bxb5 c4! 27. Qe2 Qb1 28. Bxd7+ (28. Bxc4!? Bb4!−+) 28. ... Kxd7 29. Qg4+ Qf5 30. h3 Kc6 31. Ke2 Kb5 32. Bd4 Qxg4+ 33. hxg4 Kb4 34. e4 dxe4 35. Kd2 Bc5 36. Bxg7 Kb3 37. f5 e3+ 38. Ke2 c3 0 : 1.

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) deeply concentrating before the game. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.