Highest-ranked players list to visit Ottawa and give a chess simultaneous exhibition.

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  • #16
    Re: Highest-ranked players list to visit Ottawa and give a chess simultaneous exhibit

    Originally posted by Stephen Wright View Post
    Might it have been a year earlier? Spassky was definitely in this country for the North Bay International in August, 1994.
    It could.

    But I just found this:
    http://www.chessclub.com/activities/news/239

    Comment


    • #17
      All is revealed (sort of)

      Thanks - a little exact information goes a long way.

      From En Passant #135:

      Spassky gave a simul on 24 (or 23 according to ICC) boards on October 2, 1995 at the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa. One of the boards was played remotely via ICC. Spassky lost only one game, and drew at least one:

      [Event "Simul"]
      [Site "Ottawa"]
      [Date "1995.10.02"]
      [Round "?"]
      [White "Spassky, Boris"]
      [Black "Langer, Herb"]
      [Result "1/2-1/2"]
      [ECO "E87"]
      [PlyCount "94"]
      [EventDate "1995.10.02"]
      [EventType "simul"]
      [EventCountry "CAN"]
      [SourceDate "2010.02.17"]

      1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 f5 9. O-O-O f4 10. Bf2 Nd7 11. g4 fxg3 12. hxg3 a6 13. Kb1 Qf6 14. Be2 Nc5 15. Nh3 Bd7 16. g4 Nf4 17. Nxf4 Qxf4 18. Qxf4 exf4 19. Bd4 Rae8 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Kc2 Na4 22. Nb1 Re5 23. b3 Nc5 24. Nc3 Be8 25. b4 Na4 26. Rc1 Nxc3 27. Kxc3 Bd7 28. Kd4 Rfe8 29. Bd3 h5 30. gxh5 Rxh5 31. Rxh5 gxh5 32. c5 h4 33. cxd6 cxd6 34. Rc7 Re7 35. Bf1 Kf6 36. Rxb7 h3 37. Rxd7 Rxd7 38. Bxh3 Rc7 39. a4 Rc2 40. a5 Rc1 41. Bg4 Rd1+ 42. Kc3 Ke5 43. Kc2 Rf1 44. Kc3 Rc1+ 45. Kd3 Rb1 46. Kc3 Rg1 47. Kd3 Rg3 1/2-1/2

      [Event "Simul"]
      [Site "Ottawa"]
      [Date "1995.10.02"]
      [Round "?"]
      [White "Spassky, Boris"]
      [Black "Inkol, R."]
      [Result "0-1"]
      [ECO "C34"]
      [PlyCount "58"]
      [EventDate "1995.10.02"]
      [EventType "simul"]
      [EventCountry "CAN"]
      [SourceDate "2010.02.17"]

      1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. d4 g5 5. h4 g4 6. Ng5 f6 7. Bxf4 fxg5 8. hxg5
      Nc6 9. Nc3 Bg7 10. Bb5 Nge7 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. Be3 a6 13. Bc4 b5 14. Be2 b4 15. Nd1 d5 16. e5 Be6 17. Nf2 Qc8 18. c3 a5 19. g3 bxc3 20. Qxc3 Rb8 21. Nd3 Bf5 22. Nc5 Nb4 23. Bd1 O-O 24. Kd2 Na6 25. Nd3 Qb7 26. b3 c5 27. Nxc5 Nxc5 28. Qxc5 Rfc8 29. Qa3 Qb5 0-1

      Spassky was scheduled to appear at Pickering Town Centre (Oct. 4th), Don Mills Centre in Toronto (5th), Stone Road Mall in Guelph (6th), and White Oaks Mall in London (7th) - there don't appear to be reports on these events in EP, though.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: All is revealed (sort of)

        Good work guys! But I have an inkling that Spassky may have been here long before 1995. The photo Doug spoke of came from a dusty old box, and I think predates '95, but I haven't seen it myself. Maybe ask Alex Danilov? He's been here forever and would likely remember.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: All is revealed (sort of)

          Originally posted by Gordon Taylor View Post
          Good work guys! But I have an inkling that Spassky may have been here long before 1995. The photo Doug spoke of came from a dusty old box, and I think predates '95, but I haven't seen it myself. Maybe ask Alex Danilov? He's been here forever and would likely remember.
          Before this passes into oblivion, I have another name: Reshevsky. Did he ever give a simul in Ottawa? Or simply visit Ottawa? Stephen's page had 7 Canadian simuls by SR; an internet search found two more (in Calgary and Winnipeg), but not yet Ottawa. The old Chessmetrics site ranks Reshevsky #1 in the world at the end of 1938 and again at the end of 1942. Lucky seven anybody?

