More Than a Blind Date

• 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), “Human–AI partnership”, TIME, Vol. 207, Nos. 1-2, January 26, 2026, p. 43.

After all, Edna, nobody never knows where he goes, nor when he’s gone, nor when he’s not come back at all

Courtesy of instagamrr

What Was Left

Pál Charles Benkö – Roberto Cosulich
11th International Tournament; Venice, November 1974
English Opening A29

Notes by Grandmaster Pál Charles Benkö, Chess Life & Review, Vol. XXX, No. 2, February 1975, pp. 81-82, and The Chess Player, No. 7/1974, 883, p. 220.

I had to play Cosulich in the last round, and whether or not he would make the IM norm depended on this game. But for me it was the last chance to improve my standing after my bad luck the previous day.
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6?! (3. ... c6!?)
4. Nf3! White deliberately delays Nb1-c3, since then Black could play ... Bf8-b4 adopting a very popular line today which my opponent played in this tournament. Also, my game with Malich (Skopje 1972) followed that line, which I analyzed in CL&R.
4. ... Bc5 5. 0-0 (5. Nxe5?!)
5. ... 0-0 6. Nc3 d6 7. d3 Bd7 8. e3⩲ Bb4?!

Obviously, Black has not achieved what he wanted with his ... Bf8-c5, so he tries to get back in known lines.
9. Ne2!? Not much advantage was promised by 9. Nd5, e.g. 9. ... Nxd5 10. cxd5 Ne7 and 11. Qb3 to capture the QNP is not recommended.
Also possible was the simple 9. Bd2, but the text move is psychologically better motivated, as Black will have trouble with his KB later.
9. ... e4?! Trying to secure the position of his KB, but now the center is opened advantageously for White.
10. dxe4 Nxe4 11. Qc2 Re8 (11. ... Bf5? 12. Nh4)
12. a3 Bc5 13. b4 Bb6 14. Bb2±

14. ... Qe7?! (14. ... Nxf2!? 15. Kxf2!?)
Black already stands badly since the position of his Knight on e4 is far from secure. On 14. ... Bf5 White could answer 15. Nh4. If the Knight moves away, c4-c5 is menacing. Perhaps Black should have considered 14. ... Nxf2, although White’s two minor piece may prove stronger than Black’s Rook. Even capturing with the King is to be considered after 14. ... Nxf2.
15. Nf4! Black’s Queen does not stand well on e7 because of the weakness of his d5, which explains the following blunder. Black’s entire setup does not meet the demands of the position. Now if 15. ... Nxf2 16. Nd5 wins.
15. ... Nf6? (15. ... f5)
Now Black’s game collapses but his situation was not hopeful anyway.
16. Ng5!+−

Decisively strong, leaving Black no way out. On 16. ... g6, defending against the threats to his h7, 17. Bd5 would have been very strong, e.g. 17. ... Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Qxg5 19. Nf6+ and Black’s Queen is lost. Moreover, on 17. ... Nd8 or 17. ... Rf8 protecting the weak f7, 18. Nxg6 would win easily.
16. ... Ne5 17. Nd5 1–0. After 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Bxe5 Rxe5 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Qxh7+ Kf8 21. Qh8+ White will be ahead the Exchange and two Pawns.

The Last Emperor

Id est

A Half and Half Poem

《半截的诗》 你是我的 半截的诗 半截用心爱着 半截用肉体埋着 你是我的 半截的诗 不许别人更改一个字 Half poem You are my half poem you half love with heart you half hide with flesh you are my half poem let no one dare to change even a word Mezza poesia Sei mia mezza poesia ami metà col cuore nascondi metà col corpo sei mia mezza poesia che nessuno cambi una parola 海子 (Hǎi Zǐ) English translation by I, Robot Italian translation by Francesco De Luca

朱新建 (Zhū Xīnjiàn), 《美人图》 (Portrait of a Beauty), 2004. Courtesy of Roseberys.

