=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
C O M P U T E R P E R S O N A L I T I E S
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Chessmaster 7000
for the PC
Computer Personality Guide
Version 1.0
Last Updated 10/17/03
Written & Compiled by TestaALT
Email Address TestaALT@aol.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================
Table of Contents
=================
1. What's New?
2. Computer Personalities
2.1 - 1 - 1000 ratings
2.2 - 1001 - 2000 ratings
2.3 - 2001+ ratings
2.4 - GrandMasters
3. Closing
3.1 - Credits
3.2 - Legal Disclaimer
3.3 - Contact Information
------------
Section Jump
------------
Here's how you can instantly get to any section you want to in this guide
without scrolling.
1. Hightlight the section name in the table of contents (Look up).
2. Press Control-C.
3. Press Control-F.
4. Press Control-V.
5. Press Enter.
You should now be at the beginning of the appropriate section.
==============================================================================
1. What's New?
==============================================================================
Version 1.0 -- 10/17/03 -- Completed.
==============================================================================
2. Computer Personalities
==============================================================================
Name: Name of player
Rating: Rating the game gives them.
Biography: There past.
Style: How they play,
==============================================================================
2.1 - 1 - 1000 ratings
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cassie
Rating: 23
Biography: Cassie likes to make things. Though she and her friends own a lot
of dolls, Cassie rarely plays with hers. She just makes things for
them, like clothes, houses, and furniture. She really likes the
chess pieces in her parents' chess set and decided to make a big
chess set of her own out of papier maché. Her mom is teaching her
how to play chess so when her new pieces are finished, she can play
chess with them.
Style: Cassie likes to hold onto her pieces for as long as possible which
clutters up her side of the board and makes it hard for her pieces
to move. She is rated 23.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ryan
Rating: 28
Biography: Ryan loves to play tricks on people. Sometimes he hides his
sister’s shoes, and sometimes he steals the baloney from his
brother’s sandwich. He wants to be a magician when he grows up.
He likes to pretend he’s never played chess before, so when people
think they’re teaching him how to play, he can trick them and beat
them. This trick usually only works on kids, though.
Style: Ryan's tries to trick people on the chess board so much that he
usually winds up tricking himself. His complicated schemes make his
chess play seem almost random (which is why he is rated 28).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pete
Rating: 37
Biography: Pete would like to be a veterinarian when he grows up. So far, his
parents have gotten him a Golden Retriever, two cats (one white and
one calico), a parakeet, a turtle, five goldfish, and one sea
snail. Pete takes very good care of his pets and hardly ever has
to be reminded to feed them. One time a baby sparrow fell out of
its nest in his backyard and Pete helped nurse it back to health.
He started playing chess when his uncle gave him a chess set where
the pieces all looked like animals.
Style: Pete's favorite chess piece is the knight (because it looks like a
horse) and he will try to hold onto his knights for as long as
possible. Sometimes this causes him to lose games. He is rated 37.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Raina
Rating: 52
Biography: Raina is a pediatrician who works in third world countries. Most
of her time is spent giving inoculations and educating communities
on how to maintain sanitary conditions, but she occasionally gets
the satisfaction of healing a sick child. Though the people she
works with are poor, they have rich traditions, and many of them
have been playing chess for generations. Raina didn’t play chess
before she started working in third world communities, but she does
now.
Style: Raina overvalues the queen and will try to set up defensive
postions in order to protect her. She is rated 52.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Clyde
Rating: 65
Biography: A professional chicken-sexer from Arkansas, Clyde looks on chess as
one of the prissy things the managers at the hatchery do to impress
each other. Actually, he's watched a number of games, so he knows
how the pieces move, but he's not about to actually sit down and
play a game - unless he's promoted to management, that is.
Style: Clyde's moves are almost random. He may start moving his King for
no particular reason or hang pieces like crazy. At a 65 rating, he
should not be difficult to defeat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bambi
Rating: 76
Biography: When Bambi was a little girl she’d put on a show for her family as
often as they’d sit still and watch. As an adult, this flair for
exhibitionism comes in handy in her job delivering singing
telegrams. When she first started she’d occasionally work as a
stripper too, but no longer feels that’s a respectable profession.
