Fr. Z's Blog

Please remember me when  shopping online. 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.

Photo from The World’s Best Sacristan™.

Sant’Antonio Abatte.  Decoration around the side chapel of my beloved adoptive Roman parish where St. Giovanni Battista de Rossi’s altar is and tomb was before his body was translated to a new church built in his honor.

Here’s a shot of the chapel, on the Feast of St. Giovanni, in action.  The decorations on wall are cut off on the left.

News about Christmas cards – now trailing off – and how to send. HERE

Meanwhile, in chessy news, The “Wimbeldon of Chess” is going on, Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee.  Young Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (Prag – 18 yrs – 2748.3) defeated world champ Ding Liren (2776.4) and, by doing so, surpassed former long-time world champ Viswanathan Anand (Vishy – 2748.0) as India’s top ranked. Anish Giri (2759.6), far more likeable than “the Boy” (2765.4* – boooo!), is now in sole 1st with a victory over Gukesh Dommaraju (2721.3).

Ceterum censeo puerum Firouzja esse delendum.

In my own process of destruction and revival and destruction, yesterday in OTB I won all my games but the last, a protracted battle of 39 moves over about 45 minutes.   I had handily beaten one opponent, who usually plays better and then had a long fight with The Oldest Member™ (one of the strongest) and then moved on to The President™.  We had a little miniature as an amuse bouche: he threw the Fried Liver at me and I threw it right back.

My 5. … Nd5 was a mistake that he could have exploited with 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ to blast my structure to bits. 5. … Na5 to attack the bishop on c4 was better. His 6. Qf3 wasn’t best. Instead, he should have taken Nxf7. His 7. Qxd5 was suboptimal. He should have taken with Bxd5. As it went, I could play 7. … Be3. 10. Qe4+ he threw in the Liver.

Meanwhile, something far more challenging.

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

I’ve had notes asking about what I have been cooking.  Not a lot.  I did get a little ambitious the other day and made gyoza, fried dumplings (pork, garlic, ginger, green onion.  The pork was ground, but it needed to be ground more finely.  Lesson learned.

Black vinegar, ginger, hot chili oil.

PS: There are only 8 monthly donors today, making it one of the leanest days of the month.  Paypal works and Zelle works better.  Wise is great for international transfers.

Please remember me when  shopping online. 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.

We are in Venice, today.  I’m thinking of St. Jude, Patron of the “Impossible”.  My friend Fr. Carlos Martins has a major relic of the Apostle which he is bringing to parishes around these USA.  Also, Sts. Simon and Jude’s Feast is my birthday.  Also, I have an intention in their queue for my mother.  This is Santi Simone e Giuda Apostoli, or “San Simone Piccolo” on the Grand Canal, probably the first thing that catches your eye when you get off the train and leave through the front of the station.

WELCOME REGISTRANT:
Robbie the Pict

Meanwhile, its white’s move.  Mate in 2.

Click!

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

The “Wimbeldon of Chess” is going on, Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee.   After Round Three Anish has caught up to “the Boy” at 2.5.   Nepo and Ding and Nodirbek 2.0.  The female champ Ju Wenjun is struggling with .5 but there’s a lot of chess to be played.  Ding handled Gukesh with relative ease, if anything at this level can be considered easy.

At my level, however, yesterday at OTB I had a mixed day.  I played like a  blockhead for two games, one with a truly stupid blunder which I made because I was way ahead and forgot one of my first principles in my complacency: “Ask yourself if this move makes sense.”  In the second game, against a strong player, I tried a new opening.  Ohhhh boy was that a disaster!   It turned into a hilariously irritating miniature.  I took that page from my score book and put it on my bathroom mirror.  It might migrate the door of the microwave during the day.  However, in my final game of the morning, I reverted to a tried and tested (no, not e4) approach and swiftly overwhelmed my opponent with aggressive play on all three “sides”.

Meanwhile, speaking of overwhelming, The Terminator v. The Hulk…

We never stop competing! It was fantastic to hang with my friend @LouFerrigno and play chess yesterday. He’s a fantastic player! pic.twitter.com/GakSgw3N2I

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 12, 2024

Chess is enjoying an explosion of popularity in the whole world.

Will the Catholic Church’s entities be – once again – behind the curve?

Fathers! Bishops! Start youth chess clubs and intergenerational clubs in your parishes and schools! I’ll bet you that strong and dependable adults will come out of the woodwork to teach the young. There are many older people who would like to have an activity and maybe contact with young people. This is really a THING.

Ceterum censeo Firoujza esse delendum.

