A 2700+ GM Plays the French

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

That's like saying the doctor didn't cure the person, he cured the disease??

[Peter McKillop]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

Probably your note was written tongue-in-cheek, but it reminded me of something Soltis wrote in one of the early chapters of his book Soviet Chess. Someone (I don't remember who) recalled visiting a chess club during the first few years following the Revolution, when Alekhine still lived in Russia, and finding Alekhine studying the games of the La Bourdonnais - McDonnell match, played almost 90 years prior.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

Let's put our historian hats on and figure this one out. A few years after the Russian revolution makes it about between 1917 and 1922, the whole country is in turmoil, many things are in short supply due to both WW1 and the revolution. The Russians suffered terrible deprivations on both the front and the home front, one of the causes of the revolution in the first place. I would also hazard to guess that Alekhine wasn't exactly wealthy then as anyone who was had their money & property confiscated by the state and those who were wealthy fled to France if they were lucky. If you could get enough firewood to not freeze during the winter you could count yourself fortunate.

The great Soviet state supported school of chess is some years away, I would think most if not all the Soviet chess newspapers are some years away as well. As with many things the state is dismantling the elite pre-revolutionary structure of chess and music and art and sports and government and agriculture and you name it.

The Informant is some 45 or so years away and in any case is a Yugoslavian publication.

That leaves poor Alekhine with nothing left to study but 90 year old games in some out dated tomb that somehow survived abandoned on some shelf. I feel sorry for him. A game from 1830 or so for one of the founders of hypermodern chess (so called back then) - poor meat to dine on.

[Jason Manley]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

I didn't know Alekhine was one of the founders of hypermodern chess. From what I've read, it was Reti, Nimzovich, Breyer, and someone else. (I'm sure I'm forgetting someone important.)

[Gary Ruben]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

I didn't know Alekhine was one of the founders of hypermodern chess. From what I've read, it was Reti, Nimzovich, Breyer, and someone else. (I'm sure I'm forgetting someone important.)

I think you're missing Tartakower.

I think Alekhine's style was more classical like Tarrasch and Steinitz.

If you have a pawn center then you have have something to worry about. If you don't have a pawn center you REALLY have something to worry about.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

What do you call the Alekhine opening then if not hypermodern? As can be seen from this quote provided by Wikipedia.

It is named after Alexander Alekhine, who introduced it in the 1921 Budapest tournament in games against Endre Steiner[1] and Fritz Sämisch. Four years later, (1921) the editors of the Fourth Edition of Modern Chess Openings (MCO-4) wrote, "Nothing is more indicative of the iconoclastic conceptions of the 'hypermodern school' than the bizarre defence introduced by Alekhine ... . Although opposing to all tenets of the classical school, Black allows his King's Knight to be driven about the board in the early stages of the game, in the expectation of provoking a weakness in White's centre pawns

[Gary Ruben]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

What do you call the Alekhine opening then if not hypermodern? As can be seen from this quote provided by Wikipedia.

There you go. A little research gave the solution.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

Maybe there's some truth in your construction; maybe not. I'm aware of one contemporary GM, a 2600+ player and former candidate for the world championship who has respect for the older masters:

"Tarrasch's chess career spanned roughly 50 years. Except for the great Lasker, no player of his generation had a more brilliant tournament record. Furthermore, his games are models of logical, precise and scientific play. Many chess historians consider him to have been a better player than Lasker. Certainly Tarrasch's best games are more aesthetically appealing than the great Lasker. Even Garry Kasparov has been immensely impressed! The difference, however, between the two great doctors, is that Tarrasch was a perfectionist: he could not easily permit himself to part with a winning game, whereas Lasker realized that it was more important to win the game.

But perhaps the most important aspect of Tarrasch's long and distinguished chess career are his teachings. Some have been translated into english. The good doctor wrote extensively on the game, about the ideas of positional play, of strategy and of correct opening principles. Several of his books are still considered classics to this day. Certainly his writings did more to influence the following generations of chess masters than all the other writers up that time together. Even I have learned a great deal from Tarrasch's writings!

When I was about 18 years old I first took a look at a book of Tarrasch's best games, and I was blown away by the fact that 100 years before chess masters could play such beautiful chess! I remember even reading his games when I was soaking in the bathtub! Not only were his best games beautiful, but they were instructive. His Spanishes, especially, are works of art."

- Kevin Spraggett, Spraggett on Chess

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

I would suspect that the GM you quote spends most of his time studying contemporary games and openings. I have respect for the 'old' masters, I just don't think studying their games today should occupy more than 5% of my chess study time.

[Dan Scoones]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

That looks like a fair analysis. In a game amongst equals, rather than a weak player using the defence against one who is weaker, for one reason or another the black side of that defense so often does poorly. I used Euwe, in his winning championship match against Alekhine, an example. His loses came with the Winawer and he liked his chances so much he kept playing it.

It's (the Winawer) a game, I guess.

Gary,

So to answer your direct question ("what did I miss?") you missed everything of significance... except the final result.

Cheers,

Dan

[Gary Ruben]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

Gary,

So to answer your direct question ("what did I miss?") you missed everything of significance... except the final result.

Cheers,

Dan

Dan,

Fair enough. Kamsky, however, missed his win and the point. Winning is, quite frankly, everything.

After 9 rounds Kamsky is tied for 10-13 place, out of 14. Bravo, le Winawer! Or should that be la Winawer. My French is still terrible. :)

A la prochaine,
Gary

[David Bowers]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

After 9 rounds Kamsky is tied for 10-13 place, out of 14. Bravo, le Winawer!
A la prochaine,
Gary

I wonder, what scores better for Black in the databases? The 3....Bb4 Winawer or say 3...a6 in the Ruy Lopez ?

All this talk about the French makes me curious - I'll have to check on this sometime.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

I wonder, what scores better for Black in the databases? The 3....Bb4 Winawer or say 3...a6 in the Ruy Lopez ?

All this talk about the French makes me curious - I'll have to check on this sometime.

Hi David,

I don't know. I think with the Ruy Lopez it would still have to be narrowed down farther. For example, in the exchange variation 4. Bxc6 white takes a better pawn formation into the endgame. I think someone came up with a bust for the Ruy Lopez Breyer which is 9. ... Nb8. I think the key move is somewhere around 16 or 17 where white plays a4. I'd have to find my notes on this and can't recall where I tucked them away.

The strong players can, for the most part, play whatever defence they want against weaker players and the result won't matter much. A weaker player using the Winawer against a strong titled player is usually just making it easier. Maybe if it has to be the French defence the Burn would be better.

Gary

[David Bowers]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

Hi David,

I don't know. I think with the Ruy Lopez it would still have to be narrowed down farther. For example, in the exchange variation 4. Bxc6 white takes a better pawn formation into the endgame.

Gary

Would variations of the French be entitled to the same consideration?

Anyway, I have all the TWIC games, collated into one big base. I am getting that White scores 57% vs the ...a6 Ruy Lopez and White scores 56% after 3....Bb4 in the French Winawer.

I get a very similar result in the Fritz10 database.

Mind, I don't have the Chessbase user competence to determine average or median ratings of White and Black in these statistics. The statistics window I can access does not reveal this. Perhaps someone can post how to access this data.

None-the-less, it's perfectly acceptable for any given chess player to not like the French Defence - but it appears to be on the basis of taste, rather than the results it produces.

Cheers!

[Jason Lohner]

Re: A 2700+ GM Plays the French

I've never bothered with the french defense... mainly because of the name