Cure for COVID-19 found?

 Sometimes I must write about something that is unrelated to chess, and so also this time. Apparently a cure for the officially dubbed "COVID-19" virus has been found.

https://elifesciences.org/articles/59177

https://elemental.medium.com/a-supercomputer-analyzed-covid-19-and-an-interesting-new-theory-has-emerged-31cb8eba9d63 

The supercomputer "Summit" analyzed all the data and found a theory on how the virus works and how it can be cured. The best news? There are already nearly a dozen different treatments available, which also can be combined.

Is this the breakthrough?

Readers should be aware that this is no vaccine. It won't prevent people from getting sick, but hopefully it will prevent sick people from dying, or worse.

Anda Fairy Planet by Petko Petkov

 Bulgarian GM for composing Petko Petkov has created a new free magazine, "Anda Fairy Planet", where he presents new fairy chess ideas. Currently the layout is done by Geoff Foster.

The first two issues are available online, with him allowing also to re-host the second issue.

Google Drive links by Petko Petkov

Issue 1 (26 July 2020)

Issue 2 (1 September 2020)

Announcement: 2nd TT FRME

Vidadi Zamanov sent two PDF files. Here is the other announcement. The original file contained also examples.

2nd TT FRME, 2020The Royal Moroccan Chess Federation (FRME) organizes the 2nd TT FREM, in four 7 sections:A) Twomovers (#2) Theme: One-phase-cycle of double defensive motifs against only one threat. (aAB/bBC/cCA;
aAB/bBC/cCD/dDA etc.). Two or more threats are not allowed.Judge: Karol Mlynka (Slovakia)Send to tournament director: Twomovers (#2) to Youness Ben Jelloun (Marocco) E-mail: ubenjelloun@outlook.frB) Threemovers (#3) Theme: At least two different white pieces play to the same square, on the 2nd and on the 3rdmoves.Judge: Alexander Melnichuk (Russia)C) Moremovers (#4-6) Theme: White active sacrifice of at least two pieces (not pawns!) in sequence and sacrifices
of pieces are accepted by black. The sacrifice on the first move is not thematic.Judge: Aleksandr Sygurov (Russia)D) Endgame studies Theme: Double Sacrifice. During the solution, a White minor piece (bishop or knight) moves
to a square where is can be captured by at least two of the opponents pieces.Judge: Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen (Denmark)E) Selfmates (S#3-5) Theme: Destruction of a black battery: In the initial position, there is a black X / Y battery,
where Y is the back piece of the battery. In at least one variant or threat, the figure X plays and gives a battery-mate
to the white king. After that, in at least one variant, the piece Y plays and destruct the battery giving mate to the
white king without battery.Judge: Petko Petkov (Bulgaria)
Send to tournament director: Threemovers (#3), Moremovers (#4-6), Endgame studies and Selfmates (#3-5)to Vidadi Zamanov (Azerbaijan) E-mail: vidadi_zamanov@mail.ruF) Helpmates (H#2) theme: “The solution must have a double check to the white king at least once.” Additives
any other theme are welcome. Multiple solutions, twins are acceptable. Fairy pieces and conditions are not allowed.Judge: Viktor Zaitsev(Belarus)G) Helpmates (H#3) theme: In set play, two or three black officers (not pawns) are captured. The same officers
are in the solution used to block the squares around the black king. Twins are allowed, but there must be a set play
and solution for each twin. All forms of twins are allowed.Judge: Ladislav Packa (Slovakia)Send to tournament director: H#2 and H#3 to HJamal M Elbaz (Morocco) E-mail: allamjamal2@gmail.com
Prizes, honourable mentions and commendations will be awarded. Send problems in format PDF.
Closing date: 15. 08. 2020. The award – 2020
All received problems will be presented to the judge in anonymous form.
Award will be published on the website: http://frme.cf/

Announcement: 6th FRME Composing Tourney

Vidadi Zamanov sent two PDF files. Here is one announcement.

