I mentioned Blackburne. Most strong contenders have also been spoken for. One not mentioned is one of my favorites, Gligoric.
The Best Player Who Never Became WC?
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Jul 8, 2019
0
#83
Rubenstien. Geller? Reuben Fine? hmmm... Google says Pillsbury.
batgirl wrote:
I mentioned Blackburne. Most strong contenders have also been spoken for. One not mentioned is one of my favorites, Gligoric.
Yes, sorry, you indicated Blackey before.
And what should I say now that you have mentioned my fellow countryman Gliga? It's like pressing hard my emotional button, oh my! You shouldn't have Batgirl
He was on good terms with everybody (not so easy in chess!) and a mentor to young Fischer. Actually the only person Fischer have had a friendly relationships till the very end (his ties would typically break after some period of time, few months at tops).
I've never got it how a true gentleman like him could have originated in the Balkans
At 79 I think, he started studying music and composing. Below you'll find the cover of his CD album (How I Survived the 20th Century) and one number on it (vocal: Jelena Falatov).
DamonevicSmithlov wrote:
There r several names I'd like to submit. Rubinstein, Keres, Korchnoi. Caruana is a good addition to the conversation, as I see someone submitted above. Maybe Reshevsky and Fine.
I know that's a lot but to make a thorough analysis the list should be thorough.
Yes, that was a demonic shot, Damon, Reshevsky and Fine!
Both deserve their place in the list of legends, thank you so much
Found a tune featuring the American chess heroes together!
foofooes wrote:
Rubenstien. Geller? Reuben Fine? hmmm... Google says Pillsbury.
Yes, Fine added up; all others already on the list. Thank you!
Who is your pick?
”Does he really belong here?
If you say Yes, then we could come to conclusion he has no more chances to reach the Olympus”
Who belongs is a subject worthy of a long thread in itself :-) Does Topalov count as a ”real” World Champion? If not, he should belong. He was #1 longer than Anand and Kramnik, and with a bigger distance to #2 than they ever had.
Do only players that can be considered without chances of winning the title in the future belong, or is it about the best player who hasn’t won the title at the moment? Maybe Aronian still has chances of winning the title. Maybe even Ivanchuk could have some chances. In the latest World Cup he eliminated Kramnik and Duda and Giri, and the last time he played the Candidates he won against Carlsen. And he is still younger than Korchnoi was when he played a title match.
Is it about the best player who has not won the title at the moment, ot about the best player who has not won the title and never can win the title in the future, or that is not expected to win the title in the future, or the undisputed title, or.... :-)
Jul 9, 2019
0
#90
batgirl wrote:
simaginfan wrote:
Also home to one or two other pretty decent players, at various times, if anyone wants to throw some names at that question!!😁👍
Breslau was of course Herren Anderssen und Harrwitz' home town. Tarrasch was in good company.
I've seen mention that Zuckertort hailed from Breslau, but he really came from Lublin (not Dublin, that was O'Zukertort).
😁👍. Zukertort spent time in Breslau as a student - playing a lot with Anderssen - before be moved to England. Something of a globe trotter!
fabelhaft wrote:
”Does he really belong here?
If you say Yes, then we could come to conclusion he has no more chances to reach the Olympus”
Who belongs is a subject worthy of a long thread in itself :-) Does Topalov count as a ”real” World Champion? If not, he should belong. He was #1 longer than Anand and Kramnik, and with a bigger distance to #2 than they ever had.
Do only players that can be considered without chances of winning the title in the future belong, or is it about the best player who hasn’t won the title at the moment? Maybe Aronian still has chances of winning the title. Maybe even Ivanchuk could have some chances. In the latest World Cup he eliminated Kramnik and Duda and Giri, and the last time he played the Candidates he won against Carlsen. And he is still younger than Korchnoi was when he played a title match.
Is it about the best player who has not won the title at the moment, ot about the best player who has not won the title and never can win the title in the future, or that is not expected to win the title in the future, or the undisputed title, or.... :-)
Absolutely no problem with me. You made a case for him.
Caruana is such a nice, down-to-earth young man, I like him very much.
