In Austria we stayed in Graz and Reifnitz, and in Italy in Montegrotto Terme and Padova, and we also visited Verona, Venezia, Trento and other cities, not to mention the outstanding Dolomites mountaines (Cortina d'Ampezzo). Weather calm and sunny, although too warm at times. We only got rain for some half an hour, while within mountaineous area. We driven almost half of the route with a nail in one of the tires :)

So three more rounds to go for the Candidates and Nepo keeps his first place. Naka has some chances to catch up though.

Halep in difficulties after loosing first set ): But we cheer for her here in god old Denmark ! And speaking of DK, did you se the depart of TDF in our country ? Never have so many happy people in a very peaceful way gathered in our country.

Now they are in my old beloved France and I enjoy every second ! Tomorrow they shall go to the mountains...

Soon Hannah is having holiday, something that shes looking forward to, though she likes her job very much. We shall have som small trips to the seaside and what ever comes our way as long as my sensitive stomach/colon allows it.

Thanks for you update from your journey and I hope you are well arrived in Iasi and that you may enjoy your summertime !

While the whole chessworld is awating a certain Carlsen. Will he play ot not ? Do you have a hunt ?

Till next time : All the bests wishes to you and many hugs to both you and Maria !

I missed the Danish departure of TDF, but watched a bit today and the scenery was so great, as expected. Its a fabulous tour, of course, a pure joy to watch.

Now that Hannah is in the holiday you two can better enjoy summer, and I envy you living so close to the sea.

Next week I'm scheduled for a hernia operation I kept postponing, a rather simple procedure and it will be my first general anesthesia. I trust all will go well.

Not much on the chess side, other than the news of Nepo having another go at fighting for the world title. I really don't know how Magnus will react to this, we'll probably find out soon. Oh, and the wins has returned for me :)

Thanks you so much for dopping by.

Glad you also enjoy TDF and perhaps you know, that today they are aiming for bigger mountains . Especiallly tomorrow and the day after, they will reeah some of the highest ones with no place to hide and we may have the duell between the two favourites Pogacar and the dane (!!) Vingegaard.Guess who I am rooting for ;) Yes , you are right... Plus a huge heathwave is hitting France in these days, which will cause fattique and the like among the riders. Jonas is supposed to handle the heat very well, but you never know.

Here, my colon has perhaps improved yesterday, but it is still a big challenge and a waitinggame, which aquires a lot of patience and the like.

I sincerely hope your operation will turn out well and I send you all my prayers and best wishes with all my fingers crossed ! So please let me know how it turns out.

Now a well deserved breakfast and then up in the mountains, in my old hood in France.

Many, many hugs to you and to Maria, with all the best wishes and some drops from our ocean, all the way to good old Iasi.

I've watched (also in the hospital) parts of TDF while crossing the mountains, beautiful. But I have to admit I am not so up to date with names of participants etc. Anyhow, I'm sure it's both a great show and endeavour - good luck to all. I forgot to tell you that, while in Cortina dAmpezzo we caught the arrival of contestants for a long running race. Each one was, of course, exhausted, and in the streets it was a bit like along the route in TDF, many people cheering.

Dortmund tournament is about to start and I'm going to follow Deac playing there. I wish your health will get better and no more issues, or at least not too bothersome. I know we're not getting any younger, but we're still here and kicking...just look at the Rolling Stones celebrating 60 years of fun and rock, like it was yesterday :)

Very good to hear that your operation went well ! Very good.And may your improved condition continue, so you can get rid of you symptones once and for all ! I´ll send you prayers again and all the best of spirits.

And the danish adventure in TDF continues : The last 3 out of 4 stages have been won by a dane !! An guess who is in the yellow jersey ? Yes, another dane ! In a comfortable lead..... A fairy tale it is and a big pleasure to watch. Also money/betting wise things are good ;)

So to a new weekend I send you both, and especially to our patient, many greetings and wishes to good health !

Many hugs to you, and to Maria.

Right now they are all attacking each other !

It is a mess and an art to find the right breakaway ;)

I've been watching chess at the Olympiad and it's great to see Deac passing 2700 on the live list (the only Romanian who did this was Nisipeanu, back in 2005).

A relief here as it's been raining in the past couple of days, after a very long period of draught in the east part of the country. I've seen some films of Ettore Scola, but the impressions were so and so. One of them was okay, "A special day".

Thanks for dropping by ! I am glad you liked Helsingør. This marvellous town situated so close to Sweden and the sea. And I feel very fortunate to have been broght up there. Sometimes it was like walking around in a museum !

Thanks for the great advice on how to draw a personal game. I'll especially use "1: Play a little stupid, eventually paired with hearingproblems" (although for the first part don't need to play) and "5. Tell here there is always a slight chance she may be right about something" (Fischer: you have to give squares to get squares). "7.Listen carefully to what she says, despite the whole fort is shaking" is beyond my abilities.

So you are french !? And your english is just fine ! See you have been around. For professionel reasons, or ?

I am almost 70, but have also been around.As in the period from 72 to 91 I was many times in France. With friends and on my own. Often on the thumb, hitchiking, which was a tremendous pleasure. Sometimes working with "Emmaüs" les chifoniers de l´Abbé Pierre.

Those were indeed the days and now I have been retired for some years and have a fine life, though restricted by some bodyissues.

Take care you too and enjoy.

Thanks for the compliment but when reading the fine English of some users here I feel there is a long way to go. My compliments to you on your French, by far better than my Danish (just learned 20-ish words to get by and be polite).

US was a family move, I was a teenager, Netherlands was professional.

Emmaüs, that's a fine institution with a good cause. L'Abbé Pierre is still a very popular figure here despite being gone for so long now.

