But so much stronger is 2.f7+!

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Not taking the pawn is hopeless. If 2...Kh8 3.fxe8=Q+ followed by 4.Rf7 and black is destroyed.

So, 2...Bxf7 and here:

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3.Rxf7! Kxf7 4.Qxh7+

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And black chooses his poison. The DSB and the rook will both come in with checks

What a lonely and most unfortunate king! The final position was:

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This evening, I played four blitz games and won them all, bringing my chess.com blitz rating above 2200 again since I went under two months ago.

A happy Christmas and New Year to everyone on here and above all stay safe.

But we have a tight schedule: 21st we meet with my wife's family, 22nd we attend a market in Copenhagen with our farm products, 24th is Christmas Eve, 26th the traditional gathering with my 3 siblings and all the children.

New Year's Day the 31st my wife and I fly to Portugal for 2 weeks of vacation!

<moro> I do too (love spending it with my wife). BTW, my neighbor's dad grows and sells Christmas pines somewhere in central PA. He is also an avid birder and makes birdhouses (for fun). He has gifted me three over the last few years. I am running out of places in my property where to put them up! They are bluebird houses, and very popular. I try to keep house sparrows from taking them over, and I have succeeded at helping Eastern bluebirds find a home and produce another generation of chicks. I was happy to read recently that the collective effort to help Eastern bluebird numbers rebound has been largely successful.

<arek> I hear you, and I can see you have good reasons to celebrate! Peace, hope and joy for you, your wife, and visitors!

<Troller> That sounds busy, but I'm sure it will be jolly... and then you get to spend two relaxing weeks on vacation. Woohoo!

As for my own travel... Yesterday, my wife and I canceled our plans because we could not book a session at the spa in the hotel we were planning to go to in Memphis (the Peabody Hotel, a Tennessee institution). I know it may sound luxuriously banal, but I have learned that I need that kind of thing (my wife always knew she needed it, wise lady), and without it, our interest in hitting the road diminished. Remember my mobility is somehow limited. I need a cane if I am going to walk more than one block, and get pretty tired. Also, being cold outside reduces my mobility even more, so the loss of the spa made the planned trip lose many rating points!

Thanks for the note on my forum. As every year we spend the period before Christmas with my partner's family in Netherlands and Christmas with mine in Paris, then new year with friends in Paris also.

The lodge you are considering looks great, with stunning views. But it's understandable you want to take it easy.

Sorry to learn about your health issues, hopefully not too serious. A friend also has MS, he's 65 and self-administers a shot every other week, with that he's doing fine except the day following the shot. (Hope you don't mind me mentioning this, but since it's on your profile I thought it's ok.)

Impressed by your profile BTW, when I have more time I'll look in more detail at your games. And sociology is a very interesting topic although my knowledge is limited (read a few Bourdieu books).

My MS treatment consists of a 3-hours infusion every six months. Initially, I was on a self-administered intramuscular shot. I did fine until the day when I hit a blood vessel and the blood spurt (harmless but a bit traumatizing) left me unable to self-apply the shot anymore. Then I was on no treatment for a little while, then a pill, now the infusions. People ask me if the treatment "works" but the truth is that there is no way to tell. Basically, MS is supposed to get worse but the pace of this varies wildly across people. Clinical trials show that all treatments supposedly slow it down, but how to you know for sure if you don't know what your rate of worsening would be without the treatment? After all, the statistics are based on averages, but people vary a lot, and the "best" treatment, statistically speaking, may not be the best for any given individual.

In the meantime, I exercise, I have a good diet, I generally sleep well... most difficult it's to keep stress down, but all those things surely help, just like they help anyone.

As for what specifically means to me, I have a weak right leg (left leg is perfectly fine), so I limp a bit and use a cane when needed. And the fatigue... MS is just tiring. The latter has meant that I now find playing competitive chess very difficult, logistically speaking. I have my schedule and routines that I need to respect, but chess tournaments are grueling.

Thanks for sharing your experience on MS. Apparently it's not easy but you're making the most of it with a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude. My respects and wishes of good health to you.

Demography I saw in your profile, but economics I wasn't aware of. Congrats on the extension of your academics and knowledge.

Bourdieu yes he's a bit popular in France. For memo I mentioned reading his books, not understanding them ;) (When I do, he's really interesting.)