I just realized a funny parallel. Diagram 1 is Hikaru blundering mate in 1 against Fabiano in the finals of the Chessable Masters. Diagram 2 is Ding mating Nepo brilliantly in Game 6 of the WCC match. Note the similarities, right down to the White pawns on d5 and h5 — amazing!

When I was a kid, I had a book of “retrograde” chess puzzles by Raymond Smullyan called The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. I can picture Holmes looking at this position from the final Nepo-Ding game and asking, “Dr. Watson, how on earth did the bishop get to b1?”

Ding’s win is unequivocally good for chess, for two reasons. First, a Russian champion (even one like Nepo who seems to oppose the Ukraine invasion) would be terrible for sponsorships and FIDE governance. Second, there is at least a small chance that Magnus returns to play Ding.

One of the most bizarre public statements I’ve ever seen. Leo: Fancy trips couldn’t possibly influence a Supreme Court justice, but these ProPublica pieces? They’re a bat signal for ‘woke billionaires’ to promote their ‘disordered … cultural preferences.’ Seriously, wtf?

Us boomers can’t catch a break…

Jonathan Mitchell has an almost sinister talent for making formalist arguments sound reasonable, but let’s be clear: his argument based on Term Limits v. Thornton and the difference between “hold[ing] office” and running for office is reckless and absurd.

My latest in Slate, on Loper Bright and the post-Scalia Court. I wanted the headline “Antonym: Scalia” but you can’t always get what you want. slate.com/news-and-polit…

No love for us fans of Daniel Mason’s North Woods.

Wordle 1,211 1/6 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