User Profile: Fusilli

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Fusilli
Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Dec-19-25

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 6317 times to chessgames [more...]

   Dec-14-25 Fusilli chessforum

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 ...

   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 96 OF 114 · Later Kibitzing>
Aug-21-24		Fusilli: <OCF> Well, I do know that in your place I would be royally annoyed at myself! As for the position... the king there and without castling rights spells trouble. It seems to me that 10.Bxd5 doesn't work, and if 10.Re1 to threaten it, 10...Kd7 and 11.Nxd5 doesn't work (11...exd5 12.Bg4+ Kc7 13.Bf4+ Bd6.) Does 11.Bxd5 work? 11...exd5 12.Nxd5... too tired to calculate what can happen after that. Even with no sac, I can't imagine that not being very dangerous for black. If the king has to go to d7, I suppose once white plays c4, black is horrible... Even if I am too lazy to look at it tactically. So, I am going to go with +3

Aug-21-24		OhioChessFan: Believe it or not, at 20 plies, only .34! Best supposedly is 10. Ne2 Ke8 11. 0-0 It's astounding that engines can defend such positions when humans instinctively think they're positionally lost. Maybe the eval would sink at higher plies.

Aug-21-24		Fusilli: <OCF> <Believe it or not, at 20 plies, only .34! Best supposedly is 10. Ne2 Ke8 11. 0-0> Wait, white is already castled. The position looks frankly awful, but the computer is telling us it can prevent collapse. As usual, the problem is that in order to do that, black probably has to make amazing moves. From a human point of view, I would prefer to handle black in many +1.34 positions than in this 0.34 one. (I think 20 ply is deep enough for practical purposes.) Did you lose the game?

Aug-21-24		OhioChessFan: Oops, I showed the game after White played 10. 0-0 and I resigned. I tend to resign any finger slips. SF says 10. Ne2 is .35 and 10. 0-0 is .34

Aug-21-24		Fusilli: <Oops, I showed the game after White played 10. 0-0> Good to know, because then I was a lot closer to the computer's evaluation! I just checked the position of the diagram with white to play (again), and the computer says +2.35 after Re1 (then Kd7, Nxd5 exd5, c4) or the different order 11.Nxd5+ exd5, Re1+ Kd7, c4. When I ask for more depth, the advantage increases to over 3 at 30 ply. Phew! Apparently, resign is the ?? move, not Ke7!

Aug-21-24		Fusilli: Incidentally, you had comfortably equalized by move 10. If it was a Caro Kann, it strikes me as inconsistent for white to play exd5 once the knight was committed to c3. Admittedly, I don't know much about the Caro, but it looks like if you play Nc3 you are planning to keep the tension in the center going.

Aug-21-24		OhioChessFan: Yes, it was 2. Nc3 followed by 3. exd5 which leaves Black with no problems. 9...h6 is pretty standard there but Be7 is fine. Ke7 isn't quite as good.

Sep-01-24		Fusilli: My chess formation (with no long-term good coach) was decidedly uneven, unsystematic, and chaotic. As a result, I ended up being a pretty good player in some positions and themes, but I lack knowledge AND instinct (knowledge gives you good instincts, I’d say) in some others. That's why I am tremendously enjoying a video training series on chess.com by Johan Hellsten. It’s called <Every pawn structure explained>. Each pawn structure has a 20-minute video where the GM explains the main ideas for each side, then gives you examples of a <dream position> for each side, and then illustrates with model games for each side. Then there is a challenge section where you go through five puzzles. Not single-move puzzles, but move + ideas puzzles that take a few moves each. Sometimes you win, sometimes you simply make the good positional moves to obtain an advantage. I am learning new things even in positions <I thought> I knew well! If you are not on chess.com yet, I can’t recommend it strongly enough. I used to be on icc, and eventually I dropped it for chess.com. I just need to avoid wasting too much time playing frivolous blitz and use its wealth of resources for training and enjoying the game instead. My next post shows an example. (If you are on chess.com, or join it, I am <RealFusilli> there. <Fusilli> was taken! Send me a friend request, but tell me you know me from here or I’ll ignore it.)

Sep-01-24		Fusilli: From the video training series on chess.com by Johan Hellsten, <Every pawn structure explained>. This is from Abdusattorov v Postny, 2016 (not in this database). White to play. click for larger view This is the Carlsbad structure. Who hasn’t played it! It can arise from queen’s pawn games, where white ends up with the e3 and d4 pawns and black with the c6 and d5 pawns, and white goes for the minority attack (while black looks for active play on the kingside) or it can arise from other openings where the structure is reversed (e.g., the Colle or the London). That’s the case here, where black is trying to set up a minority attack. The question is: White to move. Should you try to stop the minority attack? Should you ignore it? What should white play? Any takers?

