Great chess quotes

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great Chess Quotes

Great Chess Quotes

April 14, 2016

From an article on the Hall of Fame festivities before the first round of the U.S. Championships in St. Louis, 2016

Prior to the evening's festivities, Nakamura played an eight-hour, 283 game bullet match on Chess.com with Canadian GM Eric Hansen. He won 234.5-48.5, although that means losing 50 rating points!

"I can't feel my hand anymore," Hansen said during the match. He said it took him 222 games to finally flag the U.S. Champion.

Mike Klein at:

https://www.chess.com/news/halls-of-...jewel-box-6474

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great Chess Quotes

Great Chess Quotes

April 8, 2016

Sunil Weeramantry is an FIDE master, chess author and stepfather to Hikaru Nakamura.

He is the subject of a profile in the latest issue of New In Chess (2016#2).

One of the questions he was asked was:

What is the stupidest rule in chess?

To which he answered:

That you are not allowed to use two hands to move two pieces.

[Recall that at the FIDE World Cup 2015 in Baku, after eight games the match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura was tied, so an Armageddon game was needed. Nakamura won the toss and chose black, needed a draw but won.

But, as it turned out, he had used both hands when he castled on move five. Nepomniachtchi did not notice and lost the game but, finding out about it later, launched an appeal, which was turned down.]

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great Chess Quotes

Great Chess Quotes

April 3, 2016

Do you want to write a chess book? Of course you do!

Every player feels that he has at least one chess book in him. But the difficulty is how to start.

The answer is that almost every first chapter of chess books – on chess history, selected games, openings, quotations or whatever, have a commonality. They all discuss some aspect of Aron Nimzowitsch’s thought.

Once you have written that first chapter then the rest is easy peasy.

Phil Crocker, in Kingpin, has an excellent guide in his DIY article, “How to Write a Chess Book and Make Lots of Dosh”.

http://www.kingpinchess.net/2015/01/...loads-of-dosh/

“Always start your book with a section on Nimzowitsch. Find, or make up, a few games he played with your opening. This is quite safe because it will be difficult for anyone to disprove that a dead player played a particular (preferably obscure) game. This is useful because it: a) uses up a whole chapter; and b) suggests your opening has a pedigree – most players will be unaware that Nimzowitsch played the dodgiest openings available.”

Send me a copy of your book when it is published.

[Wayne Komer]

Great Chess Quotes

Great Chess Quotes

April 1, 2016

In a long interview in 2011, Vladimir Akopian had this to say:

Could you please name the ten best chess players of all time?

The best, of course, was Fischer. The second is probably Alekhine, and the third is Kasparov. That top-3 is quite clear. Then Capablanca, and then at about the same level – Spassky, Karpov, Botvinnik, Petrosian, Tal…

It turns out I’m naming only World Champions, but that’s probably how it should be. I also have a very high opinion of the play of Larsen and Stein. Those are all chess players from the past; I think any of them would be stronger than the majority of chess players in the current generation. Again, I mean in terms of chess understanding, and not being armed with stunning novelties. Nowadays people sometimes make moves in the endgame that wouldn’t even have crossed the minds of any of those past players. Their general chess culture and education wouldn’t have allowed them to make such moves.

http://chesspro.ru/_events/2011/barskii4_enc.html

[Nigel Hanrahan]

They played chess wordlessly and, when they stood up, they had had a conversation.

Whenever Benjamin and Brecht were together in Denmark, an atmosphere of confidence and trust immediately arose between them. Brecht had an enormous liking for Benjamin; in fact, he loved him. I think they understood each other without saying a word. They played chess wordlessly and, when they stood up, they had had a conversation. —Ruth Berlau.

Beautifully expressed.

Image: Brecht & Benjamin, Skovsbostrand, Denmark.

[Wayne Komer]

Great Chess Quotes

Great Chess Quotes

March 31, 2016

In an article on the St. George Defence and its eccentric proponent by Gennadi Sosonko:

http://www.chess-news.ru/node/20977

he talks about Tony Miles and says:

Anthony John Miles (1955-2001) was born in Birmingham on April 23 on St. George's Day and named the 1…a6 defence after one of the most famous saints in the Christian religion. (referring to the game he won against Anatoly Karpov in 1980)

Like Fischer, Tony Miles successfully fought against Soviet grandmasters. He won against the strongest: Smyslov, Spassky, Tal, Karpov, Korchnoi, Geller and Polugaevsky.

