JamesColeman wrote:
macer75 wrote
If what he means is an IM today could easily beat Capablanca, he's probably right.
One of the funniest things I've ever read on here
Wow, you've definitely got to do some more reading.
STUPIDITY in Chess Books Publishing
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Aetheldred wrote:
I've heard Morphy would be International Master strength nowadays.
lol
5xadrezmemoria7 wrote:
the Wonderful book that Keene is editor: "Learn From The Grandmasters"...
Yes, glad to see someone else mention that one!
May 17, 2013
0
#25
Capa's one of the all-time greatest players. Even with his poor understanding of modern chess openings and ultra-precise technique, he is still probably one of the 100-200 greatest chess players ever. And when you consider how long ago he was at his peak, that's really impressive. Even if he were only in the top 2000 players of all time, he would still be Grandmaster strength.
There aren't too many athletic events where someone who was at his best in 1925 would have a time or weight or distance that would still place them in the top 100 of all time.
Sure, there are baseball players (Ty Cobb was a contemporary) who still hold records, but those records were against contemporaries, not objects such as clocks.
Capablanca deserves tremendous respect!
SmyslovFan wrote:
Capa's one of the all-time greatest players. Even with his poor understanding of modern chess openings and ultra-precise technique, he is still probably one of the 100-200 greatest chess players ever. And when you consider how long ago he was at his peak, that's really impressive. Even if he were only in the top 2000 players of all time, he would still be Grandmaster strength.
There aren't too many athletic events where someone who was at his best in 1925 would have a time or weight or distance that would still place them in the top 100 of all time.
Sure, there are baseball players (Ty Cobb was a contemporary) who still hold records, but those records were against contemporaries, not objects such as clocks.
Capablanca deserves tremendous respect!
For comparison.
Pietro Mennea died on March 21st, this year. His 200m World Record held from 1979 to 1996, and still holds as the European Record today with 19''72.
And that's an AMAZING long time for any athletics' record to hold for.
May 18, 2013
0
#27
The question isn't whether Capa would be in top_100 today. The question is whether Anand or Carlsen would have at least tiny chance to secure draw against him in more than one of five games.
Polar_Bear wrote:
The question isn't whether Capa would be in top_100 today. The question is whether Anand or Carlsen would have at least tiny chance to secure draw against him in more than one of five games.
I don't think you can compare players of different eras.True,Capablanca was a genius and one of my fav players,he played a tremendous role in development of positional chess and chess altogether.Modern players like Carlsen,Anand etc are what they are today because of players like Capa who did all the work and played a huge role in chess development.But,Anand and Carlsen will have an edge against him due to their study of his gams,his style but if all that was taken out,then Capa is overall better in terms of playing strength i believe.
Polar_Bear wrote:
The question isn't whether Capa would be in top_100 today. The question is whether Anand or Carlsen would have at least tiny chance to secure draw against him in more than one of five games.
I'm assuming you're talking about peak Capa versus today's Anand and Carlsen?
Actually even peak Anand would probably lose against peak Capablanca... 
May 18, 2013
0
#30
Every game eventually comes to a point where it goes "out of book" or out of the memory of those who study book openings. Many modern openings are more a matter of style or preference rather than being "superior" and many older variations are resurrected from time to time as a "surprise" to opponents who haven't studied them. Meeting unexpected moves OTB is what GMs do to win, and I wouldn't want to take any bets for or against any of the past masters.
May 18, 2013
0
#31
Capablanca, at his peak, lost a match to Alexander Alekhin. As Kasparov said, Capablanca's weaknesses were exploited in that match, and chess has only become more complex since Alekhin's day.
Kasparov does not attribute Capablanca's poor result in the World Championship, and later to Keres and Botvinnik to ill health. Rather, he attributes it to a change in how chess was played even in the 1930s.
Try to imagine the ultra-correct Capablanca trying to survive against Tal!
May 18, 2013
0
#32
Interesting to surmise. It does, however, assume that Capablanca would not be able to understand and adjust, given a chance to study more "modern" games. As chess knowledge evolves and theories are questioned and revised, we are assuming improvement rather than change. I'm not sure that is the case outside of using engines to analyze. Give the old masters a computer and database history and all bets are off. Must we assume they could never adjust?
May 18, 2013
0
#33
SmyslovFan wrote:
Capablanca, at his peak, lost a match to Alexander Alekhin. As Kasparov said, Capablanca's weaknesses were exploited in that match, and chess has only become more complex since Alekhin's day.
IMHO Capa failed to prepare for the match after winning the NY 1927 Tnmt by a score of +8 -O =12 and vs Alekhine, Nimzovitch, Vidmar, Spielmann and Marshall. He may have also been relying on his +3 -O record vs Alekhine before the WCH as well as the fact that he had only lost 14 tnmt/match games in his life prior to WCH.
He was overconfident and under-prepared or totally unprepared and again, IMHO could have beat Alekhine if he had taken the match seriously before it was too late.
Reti was the only GM who predicted Alekhine's win (besides Alekhine that is) so Capa was not exactly alone in his disastrous under-estimation of Alekhine, who coincidentally never granted Capa the rematch he was supposed to per the terms of the 1927 WCH. Was Alekhine afraid of losing a rematch?
Cogwheel wrote:
I love how the queen is capturing the king
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/worst.html
I've heard Morphy would be International Master strength nowadays.