Sep-03-24		Fusilli: In the position on my last post, the game continued: 1.b4 a5 2.a3 axb4 3.axb4 Rfc8 3.Nb3 and the knight went to c5, with a big advantage for white.

Sep-11-24		Fusilli: MIRACULOUS SAVE! Blitz on chess.com. I am white. click for larger view 48…Kg2 is the winning move, then 49.c7 Rc5 and the white pawn eventually falls. Notice that if 50.Rc4, Rxc4 51.Kxc4 h1=Q and if white promotes, Qc1+ is curtains. My opponent played 48…Kg1 49.c7 and now it's a draw! click for larger view The key is that if now 49…Rc5 50.Rc4 draws! The black king has obstructed its queen and there is no Qc1+. Furthermore, there is no Rxc7 either, since white will have Rc1+ draw (after black promotes) The game continued 49…Rg8 50.Rg4+ (well known and essential trick here--without it there is no draw) click for larger view 50…Rxg4 51.c8=Q Rg3+ (h1=Q also ends in perpetual) 52.Ke2 h1=Q click for larger view 53.Qc5+ (53.Qc1+ also draws) Kh2 54.Qh5+ Rh3 55.Qe5+ Rg3 56. Qh5+ Kg2 57. Qd5+ Kg1 click for larger view 58. Qd4+ (or Qc5+ but never Qd1+) Kh2 59. Qh4+ Kg2 60. Qe4+ Kg1 61. Qd4+ Kh2 62. Qh4+ Rh3 63. Qf4+ Rg3 64. Qh4+ 1/2-1/2

Sep-16-24		Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com. I am black. Black to play:15...? click for larger view

Sep-17-24		OhioChessFan: <This is the Carlsbad structure> Haven't popped in for a while. White definitely wants to set up a Knight on c5 via b3. I think b4 immediately and if Black challenges with a5, then a3. Seems like Lasker analyzed a similar position in one of his books.

Sep-17-24		OhioChessFan: <This is the Carlsbad structure> Okay, I see you gave the line. The important feature is White's Knights just dominate Black's LSB. I'll have a look at the other positions soon.

Sep-17-24		Fusilli: <OCF> Good to see you back! I'm in class right now. Group discussion among the students means a little break for me.

Sep-19-24		Fusilli: OK, in the last diagram I posted (no time to type it again): ...Qxd3! And black is chairman of the board.

Sep-19-24		OhioChessFan: Ouch. Seems so simple after reading the solution.

Sep-19-24		Fusilli: <OCF> Before my opponent played Qb3, I was pondering what to do against it. It does look like a natural move in that kind of position, and the kind of quick move you look at in blitz. Only after Qb3 happen did I notice Qxd3, and not at all instantly! The white position does fall apart. Taking the b7 after the bishop trade (which he did) is risky (and he found out).

Sep-20-24		Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com during work break. I am black. White just played 20.Qf4-e5. It threatens the h8-rook. Black to play. The question is, does 20...Bxf2+ win? click for larger view

Sep-22-24		OhioChessFan: I'm about to cry. Blitz game, could have been the highlight of my chess career. click for larger view One of those bizarre positions you'd swear was a composition. I'm Black, 3/2, almost on increments, and have checked Qh4/e7/h4/e7. White decides to ignore the implied draw offer and try for the win and plays Kg8. click for larger view I continue with Qe8+. What did I miss? :: Wailing and lamentations ::

Sep-22-24		OhioChessFan: Per your game, Bxf2+ followed by Bd4 is winning.

Sep-23-24		Fusilli: <I continue with Qe8+. What did I miss?> You missed your opponent's very fancy suicide! Ouch :(

Sep-23-24		Fusilli: <Per your game, Bxf2+ followed by Bd4 is winning.> Exactly.

Sep-24-24		Fusilli: Email I received from a Vanderbilt office in response to an inquiry: "That’s just a default setting it does mean anything all rides are by vehicle you don’t have to worry about it" That is LITERALLY the response I received. No, I did not omit the period at the end of the sentence. Not even that period was there. A run-on sentence four times over. THIS is an elite university. Or so they call us. Oh, the irony...

Sep-27-24		Fusilli: Flashback to twenty years ago: C Locke vs M Sana, 2004 25...? click for larger view Pretty, even if it has two equivalent solutions. Either sac wins.

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