However, she has added pie-throwing to her repertoire, and has
been hired to throw pies at many well-known politicians,
entertainers, and businessmen. Bambi's boyfriend enjoys chess and
keeps trying to engage Bambi in games, but she has a hard time
sitting still long enough to finish a game.
Style: Bambi just barely knows the rules of chess and moves her pieces
without consequence (which explains her 76 rating). On a good day
she will last beyond 30 moves.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tracy
Rating: 77
Biography: Tracy is a typical teenage girl. She likes to hang out with her
friends, talk about boys, go to the mall, and talk on the phone.
She's very active in the drama club at her school and dreams of
becoming a successful screen actress some day. She started playing
chess when one of her friends brought a chess set to a slumber
party. She's played a few times, but is not very good at it, nor
is she interested in getting better.
Style: Tracy knows all the rules of chess but wants to get the game over
as fast as she can. She will trade away her pieces for the sake of
speeding things up even if it means losing the game (that is why
she is rated 77).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ben
Rating: 84
Biography: Ben is a quiet boy who spends hours at a time playing with his
model airplanes or looking at airplane books. He likes to draw
pictures (mostly of airplanes and helicopters) and can identify
almost all of the airplanes that fly over his house. He doesn’t
have any brothers or sisters, but does have an iguana named
Slippery Sam. Ben’s dad just taught him how to play chess and he
looks forward to their nightly after-supper chess matches.
Style: Ben knows how all the pieces move but still isn't quite sure what
to do with his pawns so he usually trades them off or ignores them
all together. His rating is 84.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Parker
Rating: 90
Biography: By the age of three, Parker could identify most makes of cars. If
he saw a Jaguar (his favorite car), he could even tell you what
year it was made. His love of cars continues, and he hopes that
one day he can be a car designer, preferably in Europe. After
seeing a chess table in the back seat of a Rolls Royce at a car
show he decided it would be cool to learn how to play chess.
Style: Parker has learned the basics of chess pretty well except that he
forgets about his pawns. When he loses, it is usually because his
opponent has captured all his pawns. He is rated 90.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Josie
Rating: 121
Biography: As the voice of 'Silly Goose', a character in a popular children's
television show, Josie has all the trappings of success without the
deterrents of fame. Josie played chess for awhile as a teenager,
but hasn't played in quite a long time.
Style: Josie plays for fun and is not overly concerned with the outcome of
the game. She tends to leave pieces unguarded and does not have a
long-term strategy. She is rated 121.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dottie
Rating: 167
Biography: Dottie is a beloved piano teacher, having taught scales and
arpeggios to hundreds of impressionable students over the years. In
an effort to share one of his interests, her husband recently tried
to teach her to play chess, but she had a difficult time thinking
past the first few moves.
Style: Dottie's lack of experience makes her an easy opponent to defeat.
She tends to overvalue queens and undervalue rooks. Her rating is
167.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Elena
Rating: 177
Biography: Elena is a bookkeeper for a small sporting goods firm. A single
parent of a nine year-old daughter, Elena recently learned to play
chess at a parents' night out at her church. She's now trying to
teach her daughter to play.
Style: Elena is a beginning player (177) who tends to play erratically
after the first couple of moves. She tends to overvalue pawns.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kamika
Rating: 188
Biography: Kamika likes games and is very good at jumping rope. She knows how
to count backward from 1000 (which drives her big brother crazy).
Kamika loves to make up stories and taught herself to play chess by
making up stories about the chess pieces. Her second favorite
chess piece is the Knight, and her most favorite is the Queen.
Sometimes she leaves the chess pieces in her dollhouse (which also
drives her big brother crazy).
Style: Kamika is a beginning player with a rating of 188. She knows how
all the pieces move but doesn't organize them very well. She values
her queen and knights dearly and will only trade them if her
opponent is willing to do the same.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Petra
Rating: 191
Biography: Petra is an artist on a very small scale: she paints elaborate
designs on fingernails. Having taken a job as a manicurist to work
her way through art school, Petra ended up combining both areas of
her life, and is now in high demand as a specialty fingernail
painter. One of her most interesting creations was a chess set
painted on the nails of a grandmaster, who was using her
fingernails as a ploy to distract her opponent in a championship
match. Petra watched the match (which her client won) and learned
a bit about chess in the process.
