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Fusilli
Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Oct-07-25
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.

Chessgames.com Full Member

   Fusilli has kibitzed 6255 times to chessgames   [more...]
   Oct-07-25 Hikaru Nakamura (replies)
 
Fusilli: Back in the day, I would sometimes resign by picking up my king and placing it in front of my opponent. And one day I read that a GM (I think Sosonko) did the same thing, while saying, "here's, it's yours." So, sure, one for the crowd, why not.
 
   Sep-15-25 L Mendonca vs M Yilmaz, 2024 (replies)
 
Fusilli: <perfidious> <There have been POTDs presented by <cg> which have featured positions which were analogous to practical games rather than guess the move> Not sure I follow. To me, Guess-the-Move games do reflect practical play, since you have to make every move, ...
 
   Sep-12-25 Leon Mendonca
 
Fusilli: Mendonca, no doubt originally spelled with a c-cedilla instead of a c, is a Portuguese surname, a reminder that Portugal colonized parts of India since as early as the 16th century.
 
   Sep-12-25 A Mittal vs Y K Erdogmus, 2025 (replies)
 
Fusilli: <FSR: Insane! The kid is a genius! I say he's a future world champion.> I share your enthusiasm but not your evaluation. The combination is absolutely beautiful but not hard to see for a strong player. It's a straight set of forced moves. I think it would be a Friday puzzle ...
 
   Sep-10-25 Fusilli chessforum (replies)
 
Fusilli: <OCF> I'm kind of proud of myself I got it. The word puzzle was apt! Where did you source it from?
 
   Sep-07-25 Karpov vs K Rogoff, 1971
 
Fusilli: Vintage Karpov gives a lesson on superior positional play. Every piece going to the right square at the right time. Or pretty close to that.
 
   Sep-07-25 S Marangunic vs K Rogoff, 1971 (replies)
 
Fusilli: <FTB> OK, here we go. I thought 16.Bxf6 was dubious. Why give up the bishop pair in a fairly open position? 16.Ne3 looks better to me. I was wondering what could be wrong with 23.Nb5. It turns out that after 23...Bf8 24.Rxd7 Rxd7 25.Nxa7 meets ...Bc5 followed by ...Rd2, which ...
 
   Sep-07-25 Fridrik Olafsson (replies)
 
Fusilli: <perf> oh, right, I see
 
   Sep-06-25 Peter Enders (replies)
 
Fusilli: <He died on his birthday :( > Very sad. It reminded me of this demographic research article I saw decades ago: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/143... Abstract: <This study of deaths from natural causes examined adult mortality around the birthday for two samples, ...
 
   Sep-03-25 So vs D Gukesh, 2025
 
Fusilli: <beatgiant> Because I didn't see it? Or I like complicating things, especially my life? Who knows!
 
(replies) indicates a reply to the comment.

My Facerook Wall

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 38 OF 112 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Oct-16-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <EA> That is a nasty, nasty carpet!
Oct-17-12  Expendable Asset: <Fusilli> ""History is a lie agreed upon." ---- Napoleon
Nov-08-12  morfishine: Hi <Fusilli>! Glad you liked that Tal game! I've become more interested in Tal over the past 6 months or so; For some reason, he's one I never was interested in studying. What a mistake that has been, and what a really fine gentleman he was too.

Hey, if you come across any noteworthy games, feel free to drop them off at my forum. My game collection is primarily of striking games like this Tal Game.

For example, check out this game: The double knight sac is shocking: Stanishevsky vs Nikonov, 1981

Or this wild game: A Riazantsev vs V Nevostrujev, 2002

Later, Morf

Nov-09-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: Hey <morf>, thanks for stopping by!

Overly busy right now, but I will look at those games this weekend. Thanks for referring me to them.

Tal was just formidable. His best games are visually stunning. He is the player of the day today!

Nov-11-12  morfishine: Hi <Fusilli>! I knew you'd love that game! Apparently, Riazantsev has a knack for these type of games
Nov-11-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <morf> But Riazantsev was on the losing side... do you mean that he has lost other games like this?
Nov-12-12  morfishine: Oops <Fusilli> In my haste, I got it backwards :)
Nov-18-12  brankat: <Fusilli>

<He is the player of the day today!>

And of every other day, too :-)

Hi Mariano! How have You been?

Nov-19-12  brankat: <Fusilli> Hi again! Thanks for visiting my place.

I've been mostly all right. Besides, it usually doesn't help to complain. As some say: "Patience, and shuffle the cards." :-)

<..on sabbatical, working at the University of Colorado. Trying to wrap up a couple of papers before my sabbatical runs out.>

You work while on a sabbatical? Well then, what do You do when You work? Rest? :-) Your students probably don't realize just how lucky they are :-)

Nov-19-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <brankat> lol... Contrary to popular assumptions, sabbaticals are not supposed to be vacations, but a period of intensive research and scholarship, so that professors can stay up to date, explore new research directions, and altogether be productive.

