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Jul-21-19
 | | Sally Simpson: ***
Hi Buna,
There was one Gulag left, a secret one, the Soviets referred to it in hushed tones as 'Gulag 51'. (you might not of heard of it...few people have.) It was for boasters, braggarts and anyone disagreeing with Ragozin. D.J. Richards relates to a spate between Petrosian and Shakhmaty on page 170-171. In the mid 50's Ragozin mentioned that the top players were 'point chasers' and agreeing quick draws. Petrosian wrote in the Alekhine Memorial (1956) bulletin (which was held after the Amsterdam Candidates (see below) - Petrosian did not play in the Alekhine memorial. Looks like he was in Gulag 51 noting up the games.) "It is naive to think that is is expedient (let alone possible) for a player striving for the top place in a tournament to play every game all out, putting all his creative energy into every encounter..." Ragozin hit back in a Shakhmaty January 1957.
"We shall limit ourselves to reminding grandmaster Petrosian that the chess masses, whom Petrosian is summoned to serve with his art, think quite differently. Petrosian's maxims have nothing in common with the Soviet school of chess." ---
The date, January 1957 is important.
Clarke in his book on Petrosian (page 81) notes that Petrosian has come in for criticism for 'colourless draws.' So, according to Clarke, Petrosian changed his style for the Amsterdam Candidates (1956) and 'he had come to play chess.' Disaster! He played the worst move of career. Petrosian vs Bronstein, 1956 and from the first 4 games where had at one time he good positions, he scored just 1 point. He pulled himself together with a couple of good wins including this mini masterpiece Filip vs Petrosian, 1956 but then Clarke tells us he slipped back into his old ways with a 'distressing run of eight draws.' Could be Petrosian was saying in the bulletin; 'I'm trying but it's just not me. Give me a break.' *** |
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Jan-31-20
 | | Eggman: It's often debated who was the greatest chess player never to become world champion, but here's another question: who was the greatest never to participate in a world championship? Geller, Stein, Ivanchuk, and Aronian immediately spring to mind. Others? |
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| Jan-31-20 | | Petrosianic: Well, Rubinstein, of course. |
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Feb-03-20
| | Eggman: Yes, well there are lots of names from the pre-FIDE era: Rubinstein, of course, and Maroczy and Pillsbury and Flohr, and Fine and even Reshevsky. |
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| Sep-30-20 | | SymphonicKnight: Since Reshevsky participated in the 1948 Match Tournament for the World Championship against Botvinnik (who became world champion by winning it), I don't think we can include him in the list of best players never to have played for the title. |
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Sep-30-20
 | | perfidious: Reshevsky was also facing Smyslov, Euwe and Keres; tournament and match play are not quite the same. |
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| Aug-31-21 | | tonsillolith: <Speaking of look-alikes, I always thought Robert Vaughn looked like Efim Geller:> I've always thunk Geller looked like Jim Belushi. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | Albertan: Geller’s “Magister Ludi “ moment:
https://www.chess.com/blog/kamalaka... |
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Nov-14-21
 | | Ron: <Eggman: It's often debated who was the greatest chess player never to become world champion, but here's another question: who was the greatest never to participate in a world championship? Geller, Stein, Ivanchuk, and Aronian immediately spring to mind. Others?> In the FIDE era, I submit Bent Larsen. This website claims that at Larsen's peak he was #3 in the world, behind Fischer and Spassky:
https://www.chess.com/players/bent-... |
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Nov-15-21
 | | Benzol: You could probably make a case for Akiba Rubinstein and Paul Keres too |
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Nov-15-21
| | Benzol: Correction Keres did play in the 1948 event didn't he. |
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Nov-15-21
| | perfidious: <Paul>, indeed he did, with losses to Botvinnik in the first four cycles before booking a win after Botvinnik had already wrapped up matters. |
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Nov-15-21
 | | Honza Cervenka: <Eggman: It's often debated who was the greatest chess player never to become world champion, but here's another question: who was the greatest never to participate in a world championship? Geller, Stein, Ivanchuk, and Aronian immediately spring to mind. Others?> <In the FIDE era, I submit Bent Larsen.> Well, Larsen, Geller, Stein and other greats of FIDE era participated in zonal, interzonal and candidate tournaments and matches regularly, and so it is not correct to say that they never participated in a world championship. |
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Nov-15-21
| | Honza Cervenka: I think that Rubinstein had solid chance to become world champion, if he would have played match against Lasker in 1912. |
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| Nov-15-21 | | Nosnibor: <Honza Cervenka> I agree with you point concerning Rubinstein, but I believe raising the stakes to play was the problem why such a match never happened. Also after this time with the advent of the great war approaching his strength dipped ,witness his poor result in St Petersburg 1914. Another player who briefly shone and could have had a genuine chance before 1898 was Charousek who had beaten Lasker in the last round of the 1896 Nuremberg Congress. However ill health and money prevented such a match taking part. |
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| Nov-15-21 | | Olavi: The Lasker - Rubinstein match was agreed on and scheduled for autumn 1914. |
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Nov-15-21
| | Benzol: The Chess World is poorer for a Rubinstein - Lasker match not haven't taken place. The same could be said of a Capablanca - Alyekhin rematch and a Fischer - Karpov clash. One can only lament on what could have been. |
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Nov-15-21
| | Benzol: Speculating. If Botvinnik had actually lost to Bronstein in 1951 and then exercised his rematch rights what would the result of the second Botvinnik - Bronstein clash have been ? |
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Nov-16-21
 | | keypusher: <Benzol: Speculating. If Botvinnik had actually lost to Bronstein in 1951 and then exercised his rematch rights what would the result of the second Botvinnik - Bronstein clash have been ?> Not clear Botvinnik had a rematch right then. The world may have been treated to a three-way competition among Botvinnik, Bronstein, and Smyslov in 1954. See here. Vladimir Kramnik (kibitz #28860) But of course if there <had> been a rematch, Botvinnik would have won. :-) |
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| Mar-11-22 | | Albertan: Born in Odessa:Efim Geller:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/born-... |
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Feb-29-24
 | | Gottschalk: "Players who are devoted to certain opening systems know how unpleasant it can be to play against oneself in the purely psychological sense." I think Geller was talking about Fischer . |
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Jun-22-24
 | | kingfu: Gottschalk - You bet he was! And the Opening System was THE SICILIAN. Geller was the only player to have a plus score with Fischer! Geller never got to play a match with Fischer because he couldn't beat Spassky! |
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| Jun-22-24 | | Olavi: <kingfu> Well Tal also had a plus score vs. Fischer - admittedly his wins were scored when Fischer was 16. But Spassky was plus too... |
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Sep-19-24
| | Gottschalk: I recognize the lion by his paw.
— Jacob (Jacques) Bernoulli (Swiss mathematician and discoverer of e, 1654 – 1705) [After reading Newton’s anonymous solution to a problem] |
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Oct-06-24
 | | ketchuplover: Hall of Famer!!!!!!!!!!! |
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