Style: Petra understands the rules of chess but doesn't understand any of
the strategy. She moves quickly with little thought to the
consequences. Her rating is 191.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Niko
Rating: 222
Biography: Niko's sister, Kia, absolutely hates creepy-crawly things like bugs
and snakes, which is one of the reasons Niko really likes them. He
has a collection of 26 different bugs he's found at the park and in
his family's back yard. His mom won't let him actually keep any
snakes, but he still brings one home every now and then anyway. He
likes to play chess with Kia because he beats her sometimes.
Style: Niko likes to go on the attack. He will charge at his opponent
which tends to make him reckless with his queen and forget about
the safety of his king. He is rated 222.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Winston
Rating: 235
Biography: Winston is the CEO of a company that rents portable toilets. He
more or less fell into his current position when he married a woman
whose father owned the company. The old man retired shortly after
the marriage, and Winston was given the job. In truth, Winston
thinks his job stinks, but is just lazy enough to not go after
another position. Whenever possible, he avoids work by sitting in
his office and playing quite a bit of computer solitaire and chess.
Style: Winston frequently falls victim to simple combinations. He doesn't
take the time and look at the board position, he likes to make
moves on instinct (which is why his rating is 235).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dana
Rating: 273
Biography: Dana is a woodworker who creates beautiful wooden furniture. He
mostly uses hand tools and adds delicate hand-carved touches to all
of his pieces. As a side-line, he also custom-designs chess sets
for serious players and collectors. Though he loves the look and
feel of chess pieces, he pretty much hates the game. He’s only
played a few times, and doesn’t really care if he plays much again.
Style: Dana moves very quickly without much thought to consequences. He is
vulnerable to combinations. His rating is 273.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dominic
Rating: 330
Biography: A professional soccer player in his native Italy, Dominic takes
soccer very seriously and spends every waking moment toning his
body and working on becoming a better player. He'll play chess when
asked to, but doesn't really enjoy the game all that much as it
takes him away from working out.
Style: Dominic is a 330-rated novice player with no knowledge of opening
theory. He plays recklessly and enjoys trading pieces.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ashley
Rating: 343
Biography: Ashley is a fine art painter who uses traditional methods and
materials to create works in the style of her favorite master,
Rembrandt. From time to time she is commissioned to paint a
portrait or create what she calls 'couch art' (a painting designed
to match the colors of someone’s couch), but otherwise, she’s
pretty much a stereotypical starving artist. Since she mostly
likes to paint at night, she spends her days sketching city scenes,
and often sketches chess players at her local park.
Style: Ashley has picked up the rules of chess but is a little lean on
strategy. Opening are the weakest part of her game. She is rated
343.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mia
Rating: 373
Biography: Mia has a tremendous fascination with other cultures and has pen
pals all over the world. She exchanges letters and gifts with
children in Peru, South Africa, Hong Kong, France, Mexico, and
Russia. Mia speaks English only (plus a little Spanish), so
communication is often difficult. As a result, her Russian pen
pal, Yuri, has introduced Mia to the concept of playing chess
through the mail. Every couple of weeks, one of them makes a chess
move and sends it to the other. So far, Yuri has won all of the
games, but Mia is becoming a better chess player and may beat him
one day.
Style: Mia is a beginning chess player, her rating is 373. She knows that
the queen is the most valuable piece in the game and goes to great
lengths to keep her safe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: André
Rating: 397
Biography: André realized he had a special talent for drawing at the age of
four when all of his friends kept asking him to draw monsters and
dragons for them. André and his older brother, Brett, are very
close, and when Brett helps André with his math homework, André
draws illustrations for Brett's science homework. André and Brett
learned how to play chess from their dad, and they often play chess
matches after school.
Style: André likes to try to surround his opponent and squeeze them into
the middle of the board. Sometimes this works but often he gets
checkmated before he can finish completing his plan. His rating is
397.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kia
Rating: 398
Biography: Kia is a talented ballet dancer who takes dance classes several
hours a day, 6 days a week. She has already danced the lead in a
local production of the Nutcracker Suite and hopes to one day join
a professional ballet company in New York or Europe. When she's
home she occasionally plays chess against her little brother, Niko,
and really hates it when he beats her.