Monte Cristo

With the exception of the two Olympiads in which he competed, Roberto Cosulich rarely played outside of Italy. One of these times was when he tore up an invitation to Tunisia.

“The 6th International Tournament in Tunis, to which an Italian Master is invited every year, was narrowly won by the Dutch International Master Ree, the only undefeated player. Tied at second place were Austrian Grandmaster Robatsch and Master Cosulich. The defeat suffered by our representative in the direct clash with Robatsch prevented him from winning the tournament”. L’Italia Scacchistica, No. 5, May 1972, p. 113.

Roberto Cosulich – Slim Bouaziz
6th International Tournament; Tunis, December 1971
Sicilian Defence B51

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5 Nc6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. 0-0 e6 6. e5! d5 7. d3 Ne7 8. c4 Qc7. If 8. ... Ng6 then 9. Nc3 Be7 10. b3 0-0 11. Na4!⩲ Cosulich – Paoli, 13th New Year’s International Tournament, Reggio Emilia 1970/71.
9. Bf4 Ng6 10. Bg3 Be7 11. Nc3 Qb7 12. Na4 Nf8 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. d4 cxd4 15. c5 Qc7 16. Re1 Ba6 17. Nxd4 Rb8

18. Nf5?! A tempting but unsound sacrifice, although at first glance White’s storming attack may seem doomed to success. More systematic is 18. a3 (so as to prevent ... Rb8-b4 and also preparing for b2-b4) 18. ... 0-0 19. f4 leaving White with a clear superiority on both wings.
18. ... exf5 19. e6 f4 20. exd7 Kd8 21. Rxe7. If you say a you must say b.
21. ... Kxe7 22. Bh4 f6. Clearly not 22. ... Kxd7? because of 23. Qg4+ Ke8 24. Qxg7 with too many threats.
23. Qg4

23. ... Kf8? Probably Cosulich was expecting 23. ... Kf7 when 24. Re1 Bd3! gives White hardly anything more than a draw by perpetual check after 25. Qe6+ Kg6 26. Qg4+. But both he and Bouaziz overlooked here the way of coming out of the storm, say 23. ... Qe5!! 24. Qxg7+ Ke6 when White is left with a handful of flies.
24. Re1 Rd8

25. Bxf6! A devastating blow. Bouaziz was still hoping for 25. Re7? Kxe7 26. Qxg7+ Ke6 27. Qxf6+ Kxd7 28. Qf5+ Ke8 29. Qe6+ Kf8 with a draw by perpetual check. The rest is a foregone conclusion.
25. ... gxf6. Neither 25. ... Qxd7 26. Qg5!! nor 25. ... Rxd7 26. Qe6 Qc8 27. Be7+ Ke8 28. Qe5! saves Black.
26. Qe6 Kg7 27. Qg4 Kf8 (27. ... Kh6 28. Re7+−)
28. Qf5 Kf7 (28. ... Qxd7 29. Qxf6+ Kg8 30. Re7+−)
29. Qh5 Kf8 30. Re8 Kg7 31. Re7 1–0.

Walls, Ceilings, and Floors

Trip trap

Roberto Cosulich – Francesco Scafarelli
7th Italian Team Chess Championship; Monticelli Terme, April 1966
Sicilian Defence B56

Notes and punctuation by International Master Francesco Scafarelli, Le mie 50 Siciliane, Editrice Scacchistica Internazionale, Napoli, 1980, p. 50.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 e5 7. Ndb5 a6 8. Na3 Ng4 9. Nc4! Nxe3 10. Nxe3 Be7 11. Ncd5 Be6 12. c3! 0-0 13. h4 h6 14. g3 b5 15. Bd3 Rb8 16. b4 Re8 17. Qe2 Qc8 18. 0-0 Bd8 19. a4 Qb7 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rfd1 Ne7 22. c4 Nc6 23. cxb5 Nd4 24. Qf1 Qd7 25. f3! Nxb5 26. Bxb5 Rxb5 27. Ra6 Qb7 28. Ra7 Qxa7 29. Qxb5 Kf8 30. Kh1?
Editor’s note: Scafarelli’s question mark is perhaps out of place, but there is no doubt that 30. Kf1 would prevent the next irruption of the Black Queen on f2.
30. ... Be7 31. Rc1 Bxd5 32. Nxd5 Qf2! 33. Qf1 Qxg3 34. b5 Bxh4? (34. ... Qxh4+)
35. b6 Bg5 36. Rc2! Rb8 37. b7

