|
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·
Later Kibitzing> |
| Jun-25-08 | | Karpova: Yes, "Iosif" is his original first name. |
|
| Jul-02-08 | | samsloan: I just did a search and Zilber is not listed in the Social Security Death Index, unless you have his birth year of 1933 wrong. I think that it is quite likely that he is still alive, but just locked up in a lunatic asylum somewhere. Sam Sloan |
|
| Jul-02-08 | | MichAdams: Maybe he's in Israel. He could be living on a decent pension as a Holocaust survivor. |
|
| Jul-02-08 | | Gejewe: An Israeli player living in the Netherlands told me that Israel Zilber made it ( back ) to Israel after his hustling days in New York. But he also said that Zilber died a few years ago.
I saw the man play in Biel 1980 when he won the open masters. Always impeccably dressed and accompanied by a tall and gorgeous lady. In the blitz tournament he destroyed the opposition in spite of the simple openings he played ( like Caro Kann with 5..exf6 ). Reading Waitzkin's book it was hard to imagine this was the guy who seemed to be doing so well just a few years earlier ... |
|
| Jul-02-08 | | Strongest Force: <Gejewe>, i heard that the "sane" Zilber always had a beautiful woman with him, even in his NYC days. The story goes that he went crazy when he lost her. This reminds me of another (very young) IM who hasn't been heard from in a very long time by the name of: Larry Evans. The story goes, he opened a art shop and sold some bogus stuff for which he was sent to jail. This was confirmed to me by his lovely wife a few years later as she told me the whole sad story when i passed her on the street one day. Her amazing model-like visage haunts me many years later as i remember how sad she became when told me the whole story. There are so many sad stories i remember about so many different people from so many walks of life whom i would like to be there forever just to make my own life seem more secure. Zilber was one of those and improved my chess greatly. |
|
| Jul-03-08 | | Gejewe: I just remembered an opening that I saw Zilber play, not only in his blitzgames but also in his serious games. The moves 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.0-0 0-0 5.d4 d6 6.c3 Nbd7 7.Nbd2 look quite harmless, but after 7..e5 8.dxe5 Nxe5 ( 8..dxe5 9.Nc4 Re8? 10.Nfxe5  was seen in Zilber's blitzgames in Biel 1980 ) 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Nc4! he was often able to develop some pressure, as in Zilber-P.Scheeren, Biel 1980, a game he won in quite impressive style. The more because Scheeren shared first place with him in that event so evidently was no walkover.
I was able to use "Zilber's system" in quite a few of my own games, with succes. Unfortunately there is not a single gamescore left, and I also misplaced Zilber-Scheeren ... |
|
Jun-25-09
 | | FSR: Check out this crazy game in which Zilber uses his aforementioned pet line against Seirawan: J I Zilber vs Seirawan, 1979 |
|
Jun-25-09
 | | Richard Taylor: I also read about Zilber in Waitzkem's book "Searching..." - also in his book about Kasparov - There are two photos of him playing in book I have. It is called "Play Better Chess" (1980) ed. by Leonard Barden The caption under the second picture says: "Tension at Hastings as, left to right, Michael Stean and I. Zilber ponder while Nigel Short writes his move on the score sheet." There is a larger picture of him earlier in the book. It says: "Isaraeli Chess master Zilber, at the ICL Hastings Premier, ponders the aggressive white queen..." It is a good introductory to middle level book - still very useful. |
|
| Jun-25-09 | | WhiteRook48: well it's spelled the same way |
|
| Jun-25-10 | | wordfunph: Israel Zilber was Latvian Chess Champion in 1958. He defeated Tal in 1952 and once made a living in a park with a sign, "For $5 a photo or a game with the man who beat Tal." happy birthday Josif! |
|
| Jun-25-10 | | MaxxLange: A real chess genius, who did not compromise with "the real world" hbd! |
|
| Dec-01-10 | | samsloan: I played Zilber for a few dollars when I did not know who he was. I was shocked when he played the book line against my 1. d4 e5 in a second. He obviously knew the line, the only opponent I ever had who knew it.
This was in 1985 or 1986. I played him in a chess club that existed briefly at about 100th Street and Broadway in New York City. I played a few games with child prodigy KK Karanja and won most of the games. Then Karanja said "Why don't you play that guy over there", pointing to a crazy man talking to himself wearing a Hell's Angles type jacket. I asked Karanja how good he was. Karanja said "about an expert". I did not believe that the crazy guy could possibly be as strong as an expert so I decided to test this. I do not remember the score but he probably won all the games. If I had known that he was a famous player I would have kept playing. Instead I assumed that I was just having a bad day so I quit after a few games. It was not until months later that I found out who he really was. Sam Sloan |
|
Dec-01-10
 | | kingfu: This is the stuff of legends.
