Nova Daily - 23 June 2025: The Firebird
Earlier today I received an invitation to join a new group. Although I habitually decline such group invitations (as Vanessa knows well), I did spend a few moments back-and-forthing with the person who sent me the invitation. And I'm glad that I did, because there were two things that stuck out for me.
The first was that a now-inactive member in the group has written a comprehensive guide on the Sicilian. The fact that this person was mentioned even after having been absent for years means that in a way and to some degree their writing has made them immortal. They have left something tangible for other people to engage with, even years after they've left. That's reassuring for those of us people who like to write: our sometimes tedious labours of stringing words and ideas together actually means something.
The second thing that stuck with me has to do with the name of the group. I didn't want to write something about flying again, but you can't always control what your inspiration is. In this case it's a hot topic that I knew was gonna fly: the group I was invited to is called The Golden Phoenix.
The Firebird
Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.
- Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 12: "The Polyjuice Potion"
Phoenixes are mythological creatures. Their main gimmick is that they are immortal to some extent. Their life begins when their life ends. To the phoenix, beginning and end are the same. The rebirth or resurrection is a very common theme in many stories. The pulsating flow of the seasons. The recycling of the atoms. The circle with no end.
The phoenix is often used as a metaphor for a process in which the old is overtaken and incorporated into the new. Harry Potter is only one example in which the phoenix figures. The phoenix is derived from Greek mythology, like many Harry Potter names and characters (Hermione, for example, is the name of the daughter of Menelaus and Helen of Troy).
As an icon, the phoenix stands well on its own. In the first generation of Pokémon there is this legendary bird Moltres, which is essentially the phoenix protecting the Olympic flame of the Pokémon League. Moltres also exists in classical music in the form of the "L'oiseau de feu" (The Firebird), a suite and ballet by Igor Stravinsky that premiered in 1910.
For once I may regret not joining in. If it's even half as interesting a place as the name might suggest, it'll be a very cool place to be in.
Today's game
Today's rapid game (for the new readers among you: I play 15+10) was a fun one, with a nice battle between Imbalances. Throughout the opening I felt a bit at sea, but I managed to survive, and I was able to collect the win quite convincingly after my opponent blundered a piece in the early middle game.
The game was fun, the conversion felt smooth, but the opening definitely deserves some study. That'll be for tomorrow's blog.
