Fr. Z's Blog

Welcome registrant:

Evan Landry

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Norway Chess resumes today with Round 9.

Meanwhile, at the Chicago Open someone was caught cheating by using a phone in OTB.  He didn’t bother to leave the board, but just had the phone on his lap.  Suspicious players complained to arbiters, who at first ignored them.

I need readership help with a DIY.

Speaking of chess, I have a pub table which has a chess board in/on the top.  However, I think it’s too dark.  There is not enough contrast between the squares.   This photo is a little deceptive in that it shows a somewhat higher contrast that it appears.  However, it shows the grain.   This is rubberwood (aka parawood).

I could use the expertise of the readership.  I’d like to avoid sanding it down.   My method could be to lighten the light squares using some substance and painters tape.  I’ve been looking around online for ideas.   I tried some bleach on the underside of one of the legs, a place that isn’t visible.  No joy.   How about oxalic acid?

Ultimately, I’d like to finish it with a hard clear varnish like like alkyd resin varnish and then leaving it outside on my tiny patio (which must be screened in).  Get it out of my living area which is too cramped.

Any ideas?

Meanwhile, … Mass at Omaha Beach the day after D-Day.

In your kindness, please say a prayer for the soul of a priest friend who was an Army Chaplain and was in the third wave at D-Day.  His generation of priest friends told me that he enlisted never intending to return.  He went on to be in the 3rd Armored Division and the Battle of the Bulge. Thereafter, he lived a long life, founded a parish with a successful school and fostered liturgical and musical excellence. Fr. John Buchanan. He did not take to the stupidities going on after the Council and daily at Mass prayed the petition, “That this unfortunate Archdiocese might return to orthodoxy, sanity and sanctity, let us pray to the Lord.” In his advanced age, the pastor (when I was back from Rome) would send me over to help him say the afternoon Mass (which he didn’t like very much but knew, I think, was necessary – Parkinson’s). Fr B would occasionally take off his cufflinks and hand them to me, which I still treasure. He was a real character. Drove a VW Rabbit entirely… ENTIRELY… covered with travel stickers of other countries. 87.  Silver star.  May he rest in peace.

Meanwhile, … just as Rosaries were once standard issue in the US military, so were chess sets, and kits with other games.

The Chess Hall of Fame has exemplars of sets issued and also distributed by the USO and Red Cross, sent in care packages to POWs.

This is interesting, because, I have this in my backpack when I am on the road.

Obviously, mine is, as advertised, with little magnets.  I’ve sure the GIs would have appreciated that.

Mine had a card out of which the pieces had to be punched.  I should have kept it for storage/movement!

You can get one! Or more and give them out?  US – HERE

Another type soldiers had.

Meanwhile, I have something similar, though larger and all from leather.

And the Germans were not to be outdone.    Schach und Dame.

Meanwhile, here’s today’s puzzle.  White to move and mate in 4.

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

Meanwhile, I have just yesterday started an interesting novel, called ominously…

The Death’s Head Chess Club by John Donoghue.

US HERE – UK HERE

The premise:  An SS officer, wounded on the Eastern front, is transferred to Auschwitz to work on morale and efficiency.  He starts a chess club for the officers at a nearby luxury resort.  Meanwhile, a French Jew who is a prisoner, a watchmaker by trade, is in the camp.  A guard recruits him to play chess.  You can see where this is going.  Anyway, decades later they are pitted against each other in a tournament.  However, by now the former SS officer is now a Catholic bishop.  This is what really caught my eye and prompted me to start.   Each chapter is named after a term or opening.

It could be interesting were others to read this now and we could have some comments.

Also, the death’s head thing reminds me of the hilarious skit by Mitchell and Webb.  They play SS officers.  One of them remarks to the other, “Have you noticed that our caps have little skulls on them?”    HERE

QUESTION for the readership: Does anyone out there have a WORTHPOINT membership?

In Norway, Nakamura beat Magnus who flagged in armageddon and the leader gap has narrowed.  Ding broke his losing streak by drawing against Pragg but lost in armageddon.   Magnus is still in the lead.

White to move and mate in 3.

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

Nice people! Great service!

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

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Yesterday in Italy was the observance of the Feast of Corpus Christi.  I am glad that the custom of a Eucharistic procession from St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major has been revived.  I have great memories of years past with John Paul II and Benedict XVI and truly massive throngs of people.

This year members of the Archconfraternity from The Parish™, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, founded by St. Philip Neri, participated in the Mass at St John Lateran and the procession.  You can tell from the seating, how “senior” the Archconfraternity is.  Here are the “guardians” of the Archconfraternity, including The Great Roman™.

Two members were asked to carry the canopy for the procession.

