Fusilli Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Dec-10-25 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.)

Fusilli has kibitzed 6312 times to chessgames   [more...]

Dec-10-25 Fusilli chessforum    Fusilli: <OCF> In other news, have you read Donna Tartt's <The Goldfinch>? I started it and put it on hold after the big event (I don't want to spoil it for you, or anyone reading) that happens early on in the book. I got it because a friend recommended it, and I am not sure if I      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>!      Dec-05-25 London Chess Classic (2025)    Fusilli: <keypusher> Check the email I sent you on 11/23, please.      Nov-30-25 F Baumbach vs Y Sakharov, 1977   Fusilli: Black seems to have had trouble managing his queen here. 3...Qe7 looks like an odd choice. The queen is misplaced in the KID scheme that followed, to the point that black eventually sends her back to d8. Later, 15...Qc7 misplaces the queen again. (The computer says 15...b5 gives ...

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 114 OF 114 ·  Later Kibitzing> Nov-30-25    OhioChessFan: From a recent game. Black has just played Rd8. What should White do? click for larger view Spoiler: I got it wrong. Nov-30-25    OhioChessFan: By the way, big win for Vanderbilt today. Nov-30-25    Fusilli: Fun fact guys: It's Sam Loyd, not Lloyd. I had to take a second look myself. <OCF> That's tricky! White wants to take the rook and play h7, but doing that right away would blunder the rook (Qa5+ and Qxd8). (And FWIW, black would also have Qb1+ and Qxh7 if he doesn't see the rook blunder.) So... 1.Rxd8 a1=Q 2.Rb8+! Kf6 (I don't think where the king goes matters) 3.h7 and the only check is 3...Qa5+ and after 4.Kg4 there are no more checks, 1-0. True about Vanderbilt! Nov-30-25    Fusilli: <OCF> And yes about the Loyd puzzle. The fact that white must lose not one but two tempos in the Kc2-Kc1 variation is stunning. For the record, here's the whole solution: click for larger view 1.Nf5 Kf1 2.Ne3+ Ke1 3.Kc2 f2 4.Kc1 f1=anything 5.Nc2 mate 1.Nf5 e3 2.Nxe3 f2 3.Nf4 f1=anything 4.Nd3 mate 1.Nf5 f2 2.Ne3 f1=anything 3.Nc2 mate Nov-30-25    OhioChessFan: <1.Rxd8 a1=Q 2.Rb8+! Kf6 (I don't think where the king goes matters) 3.h7 and the only check is 3...Qa5+ and after 4.Kg4 there are no more checks, 1-0.> Well done, although your second move for Black is something of a typo. But the move doesn't matter. Rb8+ is the key that I missed. Qa1/b2+ stops the h Pawn, so White has to defend b2. I took the a2 Pawn which drew. 1. Rxa2+ Kxa2 2. h7 Kb3 3. Kg6 Kc4 4. f5 Kd5 5. f6 Ke6 6. Kg7 1/2 click for larger view Nov-30-25    areknames: Very elegant solution and yes, typical Lloyd. It was very instructive to follow the guy's thought process in the video. Nov-30-25    areknames: For some reason I was always convinced it was Lloyd. I stand corrected. Dec-01-25    Fusilli: <For some reason I was always convinced it was Lloyd> Well, so was I, and I think <OCF> too, the reason being that such name is usually spelled Lloyd. In fact, I think Sam Loyd is the only Loyd I've ever seen. Dec-06-25    OhioChessFan: White to mate in two: click for larger view Dec-07-25    Fusilli: <OCF> Whaaaa...? I can't even see mate in 3 right now! Dec-07-25    Fusilli: Oooh... I see it now! Dec-07-25    stone free or die: <OCF> are you sure it's a M2? I think the rook to 2nd rank and over to allow White king to hide behind takes 3 moves. (I checked with engine and it doesn't see M2 either, so at least I have company) Dec-07-25    Fusilli: <stone> it is correct. The engine omitted something. What do you think it could be? In other words, if you were programming the engine, what would you think the engine would need, as input? Dec-08-25    stone free or die: Castling?!? Dec-08-25    stone free or die: (So easy with the hint!) Dec-08-25    Fusilli: <stone> It's more of a prank than a puzzle! When I use an engine, it's generally the one on chess.com. I know that if I set up a position, there is a box to click if O-O is available. Actually, four buttons, for each side and each type of castle. Dec-08-25    stone free or die: <Fusilli> there's a flaw in CG's position diagrams - they sluff off the extra bits of a FEN where such info is stored (chess.com might be missing the 50-move count, and ep file). I guess the problem is a bit of a prank - but a good and revealing one. What's that old adage about moving the "right" rook? . Dec-08-25    OhioChessFan: Laughing uncontrollably.... Dec-08-25    OhioChessFan: I sent that when the last post I saw was "<OCF> Whaaaa...? I can't even see mate in 3 right now!" Glad to see you figured it out. Dec-09-25    Fusilli: <stone> Do you mean this quote, usually attributed to Oscar Panno? <Whenever you have to make a rook move and both rooks are available, you should evaluate which rook to move and, once you have made up your mind... move the other one!> Dec-09-25    Fusilli: If y'all are in the mood for a really, really tough puzzle (a mate in 3) check out my post on Murray Marble The post also has the link to the solution for when you give up! Dec-10-25    OhioChessFan: I did give up. 1. Bc3 was really enticing. Dec-10-25    Fusilli: <OCF> True. But even if you get the right start, Qe1+ was mind blowing. I didn't get it. Since I found it on a video that claimed it was the hardest mate in 3 ever, I gave up relatively quickly, even if that was in all likelihood a most dubious claim. Dec-10-25    Fusilli: <OCF> In other news, have you read Donna Tartt's <The Goldfinch>? I started it and put it on hold after the big event (I don't want to spoil it for you, or anyone reading) that happens early on in the book. I got it because a friend recommended it, and I am not sure if I want to keep reading it. My problem is not with the nature of the big event. (It's truly shattering and upsetting.) It is with the feeling I got of a writer showing off, going on and on about descriptive details. It struck me as, "look how good I am at imagining all this!" Or an attempt at fishing for a movie. That part has a movie-like feeling, like a camera navigating the situation slowly. It annoyed me because until then, the book did not feel like that at all to me. So, if I am going to keep reading it, I need to let this feeling go. I don't want to know what happens, but if you have read it and have an assessment, I'd appreciate it. I generally try not to invest time in reading a fiction book if I am unlikely to finish it feeling that it was worth reading. (Nonfiction is different... I have to read a lot given the nature of my work.) My approach has led me to give up on very famous books (e.g., For Whom the Bells Toll), and stick to others, no matter how long (e.g., Anna Karenina, which I am likely to read again at some point.) Of course, fiction is very personal. So, there's no guarantee that anyone's advice will really help me, but I thought I'd ask. Dec-10-25    OhioChessFan: <It is with the feeling I got of a writer showing off, going on and on about descriptive details. It struck me as, "look how good I am at imagining all this!" > Yeah, I immediately think of Louis L'Amour. I had friends recommend him. I quickly grew tired of painfully long and repetitive descriptions of the sunrise, sunset, mountains, desert. I haven't read The Goldfinch. I agree with giving up on books. Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 114) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 114 OF 114 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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