User Profile: Fusilli

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Fusilli
Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Dec-17-25

Mariano Sana, Argentinian by birth, in the US since 1995. Naturalized US citizen. I hold a PhD in Demography from the University of Pennsylvania, and I am an associate professor of Sociology at Vanderbilt University: https://as.vanderbilt.edu/sociology.... Previously, I was at Louisiana State University (2003-2009).
My published academic work can be seen here: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/Mar.... My review of Gary Alan Fine's "Players and Pawns" is here: https://www.academia.edu/69647923/P....
My avatar comes from a cartoon of mine drawn by a friend. My username, besides the pasta, is my late cat's name (he died in March 2021, age 19), inspired by this cartoon: https://condenaststore.com/featured....
My first tournament was at age 12 in 1979. I finished 8th in the Argentine junior championship in 1985. So, I was good enough, but not great. (That same evaluation might still be apt today, on a good day.) Unfortunately, no game scores survived from those years. I started to play again after grad school. I play between 0 and 4 tournaments per year.
I won the Louisiana State Championship in 2007. I lost the first game and then won six in a row. This was my last round win, where I got lucky after playing the opening pretty terribly: J Rousselle vs M Sana, 2007.
I also won the under 2200 section of the US Open in 2014. Again, Swiss gambit. Lost the first one, then won five in a row, lost game 7 (M Sana vs J Sheng, 2014, a rather atypical game), and won games 8 and 9. My last round win was featured as a Tuesday puzzle: K Gulamali vs M Sana, 2014. (Try it! Black to play at move 29. But you can also do black to play at move 22 as a principled-move puzzle.)
I'd say that I am essentially a good but inconsistent player. My playing style is a mix of strategic and tactical. I'm usually very willing to sac a pawn or allow positional weaknesses in exchange for active piece play. For years I hovered around 2200, down to mid 2100s a few years ago after a disaster and a 50-point loss at the 2019 World Open. (Aging and MS fatigue had much to do with that.) On good days, I have had nice wins: T Bartell vs M Sana, 2009, R Burnett vs M Sana, 2012, M Sana vs C Blocker, 2014, M Sana vs R Burnett, 2015. But on a bad day, I can play horribly and lose against whoever is sitting in front of me.
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2011, but it didn't cause me trouble until 2018/9. I have a weak right leg (I often use a cane now) and I fatigue easily. Medication, well-timed naps, and exercise help.
I play blitz games on chess.com under the username RealFusilli.

My participation on this website goes through ebbs and flows, and the majority of my posts are about chess. I often post on my own forum just to keep records for myself. Everyone is welcome to visit and share! (But please don't post about politics here.)

>> Click here to see Fusilli's game collections.

   Fusilli has kibitzed 6317 times to chessgames [more...]

   Dec-14-25 Fusilli chessforum

Fusilli: Well, after almost two years, I played a tourney yesterday, and I got shellacked, losing 20 rating points. Four games, G45 w/5 sec increments. I won the first two, lost the next two. Got increasingly tired. My game got worse due to fatigue. My two defeats were to players I beat ...

   Dec-13-25 Lenderman vs C Yip, 2017

Fusilli: Great game by Lenderman, showing the true value of the minor pieces in this setup when black has no prospects on the king side.

   Dec-12-25 A DeCord vs M Sana, 2023

Fusilli: 36...? [DIAGRAM] I thought this would make a nice puzzle, but I just checked and the computer says that, in addition to the move in the game, black also draws with 36...Kh7. 37.Bxe6 concedes perpetual, and if 37.d7 Rd6! = [DIAGRAM]

   Dec-09-25 N Theodorou vs G Jones, 2025

Fusilli: <number 23> I just read your profile blurb. I totally identify with this! <My specialty is getting into trouble out of the opening because I don't prepare well, then hoodwinking points out of players through a variety of creative and fortunate swindles.>

   Dec-09-25 G Garcia Gonzalez vs Velimirovic, 1982

Fusilli: Position after 55...Qc4 [DIAGRAM] The black queen is annoying, but white can't push her away easily. If 56.Rb4 Qd3 repeats the position. And obviously, 56. R or Qc3 runs into Ne2+. 56.Kh2! And it turns out that 56...Nd3 doesn't win material. White gets to trade queens and loses a ...

