Fr. Z's Blog

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Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE  These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon, but, once in and browsing or searching, Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit.

Great beer from the Benedictine monks in Norcia Italy. Help monks. Enjoy great beer. Win. Win.

Meanwhile, white to move. Mate in 2.

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

2023 Chess.com Speed Chess Championship is on. Yesterday Fabi ousted Nodirbek. He will now play Hikaru in the Quarterfinals. MLV beat Gukesh and Magnus beat Vidit. Today, Alireza Firouza v. Wesley So. Should be great. Good commentary and announcing in the videos by GMs Daniel Naroditsky and Robert Hess. Daniel “Danya” gets a little squeaky when excited and the time rushes as the games get into hyper-bullet mode are like fast-paced hockey. For my part, I played OTB yesterday and won two games. The against a strong player in the club with a weird style, very defensive. It’s like trying to corner a cat. The second against one the club’s strongest. We usually have long battles, 40-50 moves… except when we don’t. Yesterday’s was a real slug fest. If I can get the game entered into the engine today for some analysis maybe I’ll share some of it.

3 3/4″ Commander Staunton Chess Set – Hurry! Only 279 left! Frankly, I don’t know how that works, because you can pick the color of the board and the colors of the pieces and the color of the optional carrying bag. 10% off with code FATHERZ10

I chose black and natural on a green vinyl board.  Could be some fun combos.

Ed Pentin, the best working Vaticanista in Rome, has at his blog a piece in English by José Antonio Ureta.

José Antonio Ureta is the co-author of The Synodal Process Is a Pandora’s Box: 100 Questions & Answers. This book as lately caused a real stir among the fanatical left and the papalotrous. In 2018, he authored Pope Francis’s Paradigm Shift: Continuity or Rupture in the Mission of the Church? An Assessment of His Pontificate’s First Five Years.

The title of Pentin’s entry:

Questioning Pope Francis’ Evolving Doctrine and Morals Is Neither Ideology nor Backwardness, but Standing Firm in the Faith by José Antonio Ureta

He presents various propositions advanced by the modernists today and deconstructs them.

Very helpful.

It’ll take a little patience. Read it. This is part of your “armoring up” for the fight ahead.

As a commentatrix said the other day, “JOAN UP!”

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Meanwhile, white to move and mate in two. Good luck.

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

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Meanwhile, how long did it take you to find this mate in two?  White to move.

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

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Your use of my Amazon affiliate link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

Traditional Catholic website ailing?

The Fischer Random (960) tourney is over at the St Louis Chess Club.  Sam Sevian (22) took the honors with 7/9.  Shankland, Aronian, and So shared 2nd with 6/9.    It was fun watching Garry Kasparov (60) play.  Intense guy. He has a way of moving that could be a slight distraction to one’s opponent.

Your use of my Amazon affiliate link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

Meanwhile, black to move. Force mate in three.

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

In chessy news, in St Louis the 9LX continues.  It has been a lot of fun watching the players. 9LX or Fischer Random is a chess variant where the pieces start in randomized along the first rank, provided that the bishops are on different colors and castling is possible.  There are 960 possible positions.  The player can’t do long prep.  The tournament format is a 10-player round-robin, with a time control of 20 minutes per side plus a 5-second increment added every move.

This is not for ELO so they are really interacting as they receive the set ups for the next game, sitting and standing around boards, debating.  Then the games start and there is real pressure from the clock.  Eventually as pieces clear, it turns into “standard chess”.  Until then it is pretty hairy.   Fischer Random really puts juice back into the fruit. Levon Aronian and Sam Sevian were leading after day 2.  Fabi, Wesley and Sam are a point behind.  It has been great watching Garry Kasparov play.  Intense guy.

St. Louis Chess Club has some good photos.

Kasparov look at an opening set up with my guy Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura.

Getting ready, looking at the set up.  Left to right, Sam Sevian, Sam Shankland, Ray Robson, Wesley So, Jeffrey Xiong.