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| Posted by andy94 sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 10/30/2008 10:42:19 Play online chess |  Subject: The Magician from Riga.Message: I know some quotations on chess by him. "There are two kinds of sacrifices: sound ones and mine." "To play for a draw, at any rate with White, is to some degree a crime against chess." "They compare me to Lasker, which is an exaggerated honor. He made mistakes in every game and I only in every second one!" Referring to his piece sacrifices: "They can only take them one at a time!" "If playing chess were made illegal by law, I would become an outlaw." And about Bobby Fischer: "It is also important to remember that Bobby Fischer was a real chess gentleman during games. He was always very fair and very correct." Unfortunately he suffered from bad health. He was a heavy drinker and a chain smoker. In 1962, in Curaçao, while he was admitted to hospital, he received a famous visit by Bobby Fischer. Anyway, I'm sure health problems destroyed Tal's career, but the question is: how much? | ||||||||||
| Posted by ionadowman sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 10/30/2008 12:18:47 Play online chess | I have long thought... Message: Ever since back in 1971 when I read P.H. Clarke's book "Tal's Best Games of Chess (1951-1960)" I have been a Tal fan. Over 100 years ago, H. N. Pillsbury once remarked that when making combinations, you make sure that "when the fire was out, it isn't out!" Well, Tal seemed to be able to ignite the dampest lump of vegetable matter at will. How I wish I could play as he did! I liked what little I've heard of his sense of humour as well. Sometime during the 1980s, Mischa won the World Blitz Championship. In receiving his prize, Tal welcomed the opportunity once more of becoming "ex-World Champion". In an interview for a chess magazine on one occasion, the subject of Tal's fondness for fiery fluids was touched upon, though rather obliquely. When asked whether he would play for a Russian team or the "Vodka" team, Tal rather thought he would choose the latter. Tal's caveat notwithstanding, probably he stands best in comparison with Em. Lasker than with anyone else. In Lasker's view, Chess was neither a science, nor an art, but a fight. I'm sure Tal approached the game in the same way. Such are my impressions of my all-time favorite player. Cheers, Ion | ||||||||||
| Posted by tag1153 sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 10/31/2008 12:14:34 Play online chess | An example of his magic..... Message:  gameknot.com ——— Ukraine Wins Gold Medal at Chess Olympiad — A draw in its final match on Sunday was enough to secure Ukraine the team gold medal in the open section of the Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. It was the first team medal for Ukraine in the competition, which is held every two years, since 2004, when Ukraine also won the gold. Russia’s top team had a chance to catch Ukraine in the last round, but only managed to draw against Spain, despite a win by Vladimir Kramnik over Alexei Shirov, Spain’s top chess player. Russia wound up with the silver — its first medal since 2004, when it also finished with the silver behind Ukraine. Israel, Ukraine’s final-round opponent, tied for third with Hungary, which beat Poland. On tie-breakers, Israel won ... Posted by ionadowman | sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 10/31/2008 14:18:25 Play online chess Hi Thomas...Message: 'Just one round after the positional triumph over Khasin came one from a different mould. It amonf the first of Tal's games that I ever saw, and I well remember being amazed by its sheer ferocity. 'Furthermore it illustrates very clearly, even starkly, ... practical approach to the opening, attacking inclination, and wonderful skill on one side; on the other carelessness, lack of technique and overindulgence in combinative play and fantasy. And all the time you can feel [Tal's] spirit, determination and exuberance coming through. A game full of life and excitement.' P.H.Clarke "Mikhail Tal's Best Games of Chess". One regrets that a long time addiction to alcohol and tobacco - and morphine as well it seems - did so much to depreciate Tal's talent, finally to cut it short well before Tal reached 60 years of age. I recall with horror Tal crashing and burning at the Leningrad Interzonal in 1973, after having posted a record to rival Fischer's contemporaneous 20 World Championship cycle wins in a row. Tal had gone 80+ (83 I think) Master level games without a defeat. But then, maybe the sort of person who plays chess like that is the sort of person who is going to ply himself with dangerous organic chemicals. Who knows? Just as an aside, I guess in the world of sport we sometimes have to take the rough with the smooth. Though never a John McInroe fan, I could not help but admire his fighting qualities. Sure, his ranting and raving on the court was embarrassing and unpleasant to watch and hear. Yet it has always seemed to me that what within McInroe that made him capable of extraordinary winning or saving shots was also