Downtown

Florence, Italy: An Uffizi restorer carries out maintenance work on Sandro Botticelli’s Tondo della Madonna del Magnificat. The Uffizi galleries will not open before May 18. Photo: Laura Lezza/Getty Images.

Blowin’ in the Wind

How many skies a pigeon must fly, before all prizes are awarded... The answer, my friend, has finally knocked at Martina’s door too! Photo courtesy of her herself.

Dance in an Imaginary Theatre

Olga, the prima ballerina of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, is justly proud of the rich collection of ballerinas she’s accumulated over her twenty-four years of dance life. The giant Diddl ballerina was her 18th birthday gift from Alessandra. Photo courtesy of her herself.

Hey, Edna, they want to turn you into Snow White and make you marry the eighth dwarf. Resist!

Artwork © art_person_2 (@art_person_2)

Fate/Grand Order

Metaphors of Confinement

• Anna Bandettini, L’appello di Alessandra Ferri: “Non fateci allenare attaccati ai lavandini” | The appeal of Alessandra Ferri: “Don’t let our bathroom’s sink be a dancer’s barre”, la Repubblica, May 14, 2020

The appeal of Alessandra Ferri: “Don’t let our bathroom’s sink be a dancer’s barre” The ballet étoile hopes that soon dancers will be allowed again to do their rehearsals in the dance halls, even though in compliance with the distance rules and all safety measures: “In order to study safely and competently, we do need parquet floors, barres and mirrors”. [Read more].

The black curtain at last is lifted, revealing a stage behind the bars. Artwork © pionpi.

Frames and Fictions

Dummies replaced audience due to coronavirus at the first professional baseball league game of the season at 桃園國際棒球場 (Táoyuán International Baseball Stadium) in 桃園 (Táoyuán), Taiwan. Photo: 王騰毅 (Ann Wáng)/Reuters.

Yeah, Edna, as they say, “some are proud of what they are, others of what they are not”

Artwork © Solange DuArte (@solcidibujando)

Blowin’ in the Wind

Moscow, 1962 You grew tired of carrying my weight you grew tired of my hands of my eyes of my shadow my words were fire my words were deep wells one day suddenly you will feel inside the imprints of my footsteps walking away and that weight will be the heaviest. Nâzım Hikmet

A discarded disposable glove flies in the wind in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Nacho Doce/Reuters.

Lives and Times

Yeah, Edna, it’s inevitable: the more they gather together, the more they make up stories about themselves in which they show exceptional intelligence and integrity

Artwork © Luca Zangelmi (@art_dobalacobaco)

Two on a Tower

A trader carries his mannequins as he closes his business ahead of lockdown restrictions set by the government in Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters.

Come on, Edna, do not exaggerate with your diet: there is no mortal sin in a tray of cream cakes

Artwork © Ren (@demi_renren)

The Science of Chocolate

Federica, a sparkling dancer of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, has her own way to keep herself in shape, that is, with a whole tray of exquisite home-cooked chocolate bombs stuffed with delicate layers of dough on top and bottom. Photo courtesy of her herself via Viola.

Tie-Breaker

A visitor takes pictures of a Mickey stuffed toy through the gate a day before the 上海迪士尼乐园 (Shànghǎi Disneyland) theme park reopens in 上海 (Shànghǎi), China. Photo: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.

A Wish After Midnight

On Monday, May 11, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), through her 新浪微博 (Sina Wēibó) microblogging account, commented on the victory of China in the inaugural Online Nations Cup:

Sports should not be used as a political instrument, but it can still serve as a diplomatic medium to encourage inter-state relations. I feel honoured to have represented China at the inaugural Online Nations Cup. A time like no other, delicate bilateral relations, a “teammates-like” stabilisation force, a comprehensive coaching team, and so on: many factors helped us to succeed under the premise of harmony. Small chessboard, big world — may it be just as easy and peaceful for us to get a win-win cooperation for the community of human destiny all over the world.

House of Windows

Today Mary Poppins knocked at the window of Aurora, a luminous dancer of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, bringing her a gift from Mado Flynn and greeting her pet friends of stay-at-home days Giotto (bottom left) and Pongo (top right).

Of course, Edna, the stage of a theatre is not the Internet café of a train station

Artwork © Alsa Design (@alsa.design)

Windows and Doors

They are the Champs! Pictured (from top left to bottom right): 李超 (Lǐ Chāo), 王玥 (Wáng Yuè), 谢军 (Xiè Jūn), 韦奕 (Wéi Yì), 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī), 徐俊 (Xú Jùn), 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 余少腾 (Yú Shǎoténg), and, last but not least, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who apologised to her audience for being so seemingly unambitious in her final game: “Perhaps I was relying too much on the good form of my teammates, so I serenely accepted the outcome for what it was, rather than try to win at any cost. Mea culpa”, she said.

