Who is your least favourite famous chess player and why?

Botvinnik.  He is my least favorite because when Alekhine died plans were in place for them to battle.  As you may or may not know, there is a huge question mark surrounding Alekhine's death - a lot of folks are convinced there was foul-play, and the Russians are the primary suspect.  Therefore, Botvinnik has a bad stigma with me.

Of course, my second least favorite would be Capablanca, because when Alekhine proved himself superior, Capa knocked him because he wouldn't prove it again haha.  AND, simply because he was willing to face Alekhine when he was known as the master who stuidied least.  Yes, he was powerful, and yes, he beat Alekhine in several games; overall, however, Alekhine just outclassed him when it came to the match.

But what evidence is there that Botvinnik had anything whatsoever to do with Alekhine's death?

Is the suggestion that Botvinnik somehow connived with the communists to have Alekhine murdered, because he was afraid to face him in a match? Alekhine was banned from international play after the war, as I remember, due to accusations about his Nazi sympathies.

What real evidence is there that Alekhine was murdered in the first place?

The only thing I've ever read about that suggests his death was due to anything other than natural causes is that the doctor who wrote the death certificate, years later told his friends that Alekhine had in fact been shot and murdered. He supposedly said that the Portuguese government had put pressure on him to lie. In that case which of the doctor's statements should we trust?

Anyway, it seems just about as plausible to me, which is to say, not very plausible at all, that as other speculators say, it was the maqui who had Alekhine killed as it is that it was that it was the Reds. It's known that the French resistance, after the war, targeted French citizens who had been Nazi collaborators. That Alekhine had been favourable to the Nazi regime was certainly well enough known at the time.

After the revolution Alekhine joined the communist Party. Later, he was arrested in Odessa by the Cheka and charged as a spy for the Whites. He was sentenced to death by firing squad but was pardoned. He was a member of the former aristocracy, of course, and was vulnerable to that kind of charge.

What about the possibility that people took revenge because he was suspected of giving up the names of White Russians? Maybe it was Whites instead of Reds, who a quarter century later took their revenge.

It would be bizarre to blame Botvinnik, the party member, if that were actually the case.

Really: all of these scenarios seem pretty fantastic.

Alekhine left Russia in 1921 and he never returned. He died in 1946 in Portugal. There were decades during which the communists could have killed him, had they wanted to. They could have killed him when they held him in prison under suspicion of being a spy, for that matter.

Anyone else?

Dont like Tarrasch, too pedantic

Alekhine. When he beated Capablanka, he didn't want to give him a rematch. That was so low, because he knew that he was going to lose if he play against Capablanka again.

If I recall correctly, Capa played "better" during the match, by some modern metrics. Obviously he lost, but there was something to the argument that he would be perhaps favored in a rematch. Perhaps he was held down by dry openings, especially on the black side.

Capablanca made it hard for others to get a title match as well.

Anyway, my least favorite GM is Kramnik. I will never forgive him for taking the world championship from Kasparov, who is my favorite GM.

if you fight with honour and you win that's ok. And you should give your opponent a rematch, becouse it is HONOURABLE!!! Even if you know that you're going to lose...

If you read Kasparov's books on his great predecessors you might not judge Alekhine so harshly for not giving Capa a rematch. I know I don't.

I don't either. And like I said, Capablanca did the same thing.

Donner, for being a huge Soviet apologist. One quote attributed to him was something like, "You must admit, the Soviets are the greatest force for peace in the world." Grrrrr.

...but settle down now ole goldendog...the evil empire is gone...Donner is gone too...think of juicy bones.

What did he say?

Those books are expensive!!!

Also, in the old days, yes, giving a rematch was the honorable thing to do.

It somehow morphed into the "if the Champion loses the title they get a rematch a year later" rule, which creates an incredibly biased set of Champions. It does make sense that the Champion would get automatic entry into the Candidate matches though. I support respect for the champion, but one can take it too far.

Kasparov basically said that Capablanca made Alekhine jump through many hoops just to get a shot at him anyway and when the tables were turned Alekhine did likewise and Capa was unable to jump through all the necessary hoops. The biggest sticking point was funds to back Capablanca in a rematch. At that time the funds were nowhere to be found it seems....

Alekhine died when he was 54. Back then it wasn't unusual for someone to die at that age. I don't suspect foul play at all.

 You'll enjoy reading these articles on Spraggett's page re Alekhine's death. March 28 is where you scroll to.

http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html

It's the most "inside dope" on Alekhine's death that I've found so far.

“Why must I lose to this idiot?”
(Aron Nimzovich) This would be my least favorite master. This statement shows no class or integrity.His arrogant nature I beleive kept him from ever becoming world champion.Win or lose a offering of good sportsmanship is commended. Nothing that could be learned from this man.

Leopold Raguchi is by FAR my least favorite chess player. He was notorious for coming to tournaments in a wheelchair with his arms hidden underneath his sweater in order to avoid complaint when he moved the pieces with his mouth! After winning he would stand up, shake hands with his opponent and walk away.

Reti...He was way over rated as a player, riding Nimzovichs coat tails AND even worse he bad mouthed Lasker, the father of modern chess.  You should all read "why lasker matters" by Andrew Soltis.