Sorry to hear about your health issues, hope it's not too serious. In any case enjoy your retirement (still working on my side :( )

Marriage = Chess, that's worth meditating about. Wonder which I am lousiest at managing strategically.

Held og lykke is indeed correct ;)

And I am glad to hear that Abbé Pierre is still a very popular figure. I had the honour to work with him for 1½ day in Paris, back in 72 and met him on several occasions. He was a hell (sorry Abbé;) of a driver in the traffic of Paris ;).

So what is your profession if I may ask ?

Here we are waiting for the heatwawe supposed to hit in the weekend. And I dont like it ! Patience, patience and patience.

Quite an upset with the winners from Uzbekistan, n´est pas !?

Sorry for the delayed answer, just saw your post.

Wow, you met THE Abbé Pierre, that's unique. ("Hell of", good one.) Apparently he was a very friendly fellow. Sounds obvious but sometimes there are surprises.

I work in management control (if you don't know what it is, it's basically people who are not smart enough and/or too lazy te be accountants). Also have a side activity as Aikido teacher but doesn't pay much.

How about you, what were you doing before retiring in Helsingør (if you're still there)? Heatwave in Denmark, that's around 20 degrees, right? ;) Just teasing, we had fine weather there in June actually.

Uzbekistan, yes, quite unexpected. Was interesting to follow the tournament.

Good to hear from you.

Oh yes indeed it was an unique experience to meet Abbé in person. And on top of that working with him for 1 ½ days.

I am retired since around 2010 and living north of Århus, our second largest city in DK. A fine and quite place in a great house we both worship.

Since I started I worked a year on 3 ships, one going to the Far East. Having several minor jobs "everywhere". Studied philosophy one year in 76-77, but the world of books was never me (except from chess litterature;) and started a lot of travelling. Mainly hitchhiking and then in 85 doing groups for self developement in around 10 years, till I found my wife and then started to work for a green organisation, trying to avoid the deforestating of the rainforest....Well, that was almost my life in 5 minuttes !

I tried to google your profession, management control, but I am not all sure what it means, but guessing it is something like "damage control", when there is a problem with the human coordination in a company. Ou ?

Aikido teacher sounds great and I could imagine it gives you a lot of satisfaction, though not so much money !?

My son took pleasure in practising it way bak in the 80ies, while his dad did something simular to tai chi.

Sounds like a well-filled, interesting and ethical life, congratulations. It's good to see people like you on this site unlike some of the odd conspiracists, if you see what I mean (thankfully they are rare).

Århus, we liked a lot. Especially the atmosphere, Den gamle by and outside of town Moesgård museum.

Management control is analysing (not producing as accountants) financial results in a company, also called commercial finance but the latter term can designate different things.

Aikido yes it's more a hobby than a job. Some principles are close to Tai Chi actually.

All the best.

So so sorry to have been so long before answering you. But I Have been occupied with a quite irritated colon, which fortunately is better.For now, and fingers crossed ! And my sister has been on a 3 day visit from Kentucky USA and we have been busy preparing a little of this and a little of that... So when it all felt into succes, as it actually was, we were all very delighted. Shen is a brave woman and it is a special treat to see her and Hannah bond, as if they have known each other their whole lives !

And I was very pleased that we could share many of our childhood memories. She will be back around springtime 2023, which we already are looking forward to !

Meanwhile there is another bicylerace starting up. The "Vuelta"in Spain. 3 weeks in bicycle heaven for me !

And you ? How are you doing ? And after the operation ? I sincerely hope you have made the expected progress, but please let me know.

Summer is coming to an end here and in a couple of weeks it will be time for the early autum. Time flies my friend...

So all the best to you and your endavours !

Many hugs to both you and Maria.

As it happens, Maria and me have been to such an extended family gathering in and near Onesti a week ago. Everything went just great, only to discover, upon returning home, that we've got the virus. I was the first to notice a burst of temperature and then confirmed infection, then Maria's sister and brother in law called to tell us they've got it too, then my wife found out the same think. In the end, six persons got infected on that ocasion.

So now we're at home, me by the end of the 5th day of isolation, Maria in her second one. Maria's symptoms are/were minimum(light fever and some caugh), but I had some nasty headache the first night (more like 12 hours) along fever, then the next 2-3 days caughing, etc. Now it's better but I still have some difficulty in breathing. Such is life. It's gonna be OK. Come to think of it, we were rather lucky, if we compare to what others had to endure along the past 2 years...

I did manage to play a couple of games over the internet during the 5 day isolation, and even win one :)

And how are you? How was your weekend? Summer's about to go, as I expect is to your liking (what about Hannah?) :)

Good to hear from you, though I am sorry to hear about your coronasituation ): And I sincerely hope that you have gotten better the last couple of days !? So please let me know... But you sound optimistic and say it gonna be OK. My prayers go to yours and Marias health too.

Here my very irritated coln is so and so, but signs of improvement too. I am patient and in a waitingposition, after doing all the right things, concerning food, sleeping, motion and so on.

But not much chess these day, but as you already know : bicycling make my day as for the moment the are at the Vuelta in Spain and still 2 thrilling weeks to go!. It gives me a lot of pleasure. Also to watch the great scenery of autum,late summer, passing by, right here in our marvellous house ! ;)

That was it and as always I send you all the best wishes and hopes.

Sincerely, moro.

The Ukrainians are making progress, that's a good thing. God help them. And help us all, of course.

I did play some chess, as usual with mixed results. Didn't follow la Vuelta, only caught yesterday's finish and noticed the comentators were surprised about the guy who made it first. Was he indeed an underdog? Madrid looks pretty cool.