Fusilli Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Jan-23-26 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 6342 times to chessgames   [more...]

Jan-22-26 G Oparin vs A Goganov, 2017    Fusilli: Good one, <OCF>. And good game too.      Jan-12-26 Fusilli chessforum   Fusilli: <arek> Good to see you around here, my friend, though those are distressing news I'm sorry to hear. I have now recovered, I am back in the classroom, life has returned to normal. I still have a minor lingering cough, which I hope gets tired of me and leaves me soon. Cheers.      Jan-10-26 Sax vs Karpov, 1989    Fusilli: <perfidious> Well, that merits some discussion. For a while, white has been preferring d3 in move 5 or 6, but if white chooses the traditional closed set up, and doesn't go for 8.a4, the Breyer continues to be black's top preference on move 9. (I play it frequently in blitz ...      Jan-09-26 Kasparov vs Nunn, 1989    Fusilli: <Check It Out: I also assumed Nunn would be saved by something but if the kibitzing here is to be believed, it's Kasparov who was fortunate to make a draw.> My reaction too, though without reading any kibitzing first. I played through the game and got the feeling that Kasparov      Jan-04-26 NN vs G Chandler, 1995   Fusilli: Or Ke7 instead of Nxc1, right? I'm happy to see Ke7 and not O-O, btw. Reminds me of the famous Ed Lasker vs G Thomas, 1912 , where many folks claim that O-O-O# would have been "cool" by comparison to the "boring" Kd2#, which Lasker played. Nonsense. The king doesn't need to rush to      Jan-03-26 chessgames.com chessforum    Fusilli: Suggestion: Can the Russian Championship Superfinal (2005) , which he won, be added to the list of Sergei Rublevsky notable tournaments?      Jan-02-26 Petrosian vs Unzicker, 1960   Fusilli: That king relocation is epic. No reason to rush g4!      Jan-02-26 Biographer Bistro    Fusilli: Can Russian Championship Superfinal (2005) , which he won, be added to the list of Sergei Rublevsky notable tournaments?      Jan-01-26 Portisch vs I Radulov, 1974    Fusilli: This is absolutely mind-boggling.      Jan-01-26 A Isanzhulov vs Ivanchuk, 2025   Fusilli: Poor Ivanchuk.

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My Facerook Wall

< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 114 OF 114 ·  Later Kibitzing> 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. Dec-10-25    Fusilli: Oh, I see now it was made a movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3864056/ Maybe I'll resume reading over the break and see how it goes. And if I like it, I'll watch the movie. <Spoiler alert> But since it happens early on, it won't ruin the whole thing for you. The big event is a bomb that goes off at the Met in NYC (the museum, not the opera house). Then we spend pages on the struggle of the main character to get out of there. The author describes the mayhem in excruciating detail, as the character stumbles from gallery to gallery, and then inner hallways and storage rooms, trying to find his way out. In the process, he does something really important that sets up the rest of the book, but I found the description of the place, the struggle getting out (smoke, smells, debris, alarm), the dead and wounded, and the character's psychological state overwhelming. Dec-12-25    Fusilli: Just played a Guess the move Spassky vs Keres, 1957. YOU ARE PLAYING THE ROLE OF SPASSKY. Your score: 94 (par = 80) I devoted 10 minutes or so to it. Nice game. This is the game: Spassky vs Keres, 1957 Dec-14-25    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 before, so they got their revenge. Lesson for next time: TAKE BYES! Dec-21-25    OhioChessFan: I feel tired just reading about four 45 minute games in a day. Dec-22-25    Fusilli: <OCF> Right? In other news, I'm in bed with the flu. First my wife caught it, now me. I took care of her until lunch today. Then she began to feel better and I went down quickly. So, now she is the caretaker. Dec-24-25    moronovich: Merry Christmas and all the best wishes for the New Year <Fusilli> ! Dec-25-25    OhioChessFan: Merry Christmas. Good health and cheerful spirits for the New Year. Dec-27-25    Penguincw: Happy holidays, <Fusilli>. Jan-01-26    Fusilli: Did nicely in this Guess the Move: WE ARE NOW FOLLOWING Szabo vs Petrosian, 1953. YOU ARE PLAYING THE ROLE OF PETROSIAN. Your score: 87 (par = 55) Szabo vs Petrosian, 1953 Jan-04-26    Fusilli: So, I was playing a blitz game, and on move 14 my opponent started to think heavily. The clock kept ticking, and I concluded that he had left or something. Then the clock finally ran out and I read "Black won." I was white. <sigh> Jan-05-26    Teyss: Hi Mariano, Muy feliz año nuevo, very happy new year to you and your loved ones. Best wishes of health especially, hope all is well. I always enjoy reading your posts. Jan-05-26    Fusilli: Likewise, <Teyss>! I had a less than ideal holiday break, catching the flu the week before Christmas. I am mostly recovered, though still coughing a bit and getting tired easily. Tomorrow I am going back to the Petri dish (I mean, the classroom), so I just got the covid shot. I am definitely not ready to resume teaching. I hope your holiday season was much more enjoyable than mine! Jan-11-26    areknames: I hope your recovery is proceeding well, <Fusilli>. I have really been struggling healthwise myself lately and I haven't been contributing to your forum or the site in general as often as I should. Must do better! We are just exiting a punishing heat wave here, with devastating bushfires and livestock and homes lost, some very close to where I live. One saving grace is that the loss of human life has been small but it's nonetheless a disaster. Some people have lost absolutely <everything>. Jan-12-26    Fusilli: <arek> Good to see you around here, my friend, though those are distressing news I'm sorry to hear. I have now recovered, I am back in the classroom, life has returned to normal. I still have a minor lingering cough, which I hope gets tired of me and leaves me soon. Cheers. Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 114) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 114 OF 114 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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