I wonder how many people walked past him and said, "Who is Tal?" The movie should be called , simply, "Zilber." |
|
| Dec-01-10 | | samsloan: It was KK Karanja who suggested that I play Zilber, saying that Zilber was "about an expert". KK Karanja was a 12 year old black kid from Kenya. He was at least 2100 strength at age 12, but he disappeared from chess shortly after that. His father was a diplomat from Kenya, the birthplace of Barak Obama. |
|
Dec-01-10
 | | HeMateMe: Someone at the chess club told me that kkk was working in New York as a security guard, somewhere. |
|
| Jul-24-11 | | pureredwhiteblu: <Riverbeast> I believe I have discovered your identity based on your writing style and the 2010-USCF "Lost&Found" article. You seem like a cool cat, and based on your recent display of chess ability in your gameplay in Poland, I would highly encourage you to come back to USChess. This would be a great opportunity for you to become GM, help bring chess to the forefront again, which would create other lucrative opportunities; simuls, coaching, a book deal, or possibly, a great inspirational movie itself. You have so much talent, the possibilities are endless. |
|
| Nov-02-11 | | waustad: <strongest>Do you mean Larry D. Evans? Larry D. is the only one presently listed by FIDE since Larry M. died recently, but Larry D. was born in 1952. He's younger than I am, but it has been a while since he would have been considered young. |
|
| Nov-02-11 | | Strongest Force: Waustad, one last memory of Larry D Evans is when he was very young. It was in Philadelphia and I was involved in a foot race with two teens I had known since they were 10 and 11: Charles Hertan and Jonathan Schroer. Both became top 50 players in the US. As we where running we passed Larry Evans who told us to slow down. We kept running. Larry was a nice guy I had played in tournaments. |
|
| Jun-25-12 | | LoveThatJoker: Happy birthday, J.I. Zilber!
LTJ |
|
| Jun-25-12 | | Marmot PFL: <His father was a diplomat from Kenya, the birthplace of Barak Obama.> That was Barack Obama, Sr. (b Kenya 1934- d 1982), father of the US president. Confusion between the two remains common to this very day, possibly because both later studied at Harvard. There the elder Obama received a master's degree in economics while the younger was president of the law review. |
|
Jun-26-12
| | stoy: Back in 1982 Israel Zilber won the championship of the Franklin-Mercantile Chess Club in Philadelphia. His name is on a plaque on the wall. I remember that he always had a pretty woman with him. He billed himself as a FIDE IM. It is sad to read of his subsequent misfortunes. Eccentric he was! Richard D. Stoy FMCC Treasurer richarddstoy@gmail.com |
|
| Apr-09-14 | | Riverbeast: I discovered some footage of Zilber in Washington Square Park in the late 80s, in a movie called "For Love or Money"...It's a quick shot, just a few seconds or two (from 4:39 to 4:41): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLz...
The main focus of the clip is Vinnie Livermore, who was played by Laurence Fishburne is "Searching for Bobby Fischer" |
|
| Apr-09-17 | | hemy: I had a pleasure to play with Israel Zilber in November 17, 1979. It was in the match "Hapoel" Ber-Sheva vs "Hapoel" Rechovot, on the 1st board in Israel Premier League. The exact date I found in the Israeli newspaper "Maariv", November 28, 1979, p.11. In the article "Opening without surprises" about 1st round of Premier League was mentioned that Ber-Sheva beat Rechovot 4.5:1.5 and on first board Zilber (Ber-Sheva) - Kasimov (Rechovot) 0.5:0.5. I remember that we played Sicilian Dragon, Classical.
Around the move 30th, in equal position, Zilber (white) offered a draw
that was accepted by me.
After the game we analyzed it and I was surprised by his remarks. It sounded like he is imagine that he is Emanuel Lasker. His colored hair and elegant suit were consistent with his behavior. Some of his notes to my moves were related to Alekhine. |
|
Jun-02-20
 | | Sally Simpson: ***
This virus thingy has an up side.
Due to the lack of real chess the latest CHESS June 2020 has a two page very good article on Zilber by Ben Graf, it mentions a rumour that Zilber froze to death in New York many years ago, but no death cert has been found. Same mag has part one of a 5 page really in depth article on Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas and a five pager on the recent World Senior Event by Glen Flear which has a chunk of good games and mentions the trouble and chaos leaving a country due to the sudden travel restrictions the virus imposed. "In the span of a few days one can be transformed from a welcome ( or even honoured) visitor into an international pariah." An interview with Kasparov and other interesting articles. (including one from me - on Sham Sacrifices and my quest to become Chess Famous.) Think under 'normal' circumstances these articles would be dribbled out one at a time rather than all together. Good Issue this one. (one bit, my bit is dodgy - look upon it as the cartoon page. ) Since December, the editor has been publishing me every two months, surround by disclaimers, so the readers only get me in small doses. You lot are so lucky, you get me, often daily...without the disclaimers. ) ***. |
|
| Jul-19-22 | | stone free or die: OK, the wiki article does mention the possibility that he's dead - <Details of Zilber's later years are inconclusive – an unconfirmed story states that during a harsh winter he froze to death.[28] A different theory claims that he is not listed in the Social Security Death Index and could still be alive.[29]> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel...
But, rather properly, notes the possibility that he's still alive. <CG> should do the same. |
|
 |
|
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·
Later Kibitzing> |
Kibitzing