          Comment


          • #20
            Sammy

            According to the Manitoba Free Press Reshevsky gave a simul in Ottawa on 19 April 1923, defeating 26 opponents. This is the same day as another of his simuls in Montreal; I haven't had time to check the local contemporary press to find out if this information is accurate or not.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: All is revealed (sort of) - Karpov ?

              Originally posted by Stephen Wright View Post
              Thanks - a little exact information goes a long way.

              Thank you!
              Another name that was mentioned: Karpov.
              I do not see it on your visitors list.

              All I could find is:
              http://www.torontochess.org/drupal/node/19

              I don't know if that simul (in Toronto) on Oct. 13 2007, would count on your list.
              Total time limit: 1h 30 min, upper rating limit: ELO 2000 and restricted to the participants of a 2-3 days "academy" event

              On Hugh Brodie's list (for Montreal) there is no Tal or Karpov simul in 1979 which is disappointing (that it did not happen).

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: All is revealed (sort of) - Karpov ?

                Originally posted by Emil Smilovici View Post
                Karpov.
                It might help to trace (ex-)world champions' visits to other Canadian places.

                ***



                http://www.chessacademycanada.110mb....povsimul2.html
                "World Champion Anatoly Karpov gave an exhibition in 1979 at Toronto Eaton Center, in which he played 20 opponents simultaneously. Exhibition organized by Roman Pelts."






                http://www.chessacademycanada.110mb....c_spassky.html
                Boris Spassky, former world champion, visited Toronto in 1982 at the invitation of Roman Pelts, where he gave a simultaneous exhibition at
                the Square One shopping center in Mississauga.



                http://www.chessacademycanada.110mb...._kasparov.html
                Roman Pelts watches as World Champion Gary Kasparov faces his students in a simultaneous exhibition at Toronto's Upper Canada College, in 1998.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Keres 1975 simuls!?

                  GM Paul Keres, sometimes called the 'Crown Prince of Chess' (for coming so close to the World Championship without actually winning it) was in Canada in 1975, and apparently gave several simuls in Ontario, on his way to the tournament at Vancouver 1975 (which he won). He gave simuls in Kingston and Toronto for sure that I know about, in May, but I don't know if he gave one in Ottawa on that trip. Keres died shortly after returning to Estonia from his Canadian trip.

                  Perhaps someone in Ottawa would know for sure about Keres' possible simul there.

                  I'm wondering if (GM) Emanuel Lasker may have visited Ottawa at some point. He spent a lot of time in the United States, often based in New York, and toured that country by rail, giving simuls and lectures. He did give a simul in Winnipeg (1907!?), on a trip up from the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. I remember a playing over a game where Magnus Smith (several times Canadian champion) won over Lasker from that era. The reason he may have been in Ottawa is that it would have been a natural trip for him to hit Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto from his New York base, had there been interest for that then.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Highest-ranked players list to visit Ottawa and give a chess simultaneous exhibit

                    Keres: see table of visitors at B.C. Chess History; for Keres in 1975 the information is taken in part from CFC Bulletin #10

                    Lasker: see above, also Canadian Chess News for December 2009 and January 2010. An Ottawa simul is not listed in Ken Whyld's The Collected Games of Emanuel Lasker, but Whyld admits his list is neither complete nor accurate.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      visit

                      Originally posted by Emil Smilovici View Post
                      Thank you!
                      Another name that was mentioned: Karpov.
                      I mentioned Karpov in the other thread. The list, which started with Karpov and three others, is now up to seven players, six of whom, as it happens, gave simuls. The erroneous statement about Shirov's ranking was this:

                      Originally posted by Gordon Ritchie View Post
                      CFC Vice President Stijn de Kerpel, himself a master player who had gone down in flames against the SuperGM, pronounced himself delighted by the evening's performance. He noted that Alexei Shirov is undoubtedly the highest-ranked player ever to visit the Nation's Capital.
                      visit is not the same as give a simul. Other important words in the last sentence include undoubtedly and highest-ranked and player (singular).

                      I shared a table with Karpov and others during that visit, which happened during the long period that he was FIDE World Champion and FIDE #1 rated. So far as I know, he did not play any recorded chess games during his visit.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Highest-ranked players list to visit Ottawa and give a chess simultaneous exhibit

                        Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                        I shared a table with Karpov and others during that visit, which happened during the long period that he was FIDE World Champion and FIDE #1 rated. So far as I know, he did not play any recorded chess games during his visit.
                        I forgot to mention:
                        My grandfather had a beer (Carlsberg) with Carl Schlehter - therefore we have eight names now!

                        Czech Republic is massacrating Latvia right now (3-0 after 6 minutes, Latvia does not have even a shot on goal for 8 minutes). Therefore no Latvian born should be on the list but we are adding Ludek Pachman and Lubomir Ftacnik!