So Fabi has been added to the list!
jon-coles1 wrote:
Schlechter came closest. Keres was unlucky. Like his country. At least that's what I think he said when asked why he hadn't been the champion.
Thanks Jon One point for him from you
Karl Schlechter was a "humble man - a gentleman and a gentle man," @batgirl wrote about him HERE. He's a sad story, he suffered from poverty and starved to death.
He definitely deserves more attention from our top bloggers as one in the pléiade of the forgotten.
rychessmaster1 wrote:
Caruana
Yes, Caruana got one vote from you! Thanks very much
fabelhaft wrote:
I can’t think of any reason to pick anyone else than Korchnoi. He not only qualified for two title matches, but faced one of the greatest World Champions at his peak while being 47 years old himself, and had 15.5-15.5 before the last game. The previous match against Karpov was also a title match in a way since Fischer quit, and also there he lost with the smallest possible margin.
No one else comes close to those achievements. Maybe Topalov is a good Candidate for second place on the list if he doesn’t count as World Champion.
And one vote for Viktor the Terrible from @fabelhaft.
Did I get this right, Fabelhaft? Not splitting with Fabi whom you mentioned later?
The Terrible caught Devik at the top and they're now sharing the first place!
Paul Keres
BlizzardLizzard wrote:
Paul Keres
One more vote for such a rare gentleman and a real chess Wizard, thanks BlizzardLizzard!
Jul 9, 2019
0
#98
RoaringPawn wrote:
jon-coles1 wrote:
Schlechter came closest. Keres was unlucky. Like his country. At least that's what I think he said when asked why he hadn't been the champion.
Thanks Jon One point for him from you
Karl Schlechter was a "humble man - a gentleman and a gentle man," @batgirl wrote about him HERE. He's a sad story, he suffered from poverty and starved to death.
He definitely deserves more attention from our top bloggers as one in the pléiade of the forgotten.
Do I detect a look in my direction??😂
simaginfan wrote:
RoaringPawn wrote:
jon-coles1 wrote:
Schlechter came closest. Keres was unlucky. Like his country. At least that's what I think he said when asked why he hadn't been the champion.
Thanks Jon One point for him from you
Karl Schlechter was a "humble man - a gentleman and a gentle man," @batgirl wrote about him HERE. He's a sad story, he suffered from poverty and starved to death.
He definitely deserves more attention from our top bloggers as one in the pléiade of the forgotten.
Do I detect a look in my direction??😂
Yes, it was, hmm, well, quite possibly, an oblique chess look, you're right, my friend, un Regard Oblique
There are all kind of oblique looks, like here one by Doisneau, 1948
RoaringPawn wrote:
fabelhaft wrote:
I can’t think of any reason to pick anyone else than Korchnoi. He not only qualified for two title matches, but faced one of the greatest World Champions at his peak while being 47 years old himself, and had 15.5-15.5 before the last game. The previous match against Karpov was also a title match in a way since Fischer quit, and also there he lost with the smallest possible margin.
No one else comes close to those achievements. Maybe Topalov is a good Candidate for second place on the list if he doesn’t count as World Champion.
And one vote for Viktor the Terrible from @fabelhaft.
Did I get this right, Fabelhaft? Not splitting with Fabi whom you mentioned later?
To me Korchnoi is in a class of his own here. He won more than a dozen Candidates matches, qualified for three long matches that could have gotten him the title and was unfortunate to in all of them face a Karpov at his peak while being 20 years older, and still lost two of the matches with a margin of one game. In 1978 it was 15.5-15.5 before the last game, and then Karpov had all the other top players helping him with preparations, openings, analysis, adjournments etc.
Korchnoi would surely have reached a fourth match against Karpov in 1984, unless he had accepted to play the match against Kasparov that the latter already had forfeited by not being allowed to participate. Korchnoi was then well into his 50s, and was still leading the match after five games. He also won the Soviet Championship four times 1960-70, and that would have been many more later unless he for obvious reasons had stopped playing them before his best years.
@Batgirl, please wouldn't you distract me with all these meanings, genealogy, historic ties, etc. Plz don't, it'd take us too far...
Most importantly, what is your pick for the Near-Miss-of-Becoming-a-WC guy?