Fusilli Member since Aug-09-04 · Last seen Dec-18-25 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 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>!

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My Facerook Wall

< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 98 OF 114 ·  Later Kibitzing> Nov-09-24    Rdb: Ok, I got this problem now. Yes , <teyss> is right , wednesday- Thursday level . Took me a lot of time because I am not a strong player . . Nov-09-24    Rdb: I kept thinking for a long time - if one of the black knights could be moved , it would be mate . Finally , I gave up and looked for some other way and all of a sudden it came to me . Nov-10-24    Fusilli: <Rdb> <Teyss> <keypusher> Yes! I think what happens is that it's not so difficult to see the themes--that there is potential for Qxh7+, for Nxf7+, and for Ng6+, but it's not so easy to see the right order of things. I am generally no fan of puzzles where you know there is a winning sequence (because in real life nobody tells you that!) but the challenge of finding the right order of moves does resemble common situations on the board. Nov-10-24    areknames: <Fusilli> Hi mate, thanks for this. It's relatively simple, yet also for me it took an eternity, maybe my brain is atrophying from spending too much time on Rogoff;). Thanks <keypusher>, I have good days and bad days but I'm still standing and hopefully, with God's help, I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Nov-10-24    OhioChessFan: After looking at the puzzle, I wonder if I've missed that in games I've played. I'm guessing yes. Nov-10-24    Rdb: <areknames> <Thanks <keypusher>, I have good days and bad days but I'm still standing and hopefully, with God's help, I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.> Wish you all the best , <areknames>. . Nov-11-24    Fusilli: <areknames ... I have good days and bad days but I'm still standing and hopefully, with God's help, I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.> Cheers to that! <OCF> I think many of us are better at building the setup (putting the pieces in good squares, playing with attack themes) than execution. I surely am. Nov-11-24    Fusilli: Blitz on chess.com. I am black. click for larger view 20...Ba4! Nice, isn't it? It can be taken with three pieces! 21.Rxa4 Qg4+ click for larger view And here white had to play 22.Kf2 Nxe4+ 23.Ke1 and white survives, although black has compensation. White played 22.Kh2? Qxh4+ 23.Nh3 Ng4+ 24.Kg1 Qg3 0-1 click for larger view Nov-11-24    Rdb: <<areknames ... I have good days and bad days> <areknames> , what happens to you on your bad days , if you do not mind sharing ? . Nov-12-24    areknames: <Rdb> Yesterday was one of the bad days, I passed out on my chair and my wife couldn't rouse me. Next thing I know there are 4 paramedics and 2 firemen in the room. I was rushed to hospital for the 4th time this year where I currently am. One of my multiple conditions is heart failure which I thought was being managed ok with medications. I apologise to <Fusilli>, this forum should not be about my health or lack thereof, we all come here because we love chess and we like and respect our host so I promise not go on about such matters in the future. I just felt I owed <Rdb> a reply and am reluctant to post stuff like this on Rogoff as you never know if one the lunatics on there will post something nasty, which I'm really not up to reading at the moment. Nov-12-24    stone free or die: Sorry to hear <ak>. (Glad I can provide the occasional distraction for you over on <Rogoff>!) Nov-12-24    Fusilli: <areknames> Of course you are welcome to share this here! Remember what we see under the chessgames.com logo: "Online chess database and community." This is the community part. I'm glad you have a wife next to you to support you. Do you have children? And where are you, by the way? Nov-12-24    Rdb: <areknames: <Rdb> Yesterday was one of the bad days, I passed out on my chair and my wife couldn't rouse me. Next thing I know there are 4 paramedics and 2 firemen in the room. I was rushed to hospital for the 4th time this year where I currently am. One of my multiple conditions is heart failure which I thought was being managed ok with medications> My heartiest wishes to you <areknames> . Nov-12-24    Rdb: Part 2 <areknames > <i just felt I owed <Rdb> a reply and am reluctant to post stuff like this on Rogoff as you never know if one the lunatics on there will post something nasty, which I'm really not up to reading at the moment.> Yes , lunatics may post something nasty at rogoff even in the situation where sensitivity, kindness , compassion/empathy/humanity is called for . Once again , my heartiest wishes to you , <areknames> Nov-12-24    Rdb: <Fusilli: <areknames> Of course you are welcome to share this here! Remember what we see under the chessgames.com logo: "Online chess database and community." This is the community part. I'm glad > A heartwarming post from <fusilli>. Respect . Nov-12-24    areknames: Thanks <Fusilli>, yes I am truly blessed to have my wife and (step) kids and grand kids whom I love like they were my own, not to forget my elderly cat, of course! I live in Australia. And <sfod>, Rogoff can be fun although the constant bickering and foul language is getting old. I will be generous and say that most of us there, including sometimes myself, fall victim of the dreaded keyboard warrior syndrome, it just seems impossible to conduct an honest yet robust debate there without gratuitous insults ;) Nov-12-24    areknames: <Rdb> Thanks for your well wishes mate. Nov-13-24    Fusilli: <Rogoff can be fun although the constant bickering and foul language is getting old.> My personal policy is that now and then I take a quick look to see what people are talking about, and most of the time I quit quickly. Once in an even rarer while, I post something, but then I go away and often I don't come back to read if anyone responded! (Sorry to those who may have tried to engage civilly with a post of mine but I stood them up!) Mostly a strategy to protect my time. I don't really want to get sucked into the Rogoff vortex. Nov-13-24    Fusilli: <areknames> <I am truly blessed to have my wife and (step) kids and grand kids whom I love like they were my own, not to forget my elderly cat, of course!> Glad to read that! I had an elderly cat of my own. He lived 19 years and died in 2021. He was a wonderful companion and I still miss him dearly. His name was... Fusilli! (Inspired by this cartoon: https://condenaststore.com/featured...) Nov-13-24    Rdb: <areknames> <Rogoff can be fun although the constant bickering and foul language is getting old> True. <areknames> < <Rdb> Thanks for your well wishes mate> You welcome , <areknames> . and my wishes for you are indeed sincerest - I really , really wish that your bad days disappear...regards Nov-13-24    stone free or die: <<Fusilli> (Inspired by this cartoon: https://condenaststore.com/featured...)> Ah! Learn something new everyday! * * * * * <ak> I understand your feelings about <Rogoff>. I've always viewed you as someone who prefers discussion over insults - fwiw. Keep well, and speedy recovery. Nov-13-24    areknames: Thanks <z>, it's mutual re: the discussion part and thanks for the well wishes. Nov-13-24    moronovich: Best wishes for your health <areknames> ! Your appearence here at CG, has improved the site. Nov-13-24    Fusilli: I think <areknames> and others may need a little puzzle for healthy distraction, so here it is. White to play: click for larger view From O Bernstein vs Kotov, 1946. Nov-13-24    stone free or die: Double clearance. Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 114) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 98 OF 114 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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