Or Else

Irina Borisivna Krush – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

1st Online Nations Cup; Superfinal China – United States; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 minutes; chess.com, May 10, 2020

French Defence C01

The drawn Superfinal match ended in China being declared winner as they won the first round-robin stage.
1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5. Krush is glad and satisfied with a draw.
3. ... exd5 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Nge7 7. Re1 0-0 8. c3 Bf5 9. Bg5 Qd7 10. Qc2. Another way toward peace is 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. Bxf5 Nxf5 12. Nbd2 Rfe8 13. Qc2 c6 14. Rxe8+ Rxe8 15. Re1 Rxe1+ 16. Nxe1 ½ : ½ Levin – Zilberman, 33rd Ukrainian Chess Championship, Kiev 1964.
10. ... Bxd3 11. Qxd3 h6!? Maybe it’s an own personal move, but it’s no “game changer” either. A previous game went 11. ... Qf5 12. Qxf5 Nxf5 13. Nh4 Nxh4 14. Bxh4 Rfe8 15. Nd2 f6 16. Bg3 Bxg3 17. hxg3 a5 18. a4 Kf7 with approximate equality, 杜雨馨 (Dù Yǔxīn) – Đồng Khánh Linh, 15th ASEAN+ Age Group Championships – Girls 14 Standard Chess, Taipa 2014.
12. Bh4 Nf5 13. Bg3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Rae8. “In the Exchange Variation of the French Defence with the Knights posted at f3 and f6, the pinning moves Bg5 and ... Bg4 furnish one of the leading motifs for both players. Here, however, this motif is ruled out by h2-h3 and ... h7-h6, and we see and hear nothing but the e-file“, Aron Nimzowitsch wrote in “My System & Chess Praxis: His Landmark Classics in One Edition”, New In Chess, Alkmaar, 2016, pp. 99-100 — and his words perfectly illustrate this game as well, though in this case not everything went like that.
15. Nbd2 Nd8 16. Rxe8 Rxe8 17. Re1 Rxe1+ 18. Nxe1 Qa4 19. Qb1 Ne6 20. Ndf3 c5 21. Nc2 Qb5 22. dxc5 Bxc5 23. Ncd4 Bxd4 24. Nxd4 Nxd4 25. cxd4 Qc4

26. Qf5 g6 27. Qe5 Qc1+ 28. Kh2 Qxb2 29. Qxd5 Qxf2 30. Qd8+ Kg7 31. d5 Qb6. Also after 31. ... Qxa2 32. d6 Qe2! 33. d7 g5! White cannot avoid perpetual check.
32. Qe7 Qb5 33. d6 Qh5+ 34. Kg1 Qc5+ 35. Kh2 Qh5+ 36. Kg1 Qc5+ 37. Kh2 Qh5+ ½ : ½.

Yes, Edna, I think you mean you should kick all them out of the camera’s frame on purely aesthetic grounds, but that is not an easy thing to do on live television

Artwork © Allison Joy Lake (@wyvern713)

日正當中 (High Noon)

Fabiano Caruana – 王皓 (Wáng Hào)
1st Online Nations Cup; India – China (25+10); chess.com, May 9, 2020
Russian Defence C42

By virtue of its half a point difference over Europe, United States will face China in tomorrow’s final. Fabiano Caruana has much merit, having scored, so far, 6½ points out of 8. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhe1 Be6 12. Bf4. Varying from their game at the recent Candidates (half)-Tournament: 12. Kb1 Qa5 13. c4 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 Rad8 15. f3 b6 16. g4 d5 17. g5 Nh5 18. cxd5 Bxd5 19. Ne4 f5 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bg5 Kf7 22. Ng3 c4 23. Bf1 b5 24. a4 a6 25. axb5 axb5 26. Nf5 Bc5 27. Re5 Bxf3 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rxc5 Rd1+ 30. Ka2 Rxf1 31. Rxb5 c3 32. Bxf6 Kxf6 33. Ne3 Rf2 34. Rf5+ Ke6 35. Ka3 cxb2 36. Kxb2 h5 37. h4 Rxc2+ 38. Kxc2 Be4+ 39. Kd2 Bxf5 40. Ke2 Ke5 41. Kf3 Bd3 ½ : ½ Caruana – 王皓 (Wáng Hào), Candidates Tournament 2020, Yekaterinburg 2020. 12. ... d5 13. Ng5 Bg4? An unfortunate novelty. A recent correspondence game continued: 13. ... c4 14. Bf1 Bg4 15. f3 Bd7 16. Nh3 b5 17. Kb1 Bxh3 18. gxh3 a5 19. Be5 Qb6 20. Qg5 Rad8 21. Bd4 Bc5 22. Bxf6 Qxf6 23. Qxf6 gxf6 24. h4 Kg7 25. Re2 Rd6 26. Re7 Rfd8 27. Rb7 d4 28. Rxb5 dxc3 29. Rxd6 Bxd6 30. Bxc4 Ba3 31. Bd5 Re8 32. Be4 Rd8 33. Rd5 Rxd5 ½ : ½ Broadway – Sneddon, European Server Championship 2018, Preliminary 25, by correspondence, 2018. 14. f3 Bd7?! One misfortune calls another. 14. ... Bc8 15. c4! was not pleasant at all, but at least would have avoided immediate catastrophe.