Alexey Suetin (from whom Miles won by playing 1.e4 c6 2. d4 Na6) complained: "I like all the players in England, except Miles. He did not treat me with the respect to which I am accustomed. "

The article is in Russian. It has lots of photos of Miles and is a fitting tribute.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

people should stop writing such nonsense

US GM Sam Shankland: "... people should stop writing [such] nonsense about these elite players."


... in response to foolish criticism of the play of Anand and Giri at the recently concluded Candidates in Moscow.

How Karjakin Won etc.

Shankland's commentary on the event made for good reading.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Kasparov - "Vishy may not yet have reached his prime."

Thanks, but who knows? Vishy may not yet have reached his prime!

Kasparov, replying to a compliment regarding his own chess accomplishments, shows some respect for the great Indian GM.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great chess quotes

Great Chess Quotes

March 24, 2016

Rarely does one get to add a chess quote to a previous one. But…

At Candidates 2016, Moscow during Round Nine, Egor Piskunov related an anecdote in which Anish Giri, took one of the bishops from his board back to the hotel with him after the game.

In Round 10, he asked Anish about it and got this elaboration:

I take a piece to have something in my hand like the Arabs have stones. People do it to calm them down when they are nervous.

Sometimes you take a piece, put in your pocket and sometimes you forget to give it right back.

It has happened to me a few times. If I had kept them all, I would have a complete set by now but I am kind enough to give them all back.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Great chess quotes

David Janowski "... could follow the wrong path with greater determination than any man I ever met!"*

- Frank Marshall (in his collection of his best games....according to Wikipedia :) )

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great chess quotes

Great Chess Quotes

March 21, 2016

Two from the Candidates

Before Candidates 2016 in Moscow started, it was announced that it would have a confession booth where players could televise themselves to the audience and give their thoughts on the play.

After nine rounds I have not seen a tape from a confessional. Perhaps they are only shown on Norwegian TV or maybe the players are too busy to use them.

This quote from Sagar Shah in chessbase.com

In the playing area there will be closed booths with cameras and players will come in during the games to share their opinions about the position.

I met Peter and told him how badly we will miss his commentary at this event. “Yes that’s the running joke”, replied Svidler. “I think after the first few moves I will go to the 'confession booth' and commentate about what’s going on in the games of other players!”

https://en.chessbase.com/post/openin...andidates-2016
________

Anish Giri is now perceived as a very solid, drawing master – a reputation that Peter Leko already has.

Anish was against Fabiano this afternoon and Giri had to settle for a ninth draw in nine games after 7 hours play and 96 moves.

Earlier this morning there was this tweet:

(Mig Greegard) – Somewhere in Budapest, Peter Leko tunes in to the Candidates broadcast and sees Giri-Caruana: “Hey, things are finally getting interesting!”

[Hans Jung]

Re: Great chess quotes

Bobby Fischer had good taste in music.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great chess quotes

Great Chess Quotes

March 9, 2016

There is a YouTube video in which Peter Heine Nielsen gives his evaluation of the players in Candidates 2016.

He is a burly guy with great hair, a strong chin and a serious demeanour.

This prompted one viewer to say:

Peter Heine Nielsen looks like a Peter Svidler who just woke up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJgX...ature=youtu.be

[Vlad Dobrich]

Re: Great chess quotes

Following the Canadian Open in 1971, I spent many pleasant hours in conversation during walks with Boris Spassky and recollections come back from time to time.
In one walk, just after exiting a travel office, Spassky mentioned that his 'tail' a KGB agent might get upset over our changing his ticket to visit Toronto and play in the CNE Open that Labour Day. I stopped abruptly and asked "Will that cause a problem for you?" as I had been the one to convince him of the detour.
With a pleasant smile on his face, he said "The KGB has 100 files on me - 101 will not matter." We continued the walk.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Great chess quotes

‘Superior skill at chess does not indicate superior intelligence; it only indicates superior skill at chess.’

Source: an article entitled ‘A Page of Hints’ by C.J.S. Purdy,*Chess World, November 1957, pages 242-243.