User Profile: Fusilli

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Fusilli
Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Dec-22-25

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 6318 times to chessgames [more...]

   Dec-22-25 Fusilli chessforum

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-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 92 OF 114 · Later Kibitzing>
Jan-04-24		Fusilli: <messiah> Oh, right! Clever. That way the mate is forced, as in a normal puzzle. Now, the original post defines the second problem as <i.e. reconstruct the last two legal moves before the position with the king and bishop.> The last black move for black before the position with the white king on e2 and the white bishop on f1 can only be dxe1=Q+ (what was on e1 doesn't matter). But the previous legal moves (or pair of legal moves) can be many, many different moves. Maybe they just meant what was the one move before the set up position was reached?

Feb-03-24		Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com. I am white. click for larger view Black wins in many ways, except with... 58...Bb3+? 59.Kc1. Now what? 59...Kc3. What else? click for larger view 60.Bc2 click for larger view 60...a2 click for larger view 61.Bb1! click for larger view And white draws. Pretty, isn't it?

Feb-25-24		Fusilli: OK, I'm going to RANT. I'm playing the Music City Open in Nashville, 5 games, FIDE rated. Last night I was paired with a played 600 points below my rating. I was totally won at move 27. Position after 39.Ke2-d2: click for larger view This AHOLE kept playing! Against someone 600 points above him! Up to move 20 or so, he had played really fast. Then when he got worse, he started to think. The last 20 unnecessary moves forced me to stay in FOR ANOTHER HOUR AND A HALF. After 45.Qe5: click for larger view Did he resign here? Noooo! He didn't resign until move 48, SOME FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER: click for larger view He looked at this position for a good THREE to FIVE MINUTES. I went to ask the arbiter if it would be illegal for me to yell "SURPRISE! CHECKMATE!" a move later, but at that point he did resign. I had decided to refuse to shake his hand, but he didn't offer his. So, I got home much later than necessary, and didn't sleep enough. And now in a couple of hours I am playing against a strong player and I am tired. Thank you, AHOLE. Is this a 10 year old, by the way? NO! It's an adult player who knows the rules and chess culture. And someone I never met before, so he didn't have a grudge against me. Just an A**HOLE.

Feb-25-24		moronovich: Definately an A**HOLE ): Sorry on your behalf. I have also encountered a couple of guys like him. A disgrace to the noble game of chess.

Feb-26-24		Fusilli: <moro> Thank you! I think I am going to delete that post (and yours, because it wouldn't make sense). It served its purpose!

Feb-26-24		Fusilli: I played the Music City Open in Nashville over the weekend. FIDE-rated, G90/30s. I won three and lost two. All five games were white wins. I won the three games vs lower rated players and lost the two vs higher rated players. I played five tournaments since 2022. I played seven games against players rated>2200, and SIX of them with the black pieces. I'm sick of this! When will I have the white pieces?

Feb-26-24		OhioChessFan: < And someone I never met before, so he didn't have a grudge against me. > Maybe you have a reputation in Nashville chess circles? <Elvis quickly running away>

Feb-26-24		OhioChessFan: Serious for a second, that is especially bad in a higher level tournament. I have a friend who does that stuff in skittles. I finally quit playing him.

Feb-26-24		Fusilli: <OhioChessFan> <Maybe you have a reputation in Nashville chess circles?> If I do, it's not surprising I wouldn't know it! Seriously, I don't mind if someone keeps moving the pieces for some moves... It takes some time to process defeat. But what I found outrageous is that he started to think when he was lost, and the more lost he was, the more time he wasted. And against someone 600 points above him. The difference between my rating and his is about the same as the difference between Gregory Kaidanov and me. Imagine if I forced Kaidanov to stay in the tournament hall for an extra hour when he has an extra rook. Oh well... Water under the bridge now. In the tournament, I did more or less as expected. At 56, no significant decline is good!

Feb-27-24		saffuna: <Imagine if I forced Kaidanov to stay in the tournament hall for an extra hour when he has an extra rook.> Come on,<fusilli>, who would do that? A J Goldsby vs Tkachiev, 1995

Feb-28-24		Fusilli: <saffuna> That shouldn't have happened. Yet, I insist, what matters the most to me is how much time the hopelessly lost player makes the winning player wait. If Goldsby was blitzing his moves after he got lost, it's rather embarrassing, but if he was taking five minutes per move, making Tkachiev waste an hour, then it'd be plain rude.

Feb-28-24		saffuna: I agree, of course. Even a player rated 600 points higher should have resigned.

Feb-28-24		stone free or die: I like <ounos>' comment: <Well, chess teachers, as also martial arts teachers, must also teach good manners. Chess is not above everything in life, if a student is mislead into that, even for the tiniest fraction of time, you have failed.> A J Goldsby vs Tkachiev, 1995 (kibitz #31) Not everyone has good manners, and some actually pride themselves in their rudeness. What can you do (other than post on <CG>)?!

Mar-10-24		OhioChessFan: Is this guy crazy? <Ex-Vanderbilt QB who threw 17 passes claims Italian mob offered cash to fix SEC football games> https://www.tennessean.com/story/sp...

Mar-10-24		Fusilli: <OCF> Wow. No idea. I'll ask. Besides the wild claim, it sounds so ridiculous to put the Italian mob there. Maybe some guy with an accent messed with him at that bar, with alcohol involved!

Mar-10-24		Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com. I am black. Black to play: click for larger view

Mar-11-24		stone free or die: ...Ra2 looks good to me (Attraction Sacrifice). That open a-file is "juicy", but give some credit to the little pawn on d5 (and c5).

Mar-11-24		stone free or die: I think it a bit interesting to consider this variant: <Black to move> click for larger view where Black can also win without help from the pawns.

Mar-11-24		Fusilli: <stone free> All true. Unfortunately, I ran out of time right there, without playing Ra2+.

Mar-11-24		Fusilli: <stone> wait, in the variant without the points, doesn't white survive with 1... Ra2+ 2.Kb3? 2...Qc2+ 3.Kc4 Ra4+ 4.Kd5 Rd8+ 5.Rd6. Am I missing something?

Mar-11-24		OhioChessFan: 3...Rc8+. Removing the Pawns strengthens the Rook.

Mar-11-24		Fusilli: <OCF> click for larger view You are right. Here, 3...Rc8+ is much better than 3...Ra4+. So is 3...Ra3 and even 3...Raa8. (I ran it by the computer now.) After 3...Ra4+ 4.Kd5 Rd8+ 5.Rd6, white still has advantage, but white may survive. It would have been miraculous for white not to get killed here. The only function of the rook on h6 is to defend the sixth rank. The other rook, queen, and knight are all tied up. It would take at least two moves to liberate them without loss of material.

Mar-11-24		stone free or die: <Fusilli: ... Unfortunately, I ran out of time right there, without playing Ra2+.> Ouch! Oh well, that's blitz.

Mar-17-24		Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com. I am black. Black to play, move 25 click for larger view Easy peasy. And two moves later, black to play: click for larger view Easy peasy again. Sometimes the Benoni pays off... especially if it's blitz and you sac recklessly!

Mar-17-24		OhioChessFan: Wow. That looks like a composition. The first move was easy but it took a little time to see the second.

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