15. c4?! Black’s Bishop on d7 allows White to immediately pseudo-sacrifice his Bishop at h7: 15. Bxh7+! with devastating effect. Quite paradoxically, however, Caruana’s move, allowing Black to close the d-file, is not as bad as to definitively compromise his Kingside attacking prospects. 15. ... d4 16. h4 Re8. The immediate 16. ... Bc6 may be a little safer (so as to reply to 17. g4 with 17. ... Bd6). 17. g4 Bc6 18. Qh2 Qa5 19. a3 Bf8. If 19. ... b5 there may follow 20. Nxf7! Kxf7 21. g5 with a crushing attack. 20. Bd2 Qb6 21. Qf4 (Δ Bd3xh7+) 21. ... Bd7. Straight into the fire, but 21. ... h6 22. Nxf7! Kxf7 23. g5+− was hopeless as well.

22. Bxh7+! Repetita iuvant. 22. ... Kh8 (22. ... Nxh7 23. Qxf7+ Kh8 24. Qh5+−) 23. Bf5 Bxf5 24. Qxf5 Kg8 25. h5 Qc6 26. Nxf7 Kxf7 27. g5 Qd7 28. Qg6+ 1 : 0.

Monday Starts on Saturday

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dronavalli Harika
1st Online Nations Cup; India – China (25+10); chess.com, May 9, 2020
Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 Nd4 4. d3 e6 5. Be3 e5. The text (quite possibly a novelty) is more solid than 5. ... Nxe2 6. Bxe2 d6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 Ne7 9. Bg5 when an old game continued 9. ... Nc6 10. Qd2 Qc7 11. Nb5 Qb8 12. 0-0-0 h6 13. Bh4 e5 14. Bc4 Be6 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Nxd6+ Bxd6 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. Rxd6 g5 19. Bg3 Ke7 20. Rhd1 Rhd8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxd8 Kxd8 23. f3 Ke7 24. Bf2 Kd6 25. Be3 a6 26. h4 gxh4 27. Bxh6 Nd4 28. Be3 1 : 0 Tukmakov – Klovsky, 6th Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, Riga 1975. 6. Nd5 Ne7 7. Nec3 d6 8. g3 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Be6 10. c3 Nc6 11. Bg2 Be7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. f4 exf4 14. Nxf4 Bg5 15. Kh1 Bxf4 16. Rxf4 Ne5

17. Qh5 Ng6. Taking the Pawn by 17. ... Nxd3 can hardly be good since after 18. Rh4 f6 (not 18. ... h6? on account of 19. Bxh6!) 19. Qxh7+ Kf7 20. Bf3! White enjoys a powerful initiative. 18. Rf2 Qd7 19. h3 f5 20. exf5 Rxf5 21. Rxf5 Bxf5 22. Rf1 Rf8 23. Kh2 b6 24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. d4 Be6 26. Rxf8+ Nxf8 27. Qf3 Bxd5 28. Qxd5 Qe6 29. Qxe6 Nxe6 30. d5 Nc7 31. c4 b5. This natural move is probably wrong. Black ought to continue 31. ... Kg8 in order to reply to 32. Bf4 with 32. ... Ne8 similarly to the game.

32. b3. On her turn, White could have missed here her hidden chance for victory! After 32. cxb5! Nxb5 (32. ... Nxd5 33. Bf4! is even worse) 33. Bf4 c4 34. Bd2! (34. a4? c3!= would lead only to a draw) 34. ... Nc7 35. Kg2 Nxd5 36. Kf3 White, in spite of being temporarily a Pawn down, has a nearly winning endgame, thus confirming the validity of Steinitz’s saying: “The King is a strong piece”. 32. ... bxc4 33. bxc4 Kg8 34. Bf4 Ne8 35. Kg2 Kf7 36. Kf3 Ke7 37. g4 Nc7 38. Ke4 Na8 39. Kd3 Nb6 40. Bg5+ Ke8 41. Kc3 a6 42. Kb3 Kd7 43. a4 Ke8 44. a5 Nd7 45. Kc3 Ne5 46. Bf4 Nf7 47. Kd3 g6 48. Ke4 Ke7 49. h4 Kd7 50. h5 Ke7 51. hxg6 hxg6 52. Bg3 Kd7 53. Ke3 Ke8 54. Bf4 Kd7 55. Kd3 Ke8 56. Ke4 Kd7 57. Kd3 Ke8 58. Ke4 Kd7 59. Kd3 ½ : ½.

