Nice article about Mark Plotkin in the latest chess column and his win vs Hans at the Banff Open.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life...o-chess-coach/
Globe & Mail Cecil Rosner column Dec 17 2021
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I would argue that Mark could have been a top-20 player, maybe higher, had he wanted to keep at tournament chess, in his younger years.
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Thanks Ian. Ive got to live another twenty years just to make sure he has every chance to become a tournament player. It will be a wonderful moment if we are siting beside each other someday in a tournament.
At his baby shower I gave him a present of all the major chess pieces (no pawns because he could swallow them by accident) so he could get the feel of them and dream about them before actually playing.
Merry Christmas Ian.Last edited by Hans Jung; Thursday, 23rd December, 2021, 11:20 AM.
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and Mark Bluvshtein did another very wise achievement - he got the GM title and went as far as he could go in the chess world before he pursued a career.
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GM Bareev describes in his book 'Say NO To Chess Principles' the background of his decision to leave full-time competitive chess. The book is great!
My take on it is that GM Bluvshtein (born 1988 in the Soviet Union) had more opportunities for a career away from chess, when he was making that decision, in his early 20s. He had Canadian citizenship, a good quality undergraduate degree from York University, his GM title, a rating of 2600+, and a home in Toronto, Canada's most dynamic economic city. Mark's father Ilya is an engineer who was able to establish his career in Canada. So, Mark had options, which he had worked to develop, in a very smart and mature manner. GM Bareev (born 1966) was rising into the world's chess elite in his early 20s, at a time when the Soviet Union was trying to transition to a market economy and a stronger democracy, led by Mikhail Gorbachev, who ascended to Soviet General Secretary in 1985, taking over for previous leaders who were a generation older. Gorby, a favorite in the West, made a lot of progress, but was toppled by a coup in 1991. The Soviet Union then broke up, Boris Yeltsin became President of Russia, and it was a very turbulent time. Look at where we are now, with Russia led by Vladimir Putin, who is making Hitler-type threats against his neighbors. GM Bareev, who was 25 when the USSR broke up, may not have had options other than to stay in chess. Certainly, as he got older, it was tougher to change careers, as it is for anyone.
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Originally posted by Hans Jung View PostHave a Merry Christmas Kerry it certainly is possible. I have a new grandson so it will happen for me.
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I just learned chess does not appear in the print version, only online.
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Thanks Kerry. Grandchildren are such a delight. Best wishes for the New Year.
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Originally posted by Hans Jung View PostHave a Merry Christmas Kerry it certainly is possible. I have a new grandson so it will happen for me.
We have had 3 new grandchildren in the last 12.5 months (3 different sibling families...) including our first grand daughter (now 5 months!) ... so we know what you mean!!
Merry Christmas and Happy & Healthy New Year...
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Thanks for the update on what Mark Bluvshtein is doing. He's a great guy. In the column is a telling quote: He loves chess and looks at it every day.
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Originally posted by Hans Jung View PostHere's a dumb question but I do need an answer. I went searching for Cecil's column in the print version of the Globe and Mail but couldnt find it. What page and section is it in?
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Here's a dumb question but I do need an answer. I went searching for Cecil's column in the print version of the Globe and Mail but couldnt find it. What page and section is it in?
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Have a Merry Christmas Kerry it certainly is possible. I have a new grandson so it will happen for me.
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I think the idea of posting some context with a link is a good point and I will try to remember to do so even in cases where I think it is self-explanatory.
Have a Merry Christmas - if that is possible in this age of Covid...
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Originally posted by Kerry Liles View PostOK, point taken. The announcement that Cecil Rosner has been granted chess column space in the Globe & Mail was prominent here on CT over the last week (or 2 ?).
I have never met Cecil Rosner so I should not presume he is well known here at CT. I simply thought the subject line was sufficient - clearly I was mistaken.
I hope you can understand when I explain it this way: we all have learned that when we check our email and see something from someone we know and trust, if it contains a link to a web site and there is no explanation or text to even verify that this really is our trusted friend sending the link, we should NOT click the link.
And if emails can be hacked and misrepresented, so can CT posts. So all I am asking, of you and anyone else here, is that if you post a link, put some text there, some comment or explanation, to let us all know it really is you posting it. Just putting a link all by itself, even with some subject line, should be taken by us all as a red flag.
That's all I really meant, I sure didn't mean to single you out or imply anything about you personally. I think you are very computer-savvy and can understand this.
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