   Dec-09-25 Botvinnik vs Tal, 1961

Fusilli: Another nice positional squeeze in this line is L Christiansen vs G Garcia Gonzalez, 1982 .

   Dec-08-25 Murray Marble

Fusilli: Murray Marble, 1908 Mate in 3 [DIAGRAM] When you give up, see the solution here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCU... (Or ask your engine, of course)

   Dec-07-25 J Friedman vs Gulko, 1993

Fusilli: This is a big <oops!> of a game.

   Dec-06-25 J Cuenca Jimenez vs F Oro, 2025

Fusilli: What an interesting positional game. Black's bishop looks bad, but white has his own pawn structure weakness, and Faustino maneuvered admirably.

   Dec-06-25 Faustino Oro

Fusilli: I usually don't care to cheer for any GM in particular, but I second my fellow Argentinian <Augalv>!

indicates a reply to the comment.

My Facerook Wall

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 100 OF 114 · Later Kibitzing>
Nov-29-24		OhioChessFan: Amazing puzzle: click for larger view White to play and draw.

Nov-29-24		Messiah: In base64, because I don't want to spoil this puzzle for others: SSB0aGluayB0aGUgS2luZyBzaG91bGQgcmVhY2ggYzUsIGJ1- dCBJIGFtIG5vdCBpbiB0aGUgbW9vZCBvZiBjYWxjdWxhdGlu- ZyBpdCBleGFjdGx5Lgo= (decoder is here: https://www.base64decode.org/)

Nov-29-24		Messiah: The fantastic comment engine broke it. The strings: '- ' (so a minus sign and a whitespace) should be removed from the base64-encoded string manually for correct decoding.

Nov-29-24		Fusilli: Beautiful but not difficult, right? Reminiscent of that famous Reti study. 1.Ke7 b5 2.Kd6 b4 3.e7! Bb5 (only move) 4.Kc5 Be8 (or Bd7) 5.Kd4 and white reaches the pawn AND manages to force the bishop away with promotion just in time. Did I miss anything?

Nov-30-24		OhioChessFan: <Reminiscent of that famous Reti study.> Exactly what I thought.

Nov-30-24		OhioChessFan: <Did I miss anything?> Fairly trivial, but to be complete. If 1...Bc4. 2. Kf6 If 2...Bc4 3. Ke5

Nov-30-24		Fusilli: <OCF> <If 2...Bc4 3. Ke5> I think you are forgetting 3.e7 first (bishop somewhere, 3.Ke5). Unless you want to lose to 3...Bxe6!

Dec-01-24		Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com. I am white. White to play click for larger view

Dec-01-24		moronovich: I have had a couple of pos. like this, so Rxh7. Followed by Qh4+ mating. A usefull pattern to know.

Dec-01-24		Fusilli: <moro> Yup. Very convenient that the LSB means that white can just take the queen if black covers the Qh4 check with Qh5.

Dec-01-24		Teyss: Hi Fusilli, Thanks for your post on the WC thread, you put it rightly. Cool position above. I thought Black could survive a bit by giving up the Q with 1.Rxh7 Qh5 (you never know what can happen next in blitz) but after 2.Rxh5 Black cannot even take back with ...gxh5 because of 3.Qxh7# Well played game!

Dec-01-24		Fusilli: <Teyss> Thank you. A bit irritating to see someone trying to hijack the world championship page to promote their own stuff. But I think everyone can see through that. Occasionally, I have posted on my player page (a puzzle or two from my games and such) but came back to posting on my own forum. My forum is always open to visitors who want to discuss chess and other issues in a civilized manner (no politics, though) but it also works as my own chess journal, for my own record-keeping. Thank you for stopping by!

