DAILY ROME SHOT 952 – And a book

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NB: A couple items arrived from my wishlist, but there were no packing slips.  I don’t know whom to thank.  So, thank you, whoever you are.

Yesterday, in chessy news, hostilities/pleasantries resumed in the Team Chess Battle, where pairs of players who can discuss moves battle it out.  Robert Hess and Daniel Naroditsky (who had a 48 game win streak the other day) were matched against Peter Svidler and Jan Gustafsson.   Today there should be Eric Hanson and Jorden van Forrest against #2 ranked Fabiano Caruana and his podcasting partner Cristian Chirila.   It is interesting to hear the thoughts of the players as they analyze the positions and come up with moves. Also, in chessy news, British Bodhana Sivanandan is now the 3rd highest rated 8-year-old ever

Meanwhile, white to move.  How to proceed?   What’s the key move?

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

CLICK!

I am now a chess.com affiliate.   So, click and join!   Maybe we can build a fun and active Catholic Chess Club within Chess.com.  Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

Possible name: St. Teresa of Avila Chess Society

She is, you know, the patroness of chess and chess players.

I direct the readership’s attention to a podcast by my friend Robert Royal of The Catholic Thing.  He interviewed the editor of a FANTASTIC little book put out by Sophia Institute Press

Jerome’s Tears: Letters to Friends in Mourning (US HERE – UK HERE) by David Bonagura.

As a patristicist, this was an excellent idea and I could kick myself that I didn’t think of it first.

The volume has a brief biography of Jerome, a great deal briefer than J.N.D. Kelly’s, for sure.

Among ancient writers there was a genre of literature: consolatio.  That is what it looks like.  Consolation literature.  It could include different forms, including personal letters.  A good deal of consolation literature dives into philosophy, which was considered an antidote to the ever-pervasive “fear of death” (which Augustine called “our daily winter”).  For example, Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations and much later Boethius’ Consolation of Philisophy are in this category.  Ambrose wrote On the death of his brother.  In any event, it is interesting to see how the irascible and sometimes venomous Jerome has a sweeter edge, though he is not one to advise mourning, but rather rejoicing that someone has exited this vale of tears for something better.

Here’s the video interview I mentioned, above.

Ceterum censeo Alirezam esse delendum.