Cheater's Top Five Chess Players.

Hi Cheat,

If it appears that I follow you around from post to post it is
because I find you amusing and like to chip in every now and then.

I've lifted one of your better posts (tidied it up) and started a
new thread because I think you are making a few valid points
and it may have been missed by other's who I know would share an opinion.

*******

Cheats Top Five In reverse order.
(the quotes are from Cheat himself)

5. Josh Waitzkin. As much as I like to BASH him for all his
shortcomings and failures, I admire his blitzkrieg attacking style, his
easy to understand lessons, and his previous overall devotion to
chess. Being the spokesman for Chessmaster gets him bonus points.

4. Mikhail Tal. A highstrung character. Brutal attacking style.


3. Vishy Anand. The current WCC. Much to learn by analyzing
his games. Enough said.

2. Garry Kasparov. One of the few to ever destroy Anand.
Highest rated player of all time. A sore loser (like myself). Great
attacker. Any GM who publically plays a chess program gets points in
my book.

1. Bobby Fischer. Arrogant, conceited, schizophrenic, reclusive,
BRILLIANT. Coincidentally, these are the 5 traits I would use to
describe myself. I firmly believe Fischer could have mopped the board
with Kasparov, but we will never know.

These are the players who I used to study the most.
As you all know, I have basically given up studying and playing chess.

I prefer to play engine vs engine matches and fine tune my chess
program CANNIBAL 37.

*******

(Back to me again)

5. Josh Waitzkin is a surpise when one sees lists of these kind.
Post a game of his that has impressed you the most.
A genuine reuest, I know very few of his games.

4. Tal. A genius. I hate it when chess primers use his games.
How can you expect a student to emulate Tal when nobody else can.

3. Vishy Anand. Studying his best games ATM - very good. Very honest
notes.

Kasparov & Fischer. Most likely the best two players in the history
of the game.

I'd have the same list 'cept drop Waitzkin and Anand, replace them
with Alekhine and Tarrasch.

Alekhine because he was a brilliant chess player.

Tarrasch has a terrible PR in the Western world.
He too was a brilliant player.

Their is a school of thought that claim if Tarrasch had not popularised
the game through his excellent writing and teaching in the 1890's
then Chess may have died out.

At the time Chess was at a low ebb, then much to the chagrin of
the other Masters, Tarrasch (an amatuer) started publishing
their secrets in an easy to understand manner.
We owe Tarrasch a great deal.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hi Cheat,

If it appears that I follow you around from post to post it is
because I find you amusing and like to chip in every now and then.

I've lifted one of your better posts (tidied it up) and started a
new thread because I think you are making a few valid points
and it may have been missed by other's who I know would share an opinion.

** ...[text shortened]... d publishing
their secrets in an easy to understand manner.
We owe Tarrasch a great deal.

Yeah, his post lay buried - thought it needed a better audience.
(one of saner moments).

Hopefully Cheat ss off looking for his favourite Josh game.
I really do want to see it. I've only played over a handful of his games.

Edit 1:

Tarrasch's Best Games by Reienfeld - It's so good.

They have it out brand new for about £20.00 but the older copies
are still knocking about. Check out your local libraries.

(you keep the book go back and tell them you lost it and pay the 1970's price).

Next time I pick up a second copy I'll give you a buzz.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hi Cheat,

If it appears that I follow you around from post to post it is
because I find you amusing and like to chip in every now and then.

I've lifted one of your better posts (tidied it up) and started a
new thread because I think you are making a few valid points
and it may have been missed by other's who I know would share an opinion.

** ...[text shortened]... d publishing
their secrets in an easy to understand manner.
We owe Tarrasch a great deal.

So we need a poll.

Anyone who posts from now on Copy Poll, add your choice and paste.

eg if you like Fischer, Tal, Karpov, Kasparov and Anand then
add one to their total, copy and paste.
If you want to add another, then add another,
eg: Botvinnik 1

POLL of top players as chosen by RHP

Capablanca 1
Tal 3
Alekhine 1
Waitzkin 1
Annand 1
Fischer 3
Kasparov 3
Tarrasch 1
Karpov 1

POLL of top players as chosen by RHP

Capablanca 1
Tal 4
Alekhine 1
Waitzkin 1
Annand 1
Fischer 3
Kasparov 4
Tarrasch 1
Karpov 2
Kramnik 1
Bronstein 1

Karpov: impeccable technique, just an awesome player!
Kramnik: I really enjoy the fact that he is capable of playing very solid as well as great tactical battles
Kasparov: obvious, still arguably the best player ever
Bronstein: Gifted artist, 'nough said.
Tal: Can't be copied, I am playing through his Life and Games, and you learn nothing, you can only be mistified by his play!