Of course, it does happen that many give up on research once they have had tenure for a number of years. I do not object to this when they compensate for it by being extragood at teaching, university and community service, administration, etc. (Remember academia is a self-managed institution, so a good number of us have sometimes heavy administrative responsibilities.)

In recent years universities have been moving towards being stricter with sabbaticals. In most places they are not conferred automatically anymore. One has to show a research plan and turn in a performance evaluation after coming back. Vanderbilt explicitly expects those going on sabbatical to make an effort to get external funding. Those who have ostensibly given up on research are not likely to get a sabbatical.

Nov-19-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: By the way, I think the term "sabbatical" is falling out of favor too. I am "on research leave"... that's the way they put it. I think it is better than "sabbatical". It makes it explicit that I am supposed to be doing research... apart from kibbitzing on cg.com, that is. ;)
Nov-19-12  brankat: <Fusilli> Yes, "Research leave" is a more precise term, while "sabbatical" does indeed have "vacations" connotations.

Actually, that was the very first thing that occurred to me when I read Your post. He's on his vacations, I thought, and yet...must be a workaholic :-)

As for the kibitzing, I've always felt that this site is a great place to do various kinds of researches: Psychology, Sociology, History, Economics. Even Chess :-)

Some five years ago a friend (a member of CG.com) started his university schooling and opted for Psychology. I suggested (half-jokingly) to invest 4 years in heavy-duty kibitzing at CG, rather than "wasting" time and money on formal academic pursuits :-)

Lately, he's been working on his master's thesis. Took quite a while to choose a topic. They all resembled a minefield :-)

So, then again, I suggested CG as an inspiration, something like: "The Psychology of the ChessBookie game player", or "The Psyche of the CG Troll" :-)

But, I don't think he listened :-)

Nov-19-12  dakgootje: Sounds like a marvelous fellow!
Nov-19-12  brankat: <dakgootje> Yes, he is a marvelous fellow! It's too bad I'm not at liberty to reveal the Identity.
Nov-19-12  hms123: <brankat>

<Fusilli> is correct. Vanderbilt has never had an a sabbatical policy. It is considered and officially termed a <paid leave>. It is not automatic. Some people never get them. Others get them quite often. The leading edge is research.

Nov-19-12  brankat: <hms123> Thanks, But then, the friend I mentioned in the previous post, must have been on a 5-year-research leave. So Lucky!

Btw: <...had an a sabbatical..:>? ;-)

Nov-19-12  hms123: <brankat> I sometimes type faster than I think.
Nov-19-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <hms123> <Some people never get them. Others get them quite often.>

I can understand why some might never get them, but what do you mean that others get them quite often? I thought a paid research leave comes up every X years (is it six?) A different thing is to buy out your teaching with money from research grants so that you can use your time for that grant's research (I have done that, but you still have to fulfill service and administrative responsibilities... you are only exempted from teaching).

And another animal is when you get an extra leave in your contract as an extra perk when two universities are fighting for you... which was my luck three years ago. :)

Nov-20-12  brankat: Yes, You have to be Good to be Lucky :-)

I think even Capablanca stated something like that.

Nov-23-12  waustad: <<waustad> Here's an operatic question for you. What does Lucia di Lammermoor die of? An attack of madness is not a valid cause of death! :)>Probably the same thing as Isolde and so many others in that era died of. Grief? Brunhilde had the flames, but the 19th century had a thing for such things. I would expect that some stagings include suicide by knife. I'm trying to remember if the Met production explicitly does that, but the detail escapes me. It may be as up in the air as the end of Die Todte Stadt.
Nov-23-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <waustad> Well, yes, but if the regisseur puts a knife in Lucia's hand when it wasn't in the original script, it's kind of cheating, isn't it? Although I can see that suicide is a perfectly believable alternative, even an improvement...?

I'd say she suffered cardiac arrest provoked by off-the-charts stress.

Don't you love opera deaths? :)

Nov-24-12  hms123: <fusilli>

One of the anthro big shots used to get a leave every other year. Private universities play by their own rules.

Nov-24-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <H> That's good to know! But my likelihood of becoming a big shot is, sadly, so low...
Dec-02-12  waustad: Thanks for the input. I've toyed with the idea of getting involved in scholastic chess myself by doing some chess at the middle school here. I used to help out with a chess club for 5th-6th graders years ago, but they weren't in USCF.
Dec-02-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: <Sabbatical> Something of a misnomer, perhaps. The first time I came across this it was referred to as <study leave> IMO the most apt term.

BTW I like your operatic leanings

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