The strongest tournament of all time, not of ELOs but of ranking. No ELO ratings were available but ChessMetrics give the following as estimated retrograde ones:—
# Player Rating +/-
1 Tarrasch, Siegbert 2714 56
2 Lasker, Emanuel 2699 53
3 Chigorin, Mikhail I 2647 54
4 Steinitz, Wilhelm 2645 53
5 von Bardeleben, Curt 2614 57
6 Pillsbury, Harry N 2581 54
7 Teichmann, Richard 2580 57
8 Walbrodt, Carl A 2560 57
9 Gunsberg, Isidor 2558 61
10 Blackburne, Joseph 2549 56
The strongest tournament of all time, not of ELOs but of ranking. No ELO ratings were available but ChessMetrics give the following as estimated retrograde ones:—
# Player Rating +/-
1 Tarrasch, Siegbert 2714 56
2 Lasker, Emanuel 2699 53
On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 2:59:21 PM UTC+2, Phil Innes wrote:
The strongest tournament of all time, not of ELOs but of ranking. No ELO ratings were available but ChessMetrics give the following as estimated retrograde ones:—
# Player Rating +/-Bs"d
1 Tarrasch, Siegbert 2714 56
2 Lasker, Emanuel 2699 53
How can Tarrasch be higher rated than the 27 year world champion??
On Friday, February 17, 2023 at 6:09:45 AM UTC-5, Eli Kesef wrote:
On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 2:59:21 PM UTC+2, Phil Innes wrote:
The strongest tournament of all time, not of ELOs but of ranking. No ELO ratings were available but ChessMetrics give the following as estimated retrograde ones:—
# Player Rating +/-Bs"d
1 Tarrasch, Siegbert 2714 56
2 Lasker, Emanuel 2699 53
How can Tarrasch be higher rated than the 27 year world champion??In the years before the world championship match, Tarrasch won a number
of strong events. Lasker won a number of matches against weaker opponents (Blackburne being the strongest) and won some weaker tournaments. He
"only" came second at a tournament in Amsterdam. Lasker's rating might thus have lagged Tarrasch's before the Steinitz match. And presumably the points Lasker
gained by beating Steinitz 12-7 were not enough to catch up.
I have a very unusual tournament book on Hastings 95 — its in Russian and promises 'several new photos' but I can't recognize which of them are new. A pity too that I can't really understand all the commentary since its by Taimanov. At least I canfollow something of the analyst comments since they are alpha-numeric, otherwise descriptive notation would have been a chore. Did you ever go back and try to read descriptive? KN-KN5 etc. A large number of players seem to have annotated various editions,
An interesting array of openings, and individual results if I can get this thing to format them plus the games themselves at this URL https://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Hastings_1895/29800
White Black Result Round Date Opening View
Albin, A Bird, H 0-1 1 1895 A04 Reti opening
Burn, A Von Bardeleben, C 0-1 1 1895 D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3 Chigorin, M Pillsbury, H 1-0 1 1895 C30 King's gambit
Janowski, D Blackburne, J 0-1 1 1895 C10 French, Paulsen variation
Lasker, E Marco, G 1-0 1 1895 D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3
Mason, J Tarrasch, S 1-0 1 1895 C50 King's pawn game
Schiffers, E Gunsberg, I 1-0 1 1895 C46 Three knights game