responsible for his flying off the handle when he misliked an umpire's call. McInroe called on a good deal of emotion in his play. That was his style. What the connection might be between Tal's fiery chess play, fantasy and imagination and his overindulgences, I wouldn't have the foggiest. I'll leave that to the psychoanalysts. Cheers, Ion ——— Ukraine Leads Chess Olympiad; Russia Has Clinched Women's Title — With one round to go in the biennial Chess Olympiad, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, the team from Ukraine leads the open section with Russia 1 (the top Russian team) in second and Israel in third. In the women’s division, Russia’s top team has already locked up the gold medal by winning all its matches. China is in second and four teams are tied for third. The final round is Sunday. Since Ukraine and Russia have already played, Ukraine will face Israel, while Russia 1 takes on Spain, which is among a group of five teams tied for fourth. Led by Vassily Ivanchuk, who won his first six games, Ukraine, the No. 2 seed, took the lead in Round 7 and has managed to hold it by drawing with Russia 1, the top seed, in ... Posted by ionadowman | sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 11/02/2008 01:06:35 Play online chess In a game I recently annotated... Message: For a game just as wild and of the same stamp, I would commend you to an earlier annotated game in my list: "Die Hard: It's always too early to resign" between ian_want and nathanman22. To be sure there are several mistakes in the game, but there are some brilliant moves as well that shine all the brighter(especially White's astonishing endgame Q sac that ought at least to have saved the game). But for sheer overall entertainment it's a hard game to go past. Cheers, Ion ——— Magnus Carlsen plays the maverick but Michael Adams plays it canny — England experienced highs and lows in successive rounds at the Chess Olympiad this week and will do well to reach a top-15 finish in Sunday's final round. In round six Norway's boards 2-4 looked outgunned, so British chess champion Michael Adams v world No1 Magnus Carlsen seemed a critical pairing. Carlsen's opening three moves shocked the chess world: 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Nf6?! 3 e5 Nh5?! It appears a novice choice but is the North Sea Defence, has been tried by a few maverick chess grandmasters, and offers a pawn for active play by 4 Be2 d6 5 Bxh5 gxh5 6 Qxh5 dxe5 7 dxe5 Rg8. Adams preferred a slight risk-free edge but Carlsen's position was solid until his fresh provocations 18...g5? ... Posted by ccmcacollister | sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 11/02/2008 13:56:14 Play online chess ION .... Message: Tobacco? Well its nice to relax after a day of someone poking a cold plastic tube ... lets rephrase that and just say you'd just about rather have the stones stay IN, even if it is like sliding a jagged jellybean .... well never mind again there. Suffice to say, the steady knaw may be ignored, its those totally untimed stilletto-like pokes of back to front joy that play havoc with the analysis tree :)) ——— At Chess Olympiad, No Team Is Perfect — It turns out that no team is capable of running away from the field at the Chess Olympiad, at least in the open section. Monday, the last three undefeated and untied teams in the competition — Hungary, Armenia and the Republic of Georgia — failed to win their matches. Armenia and Georgia played each other and drew, while Hungary lost to Ukraine. Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine are now tied for the lead with five wins and one draw, for a total of 11 points each. The two top Russian teams, Poland, the United States, Azerbaijan and Hungary are tied for fourth, each with 10 points. In the women’s portion of the Chess Olympiad, one team — the top one from Russia — remains perfect, though ... Posted by ccmcacollister | sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 11/02/2008 14:12:58 Play online chess PS ... Message: ——— Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Re-elected as World Chess Federation President — Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected as president of the World Chess Federation on Wednesday. Mr. Ilyumzhinov reportedly defeated Anatoly Karpov, the former world chess champion, by a vote of 99 to 55. Each country in the federation, which is also known by the acronym FIDE (for Fédération Internationale des Échecs), had one vote. Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s new term runs to 2014; he has been president of FIDE since 1995. The election was held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, where the biennial Chess Olympiad is also being played. As part of Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s ticket, Georgios Makropoulos of Greece was re-elected deputy president; Lewis Ncube of Zambia and Beatriz Marinello ... Posted by ionadowman | sleepingdogsliethemovie.com 11/02/2008 20:38:31 Play online chess Craig...Message: But what you say does seem to confirm my earlier guess about why Tal seemed sometimes to lose control of his pieces. Cheers, Ion |