Dec-03-24		OhioChessFan: <moro: I have had a couple of pos. like this, so Rxh7. Followed by Qh4+ mating. A usefull pattern to know.> IIRC there's a famous Tarrasch game with the same idea with 2 Rooks on the Rook file and a Bishop on the long diagonal. Seeing the pattern through the clutter of all the other pieces is the hard part.

Dec-03-24		moronovich: Good point <OCF> and seeing it as early as possible during the game, is the hardest part. Just heard "Unchained Melody"sung by Lana Del Ray on no lesser location than Graceland. What a wonderful song.

Dec-06-24		OhioChessFan: White to play and win: click for larger view

Dec-07-24		Fusilli: <OCF> Nice. White wins if he gets his king to c7. The direct path 1.Kb8 fails to Kd8, but 1.Ka8! does the trick. For example, 1.Ka8 Kd8 2.Kb8 Bg4 3.c7+ Ke8 4.c8=Q+ Bxc8 5.Kxc8 winning. Or 2...Ba6 3.d7 and black can choose his poison.

Dec-07-24		OhioChessFan: Yes, the first move is the key. Obviously it's not a Pawn move. And you can work through the three King moves. One shortcut is to notice the long opposition after Ka8.

Dec-07-24		areknames: In the beginning of my competitive career I played the French. I eventually switched to the Sicilian, first the Najdorf and then the Kan but that's a story for another day. I'm still very fond of the French, you know that 'first love' kinda feeling. Lately when facing the French in online blitz I have reverted to one of the pet lines of my youth, namely 2.b3 and it's amazing how much my opponents struggle with it. Black needs to play actively here, I usually allow dxe4 and then develop quickly with g4, Bg2, Nc3 and Nge2. I can sense they don't understand how to handle this line, more often than not I win fairly quickly. Sometimes I think that coming of age before the engine era can be a huge advantage even to this day!

Dec-09-24		Fusilli: <ak> Interesting. An early b3 can be disorienting. I once faced the late Emory Tate with the black pieces and he did just that after the exchange in the Spanish. I did well and came out of the opening with a comfortable position, but had to invest so much time (and he played relatively fast) that eventually I payed the price: E Tate vs M Sana, 2009

Dec-09-24		Fusilli: Lange v Andersen, 2023 Black to move. click for larger view

Dec-09-24		moronovich: After watching the WC game today, this one seems easier : 1-Qc2 ! E.g QxQ Rxe1+ followed by -Ne3+ winning the queen back with dividents. And if Re2 after 1-Qc2 ! just simply RxR. What a game by Ding to day ! I am and was very impressed.

Dec-10-24		Fusilli: <moro> Yes! To both things.

Dec-10-24		areknames: <An early b3 can be disorienting.> I think psychology plays an important part in how you handle the opening, at all levels. I suppose I could have been a bit less conservative in that regard in my playing days but I was very much like Karpov (yeah right); I had my repertoire, which I knew very well, other variations not so well. When I switched to playing the Najdorf a good friend and I developed what can almost be called an obsession with the Polugaevsky variation. We would meet at the club almost every day, play plenty of blitz but mostly analyzing the 'Poluga' to death. We explored every nook and cranny, this lasted for months until we eventually felt fully prepared to adopt it in serious tournament play. And it did pay its dividends! The main lines of the Polu are a minefield. Black can easily get slaughtered at the slightest misstep but if you survive the initial phase you normally end up with considerable material advantge and a good position. So here's the psychological aspect: when facing the Polu most White players are dismissive of you, they think you are a suicidal maniac and reckon they can easily dispose of you. Little did these opponents know that they were facing someone who had made it their life's work to become an expert in that opening. And experts we became, which translated into very good results even against objectively stronger opponents. Fun times!

Dec-10-24		Fusilli: <Little did these opponents know that they were facing someone who had made it their life's work to become an expert in that opening.> Underestimating one's opponent is itself a big blunder! Sometimes I choose to play my blitz games without knowing my opponent's rating. It seems to help.

Dec-12-24		Fusilli: While everyone is distracted with Gukesh's victory today, I just had a pretty nice kill in a blitz game on chess.com. I am white. White to play: click for larger view (Get the follow up too, not just the first move, please)

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