No serious minded chess player would be capable of leaving Anatoli Karpov off the top 10 list of best ever chessplayers as his thirty plus year record speaks for itself ,complete with 10 plus years as undisputed/disputed world champion with a tournament play record without comparison even today.The fact that a significant number of his opponents were at times'past their best'playing ability does nothing to discredit his brilliant mastery of chess,and any indepth study of his best performanced games clearly indicates how superior his knowledge was in relation to almost all his opponents,with the obvious exceptions of G. Kasparov and V. Korchnoi whos play at his best was atleast as good as Karpovs ever was,if somewhat slightly unstable later on?😵

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Yeah, his post lay buried - thought it needed a better audience.
(one of saner moments).

Hopefully Cheat ss off looking for his favourite Josh game.
I really do want to see it. I've only played over a handful of his games.

Edit 1:

Tarrasch's Best Games by Reienfeld - It's so good.

They have it out brand new for about £20.00 but the older co ...[text shortened]... st it and pay the 1970's price).

Next time I pick up a second copy I'll give you a buzz.

If Waitzkin grew up in a European powerhouse nation he would be an nobody in the chess world. Being even a half decent non-import player in the US garners so much attention (in N.A. anyway). I am sure there are tons of "promising" young prodigy's in Russia, Latvia, Armenia, everyday of the week. The disappointment of Waitzkin is the media's fault, making him out to be next Fischer. Again, if he was in Europe, you'd never hear about him because he'd be just another player. Big fish in small US Chess pond.

KARPOV!! Has to be considered.

Capablanca 2
Tal 4
Alekhine 2
Waitzkin 1
Annand 1
Fischer 4
Kasparov 5
Tarrasch 1
Karpov 3
Kramnik 1
Bronstein 1

I know Waitzkin puzzles everyone as to why he's on my list. He's not a current player and not even in the top 100.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?page=1&pid=17030

Watch Game #3 and LEARN what it means to attack attack ATTACK. Perhaps you all will understand why I posted what I did on how to be a better chess player. IGNORE everything and go for the KING, even it means sacrificing your Queen.


Watch game #186 and UNDERSTAND what it means to always PUSH forward no MATTER what you are confronted with. Ignore attacks on you MAJOR pieces. Sacrifice them as if they were pawns, all to the great good of zeroing in on that WEAK castled king.

Take note on it is IMPERATIVE that you develop both your knights BEFORE you even touch a bishop if you want to mount a successful ATTACK.

Originally posted by cheater1
I know Waitzkin puzzles everyone as to why he's on my list. He's not a current player and not even in the top 100.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?page=1&pid=17030

Watch Game #3 and LEARN what it means to attack attack ATTACK. Perhaps you all will understand why I posted what I did on how to be a better chess player. IGNORE everything and go f ...[text shortened]... lop both your knights BEFORE you even touch a bishop if you want to mount a successful ATTACK.

No, actually 186 is a win for Waitzkin, and I believe it was one of his annotated games in chessmaster

HEY WORMWOOD, a DRAW!!!???? Please, please, please rescind that remark. I'm begging you, for your own good. Even a novice should be able to look at that position and in about 20 seconds come to the conclusion that white has NO HOPE WHATSOEVER.

The game is UNDRAWABLE.

Just for kicks, I went to ALL the trouble to put it into Fritz and after about 7 minutes of analyzation, it delivered the verdict: MATE IN 12 moves.

Originally posted by wormwood
game 3 looks like children playing, which probably was the case as waitzkin was only 11 years old. black's shut himself completely out of the game, and misses an obvious queen sac.

I mean, really, when your opponent has all his guns on kingside, there's zero defenders and the centre is blocked, AND he's "dropping" a rook with a rook lift... you're NOT g ...[text shortened]... I'm not going to even bother with the other game.

edit: well I did, #186 is a draw. 😕

Originally posted by cheater1
I know Waitzkin puzzles everyone as to why he's on my list. He's not a current player and not even in the top 100.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?page=1&pid=17030

Watch Game #3 and LEARN what it means to attack attack ATTACK. Perhaps you all will understand why I posted what I did on how to be a better chess player. IGNORE everything and go f ...[text shortened]... lop both your knights BEFORE you even touch a bishop if you want to mount a successful ATTACK.