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Who is the greatest attacker in chess history?

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GreedyPawnGrabber

I have doubts about the soundness of the sacrifice. Larsen should have won had it not been blitz.

TetsuoShima
GreedyPawnGrabber wrote:

I have doubts about the soundness of the sacrifice. Larsen should have won had it not been blitz.

good joke, you are really funny. no wait you are not.

GreedyPawnGrabber
TetsuoShima wrote:

good joke, you are really funny. no wait you are not.

 Did you analyze it yourself?

TetsuoShima
GreedyPawnGrabber wrote:
TetsuoShima wrote:

good joke, you are really funny. no wait you are not.

 Did you analyze it yourself?

yes it obvious he at least get the horse back.

rigamagician

There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones and Fischer's. Innocent

SmyslovFan

You have to go to a casual blitz game to find an attacking sacrifice by someone?  And you say that person was the best attacker in history based on it?

What about all those great attacking players who attacked as part of their philosophy of chess? From the late 1960s, that would be Bent Larsen or Leonid Stein, not the American.

The world champions who were, at their very core, attackers were Alekhin, Tal, and Kasparov.

rigamagician

Actually, I don't think I ever posted an answer to the question of who the greatest attacker was.  My old avatar was of Mikhail Tal, and my current avatar is Alexei Shirov, so that might be one clue.  I also posted some nice attacks by Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Emory Tate, Albin Planinc and Sergio Mariotti.  There are a lot of interesting attackers.

I do enjoy speculative sacrifices like in the Larsen-Fischer game, or queen sacs leading into a mating attack like in the Polugaevsky-Nezhmetdinov and D.Byrne-Fischer games.  I think it takes a fair bit of imagination to come up with things like that.

TetsuoShima

then i made a mistake, i thought it was an absolute correct sacrifice

rigamagician
TetsuoShima wrote:

then i made a mistake, i thought it was an absolute correct sacrifice

I'm not actually sure if White has a forced mate there, but it does look fairly promising.  Tal actually criticized himself for not playing the sac against Larsen in the Candidates when he had the chance.  6.Nxf7 has been played in GM games on and off since then with Black winning more often than White.

eddysallin
SmyslovFan wrote:

Thanks.

Rudolph Spielmann said, "I can comprehend Alekhine's combinations well enough; but where he gets his attacking chances from and how he infuses such life into the very opening - that is beyond me."

That is why I rate Alekhine ahead of Spielmann, Tal ahead of Nezhmetdinov, and Kasparov ahead of everyone.

Lasker said of Alekhine...(re phasing) Of course i see the mate coming.The magic , he places pieces on the correct squares for the attack.

TetsuoShima
eddysallin wrote:
SmyslovFan wrote:

Thanks.

Rudolph Spielmann said, "I can comprehend Alekhine's combinations well enough; but where he gets his attacking chances from and how he infuses such life into the very opening - that is beyond me."

That is why I rate Alekhine ahead of Spielmann, Tal ahead of Nezhmetdinov, and Kasparov ahead of everyone.

Lasker said of Alekhine...(re phasing) Of course i see the mate coming.The magic , he places pieces on the correct squares for the attack.

i believe Tal was the stronger player but Nezhmetdinovs attacks were even crazier i would believe. I think Tals sacs seem to have some method (even though its beyond me to say what)while Nezhmetdinovs attacks are beyond any logic. But its just my first half baked opinion because i havent seen enough games obviously.

TetsuoShima
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TetsuoShima

by the way i dont want to start a political discussion just out of curiousity, were there other ims in soviet union who didnt have the name rashid and didnt get the GM title even though they have beaten GMs regurlarly??

SmyslovFan

Yes, in fact a large number of really strong players left the Soviet Union and became titled players in Europe and the US in the early 1990s. 

TetsuoShima
SmyslovFan wrote:

Yes, in fact a large number of really strong players left the Soviet Union and became titled players in Europe and the US in the early 1990s. 

thank you very much

Delissen

Morpy - Tal - Fischer - Kasparov

nameno1had
GreedyPawnGrabber wrote:

I have doubts about the soundness of the sacrifice. Larsen should have won had it not been blitz.

Attacking in blitz to make your opponent think, so you can think on his time is quite often is part of a sound sacrifice.

IroncladFist

I'd go with Nezhmetdinov, in the matches he plays with Tal, he comes out on top. Another great tactician I think should be mentioned is Veselin Topalov :D