Hey n******ville@fuse.net! My thank you note was kicked back. New email?

Mate in 3.  Black to move.

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

My thanks go out to someone who got one of the Remote Chess Academy courses using my link. I don’t know who or where you are, but thank you! I hope it helps your game. He’s a good teacher.

Everyone blunders.  That is, everyone makes moves in chess which, as soon as your hand leaves the piece you’ve moved, you see that it was a dreadful error, sometimes losing the game (not always).  Yesterday, in Norway, the world champion Ding Liren was pitted against undoubtedly the best chess player in the world, period, Magnus Carlsen.  As you know, Magnus declined to defend his title, which lead to a match between Candidates #2 and #3, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren. Dign won. Then Ding disappeared. He has said that he had health problems, which involved depression. Ding will soon have to defend his title against Dommaraju Gukesh. Ding has been playing again but losing a lot. A lot. He is a shadow of his former self. Some of the other players are concerned to the point that they are commenting. Some time ago, Magnus opined that Ding might be “broken”. In any event, yesterday in Norway Ding blundered mate in 2 against Magnus.

An unbelievable moment as Ding Liren blunders mate-in-2 vs. Magnus Carlsen and loses a 4th game in a row! #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/Dl42HltxKx

— chess24 (@chess24com) June 2, 2024

Here it is.  You can see what’s coming.  White’s queen swoops in on the h7 pawn in a clearance sacrifice.  Black’s king is forced to take.  White’s e4 rook slides over to h4 mate.  The king has nothing, because of the pawn on f5 and the bishop on that diagonal from d5 to g8.  This is so fundamental that everyone watch was shocked.

Magnus said:

“He just seems to be off. You can see it both from his demeanor, but also from the way that he often makes critical decisions quickly. He doesn’t think when he needs to think and just generally plays without any confidence. I wish him well, I hope he gets better, but for now it’s just sad to see.”

In your charity, perhaps you could stop and say a prayer for Ding Liren, who seems to be struggling.

Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Mass of obligation for Corpus Christi (Sunday) or the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost?

Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Was there a procession with the Blessed Sacrament?

What hymns were sung?

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

A couple thoughts about the sign of the cross: HERE  A taste…

[…]

Christ’s followers know by faith that bread is changed into His flesh and wine into His blood. Man cannot understand this, cannot perceive it; but a lively faith affirms that the change, which is outside the natural course of things, takes place. Under the different species, which are now signs only and not their own reality, there lie hid wonderful realities. His Body is our food, His Blood our drink. And yet Christ remains entire under each species. The communicant receives the complete Christ uncut, unbroken and undivided. Whether one receives or a thousand, the one receives as much as the thousand. Nor is Christ diminished by being received. The good and the wicked alike receive Him, but with the unlike destiny of life or death. To the wicked it is death, but life to the good. See how different is the result, though each receives the same.

[…]

Photo from The Great Roman™.  The Archconfraternity from The Parish™ is participating in the Eucharistic Procession – NOW – from St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major.

Welcome registrants:

CWheeler
Fridayman1

White to move.  Can you avoid a draw and get a win?  Not easy.

1.g4 a5 2.a4 Kf6 3.h4 Ke6 4.g5 Kf7 5. Kf5 Kg76.h5 Kf7 7.Ke5 and wins—and not 7.g6+ and draws!
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Yesterday in Norway, BIG things took place.  All three classical games resolved in victories.  Hence, changes!  Hikaru Nakamrua defeated the struggling shadow of Ding Liren with black and Pragg beat Fabiano Caruana.  That means that Hikaru passed Fabi in the live classical ratings to become the world #2 with 2802.8.  Magnus Carlsen is in 2nd place in the tournament after beating Alireza Firouzja in a rook pawn endgame.  Magnus showed an important maneuver called triangulation at the end to gain the the right time and space against the enemy king.  From Chessbase:

Click and join!

If you can’t visualize that, the idea is this.  Black’s king is up against the wall.  White’s king has more space to move.  Therefore, white’s king can move in a little triangle and still defend the pawn which restricts black’s king.   Then, once black’s king is out of position on e8, white can move Ke4 and then go to g6 get the pawn on h6.  There’s nothing black can do.  For example, 81…. Ke8 82. Ke4 Kf8 83. Kf5 Kf8 84. Kg6 Kg8. 85. Kxh6 Kf7 86. Kg5 (defends the f pawn).  One of them will queen.

Chess is about time and space. In some pawn endings you can take over the opposition and put your opponent in zugzwang by losing a tempo.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

3:16 isn’t just in John.

Hey a******900@charter.net! My thank you note was kicked back. New email?

You too, s*****41@nc.rr.com

Black to move and mate in 4.

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

Nice people! Great service!

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.