37. ... Qh4+?
Editor’s note: Self-trapping the Queen, but, as two students of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” noted, the correct defence was by no means obvious, i.e, 37. ... Bd8!! (Niccolò & Riccardo), so as to reply to 38. Rc8? with 38. ... Qh4+! 39. Kg2 Rxb7 and it’s Black who wins!
38. Rh2 Qg3 39. Rh3 1–0.

Incredible, but possible

Professor Mauro Berni (Genoa, Italy) shared some pages from a booklet entitled Le mie 50 Siciliane by Francesco Scafarelli that combines history and not always happy endings.

Roberto Cosulich – Francesco Scafarelli
8th Italian Team Chess Championship; Recoaro Terme, May 1967
Sicilian Defence B75

Notes by Scafarelli, Le mie 50 Siciliane, Editrice Scacchistica Internazionale, Napoli, 1980, pp. 40-41 and pp. 49-50.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Bd7 7. Be3 g6. Preferable is 7. ... Ng4 8. 0-0 or 8. Nxc6. It is more convenient for Black to submit himself to attack on the f-file by eliminating the e3-Bishop, than to deal with heterogeneous castling.
8. f3! Bg7 9. Qd2. Now White’s position is ideal for attacking on the Kingside.

9. ... Na5 10. Bb3 Nxb3 11. axb3 h5. Preventing g2-g4.
12. h4 a6 13. 0-0-0 Rc8 14. Nd5 Nxd5. Questionable. More interesting is 14. ... Bc6.
15. exd5 0-0. Black cannot abstain himself from castling because of the e-file.
16. g4 Rc5? An oversight in a difficult position after that, as consequence of Black’s castling, the g2-g4 advance regained purpose.
17. Nc6! bxc6. Editor’s note: 17. ... Rxc6! 18. dxc6 Bxc6 seems most acceptable to Black.
18. Bxc5 cxd5. If 18. ... dxc5 19. dxc6!.
19. Be3 d4. Editor’s note: 19. ... hxg4! 20. h5! gxf3 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. Qxd5+ Rf7 23. Bh6 Qf8 24. Bxg7 Qxg7 25. Rd2 Bg4 26. Rdh2 Bh5 is the cold-blooded defence recommended by the mighty engines, but Scafarelli may well be excused for having been afraid of it.
20. Bxd4 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Qa5 22. Kb1 Rc8 23. Rd3 Qc5. Black is again compelled to simplification.
24. Qxc5 Rxc5 25. Re1 hxg4 26. fxg4 Kf8 27. Rd4 Rc6 28. c4 e5 29. Rxe5? An unnecessary sacrifice.
29. ... dxe5 30. Rxd7 f5! 31. gxf5 gxf5 32. Kc2 Re6 33. c5 f4 34. Rd6! Re7 35. Rxa6 Kg7! 36. Kd2 e4 37. Ra1 Kf6 38. c6 Rc7 39. Rc1 Ke5 40. b4 Kd4 41. b3? (41. b5)
41. ... e3+ 42. Ke2 f3+ 43. Kxf3 Rf7+ 44. Ke2 Rf2+ 45. Ke1 Rg2? (45. ... Rh2!)
46. Rd1+ (46. Kf1!)
46. ... Ke4

Editor’s note: It goes without saying that the ending is an elementary book win for White after 47. Rd8, but...
47. c7?? Kf3 48. Kf1 e2+ 0–1. Incredible, but possible. This also is part of the charm of the game of chess.