Schlechter, C Pollock, W ½-½ 1 1895 C77 Ruy Lopez, Morphy defence Steinitz, W Vergani, B 1-0 1 1895 C11 French defence
Teichmann, R Walbrodt, C 0-1 1 1895 C25 Vienna game
Tinsley, S Mieses, J 0-1 1 1895 D05 Queen's pawn game
Albin, A Von Bardeleben, C ½-½ 2 1895 C50 King's pawn game
Bird, H Walbrodt, C ½-½ 2 1895 A03 Bird's opening
Gunsberg, I Burn, A 1-0 2 1895 C01 French, exchange variation
Lasker, E Chigorin, M 0-1 2 1895 D07 Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin defence
Marco, G Pollock, W 1-0 2 1895 C62 Ruy Lopez, old Steinitz defence
Mieses, J Blackburne, J 1-0 2 1895 C45 Scotch game
Pillsbury, H Tarrasch, S 1-0 2 1895 D55 Queen's Gambit Declined, 6.Nf3 Schiffers, E Teichmann, R ½-½ 2 1895 C49 Four knights, double Ruy Lopez Steinitz, W Schlechter, C ½-½ 2 1895 C54 Giuoco Piano
Tinsley, S Mason, J 1-0 2 1895 D05 Queen's pawn game
Vergani, B Janowski, D 0-1 2 1895 D05 Queen's pawn game
Blackburne, J Steinitz, W 0-1 3 1895 C33 King's gambit accepted
Burn, A Schiffers, E ½-½ 3 1895 D45 Queen's Gambit Declined semi-Slav, 5.e3
Janowski, D Tinsley, S 0-1 3 1895 B01 Scandinavian (centre counter) defence Mason, J Chigorin, M 0-1 3 1895 C50 King's pawn game
Pillsbury, H Marco, G ½-½ 3 1895 D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3 Pollock, W Vergani, B 1-0 3 1895 B21 Sicilian, Grand Prix attack
Schlechter, C Lasker, E 0-1 3 1895 B34 Sicilian, accelerated fianchetto, exchange variation
Tarrasch, S Mieses, J ½-½ 3 1895 D26 Queen's Gambit Accepted, 4...e6 Teichmann, R Albin, A ½-½ 3 1895 C77 Ruy Lopez, Morphy defence
Von Bardeleben, C Bird, H ½-½ 3 1895 C01 French, exchange variation Walbrodt, C Gunsberg, I ½-½ 3 1895 C45 Scotch game
Bird, H Blackburne, J ½-½ 4 1895 A02 Bird's opening
Gunsberg, I Schlechter, C ½-½ 4 1895 E14 Queen's Indian, 4.e3
Marco, G Burn, A 0-1 4 1895 C13 French, classical
Mieses, J Janowski, D 0-1 4 1895 C45 Scotch game
Pillsbury, H Pollock, W 1-0 4 1895 C83 Ruy Lopez, open, classical defence Schiffers, E Chigorin, M 1-0 4 1895 C56 Two knights defence
Steinitz, W Mason, J 1-0 4 1895 C41 Philidor's defence
Tarrasch, S Walbrodt, C 1-0 4 1895 C77 Ruy Lopez, Morphy defence
Tinsley, S Albin, A 0-1 4 1895 A85 Dutch with c4 & Nc3
Vergani, B Teichmann, R 0-1 4 1895 A84 Dutch defence
Von Bardeleben, C Lasker, E 1-0 4 1895 D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3 Bird, H Lasker, E 0-1 5 1895 A02 Bird's opening
Blackburne, J Schlechter, C ½-½ 5 1895 A00 Polish (Sokolsky) opening
Burn, A Janowski, D 1-0 5 1895 E14 Queen's Indian, 4.e3
Gunsberg, I Steinitz, W 0-1 5 1895 C51 Evans gambit declined
Marco, G Tinsley, S 0-1 5 1895 C42 Petrov's defence
Mieses, J Schiffers, E ½-½ 5 1895 C28 Vienna game
Pillsbury, H Albin, A 1-0 5 1895 C80 Ruy Lopez, open (Tarrasch) defence Pollock, W Teichmann, R ½-½ 5 1895 C44 King's pawn game
Tarrasch, S Chigorin, M 0-1 5 1895 D00 Queen's pawn game
Von Bardeleben, C Vergani, B 1-0 5 1895 D35 Queen's Gambit Declined, 3...Nf6 Walbrodt, C Mason, J ½-½ 5 1895 C14 French, classical variation
Albin, A Schlechter, C ½-½ 6 1895 C55 Two knights defence
Chigorin, M Teichmann, R 1-0 6 1895 C00 French defence
Gunsberg, I Tarrasch, S ½-½ 6 1895 A84 Dutch defence
Lasker, E Janowski, D 1-0 6 1895 D55 Queen's Gambit Declined, 6.Nf3
Marco, G Bird, H ½-½ 6 1895 C61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's defence
