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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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Tag Archives: chess
What Fr. Z is up to.
After several decades, and not of the Rosary in this context, along with other things I had loved to do and that I was good at and I that I had shelved because of seminary and priesthood, I’m getting back … Read More
FOLLOW UP to “Of Leo XIII, Caruso, and Chess”
From a reader reacted to THIS post… I see from your recent post that you are a denier of the Fifth Lateran Council. You resist its Canons on the playing of chess and association with actors. After 800 years, we … Read More
Saturday Interlude: Of Leo XIII, Caruso, and Chess
UPDATED: See end. Did you know that Canon 16 of the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 forbade priests from playing chess? It was considered a game of chance (clearly by non-chessplayers). That canon also forbade participation of clerics … Read More
Of chess and clerics
Out of curiosity, en passant as it were, are there any Catholic clerical chess players among the readership? I don’t mean just clerics who know how to play, but rather clerics who do play. More often than a couple times … Read More
What a difference a bishop can make.
From Chess.com today, the Daily Puzzle is from one of the 18th c. “Modenese Masters”, Domenico Ercole del Rio (+1802). There is an elegant forced mate here in 3 but it requires a bold sacrifice. White to move. What a … Read More
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Everyone wonders why Chess isn’t an Olympic sport
People all over the world wonder why Chess is not an Olympic sport. Why? Chess has it all. “But Father! But Father!”, some of you skeptics, probably papolatrous pipsqueaks – Peepees – are peeping, “In chess they, you know, they … Read More
Searching for Bobby Fischer’s search for the Catholic Church
My boyhood summers – when there was still such a thing as boyhood – were in large part spent in Montana and N. Wyoming, running like a brown animal, riding bare-back, swimming, biking, and going to minor league ballgames with … Read More
20 July: International CHESS Day!
Before it isn’t the 20th any longer (soon, where I am), I wish all of you a happy International CHESS Day! In honor of this esteemed occasion, I repost… Animi caussa… the names of the pieces. 1 rex, sive scaccus 1 regina (vel virgo, vel amazon, … Read More
10 October – National Chess Day
I remind the readership that the second Saturday of October is designated as National Chess Day. Don’t be board. Get out there and start mating! I’ll check on your progress. Also, en passant, many thanks to the readers who, some … Read More
“Scacci (-orum, m.pl.) sive ludus scaccorum est tabularis artis, ingenii, et stratagematis ludus.”
In addition to reading a lot of Latin every day, I’ve reprised the working of chess problems. So, when I was looking back through the blog for something I had written I found some posts that I made last year … Read More
My View For Awhile: Staunton Edition
There are certain things that one chooses for his “daily carry”. You can guess at a couple of the things I always carry. Did your guess include… Why carry this all the time? CNA reported that a car crossed a … Read More
JUST TOO COOL: Lewis Chessman found!
Once upon a time I was an avid chess player. I was never into fancy boards and pieces, but I do appreciate fine work. But even if you aren’t especially interested in chess itself, this is a story for your … Read More
Day 6-7 – NS Guantanamo Bay: Of mates and doors and details
My time here at GITMO is paying some dividends. First, the heat seems to be helping my shoulder and foot, which were injured during the winter. Also, today I got some writing done for the paper ahead of time. Some … Read More
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Day 4 – NS Guantanamo Bay: Of a Sunday Mass hymn, tohu wa-bohu, and chess
Getting off this island is turning out to be harder than getting on, and that isn’t easy either. I hope to be here for another set of Sunday Masses, but transportation issues are … fluid. I think I need to … Read More
9 Comments
So far they’ve played 7 games…
… to a draw. The World Chess Championship is on. So far, Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion, and Sergey Karjakin, the challenger have played 7 games to 7 draws. There for a moment in game 7 it looked like Carlsen had gotten … Read More
CATHOLIC CHESS CHAOS! Oh, the humanity.
From the often amusing Eye Of The Tiber: Society of St. Pius X chess grandmaster Larcel Mafebvre has turned four of his pieces into bishops without approval from the World Chess Federation, officials have confirmed. “Mr. Mafebvre has, without approval from the Federation, created bishops … Read More