The Dialogues of Plato

Well, Edna, the Swiss care more for money than you do for tiramisu, but at least they are neutral in all wars

Courtesy of Hamish Skirka

Hecuba

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Peking University lecturer 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) speaking at a session titled What Chess Teaches Humans When Machines Play Better, held on January 21, 2026, at the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, alongside Kenneth Rogoff, Maurits C. Boas Chair of International Economics at Harvard University. Photos © World Economic Forum/Thibaut Bouvier.

You know, Edna, as Jack London said, “Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well”

Courtesy of Joan Feret

C’est comme ça

Hello Goodbye Hello

Gate to the East

Vladimir Konstantinovich Bagirov – Roberto Cosulich
International Tournament; Naples, December 1977
Nimzo-Indian Defence E30

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5. The Leningrad Variation, so named because it was in great favour among the players from that city, including also 10th World Chess Champion Boris Vasilievich Spassky.
4. ... h6 5. Bh4 c5 6. d5 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d6 8. Nf3 e5. Wikipedia’s popular assessment is open to question: “Black has achieved a Hübner Variation-like blockade, the difference being that White’s dark-squared Bishop is outside the Pawn chain. The pin on the f6-Knight is very annoying, and Black often breaks it by playing the drastic ... g7-g5, which also clamps down on a potential f2-f4 break by White. This move weakens Black’s Kingside, so rather than castle on that side, Black usually safeguards the King by playing ... Ke8-d8-c7”.
9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. e3 Nf8 11. Bd3 Qe7. If 11. ... Ng6 then 12. Bg3 0-0 13. 0-0 Ne7 14. f4! exf4 15. Rxf4 Ng6 16. Rxf6!? Qxf6 17. Ne4 Qd8 18. Nxd6 with enough compensation for the Exchange, Spassky – B. Larsen, USSR vs. Rest of the World, Belgrade 1970.

12. Qb1!? Quite a good idea — even though, years later, White would prefer to play 12. Bxf6! Qxf6 13. 0-0 Qe7! 14. Qc2 Nd7 15. f4 Nf6 16. Rae1 0-0 17. f5 a6 18. Ne4⩲ with a slight edge, Timman – Romanishin, 9th Interpolis Chess Tournament, Tilburg 1985.
12. ... g5 13. Bg3 Rg8 14. Bf5 Ng6 15. a4 Nh5 16. h3?! An unnecessary weakening of the Kingside. White ought either to exchange or retreat his light-squared Bishop, after which the Black King would have to decide whether to go West (... Ke8-d8-c7), or East (... Ke8-f8-g7-h8), with complex play and reciprocal chances in both cases.
16. ... Bxf5 17. Qxf5 Ng7 18. Qb1 f5 19. f3 0-0-0 20. Bf2 Rdf8 21. a5

The rush is on.
21. ... e4! A brilliant positional Pawn sacrifice which vacates the e5-square for the g6-Knight in preparation for a future attack.
22. fxe4 Ne5 23. 0-0? Castling into it. After this mistake, Black’s attack grows irresistible. 23. exf5! still offered White the means to escape the worst: a) 23. ... Nxf5 24. g4 Nf3+! 25. Ke2 (25. Nxf3? Nxe3! would be very bad for White) 25. ... N5d4+! 26. cxd4 Nxd2 27. Qd3 Ne4 (very harsh balanced); or b) 23. ... g4!? (who knows, maybe Cosulich would have played like this) 24. e4 Nxf5! 25. a6! b6 26. exf5 Nd3++ 27. Kf1 Nxf2 28. Kxf2 g3+ 29. Kf3 Qe5 30. Ne4 Rxf5+ 31. K~ Re8 regaining the piece with an easier game to play.

