Patzers Progress - The Chess Blog and Musings of Anthony Toohey

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HEROES

My Chess Heroes are like tragic Greek heroes. They are all grand but flawed, something that keeps them near the peak but far from perfection.

GM Robert J. Fischer: What can one say about arguably the greatest chess player of all time? He was perhaps the most single-minded player in history, devoting all his time from childhood to the pursuit of chess perfection. With this dedication, and a severe case of egotism, he turned the Soviet Chess Machine on its ear and seared his persona on the history of the art forever. But like Hercules giving into his madness and destroying his wife and family, Fischer self-destructed, sending his championship to an early demise, most of his friends and family into a tailspin, and the American chess community into disrepair. As for himself, he has found solace in some dark and unsettling beliefs, appearing long enough to make sure everyone knows he’s still the champ, but not sticking around long enough to really prove it.

IM Josh Waitzkin: The subject of “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” These days a college student and an International Master training with Grigory Kaidanov, Josh holds a special place in my heart in that it was his story adapted for the screen that brought me back into chess. I have written to him and found him quick to reply and gracious. He fades in and out of the scene, partially because of his schooling. I’m pulling for him to snag the big GM, hopefully he’ll soon have that good series of tournaments that will enable him to turn the corner.

GM Mikhail Tal: “The Wizard of Riga.” There is no magic like a sacrifice by Tal. His ability to twist his way around tactical problems and nuances dwarfed any of his peers and likely anyone alive today. Unfortunately poor health and rough living shortened his brilliant life (he passed away in 1992,) but we will forever have the beauty of his games to memorialize the greatest combination concoctor in history.

GM David Bronstein: The man who should have been champ. A brilliant, fearless chess artist, he was known for playing with aplomb and beauty, seeking art and excitement over mechanical efficiency. This spirit exploded with sparks one day in 1968 when Bronstein faced Tal over the board and played the King’s Gambit, to which Tal responded with the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit. This was chess as it was meant to be played.

Bruce Pandolfini: The Pied Piper of chess he is called. My second “chess teacher,” he is a winsome, gentle man with whom I once even corresponded by mail. His materials are gold to the beginner. His book Power Mates is one of his best and most enjoyable efforts. He is sometimes looked down upon by those who, in my opinion, are jealous of his relative success or resentful of their own failures, but the fact remains that he is a vital and living part of today’s chess community.

Fred Reinfeld: My first “chess teacher,” and to my mind Bruce Pandolfini's "spiritual" predecessor. He made chess accessible to me and to thousands of other players over the years who would otherwise dabble in the game without any purpose or hope.

Paul Keres: Another man who should have been champ. Controversy clouds his loss to Botvinnik, but his chess genius is unquestioned. As a chess author he was perhaps the best at making the masterly nuances of the game accessible to hungry patzers like me.

Alexander Alehkine: The ultimate attacking player. He was grandiose, hard-living, controversial (esp. in death) and merciless at the board. His games are models of attack and tenacity, often strewn with lengthy, beautiful, sometimes even flawed combinations whose solutions, when they existed at all, were nearly unfathomable even by the best of opponents.

Jose Raul Capablanca: The Natural. It is said he didn’t study openings and played chess from his heart. I don’t know if that is true (truly I can’t imagine it, but then, look at my ability) but his games are things of simplistic beauty. He took the cleanest, fastest route to victory, and at one point went 10 years without a defeat in a tournament or match.