Mason, J Von Bardeleben, C 0-1 6 1895 C50 King's pawn game
Mieses, J Pillsbury, H 0-1 6 1895 C27 Vienna game
Schiffers, E Blackburne, J 1-0 6 1895 C10 French, Paulsen variation Steinitz, W Pollock, W 0-1 6 1895 C53 Giuoco Piano
Tinsley, S Burn, A 0-1 6 1895 D05 Queen's pawn game
Vergani, B Walbrodt, C 0-1 6 1895 D94 Gruenfeld, 5.e3
Bird, H Vergani, B 1-0 7 1895 A03 Bird's opening
Blackburne, J Albin, A 1-0 7 1895 C20 King's pawn game
Burn, A Chigorin, M 0-1 7 1895 D46 Queen's Gambit Declined semi-Slav, 6.Bd3 Janowski, D Mason, J ½-½ 7 1895 C42 Petrov's defence
Marco, G Gunsberg, I ½-½ 7 1895 C67 Ruy Lopez, Berlin defence, open variation
Pillsbury, H Steinitz, W 1-0 7 1895 D35 Queen's Gambit Declined, 3...Nf6 Pollock, W Lasker, E 0-1 7 1895 C53 Giuoco Piano
Schlechter, C Teichmann, R ½-½ 7 1895 C79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz defence deferred (Russian defence)
Tarrasch, S Schiffers, E 1-0 7 1895 C29 Vienna gambit
Von Bardeleben, C Mieses, J 1-0 7 1895 D03 Torre attack (Tartakower variation)
Walbrodt, C Tinsley, S 1-0 7 1895 C41 Philidor's defence
Albin, A Pollock, W 0-1 8 1895 C50 King's pawn game
Chigorin, M Blackburne, J 1-0 8 1895 C00 French defence
Gunsberg, I Mieses, J 1-0 8 1895 C30 King's gambit
Lasker, E Walbrodt, C 1-0 8 1895 C66 Ruy Lopez, Berlin defence, 4.O-O, d6 Mason, J Burn, A 1-0 8 1895 D42 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3
Schiffers, E Pillsbury, H 0-1 8 1895 C51 Evans gambit declined
Schlechter, C Von Bardeleben, C ½-½ 8 1895 C77 Ruy Lopez, Morphy defence Steinitz, W Bird, H 0-1 8 1895 D31 Queen's Gambit Declined, 3.Nc3
Teichmann, R Janowski, D ½-½ 8 1895 D35 Queen's Gambit Declined, 3...Nf6 Tinsley, S Tarrasch, S 0-1 8 1895 D00 Queen's pawn game
Vergani, B Marco, G ½-½ 8 1895 C50 King's pawn game
Albin, A Vergani, B ½-½ 9 1895 C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin defence
Blackburne, J Walbrodt, C 0-1 9 1895 C44 King's pawn game
Burn, A Tarrasch, S 0-1 9 1895 A84 Dutch defence
Chigorin, M Gunsberg, I 1-0 9 1895 C51 Evans gambit declined
Janowski, D Pillsbury, H 0-1 9 1895 D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3 Lasker, E Steinitz, W 1-0 9 1895 C75 Ruy Lopez, modern Steinitz defence Mason, J Mieses, J 1-0 9 1895 C71 Ruy Lopez, modern Steinitz defence Schlechter, C Bird, H ½-½ 9 1895 C14 French, classical variation Teichmann, R Marco, G 1-0 9 1895 D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3
Tinsley, S Schiffers, E 0-1 9 1895 D00 Queen's pawn game
Von Bardeleben, C Pollock, W 1-0 9 1895 A43 Old Benoni defence
Bird, H Chigorin, M ½-½ 10 1895 C52 Evans gambit
I am amazed at this range of openings, all the QGDs and only one accepted, but also there are only 2 Sicilians, and Blackburne has a go with the 'Sokolski' Opening [what was it called then?] and a fair amount of 400 year old Ruys, probably the oldesthere. And considering these are the top players in the world, the Evans gambit is essayed quite a bit, even a few King's Gambits, but the outre opening other than the Sicilians may have been the French. Thereby to play a more 'modern' Sicilian, like the
Champ was more fifty-five to my twenty.I see no Sokolski's or Grob's in the book. He does play the Nimzoindian and the Benoni once, but does not place much faith in them.