23. ... g4! 24. h4. 24. hxg4 is also answered by 24. ... Nh5! 25. gxh5 Qg5 26. g3 f4! 27. exf4 Rxf4 with a vehement attack.
24. ... Nh5. Threatening ... g4-g3 followed by ... Qe7xh4.
25. a6 b6 26. Be1. Not 26. g3 on account of 26. ... Nf3+ 27. Nxf3 gxf3 28. Kh2 Nxg3! 29. Bxg3 Rxg3! 30. Kxg3 Qg7+ 31. Kxf3 fxe4+ 32. Ke2 (if 32. Kxe4 then 32. ... Qg6+ followed by mate) 32. ... Qg2+ with mate in two.
26. ... g3 27. Rxf5 Qxh4 28. Nf1. White to play and selfmate in three moves: 28. Rxf8+?? Rxf8 29. Nf1? Qh1+! 30. Kxh1 Rxf1#. However, Bagirov can do little or nothing to prevent the final attack.
28. ... Rxf5 29. exf5 Nf6! The bells toll for His Majesty as Black is threatening ... Nf6-e4-f2.
30. Nxg3 Kc7! No illusion is left.
31. Qc2 Nfg4 32. Qe4 Qh2+ 33. Kf1 h5! 34. Ke2 Nf6 35. Qf4 h4 36. Ne4 Qxg2+ 37. Nf2 Rg4 38. Qh6 Ne4 39. Qh7+ Rg7 40. Qxg7+. Desperation, but 40. Qxh4 Qf3+ 41. Kf1 Ng3+ leads to mate in a few moves.
40. ... Qxg7 41. Nxe4 Qg4+ 0–1. In his book Memorabili Battaglie di Scacchi. Un MI ai Raggi X, Le Due Torri, Bologna, 2016, p. 22, International Master Antonio Martorelli, one of the eight participants in the tournament, well recounts the moment when the Soviet Grandmaster surrendered: “Bagirov, disgusted by the outcome of the game, commented: ‘Ah, well, I lost, but this game means just nothing at all to me’. And Cosulich: ‘This victory means nothing to me too!’”.

Take a Chance

You know, Edna, the alien lover belongs to another world and sees double meanings everywhere

Courtesy of 灼也 (@3linteacher)

Alien Love

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Peking University lecturer 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) x “Davos 2026: A World in Transition”: AI is not a competitor but a partner.

Human–AI partnership can solve global challenges 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), TIME, January 15, 2026 AI has revolutionized the game of chess, transforming how we play and think. Once a feared rival, AI is now an indispensable collaborator. I believe the most powerful force in chess today isn’t a human grandmaster or a supercomputer but the partnership between the two. Pairing human creativity and intuition with AI’s precision and analytical power can achieve results neither could accomplish alone. I’ve experienced the power of this partnership firsthand. During tournament preparation, AI tools often uncover patterns and possibilities I hadn’t considered. Yet, it’s my strategic intuition and understanding of the game’s psychology and nuance that determine which paths to pursue. This collaboration is about complementing each other’s strengths as much as it is about competition. The lessons from chess extend far beyond the board. Whether it’s addressing climate change, combating public health crises or reducing economic inequality, humanity faces challenges too complex for humans or machines to solve alone. By combining AI’s computational power with human empathy, adaptability and creativity, we can unlock solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. I see a future where humans and machines work together to solve challenges, not against each other. Partnerships that combine human ingenuity with AI’s capabilities could help to create a sustainable, inclusive future.

ICE Breaker

For sample pages and orders, please click here.

You see, Edna, in the end a prince has come to woo you

Artwork © CRS3D

The Castle in the Sky

The Gut Weißenhaus in Wangels on the Baltic Sea, Germany, will host, on February 14–15, a 4-game Fischerandom (Freestyle) exhibition match featuring four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) playing against the Kazakh star Bibisara Erkhanovna Assaubayeva at a rapid time control (25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move) for a purse of $15,000. If tied after four, play a tie-breaker. For further details and information, click here.

Queen’s Champion

No, Edna, they cannot. They don’t even know that all they’re doing is staying glued to the screen like flies on the wall longing for your next glance

Artwork © Nirami (@nirami1)