6th Composing Tourney of FRME, 2020The Royal Moroccan Chess Federation (FRME) organizes the 6th Composing Tourney in four 8
sections:Twomovers (#2) Judge: Mikhail Khramcevich (Belarus)
Send to tournament director: Youness Ben Jelloun (Marocco) E-mail: ubenjelloun@outlook.frThreemovers (#3) Judge: Oleg Efrosinin (Russia)Moremovers (#N) Judge: Valery Kirillov (Russia)

Studies	(+;=)	Judge: Yochanan Afek (Israel)Judge: Valery Kopyl (Ukraine)
Selfmates (S#)

Send to tournament director: Vidadi Zamanov (Azerbaijan) E-mail: vidadi_zamanov@mail.ru
Helpmates H#2 Judge: Ladislav Packa (Slovakia)
Helpmates H#2.5-3 Judge: Kenneth Solja (Finland)
Helpmates H#3.5-N Judge: Hans Gruber (Germany)
Send to tournament director: Jamal M Elbaz (Morocco)
E-mail: jamalelbaz3@gmail.com
Prizes, honourable mentions and commendations will be awarded.
Send problems and studies in format PDF.
Closing date: 30. 09. 2020. The award – 2020
All received problems will be presented to the judge in anonymous form.
Award will be published on the website: http://frme.cf/
Please reprint ……. Please reprint …….. Please reprint

ABC Sydney's chess racism discussion sparks Kasparov's witty reaction

From the category "What is this I don't even".

A possibly completely brainless news station called "ABC Sydney" asked if chess is racist. You know, that game that everyone can play regardless of age, race, disabilities, etc.
Their reasoning... wait for it... is that White goes first!
Kasparov told them to check out Go where Black goes first.
Wait, wouldn't that also be racist? You know, because Black and White aren't equal also? Are there any games where Asians go first? Or American Indians? Oh, wait, American Indians are also in chess. So is chess racist against Sam Loyd's chess problems? And when did chess problems become a race?

If you are worried that the game of chess is racist, please take up Go, where black moves first, instead of looking foolish by wasting taxpayer money at a state broadcaster to "investigate" it! https://t.co/DPjvvWbqcb

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) June 23, 2020

If you are worried that the game of chess is racist, please take up Go, where black moves first, instead of looking foolish by wasting taxpayer money at a state broadcaster to "investigate" it! https://t.co/DPjvvWbqcb

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) June 23, 2020

If you are worried that the game of chess is racist, please take up Go, where black moves first, instead of looking foolish by wasting taxpayer money at a state broadcaster to "investigate" it! https://t.co/DPjvvWbqcb

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) June 23, 2020

https://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sports/abc-is-chess-racist-debate-garry-kasparov-slams-broadcaster/news-story/bf497773690718a9cfca1b2746e3e7b5

We recommend ABC Sydney to take up solving helpmates - where Black goes first - or selfmates, where Black always wins.

Chess composition and the pandemic

As we find on ChessblogYG and MatPlus, the great chess composer Sergey I. Tkachenko works in the Chernobyl medical centre. The Ukrainian TV interviewed him (in Ukrainian):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcxpf5UQaJo

In addition, on MatPlus, Serbian chess journalist Marjan Kovačević writes:

Chess composers cover many different professions, but this year one profession deserves more appreciation and gratitude than all others.
I don't know how many medical workers among composers have been actively involved in daily struggle with Covid-19, but now I know there are at least two great composers among them.
Our GM Mario Parrinello has been in the first lines of Italian medical defense, as a general practitioner doctor, for more than four months. It was at the beginning of April when he wrote he had never witnessed such a scary situation in his 30 years career of a doctor. June is ending, but the troubles of medical workers in Italy still last ...

High-level online checkmates (I)

Two beautiful checkmates happened in online chess recently.

In the Lindores Abbey Challenge, Wei Yi lost to Sergey Karjakin by not seeing a mate in 1.

Meanwhile, or rather a few days later, Brazilian grandmaster Luis Supi beat Magnus Carlsen with a fierce attack in an online blitz game.

 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Be2 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qd7 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Bxf3 O-O-O 8. O-O Nd4 9. a4 Kb8 10. Nb5 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 a6 12. c4 e5 13. d4 exd4 14. Bf4 axb5 15. axb5 Bd6 16. Ra2 Qf5 17. Rfa1 Kc8 18. Qc6 1-0

I had added the appropriate diagrams to Chessgames in the comments where "dehanne" posted a video link of the game first.

On a Twitch clip, Magnus is seen congratulating his opponent's final move as "awesome".

White to move (before 18.Qc6)