The Roman day was made brighter by the rising of the sun at 06:47. It will rapidly get darker after 19:48.
The Ave Maria Bell should ring at 20:00.
Today the Roman Station is at Sant’ Apollinare.
Welcome Registrant:
monica13
The Crucifixion as Trinitarian Revelation
This miniature opens a 15th-century manuscript of St. Augustine’s works, placing the Crucifixion front and center. Above the cross, we see God the Father and the Holy Spirit as a dove, forming a powerful visual Trinity with the crucified… pic.twitter.com/MRKiiCgjxY— Vir Desideriorum (@VirDesideriorum) April 10, 2025
I’m getting my legs under me.
Today I did shopping for necessities in The Hobbit Hole™.
ALERT: The beautiful apartment I had before IS AVAILABLE NOW. THROUGH MAY (maybe). t is a GREAT place. I was so happy there. And, I think they very much want to rent it. Very close to The Parish™. You won’t be disappointed. HERE To email… HERE Tell them “don John” sent you.
Francis went into the Basilica today to pray at the tomb of Pius X.
I used to say Mass at that altar back in the day. Often. And whenever I see or think of it, I remember dear Fr. Goswin Habets, who was a brilliant prof at the Gregorian University. He was there EVERY DAY. Then we lived together for a while. I helped him to bed the night he died.
In chessy news, something fun happened yesterday in the big “Freestyle” tournament in Paris. HERE
Loading ...
Something fun happened yesterday in the big “Freestyle” tournament in Paris.
This is Fischer Random, with 960 different possible starting positions. Players get 10 minutes to look at the revealed position. The guys playing the same color often get together and talk it over. This time… Ian Nepomniachtchi forcefully proposed a gambit, now called the Nepo Gambit, and a couple of the other players tried it. Hikaru got into massive trouble with it and, after, suggested that he would like to strangle Nepo. However, the opening was pretty good. Nepo did not try!
White to move and crazy mate in 4.
[NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.]
1. Qf7+ Kxf7 2. Bd5+ Be6 3. Rxe6 Rc1+ 4. Re1#
I am genuinely curious because it strikes me as out-of-place. Why is the Holy Father dressed in a white t-shirt and black pants?
His Holiness does not look well.
He is on oxygen. He appears Cushingoid. The side effect of long use of high dose
corticosteroids. He also when greeting the child , appears winded.
No matter how much I may disagree with him, he deserves my prayers.
I find it ironic that Pope Francis has a devotion to Pope St. Pius X, the Pope against modernism. And I agree with @JGavin Pope Francis deserves our prayers.
After considerable study, Fr. Z, I cannot find any mate in 4 — unless Black makes a wrong move:
1. Qf7+?! KxQ
2. Bd5+ Be6
3. RxB Ra8??
4. Re2 dis ch and mate
However, Black can escape that trap by playing
3. . . . g6g5
and then, although White can still capture Black’s Queen with
4. Re2 dis+, Black’s King escapes to g3 and a long endgame ensues (which White should eventually win). So I look forward to seeing the mate in 4 that you found.
1. Qf7+ Kxf7
2. Bd5+ Be6
3. Rxe6 Rc1+
4. Re1#
I agree that it’s kind of neat how Black may think he can mate White with 3. . . . Rc1+, only to have the tables turned on him and end up being mated himself. But Black can avoid the mate, as I noted, by playing 3. . . . g6g5 and giving back his Queen. Mate in 4 is then not forced, but depends on Black’s not seeing the trap. Thanks for the interesting (and crazy) puzzle.