                        Here you have it: 10 names in total -
                        ...widiculous
                        ... wisible!

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Highest-ranked players list to visit Ottawa and give a chess simultaneous exhibit

                          Originally posted by Emil Smilovici View Post
                          I forgot to mention:
                          My grandfather had a beer (Carlsberg) with Carl Schlehter - therefore we have eight names now!

                          Czech Republic is massacrating Latvia right now (3-0 after 6 minutes, Latvia does not have even a shot on goal for 8 minutes). Therefore no Latvian born should be on the list but we are adding Ludek Pachman and Lubomir Ftacnik!

                          Here you have it: 10 names in total -
                          ...widiculous
                          ... wisible!
                          If your grandfather had that beer with Schlechter in Ottawa then, yes, we have name #8.

                          If you're saying that Pachman and Ftacnik visited Ottawa, then you still have to argue that they could have been considered--or were--as highly ranked as Shirov. Good luck.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: visit

                            Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post

                            visit is not the same as give a simul. Other important words in the last sentence include undoubtedly and highest-ranked and player (singular).
                            Dissected like a frog in a high school science class. Let this be a warning to anyone who uses hyperbole or says anything without hiring a team of researchers to validate everything beforehand.

                            Shirov is the strongest chess player ever to visit Toronto and enter the washroom facilities at Scarborough Chess Club at 1299 Ellesmere Road on Feb 18, 2010. (I was going to say use the washroom facilities but I only saw him go through the door).

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: visit

                              Originally posted by Andrei Moffat View Post
                              Dissected like a frog in a high school science class. Let this be a warning to anyone who uses hyperbole or says anything without hiring a team of researchers to validate everything beforehand.

                              Shirov is the strongest chess player ever to visit Toronto and enter the washroom facilities at Scarborough Chess Club at 1299 Ellesmere Road on Feb 18, 2010. (I was going to say use the washroom facilities but I only saw him go through the door).
                              Andrei, I'm glad you agree with my initial assessment, that the statement in question is not to be interpreted factually. It is heart-warming to think that more of the author's statements are to be interpreted in the spirit of hyperbole. Thank you for that. All the time, he was just kidding!

                              Here is the initial exchange on the subject, from the other thread:

                              Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                              Originally posted by Gordon Ritchie View Post
                              CFC Vice President Stijn de Kerpel... noted that Alexei Shirov is undoubtedly the highest-ranked player ever to visit the Nation's Capital...
                              Zukertort, Keres, Karpov and Short notwithstanding. "Undoubtedly" another little joke. It's great that Shirov has come to Canada. But why does the truth so often not suffice?
                              If the speaker and the author intended hyperbole, didn't they have a kazillion more poetic ways to put it? Glass. House. Stone. Eh? OK, but why did they have to use highest-ranked, redolent of dull Economics? Isn't, for example most brilliant more human? I'm not saying that there should be a sign "This is hyperbole > > >", but I do think that it shouldn't masquerade as something else.

                              I've noticed in speech that when a not-to-be-taken-literally statement is made, the listener will reinforce this with "Fuuhnny" (Funny) with a particular inflection. A Russian listener might reinforce with "Konyeshna" (Konyechno, "of course") in another particular tone. Equally in English speech, the phrases "of course", "naturally", "obviously" on their own can have an ironic / sardonic / hyperbolic meaning. But have we really come so far down that path that readers and listeners expect "of course" and "obviously"--and now undoubtedly--to be followed by a statement without factual value?

                              In US politics, denials have taken many amusing forms (my favourite is from a press secretary in the days of President Johnson. His denial was "That statement is no longer operative."). But have they ever said "The President intended that statement as hyperbole." ? or "He was just kidding." ?

                              Your mention of researchers is a propos. When I first saw the erroneous statement, I imagined that the author had formulated it thusly:

                              Alexei Shirov is the highest-rated player ever to visit the Nation's Capital...
                              and then considered whether the public might prefer ranked to rated, and then finally paused to consider the truth of the statement. It's the kind of statement that needs research, because it references a quantifiable thing: ranking. Research is time-consuming, and maybe he missed the thread where Stephen announced he had posted the master visits and exhibits. So instead of research, he added the word undoubtedly, which made the statement into what I called a little joke and you called hyperbole. And that all of the consideration took place in a fraction of a section and may not even have been conscious. Just my imagination, of course.

                              I don't think I need to answer the questioner of Kotov's rank on the basis that his name is listed as the co-author of a tedious chess book. That question may have been rhetorical.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Highest-ranked players list to visit Ottawa and give a chess simultaneous exhibit

                                Draw offer - from a good position (Johannes Zukertort is the only weakness)

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