Style: Kia makes sure all her pieces are well defended, sometimes she is
so concerned with defending that she misses her opportunity to
attack and win a piece. Her rating is 398.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Skippy
Rating: 402
Biography: The eternal party boy, Skippy has been in college for seven of the
past eight years (don't ask about the missing year) and is hoping
to be a senior next year. Voted by his fraternity as 'Most Likely
to Drop Trou,' Skippy has actually played chess three times, even
though he doesn't remember two of the games.
Style: Skippy is a low-rated player (402) who plays quickly and gives
little thought to the game. He will often drop pieces and has no
sense of positional play. Wait for him to give the game away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Darcy
Rating: 414
Biography: As an only child, Darcy hasn't had much exposure to other kids at
home. Perhaps that's why she spends so much time with kids when
she's away from home. A favorite babysitter for neighborhood
families, Darcy also works afternoons at a daycare center. Darcy
knows how to play chess because she often baby-sits for Mariah, and
Mariah taught her how to play.
Style: Darcy has just begun to play chess and she gets really nervous
about her opponent's queen. Sometimes she gets so worried that she
overlooks other things on the chess board. Her rating is 414.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tex
Rating: 427
Biography: Tex is from a long line of Texas oilmen and often brags that he,
too, is an oilman. Unfortunately, the reality is that Tex changes
oil for a living. Tex’s grandfather left Tex’s daddy, Slim, his
wealth in oil wells, but by the time Tex was born, Slim had
squandered the family fortune away. Once Tex grew up, he decided
to pursue his interest in cars, and became a decent mechanic. Tex
and one of his mechanic co-workers keep a running chess game going
in the garage where they work. Since their hands are always
greasy, they created a chess set out of used oilcans.
Style: Tex is a defensive player (rated 427). He trys to frustrate his
opponent into making a mistake and then exploit it for the victory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Matthew
Rating: 429
Biography: Matthew wants to be an architect when he grows up, just like his
father. When he was three or four years old, he created huge
towers using all kinds of building sets and blocks to create
different effects. Now, his dad sometimes lets him use
professional modeling materials to build model houses and office
buildings. Father and son also share a love of chess.
Style: Matthew is rated 429. His dad has taught him well and he is an all
around solid chess player, he just needs to keep practicing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lydia
Rating: 431
Biography: Lydia is a construction foreman who just began playing chess
recently when progress on the building she was working on was
delayed by torrential rains. Though she's only just begun playing,
she thinks she's going to like the game.
Style: Lydia approached learning chess by committing several opening lines
to memory, which has greatly strengthened her opening play.
However, since she doesn't understand the theory behind the
openings, her play falls apart once the game leaves book. She is
rated 431.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ross
Rating: 521
Biography: Ross first looked at the moon through a telescope when he was five
and camping with his family. He immediately started begging for a
telescope of his own. He now owns three telescopes and spends
almost every night scanning the skies for new discoveries. His
dream is to one day have a comet named after him. In the evening,
his mom often joins him on their back porch for a chess game, and
while she ponders her chess moves, he gazes at the stars.
Style: Ross likes to play an open game where his pieces can rocket around
the board. This has a tendency to leave his king vulnerable to
attack. Ross is rated 521.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Andy
Rating: 523
Biography: Andy is one of the more popular teachers at a large metropolitan
high school. An English teacher, he uses theatrics, props, and
special effects to make subjects like Shakespeare, Keats, and
Tolstoy come alive. One of his more off-beat props is his use of
chess pieces to demonstrate development of conflict, tension, and
character dynamics.
Style: Andy doesn't know much about chess openings and tends to overvalue
his pieces. His rating is 523.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jax
Rating: 528
Biography: Jax almost makes his living as a gambler. A serious poker player,
he travels around to different casinos and tournaments, and wins
often enough to keep his habit going. During his losing streaks
(and he has many), he resorts to supplementing his income with bar
bets, and several of his favorite variations involve chess. Though
he’s clever when faced with difficult chess positions, he’s doesn’t
play well in game situations.
