ROME SHOT 889

Please remember me when  CHRISTMAS  shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE  These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon. Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit.  WHY?  This helps to pay for insurance (massively hiked for next year), utilities, groceries, all the necessities.  You get the items you need and, at no extra cost to you, you provide important help for which I am grateful.

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Meanwhile, the facade of Ss. Trinità dei Pelegrini is getting a facade lift.  They’ve taken down some protective screen to do color checks.   What really make this is the scarecrow on the scaffolding.

Meanwhile, black to move and mate in …

1. … Ne2+ 2. Kh1 Nxf2+ 3. Rxf2 Qc1+ 4. Ne1 Qxe1+ 5. Rf1 Qxf1#
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

In chessy news, the cobbled-up tournament with some lower-rated “once weres” in Chartres, for the sole purpose of gaining Alireza Firouza some rating points so as to bump Wesley So out of the Candidates is being looked at by FIDE which might not accredit the event! FIDE said that they were concerned that perhaps the tournament – named “Alireza’s Race To Candidates” – might be for the purpose of getting Alireza a way to the Candidates.  No, really…

Pretty high level observation, there, FIDE! The US Chess Fed said not to approve it. Top players are not happy. In one game, Alireza’s opponent suddenly resigned, even though there was an even position. To be clear, the Chartres event is technically within the rules of FIDE. But it, in my opinion, is dodgy and unsporting. In the meantime, in a huge tournament in India, with many top players, Gukesh Dommaraju prevailed and surpassed Anish Giri in the hunt for a Candidates slot. There remains the World Rapid and Blitz 2023, 26-30 December in Samarkand, Uzbekistan… Magnus, Fabi, Nepo, Anish, Prag, Vidit, Gukesh, Jan-Krzysztof, Nodirbek… I doubt that Wesley So will go.

UPDATE 13:00 EST

I had tuned into watch the last game of the Alireza Show and noticed that, though both players were nearly out of time, there was a 30 second increment!  However, the position – despite the eval bar waaaay in black, the opponent’s favor (-3.1) it looked to my inexpert eyes like a draw. Sure enough, it ended in a DRAW.  Alireza’s opponent was over 200 points lower 2763 v 2546.  If I am right, and I have little comprehension of the rating formulae, I think Alireza with this draw drops below Wesley.  YAY!   I looked again at the ending position and revised my opinion.  Black had two passed pawns and potential to force them slowly forward.  It would be a WWI style inch by inch battle.  But that does not change the outcome.  Alireza did not win his must-win game.