In Rehearsal

Newgate Exercise Yard

A man drives his bike inside a fenced residential area under COVID-19 lockdown in 北京 (Běijīng), China. (Noel Celis/AFP.

Nay, Edna, there is no sense in getting old without living

Artwork © 핑거 (@pinger_07)

Anticlimax

Do not wait for your enemies, they run faster than you.

Post-Secondary Contingencies

Today (May 16), the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officialised the nomination as eligible candidate of Chinese Grandmaster 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) in the forthcoming 2022 Candidates Tournament at Madrid, Spain. The investiture of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) came after a six-month ban was slapped by FIDE itself on Russian Grandmaster Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin — the legitimate candidate — because of his pro-Russia political views with regard to the Russo–Ukrainian war. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s eligibility, however, is (at least in theory) still contingent on Karjakin’s pending appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

地球仍然在转啊 (And yet it moves)

The press officer of the Chinese Chess Association, 梁自明 (Liáng Zìmíng), announced yesterday (May 15) that “Although Asian Games postponed, the Qualifying trmt of China Women Team still held on schedule. Today the 1st Qualifier ended in 杭州 (Hángzhōu). WGM 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) and 翟墨 (Zhái Mò) won tickets to the 2nd Qualifer in which they will compete with 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) and 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié)”.
The date of the 2nd Qualifier is still to be fixed.

Bruce Rolff, Chess game grace, 2019. Courtesy of Fine Art America.

Time for a Nap

As Garfield says, “When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap”. Photo: Mado Flynn.

Well, Edna, to paraphrase Archimedes, “give me a chopstick and I’ll eat all tiramisus in the pastry shop”

Artwork © findthatpicrew

Chopstick Challenge

Кинг Конг (King Kong)

Serbian tennis star and world No. 1 Novak Đoković triumphantly won his sixth Italian Open title on Sunday in Rome, thus making his grand comeback after months of discrimination and abuses due to his decision not to take a COVID vaccination. Photo: Getty Images.

The Hedgehog

The Moon and Sixpence

There’s no law against saying that the Moon is made of green cheese. Bobby Fischer, 11th World Chess Champion

Aubrey Beardsley, The Stomach Dance, 1893. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Yes, Edna, the truth is that metaphoric networks are too complicated for them to understand

Arthuriana

A communal table on a Singapore’s public HDB housing estate. Photo: Jonathan Tan.

You know, Edna, the more common a prince, the stronger is Cinderella’s preference for him

Artwork © Lad•Y Scharlock Creations. (@lysc_creations)

Last Christmas

If nothing else, in his bid for reelection for FIDE Presidency, incumbent Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich can rely on the vote of his own federation, just as the President of Chess Federation of Russia, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, told TASS on Thursday. “The discussion of the candidacy for the 2022 FIDE Presidential elections took place at the Supervisory Board of the Chess Federation of Russia on December 17, 2021. As an outcome of the discussion, the Supervisory Board unanimously backed Dvorkovich’s candidacy with a marginalia reading ‘if he decides to run’. Members of the Supervisory Board noted the high quality of the work carried out by the International Chess Federation in 2018–2021, as well as a qualitatively new level of competitions and interaction between FIDE and the Chess Federation of Russia”, Filatov declared. “Today, as soon as Arkady Vladimirovich announced his readiness to go to the 2022 elections, the Chess Federation of Russia backed his candidacy, wishing him victory and success. The development of chess in all its diversity is our common cause”.

Yeah, Edna, they wanna know who else is comin’

Artwork © 🍰𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓎𓋼𓍊 ࣪✦ (@marys_sweaterss)

Gotta Move On

12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov welcomed the decision of incumbent FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich to run for reelection. “Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich has already put forward his candidacy. He did the right thing”, Karpov said, as quoted by RBC. “I do not understand why he shouldn’t participate in the election. It is clear that European countries won’t back him, America won’t back him, but the International Chess Federation comprises 191 countries. In order to win one must get somewhere around 97 votes. It is not known who will be his opponent. But if we talk about the situation, then somehow we believe that Russia is isolated. I can’t agree with that. Ya gotta try”.

A Passage to India

In spite of the many oppositions, FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich was reported by Sport-Express as feeling quite optimistic over his chances to be reelected for a second term. In an official statement to ChessBase India, Dvorkovich said he will make public the details of his electoral program in the very near future, anticipating, however, that, in case of his victory, 15th World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand will be named his Deputy, Jøran Aulin-Jansson from Norway and Mahir Alasgar Mammadov from Azerbaijan will be appointed as Vice Presidents, and 9th Women’s World Chess Champion 诸宸 (Zhū Chén) from China will be confirmed as Treasurer.

Nay, Edna, it cannot be wrong for us to put flowers in their guns

Photo © Lily Lane Creations (@lilylanecreations_)

Daisy chain

Mado Flynn picking daisies from the grass in rehearsal for her vernissage on Sunday.

But not all is lost, Edna, because, as Herbert Marcuse says, “The Superego, in censoring the unconscious and in implanting conscience, also censors the censor”

Artwork © Mariana (@mar.demadariaga)

Campaigning for President

In the Arms of Morpheus

“And foundering is sweet in such a sea”, as Giacomo Leopardi put it in verses.

Business hours

A man taking a siesta on a park bench.