Style: Jax almost makes his living as a gambler. A serious poker player,
he travels around to different casinos and tournaments, and wins
often enough to keep his habit going. During his losing streaks
(and he has many), he resorts to supplementing his income with bar
bets, and several of his favorite variations involve chess. Though
he’s clever when faced with difficult chess positions, he’s doesn’t
play well in game situations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Manny
Rating: 542
Biography: Manny is a state congressman representing a small town in New
Jersey. During long congressional sessions he likes to play
electronic games to stave off boredom. One of the games he owns is
a pocket chess game, but he's not as good at it as he is at playing
some of the sports and war-type games he owns.
Style: Manny is a 542-rated beginning player who makes typical beginner
mistakes: hanging pieces and not seeing combinations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bonita
Rating: 565
Biography: Bonita is an attorney and an idealist. Having graduated near the
top of her Berkeley law class she was invited to work at several
top law firms, but chose instead to have her own small practice.
She now dedicates herself to helping the downtrodden beat big
business and big government. Most of her clients are poor and as a
result, she has accepted vegetables, home-baked bread, and car
washes in return for her services. One of the more unusual
payments she received was for an immigration case, in which a
Russian immigrant paid his fee by giving Bonita some very good
chess lessons.
Style: Bonita is a beginning chess player (rated 565). She values rooks
and bishops almost the same and has a tendency to miss obvious
combinations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jerry
Rating: 596
Biography: Jerry has been a fireman for 15 years. A thrill-seeker, he loves
the moments that involve actual fire-fighting, but hates the long
waits in-between. On his long days off he likes to go hang-
gliding, dirt-biking, and scuba diving. When confined to the
firehouse, he and his fellow fire fighters pass the time by
reading, lifting weights, and playing chess. The loser of the
chess matches usually cooks meals for the day.
Style: Jerry is a reckless attacker. He goes after his opponent with no
regard for position or his king's safety. He just likes to see the
pieces fly (that's why his rating is 596).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Seth
Rating: 695
Biography: A recent college graduate, Seth is currently 'finding himself' by
travelling across the country in an old VW van. Seth spends most
evenings playing his guitar and writing love songs. He recently
learned to play chess at a hostel near Boulder, Colorado and has
since had a few more opportunities to play.
Style: Seth is a beginning player who will tend to go for a draw even if
he is slightly ahead. He likes to trade pieces when he can unless
the queens are involved. He is rated 695.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jesse
Rating: 695
Biography: Jesse enjoys skateboarding, playing basketball, and hanging out at
the video arcade. But he also feels a tremendous responsibility to
help others. So, he collects blankets for the homeless and
volunteers every Sunday at a local soup kitchen. Sometimes he
organizes games for children at a local homeless shelter. After
somebody donated a chess set to the shelter, Jesse started playing
the game and has taught a number of the children how to play as
well.
Style: Jesse likes to surprise opponents with attacks that seem to come
from out of nowhere so he really values the pieces that can attack
from long-range. His rating is 695.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shannon
Rating: 701
Biography: Shannon has known for a long time that she wanted to be an
astronaut when she grew up. Toward that end, she has begun working
toward her pilot's license, and is learning everything she can
about the space shuttle and the people who are fortunate enough to
go into outer space. Her dream is to be able to go to Mars some
day. Shannon learned how to play chess when she was a young child,
but doesn't find much time to play these days.
Style: Shannon still remembers all the basics but is rusty in the opening.
With practice Shannon should be able to improve her 701 rating.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gabriela
Rating: 709
Biography: Gabriela literally grew up at her family’s Mexican restaurant. As
soon as she could carry a plate without dropping it, she began
helping out by bussing tables and washing dishes. Now one of the
restaurant’s most popular waitresses, Gabriela works hard, knowing
that one day the restaurant will belong to her and her children.
Between the lunch rush and the dinner set-up, many of the
restaurant’s workers relax by challenging each other to games of
chess.
Style: Gabriela plays very defensively. She doesn't like to trade pieces
unless pressed. She is rated 709.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jenna
Rating: 728
Biography: A registered nurse, Jenna has been a member of the Peace Corps in
Central America for the last year and a half. She was quite
surprised to discover that the local citizens are avid chess
players. So, on many evenings she finds herself engaged in chess
matches using beautiful, hand-carved chess pieces of a Mayan
design.