William HydeBlackburne, Joseph Henry - Schlechter, Carl ½-½ ""Sokolski" [not]
A00 Hastings 1895
1.d3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nc3 Be6 5.e4 dxe4 6.Nxe4 Nf6 7.Ne2 Nxe4 8.Bxe4 Bd5 9.O-O Bxe4 10.dxe4 Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Na6 12.Be3 Bc5 13.Bxc5 Nxc5 14.f3 Ke7 15.Kf2 Rhd8 16.Ke3 Rxd1 17.Rxd1 Rd8 18.Rxd8 Kxd8 19.Nc1 Ke7 20.Nd3 Nd7 ½-½
A small problem is that this game is identified as a "Sokolski' which it obviously ain't. Though 1.d3 would surely have bemused the cataloger in what to call it.
I am rather fond of the Sokolski having beaten the Cornish Champion with it, and otherwise misspent my youth on left-handed openings' which is to say, at the time when Michael Adams was hardly 5 feet 3 tall (after which he resented losing) though the
Though our Redruth team became frequent county champions, despite the presence of Adams at Truro School, my friend Nick Cummings still playing as in the recent South Island NZ championship, has a positive score against Adams — I remember young Mickyin county matches when I was sometimes elevated to board 3 and [IM-ish] Peter Clarke at board one, glaring at my disgraceful, openings [Sokolski, Benko!], with Adams sitting way down there at board 17.
I asked Micky latterly about his prominence in British Chess and if he had had a mentor? Not at all, he said, unless 'schooling' was to spend one afternoon in PH Clarke's library in Exeter. Evidently he likes to work things out for himself and says hestill finds innovations in the first dozen moves.
This is very Cornish of him as the County's strongest player ever, back in the day with Dylan on the radio at the Quasar Café :)
Phil Innes
I see no Sokolski's or Grob's in the book. He does play the Nimzoindian and the Benoni once, but does not place much faith in them.
William Hyde
An argument here a dozen years ago in respect of the Sicilian and that 'backward d pawn' was one that I didn't carry, or perhaps not prove. I said that among even of the best in world players in 1895 if you were sufficiently booked up from Black'spoint of view, that you would likely carry the day, even if you were just an 'A' player while playing current advanced Sicilian lines.
Everyone thought this was ridiculous, and yet, one's opponent would have to solve it over the board no? <tick tick tick> And they didn't.
Adorjan agrees with me.
I see no Sokolski's or Grob's in the book. He does play the Nimzoindian and the Benoni once, but does not place much faith in them.
William HydeBlackburne, Joseph Henry - Schlechter, Carl ½-½ ""Sokolski" [not]
A00 Hastings 1895
1.d3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nc3 Be6 5.e4 dxe4 6.Nxe4 Nf6 7.Ne2 Nxe4 8.Bxe4 Bd5 9.O-O Bxe4 10.dxe4 Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Na6 12.Be3 Bc5 13.Bxc5 Nxc5 14.f3 Ke7 15.Kf2 Rhd8 16.Ke3 Rxd1 17.Rxd1 Rd8 18.Rxd8 Kxd8 19.Nc1 Ke7 20.Nd3 Nd7 ½-½
A small problem is that this game is identified as a "Sokolski' which it obviously ain't. Though 1.d3 would surely have bemused the cataloger in what to call it.
I am rather fond of the Sokolski having beaten the Cornish Champion with it, and otherwise misspent my youth on left-handed openings' which is to say, at the time when Michael Adams was hardly 5 feet 3 tall (after which he resented losing) though theChamp was more fifty-five to my twenty.
Though our Redruth team became frequent county champions, despite the presence of Adams at Truro School, my friend Nick Cummings still playing as in the recent South Island NZ championship, has a positive score against Adams — I remember young Mickyin county matches when I was sometimes elevated to board 3 and [IM-ish] Peter Clarke at board one,
I asked Micky latterly about his prominence in British Chess and if he had had a mentor? Not at all, he said, unless 'schooling' was to spend one afternoon in PH Clarke's library in Exeter.
