01 Oct 04
1 edit
Goes back some years, and has nothing really to do with ratings.
Kramnik beat Kasparov, so he's 'Classical World Champion'.
Leko won a major tournament in Dortmund to determine who challenges Kramnik. Kasparov and Anand refused to play in this.
Kasparov claims he is still the best player in the world due to his rating, and so is de facto world champion.
Kasim won the FIDE World Championship knockout skittles tournament earlier this year, so is FIDE World Champion.
So Kramnik plays Leko, Kaspy plays Kasim (IF that match ever gets organised), then the winners play for unification of the world championship.
Anand has sort of been ignored by everyone and so gone round winning pretty much everything he's played this year and proving he is on current form the best player in the world.
Morozevich has apparently retired from professional chess and is playing as an amateur.
Clear? 😉
01 Oct 04
Originally posted by OsseOut of curiosity, are there other examples from the past where the top-rated player has not been the reigning champion? I suppose this must've happened through the 60s when Tal, Petrosian, Botvinnik etc. were playing musical chairs with the World Chess Championship.
Kasparov claims he is still the best player in the world due to his rating, and so is de facto world champion.
01 Oct 04
Originally posted by lucifershammerRatings are fairly recent (end of 1960's?). but Euwe was certainly weaker than Alekhine when he was world champion.
Out of curiosity, are there other examples from the past where the top-rated player has not been the reigning champion? I suppose this must've happened through the 60s when Tal, Petrosian, Botvinnik etc. were playing musical chairs with the World Chess Championship.
01 Oct 04
Originally posted by OsseEuwe weaker?Then why did he win?I agree that between the both of them,Alekhine was the greater player.But in that first match Euwe was slightly better and won the title in all fairness.I'm a bit of a fan of Euwe,and of Alekhine as well for that matter,and I get so tired of people always underestimating his achievements.
Ratings are fairly recent (end of 1960's?). but Euwe was certainly weaker than Alekhine when he was world champion.
Why can't Morozevich compete for the title as an amateur?Take Euwe again,he was an amateur when he won the title.He has always been an amateur,except for 1 or 2 years.
Sir Lot.
01 Oct 04
Originally posted by SirLoseALotIt's often accepted that Euwe beat Alekhine when Alekhine was having a bout with alcoholism...good to know I can be a drunk and still a good chess player
Euwe weaker?Then why did he win?I agree that between the both of them,Alekhine was the greater player.But in that first match Euwe was slightly better and won the title in all fairness.I'm a bit of a fan of Euwe,and of Alekhine as well for that matter,and I get so tired of people always underestimating his achievements.
Why can't Morozevich compete ...[text shortened]... amateur when he won the title.He has always been an amateur,except for 1 or 2 years.
Sir Lot.
02 Oct 04
Originally posted by hypermo2001Yes,I know,Alekhine was drunk,no way Euwe would have beaten him if he was sober blablabla yadda yadda.I say it's utter nonsense.Have a look at the games and try to find the drunk moves.I bet you can't,'cause there are none.Alekhine played strong in the first match,just as strong as he did in tournaments he played around that time,but Euwe played better.In the second match he regained his title,and rightfully so,as he was the better player,just not in that first match.
It's often accepted that Euwe beat Alekhine when Alekhine was having a bout with alcoholism...good to know I can be a drunk and still a good chess player
Sir Lot.
02 Oct 04
Originally posted by lucifershammerAccording to Chessmetrics, some guy named Fischer was the highest-rated player in the world from 1964 through 1973...
Out of curiosity, are there other examples from the past where the top-rated player has not been the reigning champion? I suppose this must've happened through the 60s when Tal, Petrosian, Botvinnik etc. were playing musical chairs with the World Chess Championship.
The graphs are cool:
http://www.chessmetrics.com/FE/Graphs30.htm
02 Oct 04
2 edits
Alekhine played strong in the first match,just as strong as he did in tournaments he played around that time,but Euwe played better.In the second match he regained his title,and rightfully so,as he was the better player,just not in that first match."“Does the general public, do even our friends the critics realize that Euwe virtually never made an unsound combination? He may, of course, occasionally fail to take account … of an opponent’s combination, but when he has the initiative in a tactical operation his calculation is … impeccable.”
- A. Alekhine
Euwe made a basic mistake (due to his decency and sense of fair play): he shouldn't have allowed a rematch. Alekhine might not have been champion if he'd allowed Capablanca to play him again.
Do you think Euwe really wanted to be champion? Of all the modern champions, he was the only one who had a real job outside chess, right?
02 Oct 04
Originally posted by SirLoseALotEuwe was a great player, and Kasaprov's section in him in 'Predecessors' is fantastic at highlighting just how good he was, but Alekhine was by far the better player of the two. He wasn't drunk (apparently) during their first match, but he certainly wasn't prepared properly.
Euwe weaker?Then why did he win?I agree that between the both of them,Alekhine was the greater player.But in that first match Euwe was slightly better and won the title in all fairness.I'm a bit of a fan of Euwe,and of Alekhine as well for that matter,and I get so tired of people always underestimating his achievements.
Why can't Morozevich compete ...[text shortened]... amateur when he won the title.He has always been an amateur,except for 1 or 2 years.
Sir Lot.
Moro can play for the WC as an amateur - I made the comment because he said he is no longer a chess professional and no longer is interested in the world championship. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, of course.
03 Oct 04
1 edit
Originally posted by lloydkYes,Osse,Alekhine didn't prepare,he underestimated Euwe,that's a fact.
"“Does the general public, do even our friends the critics realize that Euwe virtually never made an unsound combination? He may, of course, occasionally fail to take account … of an opponent’s combination, but when he has the initiative in ...[text shortened]... ions, he was the only one who had a real job outside chess, right?
I read Euwe's biography,and apparently he made the same mistake in the second,as Alekhine did in the first match.He underestimated him,thought he'd win easily and didn't prepare proper.So he lost.
Some say that he didn't want to be champion,that he was embarassed that an amateur was champion.We will never know and I don't wanna go there,we can't look inside the man's head.
What we do know is,he was a remarkable player,and a fine human being.The best president FIDE ever had!As proof of his strength I'll give you this fact.When he was +-80 years old,he still had an 'active' ELO rating of 2300,based on 60 games played in the dutch competition.Who else has ever achieved that!He was a true champion and it is sad that he never really got the respect he deserved.
Sir Lot.