Style: Jenna has fairly good opening book knowledge for a beginning 728-
rated player. She tends to avoid draws and does not always
sufficiently protect her king.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Carrie
Rating: 747
Biography: Carrie is a senior at a high school for gifted students. An
overachiever, she's active in student government, theatre, the
school newspaper, and several local charities. Though she knows a
little about chess, she hasn't really had the opportunity to learn
the game well enough to become a good player.
Style: Carrie's lack of experience in the game is reflected in her 747
rating. Although she is familiar with the relative values of the
pieces, she is not usually able to exploit her opponent's errors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lisa
Rating: 765
Biography: It took over a year of begging, but at the age of 12 Lisa finally
convinced her dad to help her build a greenhouse in their backyard.
Since then she's had the perfect place to grow orchids and conduct
experiments on creating new strains of exotic plants and flowers.
When not working at her interest in botany, Lisa sings in a band
with four of her friends. Lisa is frustrated when her twin
sister, Lucy instigates arguments between the two of them, and
often directs their rivalry to games of chess.
Style: Lisa has developed a strategy to counter-act her sister Lucy. She
will resist trading pieces and gets very defensive. She will try to
clear the board of pawns and then go for the checkmate. Her rating
is 765.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Brett
Rating: 780
Biography: Brett loves to be outdoors, and his two favorite pastimes help to
keep him there. An avid swimmer, he's one of the best free-style
swimmers on his school team. His favorite hobby is photography,
where his specialty is taking close-up pictures of patterns found
in nature. He works part time mowing lawns to be able to afford
film and darkroom equipment. Brett and his younger brother, André
are very close and frequently play chess together.
Style: Brett has the toughest time at the beginning of a chess game but
once his opponent moves into his territory he sharpens up fast. He
is rated 780.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Simon
Rating: 785
Biography: Simon's dad was a professional soccer player in England, which may
be one of the reasons Simon is such a great soccer goalie. When
not playing soccer, Simon also enjoys playing in a rollerblade
hockey league and playing strategy games with his friends. He and
his friends have recently begun playing chess as well, and Simon
has discovered that he's quite good at the game. He's now hoping
to find more challenging opponents to practice his chess game on.
Style: Simon has learned the fundamentals of chess pretty well, with
practice he will become a tough opponent. His rating is 785.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sonja
Rating: 815
Biography: Sonja lives her life as a sort of professional 'wannabe.' A high
school science teacher, she has tried out for the space program
three times and been rejected three times. She has also been
rejected as a contestant by the television show 'Jeopardy' four
times. Her one great thrill was a one-time appearance on Wheel of
Fortune, where she won $2,356. Also a chess 'wannabe,' she has
spent a great amount of time learning about chess strategy and
tactics.
Style: Sonja has great technical knowledge about chess, but lacks the
ability to string it together successfully in a game. She
occasionally makes a brilliant play, but her games are thwarted by
erratic moves and an over-dependence on the value of queens.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Billy
Rating: 829
Biography: Watch out Mark McGwire! Billy Logan is waiting in the wings!
Billy eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball. A first baseman, he
plays every chance he gets and practices batting into a net in his
backyard. While supportive of their son's talent in baseball, his
parents would like to see him do other things too, so they've been
encouraging him to play chess with a cousin and a neighbor. Much
to his surprise, Billy likes chess quite a lot (but not as much as
baseball).
Style: Billy is an attacker who goes right after his opponent. With more
practice Billy will become a formidable opponent. Right now his
rating is 829.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kendra
Rating: 837
Biography: Kendra is a teenager who loves to cook, or to be more accurate, she
loves to bake. Whether it's lasagna, or cookies, or double
chocolate hazelnut torte, Kendra is an expert at making good things
come from the oven. Perhaps this is due to the fact that her
mother is a terrible cook, even managing to ruin macaroni and
cheese. On the other hand, Kendra's mother is an excellent chess
player, and has slowly been teaching her daughter the finer points
of the game.
