Great chess quotes

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Great chess quotes

From the late Arthur Langlois - head of Montreal's Alekhine CC in the 1970's:

"Before to be a Fischer, you have to be a fish".

[Gordon Taylor]

Re: Great chess quotes

Here's one I learned from Peter Biyiasas: "Two bishops very good; one bishop not so good."

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Great chess quotes

Duncan Suttles - Black pawns move faster than white pawns

Actually, I vaguely recall seeing this one mentioned in an old book I once had (by Fine?).

Also, from wikipedia (listed under quotes):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passed_pawn

"Black pawns travel faster than white pawns." – (unknown, popularly attributed to the Manhattan Chess Club)

[Denis Allan]

Re: Great chess quotes

[QUOTE=Kevin Pacey;76159]Actually, I vaguely recall seeing this one mentioned in an old book I once had (by Fine?).

Also, from wikipedia (listed under quotes):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passed_pawn

"Black pawns travel faster than white pawns." – (unknown, popularly attributed to the Manhattan Chess Club)[/QUO

Although Duncan, best known for his originality, seems the least likely player to have picked something up from an obscure source, it is possible. I first met him at a dingy chess club on Hornby St. when in Vancouver for Xmas, I think in 1960. All I can remember from that night is that Duncan was interested in the Lasker-Schlechter match. He had 9 of the 10 games and was trying to find the missing one.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Great chess quotes

The quote I most remember is something Abe Yanofsky said to me around 1960 or thereabouts. He said, "You know the rules better than you know how to play".

A pretty fair comment. My game got into some time trouble and I had a terrible position. So I claimed a draw by repetition of position. It was appealed and Abe was on the appeal committee. I got the draw.

One guy at the club in the 1950's used to play with me when there weren't any opponents around. He only played me progressive. Start even and increase the spot every game he won until he won with a Queen spot. He got 4 moves for the queen plus he started (so it was 5 moves) but none of them past the 4th rank. That kept it interesting for him as I was still learning. He wore a large mans diamond ring on the hand he used to move his pieces. The light used to catch the stone and it shone as he moved his pieces. He used to say to watch the board and not his ring. He told me that lots of times. The last time we ever played was the night I worked him up to the point where I spotted him the queen. It was graduation day.

[Gordon Taylor]

Re: Great chess quotes

A long time ago when I lived in Vancouver I was told a story of how Duncan Suttles and Asa Hoffman got into a speed chess marathon match than stretched over several days. It was played in either The Manhattan or Marshall CC, probably around or before 1965. It was in 1965 that Duncan qualified for and played in the US Closed Championship, the result of a barnstorming tour across the US where he played in every event he could and gained a bushel of rating points. His style then was exceedingly sharp, e.g. the King's Gambit, and while effective in Swiss events, did not serve him well in the US Closed in which he did badly. In any event he certainly had ample opportunity to learn the New York patter. But seriously, I think most of these aphorisms were already current in the Viennese coffee shops more than a century ago, albeit in German.

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: Great chess quotes

"In general there is something puzzling about the fact that the most renowned figures in chess - Morphy, Pillsbury, Capablanca and Fischer - were born in America."
Capa was born in Cuba, no? Of course back then Cuba was almost like a U.S. colony!

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Great chess quotes

I played Capablanca's second cousin, who played for Cuba, a number of years ago in correspondence chess. Tim Harding published the game in his magazine, Chess Mail. I was the white side of the Sicilian poisoned pawn. It was an interesting game but ended in a draw.

The game seems to still be in the family.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great chess quotes

"..born in America"


My impression was that Kasparov was including both North and South America in “America”.

We still have to wait for a superstar to come out of South America. At one time it was thought to be Henrique Mecking of Brazil.

Carlos Torre was Mexican by birth but spent much of his early life in New Orleans, where he received his chess training. Like Mecking, he was in the top echelon of players for a while but illness kept him from staying there.

[Bob Armstrong]

Current Second-Highest "American" (All Americas)?

Hi Wayne:

Is Bruzon now the 2nd highest rated in the Americas (the FIDE designation)? Hikaru Nakamura is the highest (now # 3). I think he now joins (at least close under) the prior "All Americans" mentioned above.

Bob

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Current Second-Highest "American" (All Americas)?

You're clearly overlooking Leinier Dominguez Perez (2754), Bob. He's the #1 Cuban and currently #14 on the entire planet. Bruzon (2676) is currently 'only' #73.

[Bob Armstrong]

Re: Current Second-Highest "American" (All Americas)?

Hi Jack:

Bad memory - I used to know that - couldn't remember the name though. Thanks. So Dominguez is # 2 in the Americas, behind Hikaru. The Cuban culture harkens back to Capablanca! Still in the game!

Bob A

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Current Second-Highest "American" (All Americas)?

Kasparov’s four American chess talents have “renown”. Clearly he thinks that Pillsbury is at the same level as the other World Champions.

Indeed, Pillsbury had an even score against Lasker and Steinitz and a slight minus against Chigorin and Tarrasch.

ChessBase says that Kasparov devotes twelve pages in Volume One of his My Great Predecessors (in the section on Lasker) to the tragedy of Pillsbury:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/harry-n...erican-tragedy

and Kasparov quotes Alekhine, who many years later characterised the "American meteor" thus: "Pillsbury was, after Morphy, undoubtedly the greatest chess talent of the USA”.

At St. Petersburg 1895-96, the fateful game was in the fourth encounter of Pillsbury with Lasker. Had Harry won, he would have become the No. 1 challenger to Lasker but he lost in a game that Lasker considered the best of his career. Extensive analysis is given in the ChessBase News article above.

A Boston Globe article ranks him as one of the top three Americans ever to play the game.

The next few years should tell us if Nakamura can reach these heights. Really, I had high hopes for Mecking after the Interzonal in 1973 but to succeed you have to combine brilliance with longevity and so many talented players have fallen by the wayside in the past four decades.

[Bob Armstrong]

Re: Current Second-Highest "American" (All Americas)?

Hi Wayne:

Mecking succumbed to ill-health. In his comeback he was never the same. His future before then - who knows?

Bob

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Great chess quotes

From an interview in BCM December 2013

Susan Polgar: In four Olympiads from 1988 to 2004, I played on board one in all 56 games, never rested, never lost a single game, while winning a total of 5 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze medals.


A wonderful record! I just can’t figure out where those 10 medals came from. Presumably four for board one and 3 with her team, which won 3 medals for placing in the top three. That’s 7…

Nope, I’m still 3 short.