Please remember me when  shopping online. 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.

The flood is coming.

HEY!  sr********@gmail.com – my thank you note to you got kicked back.  New email?

WELCOME REGISTRANT:
urielangeli

White to play and mate in 2.

Click!

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

The “Wimbeldon of Chess” is going on, Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee.   After Round Two “the Boy” is in the sole lead, 2/2.   Gukesh, Nepo and Anish are 1.5.  Ding in down the ranks as is the female champ Ju Wenjun.  There is a lot of chess to be played.  At the beginning of Round 3 (which is on as I type) there were some odd openings.  Jovanka and Danya are commenting today.  Robert Hess is off.  One writer says that there isn’t a great press of viewers around the hall, as last year, when Magnus is involved.

Meanwhile, yesterday 14 January which is the Feast of the Ass, Magnus issued a video on Twitter saying that he is on vacation and he will soon be back to “beat all of your asses”, which is confusing.  It seems that Magnus is into those old medieval observances but… I mean… you are supposed to be nice to the asses on Festum Asinorum.  I suggest rather that he find a Jesuit to beat.  It summons quite an image, the “goat beating an ass”.   Hmmm… a Jesuit might like that.  I just don’t understand high level chess trash talk.

Yesterday Nepo and Ju had a looong endgame.  She defended very well.  At the end, there was an amusing moment as each waited for the other to offer the draw.  They were trying to suppress laughing. They were at each other for only about 5 hours, after all.

Ceterum censeo Firoujza esse delendum.

Please remember me when  shopping online. 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.

THANK YOU …
… LC … for becoming a monthly donor today.  The 14th of the month is a lean day.

WELCOME REGISTRANT:
AustinT

White to move and mate in two.

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

The “Wimbeldon of Chess” is going on, Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee. Many strong players. Ding is back. Anish and Nepo. The women’s world champ Ju Wenjun. Magnus and Fabi and Hikaru not there.   Round 2 today.  In Round 1, Ju Wenjun lost to Anish.   Nepo destroyed a young dutchman Max Warmerdan.  Ding and Vidit drew.  All the victories in the first round in the Masters section (there’s another, Challengers) were with black.

Ceterum censeo Firouzja delendum esse.

Here is a fine new translation of St. Augustine’s Confessions by Anthony Esolen.  Beautifully printed and bound by the good folks at TAN.  It is a lovely volume.

US HERE – UK HERE

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

It is the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time in the Novus Ordo and the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany in the Vetus Ordo.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Sunday Mass of obligation?

Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.  I hear that it is growing.  Of COURSE.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

I have a few thoughts about the orations in the Vetus Ordo for this Sunday: HERE

Out of lack, loss, and deprivation blessings can come.  In the first reading, the Epistle for Sunday, Paul tells the Romans (12:6-16) to bear up with cheerful generosity and patience in time of tribulation, each according to our proper vocations.

Please remember me when  shopping online. 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.

It’s white’s move.  Mate in 2.

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

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

In chessy news, Ray Robson won his 5th consecutive Puzzles World Championship.  Puzzle rush… solve as many puzzles as possible while the clock ticks down.  They do this at terrifying speed.

I try to do puzzles every day for a “chunk” of time, the chunk’s length depending on life’s goings ons. I’ve seen some of these streamers start out puzzle rush and I can’t imagine how they even move and click the mouse that fast much less solve the problems. I think it has to do with several factors. First, they are of a generation that never didn’t have a mouse to click. They develop pattern recognition. They have far above average visual memory retention. This is one of the reasons why I am hesitant to play short format chess online: I’m just not fast enough with the mouse. Ever see someone like Hikaru in a time-crunch rush with just seconds on the clock?

For example…. I set this to start at the beginning of a hyper bullet game. Each player starts with 30 seconds! The pre-moving is … whew!

Is this really chess?  I guess so.  It serves a purpose.

Chess’ “Wimbledon” has started.  Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee (13-28 January).  14-player single round -robin events.  100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment per move from the start.  Blitz for tie-breaks.

This morning at OTB I won all my games, classical and blitz (10 minutes). Felt good. Non-Catholic and Catholic members alike were all over me asking about what they are hearing in the mainstream media about Francis and controversies. They are genuinely shocked and want to know if it’s all true. Not the easiest sea of icebergs to navigate.

Meanwhile… this guy.

Cardinal Joseph Zen celebrates his 92nd birthday today. Please say one Hail Mary for this brave shepherd. pic.twitter.com/hCRcDP8Ym1

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) January 13, 2024