Unfortunately the margin is too marginal for me to properly express my solidarity with the marginalised."

Che de Fermat

Meanwhile, <Down at the Old Ding-an-sich>, the Problemo awaits. As they do. I don't think this one is just going to disappear of its own accord, Tonto.

<Vague general vacuities>: underpromotion to a Bishop is the rarest kind. In orthodox problems and a tiny number of games, it occurs when a Queen leads to stalemate and a Rook also fails.

But here -- as a preset condition -- it's like adding an extra axiom to Euclidean Geometry ("The Ground-Laying of Earth-Measure") or squeezing a new force into the Laws of Nature.

<Nature and Nature's Laws lay hid in Knight/ God said 'Let Newton Be' and all was Light
But <mack>, like Satan, could not be Appeased/ He made a Law for Bishops, as he Pleased.>

[PS: any scholars of proverbial truisms around? I'm just curious about the phrase "Pride goeth before a fall" -- does it mean (a) Pride *goes* (as in departs, leaves, takes off, exits, splits, is out of there) before its Hubris inevitably gets clobbered by Nemesis? Or (b) does it just mean, more plainly and a bit banally, that Pride goes along, proceeds at the head of the line, and then trips on its arse?]

<Frogspawn> -- Bamboozling Banausic Bampots Since 1755.

Only found one, myself -- "ans". Does this mean t'other is hidden?

Those "moping swans", repeated... should they be <mopping> swans, or <loping> swans, or moping <swains>...?

Does "possible promotions" here refer only to those on 1.f7-f8, ie <1.f8 = Q/R/B/N> ... or do we also have to cover all 16 permutations such as <1.f8(R) Ka8 2.g8(B) Kb8 etc?

I say 16 permutations, as there are 16 combinations of f- and g-pawn promotions (BB, BN, BQ, BR, NB, NN, NQ, NR, RB, RN, RQ, RR, QB, QN, QQ, QR ... okay?) -- and logic might seem to exclude those nine that don't actually include a Bishop (ie, NN, NQ, NR, RN, RQ, RR, QN, QQ, QR), leaving us with just 7 possibilities (BB, BN, BR, BQ, QB, RB, NB) -- but what about the a- and b-pawns? Do they get to play too? Is there a line starting 1.f8(N) Ka8 2.g8(N) Kb8 3.a6 ... where one of the ab pawns turns into a Bishop and delivers mate?

And I'm not going to calculate how many options that makes, although I do have a good idea how to go about it.

Speaking of which, I just heard a political reporter (from the famously arts-educated and innumerate media) on the radio, talking about "permerations" (he said it three times, so it must be true). He also referred to "complicated equations" and said "there are twenty, sorry, I meant thirty, people...".

This means YOU, <Mack> n' <Dom>.

I used to think I was smart...

What time is it in our time zone?

I'd check my "international time zone" website, but I'm still too lazy to click my mouse.

Jesus I'm one lazy girl.

Good luck on the <Jan Timman> sock puppet game.

I've been following some of the analysis and the moves, and I have to say that the organization and effort of your team is astonishing.

I don't see how the <Timman sock puppet> stands a chance.

<All together, you guys are like 15 GMs at once.> I agree.. at least over 200 points rating difference.

Well it's not the most spectacular giraffe in the world - just that I meant to write 'a cloud' rather than 'the cloud'. Exciting, eh.

Sheer looksherry, man. Just being able to concentrate on the game without the marshalling responsibilities and having the freedom to make a horse's arse of oneself on occasion, without prejudice. I did seem to track some mud through the living room just recently but predict I'll survive the experience.