Yeah, Edna, the more you shine, the more they will fume with envy

Artwork © Armii Vega (@armiivega21)

The Belt Road and Beyond

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina

1st Online Nations Cup; Russia – China; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds; chess.com, May 8, 2020

French Defence C15

Although already qualified for Sunday’s final, China showed no complacency towards Russia, which badly needed a victory, if only by virtue of its star 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who taught Goryachkina a hard lesson.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qd3!? The poetic licence of a “rule-breaking” Queen.
4. ... dxe4 5. Qxe4 Nf6 6. Qh4 (6. Qd3?! c5 7. dxc5 0-0⩱)
6. ... c5 7. dxc5 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Qc7. If 8. ... Qa5 then 9. Qb4 Qc7 10. Nf3 0-0 11. Bf4 Qd8 12. Rd1! Nd5 13. Qa3 Bd7 14. Bd6 Re8 15. c4 Ne7 16. Bxb8! Rxb8 17. Ne5 Qc7 18. Nxd7 Rbd8 19. Qxa7 Rxd7 20. Rxd7 Qxd7 21. Be2 Nc6 22. Qa3 e5 23. 0-0 e4 24. Rd1 Qe7 25. Qe3 Qe5 26. c3 Ra8 27. Rd5 Qe6 28. Qd2 h6 29. h3 Qf6 30. Rd7 Rd8 31. Rxd8+ Nxd8 32. Bg4 Nc6 33. Bc8 Na5 34. Qd4 Qg5 35. Qxe4 g6 36. Qd4 h5 37. Bxb7! Nxb7 38. c6 Qe7 39. cxb7 Qxb7 40. a4 Qb1+ 41. Kh2 Qb8+ 42. g3 Qc7 43. h4 Qc6 44. a5 Qa4 45. Qd5 Qc2 46. Kg2 Qa2 47. Qa8+ Kg7 48. a6 Qxc4 49. Qb7 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dzagnidze, FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2015–16, 1st stage, Monte Carlo 2015.
9. Be3. A model game continued: 9. Ba3 Nc6 10. Bb5 Qa5 11. Qb4 Qc7 12. Ne2 Bd7 13. Qh4 Qa5 14. Qa4 0-0-0 15. Qxa5 Nxa5 16. Bd3 e5 17. Bb4 Nc6 18. Bc4 Bf5 19. Bxf7 Bxc2 20. Bb3 Bd3 21. Rd1 a5 22. Ba3 Ne4 23. Rc1 Rhf8 24. f3 Nf6 25. Rd1 e4 26. Nf4 Rfe8 27. Kf2 e3+ 28. Kg3 Bf5 29. h4 Rxd1 30. Rxd1 Ne5 31. Ba4 Rd8 32. Rxd8+ Kxd8 33. Bb5 1 : 0 E. Torre – Ostos, 28th Chess Olympiad, Thessaloniki 1988.
9. ... Nbd7 10. Nf3 Nxc5 11. Qg3 Qxg3 12. hxg3 b6 13. a4 0-0 14. a5 Bb7 15. Ne5 Be4 16. Nd3 Nd5 17. Bxc5 bxc5 18. c4 Nb4? A mistake which results in the loss of a Pawn without any compensation — and thereby a won endgame for White. Correct was 18. ... Ne7 19. Kd2⩲ with only a slight edge for White.
19. Nxb4 cxb4

20. Bd3! Bg6. Not 20. ... Bxg2?? on account of 21. Rh2+− winning the Bishop due to the double threat of Bd3xh7+ and Rh2xg2.
21. Ke2 Rfc8 22. Rhb1 f5. The b-Pawn falls (22. ... Rab8 23. Ra4), and with it the game.
23. Rxb4 e5 24. Ke3 Rc5. Not much better is 24. ... a6 because of 25. Rb6!+− with overwhelming effect.

25. a6! Rd8 (25. ... e4 26. Be2 Bf7 27. Rab1+−)
26. Rb5 f4+ 27. gxf4 exf4+ 28. Kxf4 Rc6 29. Ke3 Bf7 30. Rb7! Bxc4 31. Rxa7 Bxd3 32. cxd3 Rc3 33. Rb7 Rcxd3+ 34. Ke2 Rd2+ 35. Ke1 Rc2 36. a7 Re8+ 37. Kf1 1 : 0.