A lot of early 20th century chess players were weirdos. Reti had a lot of interesting ideas, but he looks like the guy who rushes you at the bus stop talking about voices. And he died at 40. Capablanca and Alekhine also died relatively young.
These guys today have all this state support, and the eccentrics are weeded out. But these guys who scraped by, fighting poverty, who would scream out loud when they lost (Nimzowitch) or might be so drunk they urinate on the tournament floor (Alekhine) gave chess a bizarre mystique that made the game more interesting than guys training like tennis players, having private chefs and all that.
Sindarov, to @leontxogarcia: “A week after learning to play, I participated in my first tournament, where everyone beat me. At the closing ceremony, I sat in the front row, sad, watching them hand out the medals. My grandfather noticed, gave me small gifts, and said, ‘This is your prize.’ Six months later, I was the best player in my family. That’s how it all started.”
https://t.co/AU0WraRuU9
Je ne m'en lasserai jamais. 🤣
Henri Crutchet, 87 ans, 15/5, légende absolue du tennis sénior, le GOAT, fissure au tournoi ITF Seniors +80 ans d'Arcachon en 2018.
Aujourd'hui, Henri a 95 ans et il matche toujours ! Il est n°2 mondial en +90 ans ! 👑
An amazing solution here 1...Rd4 2.Kf5 Rd5!! 3.Nxd5 Nxd5 and White appears to be in zugzwang, both his king and rook cannot move (Rg8 runs into Ne7-fork). Black pawn majority on the queenside will easily decide the game.
The most heartbreaking game in Candidates was Lagno, K - Zhu, Jiner. In my opinion, this is the most memorable moment. White was completely lost, but Black's last inaccurate move allows beautiful tactics. How could White solve all her problems?