Mine is Vasily Smyslov. Master strategist, he always seemed to have a handle on the position, no matter how complex things became. This is a game from his World championship match with Bottvinik in 1954. I find this game to be somewhat reminiscent of Bobby Fischers 'game of the century', but Smyslov played his in a match for the World championship, against a World champion!
Enjoy 🙂
Originally posted by MarinkatombAlekhine and Fischer.
This one is against Keres, another World champion.
[pgn][Event "Groningen"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1946.08.22"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "8"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Vasily Smyslov"]
[Black "Max Euwe"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "97"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 g6
7. O-O Bg7 8. Re1 ...[text shortened]... 6+ Kf5
45. Ne8 e4 46. Nxc7 e3 47. Nb5 Kf4 48. Nc3 Kg3 49. c5 1-0[/pgn]
Originally posted by SwissGambitThat Alekhine game is just mind blowing!! I love the threatened knight mate toward the end. What a strangle hold on the initiative!
Alekhine and Fischer.
[pgn]
[Event "Baden Baden"]
[Site "Baden Baden"]
[Date "1925.04.25"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "8"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Richard Reti"]
[Black "Alexander Alekhine"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "80"]
1. g3 e5 2. Nf3 e4 3. Nd4 d5 4. d3 exd3 5. Qxd3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nxd2 O-O 9. c4 N ...[text shortened]... gxf6 39. Rxf6 Kg8 40. Bc4 Kh8 41. Qf4 1-0[/pgn]
My "favorite" player is whoever's games I happen to be going through at the moment, but I do keep coming back to Kramnik, Smyslov, Karpov, Gligoric--all men who sought the truth of the position.
Currently, I am working through some of the games in Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King (1994) by John Donaldson an Nikolay Minev. Hence, Rubinstein is my favorite player this fall.
Originally posted by WulebgrIf pushed which one would you choose? Smyslov is a close first for me. I am also a great fan of Korchnoi (the first player i really studied in any detail, could easily be my fav). Kasparov/Tal/Fischer, great tacticians (amongst other things) but i struggle to understand them.
My "favorite" player is whoever's games I happen to be going through at the moment, but I do keep coming back to Kramnik, Smyslov, Karpov, Gligoric--all men who sought the truth of the position.
Currently, I am working through some of the games in Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King (1994) by John Donaldson an Nikolay Minev. Hence, Rubinstein is my favorite player this fall.
Smyslov comes first for me because he was so good at achieving a positions where he is clearly better but his opponent has no counter play. Someone like Kasparov for example, would play on a knife edge where he wins because of a tempo...while i admire this, it is not something i could ever emulate. Tactically, most players are never going to be good enough. Same with Tal and Fischer. I think for the average player, Smyslov is the perfect player to emulate. One move at a time, avoid ridiculous complications that require a super computer to work out. Just improve your position, plenty of prophylactic manoeuvring. Very instructive, elegant chess. 😏
EDIT: I've never gotten around to Rubinstein, care to post a game? 🙂
Originally posted by MarinkatombWhen was Keres worldchampion?
This one is against Keres, another World champion.
[pgn][Event "Groningen"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1946.08.22"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "8"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Vasily Smyslov"]
[Black "Max Euwe"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "97"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 g6
7. O-O Bg7 8. Re1 ...[text shortened]... Kf5
45. Ne8 e4 46. Nxc7 e3 47. Nb5 Kf4 48. Nc3 Kg3 49. c5 1-0[/pgn]
Alekhine is my favourite player. He took on and defeated Capablanca, who everyone else considered invincible. He also led a weird and wonderful life outside of chess. And that's to say nothing of Alekhine's play - I enjoy going through his games more than those of any other player. He seemed to genuinely love game for its own sake.
Originally posted by MarinkatombWhen pushed, I usually say Kramnik. OTOH, on another site where I play as Wulebgr, I am on the Smyslov team in the Favorite Grandmaster's League. Gligoric was my favorite in the 1970s, Kramnik in the 1990s, and Smyslov's stock is ascendant in my mind now.
If pushed which one would you choose? Smyslov is a close first for me. I am also a great fan of Korchnoi (the first player i really studied in any detail, could easily be my fav). Kasparov/Tal/Fischer, great tacticians (amongst other things) but i struggle to understand them.
Smyslov comes first for me because he was so good at achieving a positions ...[text shortened]... ive, elegant chess. 😏
EDIT: I've never gotten around to Rubinstein, care to post a game? 🙂
I posted this Rubinstein miniature on my blog two weeks ago: http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2012/10/practicing-visualization.html
I chop and change from day to day, Month to month.
I've done all the M's:
Morphy, Marshall, Mieses, and Miles.....
And the the T's: Tartakower, Tal and.....
....the player I keep returning too, whose game notes I find so clear
and honest and whose games have an iron logic to them is Tarrasch.
So again this month I've been going through T's 300 Chess games.
Some of his games are quite beautiful. His good one fit perfectly in a way
I just seem to understand. I often pull them around a bit looking for other
moves and perhaps stumble upon something he perhaps had up his sleeve.
Here, just to be different, is one he never played!
(well not all of it anyway.)
Tarrasch - Kurschner Nuremberg 1889