This is very Cornish of him as the County's strongest player ever, back in the day with Dylan on the radio at the Quasar Café :)
On Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 2:22:55 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
A fine writer, and a correspondence GM. I thought he was an IM but you are correct. OTB he was a FIDE master.
glaring at my disgraceful, openings [Sokolski, Benko!], with Adams sitting way down there at board 17.
I asked Micky latterly about his prominence in British Chess and if he had had a mentor? Not at all, he said, unless 'schooling' was to spend one afternoon in PH Clarke's library in Exeter.That reminds me of Larsen, also self-taught.
Evidently he likes to work things out for himself and says he still finds innovations in the first dozen moves.
This is very Cornish of him as the County's strongest player ever, back in the day with Dylan on the radio at the Quasar Café :)Alas my one trip to Cornwall was entirely too short.
William Hyde
On Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 5:27:28 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
On Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 2:22:55 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
I remember young Micky in county matches when I was sometimes elevated to board 3 and [IM-ish] Peter Clarke at board one,
A fine writer, and a correspondence GM. I thought he was an IM but you are correct. OTB he was a FIDE master.He got to play board 1 at some Olympiads. At the time there were no British GMs, and then came 3 of them. Ray Keene said he qualified first but got the title second.
Clarke had fantastic eyebrows, almost comic, but you didn't want them looking at you with disapprobation. Although board 1 for Cornwall he lived in Devon, at Exeter, and the club there was close by the Cathedral - in fact his wife played for the Devonteam. We would pile into the car and drive Redruth to Exeter for county games, about 100 miles, across first Bodmin Moor then Dartmoor. Bleak places, not a tree in sight. He also sold books and some journals at these events, though they were relatively
Kotov and Yudovich title Soviet School of Chess — I still have one! — which was so disgraceful that the editors of t he English edition remarked in their preface that many, maybe very many of the lines suggested were not to be trusted [ROFL] anddid not actually represent contemporary Russian thought on opening theory.
Plus a statement on the back cover that "While the historical positions are often distorted for nationalistic aims... The introduction [but by whom? I have never been able to find out — where is Sam Sloan when you want him?] goes "A keen eye shouldbe used however to separate the propaganda from the truth. Specifically we should be aware that this book was originally published for dissemination among English speaking peoples and that literature of this type, though helpful in our ultimate
My Dover Edition is © 1961 and cost 2.85 pounds sterling, and being an unabridged version of the 1958 edition.in the book, no wins!
It does trace some Russian and 'Soviet' players to appreciate their contribution to the game, inc Chigorin as 'alleged' founder of the Russian School, and Alekhine "who never played a game in Soviet Russia" and [I am unsure] only has a couple of games
glaring at my disgraceful, openings [Sokolski, Benko!], with Adams sitting way down there at board 17.
I asked Micky latterly about his prominence in British Chess and if he had had a mentor? Not at all, he said, unless 'schooling' was to spend one afternoon in PH Clarke's library in Exeter.That reminds me of Larsen, also self-taught.
Evidently he likes to work things out for himself and says he still finds innovations in the first dozen moves.
One can only eat one pasty a day,This is very Cornish of him as the County's strongest player ever, back in the day with Dylan on the radio at the Quasar Café :)Alas my one trip to Cornwall was entirely too short.
Hah! I was walking some ungodly number of miles per day (new shoes had to be resoled after eight weeks) and could have dealt withOne can only eat one pasty a day,This is very Cornish of him as the County's strongest player ever, back in the day with Dylan on the radio at the Quasar Café :)Alas my one trip to Cornwall was entirely too short.
many pasties per day. Though my favourite meal in Cornwall was actually a burger with Stilton.
though pint and a pasty still available everywhere. I understand that the old league we grew up with, some 32 teams from a, then, pop. of 250,000, is in substantial decline. I calculated I played about 50 to 60 rated games per year, including cups, notso much tournaments, but county matches and lots of league play.
I'm quite lazy and have probably not played 250 tournament games in my life, plus a couple of dozen postal games. And in some of those 250 games
I was simply not there, waking up at move 20 or so (if I lasted that long) to note that my position was hopelessly lost. Which is one reason I have
so much experience winning lost positions. And losing them, of course.
When my episodes of not being there became too frequent, I would quit tournament chess, coming back in about six years for another round.
William Hyde
Apologies for absence;
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