Style: Kendra gets really nervous about her opponent's queen and tries to
do everything she can to get rid of it. Sometimes she pays so much
attention to doing this that she gets herself in a bad position.
She is rated 837.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Argyle
Rating: 871
Biography: Argyle is the bass guitarist in a rock band that travels the
country playing over 250 performances each year. During their long
bus trips, one of the ways the band members keep themselves
occupied is by challenging each other to games of chess. Roxy, the
lead singer in the band, wins most of her games, so Argyle avoids
playing her whenever he can.
Style: Argyle has a tendency to play cramped and very defensive games. He
is rated 871.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Raj
Rating: 893
Biography: Raj is determined to find a cure for cancer. As part of a team of
genetic engineers, Raj is working on ways in which DNA can be used
to combat disease and the destruction of cells. Raj and his co-
workers are very dedicated to their work, often toiling round the
clock and on weekends. To encourage his employees to take breaks,
Raj’s boss recently added a ping pong table, dartboard, and chess
table to the company break room.
Style: Raj trades away his pieces without a second thought (which is why
he is rated 893). He can easily be rooked into giving away
favorable exchanges.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jonesie
Rating: 910
Biography: Jonesie is the guy who calls you during dinner to ask how you feel
about the latest budget initiative in your city. In between jobs
doing telephone polls, he also works as a telemarketer, usually for
one of the many available long-distance services. He’s so
accustomed to hearing the phone slammed down in his ear that it no
longer bothers him. While waiting for his automatic dialer to
locate a live human being, Jonesie and his fellow telemarketers
pass the time by playing tic-tac-toe and chess.
Style: Jonesie is wild and daring on the chess board. He likes to try a
lot of queen sacrifices and knight traps. Frequently he is victim
of his own flamboyance. His rating is 910.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lucy
Rating: 945
Biography: If you talk to Lucy, be prepared for an argument. It's not that
she's a negative person, but she loves to engage people in debate,
a trait that comes in handy as captain of her school debating team.
She's also a member of the Young Democrats club, and hopes to have
a career in politics. Lucy and her twin sister, Lisa alternate
between being best friends and friendly rivals. One of the ways
they work out their differences is over a good game of chess.
Style: Lucy has developed a simple strategy where she trades off pieces
and then trys to promote one of her pawns. It seems to work often
enough, her rating is 945.
==============================================================================
2.2 - 1001 - 2000 ratings
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bogie
Rating: 1035
Biography: A professional hockey player by trade, Bogie has an extremely
aggressive style on the ice. In contrast, he's a surprisingly
gentle chess player. Perhaps that's because he mostly plays chess
against his two daughters, aged six and eight.
Style: Bogie's lack of experience and 1035 rating prevents him from
putting together complex strategy, but his hockey experience has
taught him the importance of controlling the center of the
chessboard.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mark
Rating: 1103
Biography: Mark created his first web site as a teenager. He’s grown with the
industry and is now an in-demand Webmaster. Many of the companies
Mark has worked for have created instant millionaires among their
employees. Unfortunately, Mark has demonstrated a serious talent
for bad timing, and has jumped ship just before each big score. Co-
workers have begun to consider it a good omen when Mark leaves
their company. One of the web sites Mark created is for an on-line
chess game.
Style: Mark is good at attacking with his bishops. He uses them as sharp,
vicious weapons. His weakness is that he inhibits their
effectiveness by blocking them with his own pawns. His rating is
1103.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Buddy
Rating: 1140
Biography: Buddy is Jessica's younger brother. Having watched his older sister
endure the pressures of being a chess star, Buddy has made sure
that the same fate doesn't visit him. He often plays erratically
and loses on purpose so his father will lose patience and end the
chess lessons. Then Buddy happily joins his friends in his favorite
pastime, skateboarding.
Style: Buddy plays quite quickly and wants to get the game over quickly.
He'll trade pieces at the drop of a hat and will take any
opportunity for a draw. Although his raw chess skill is sound, he
plays at a rating of only 1140.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Adam
Rating: 1152
Biography: Adam is a computer game addict. His parents have instituted strict
rules about when he can and cannot play games on the computer,
because otherwise he'd never get his homework done, or spend any
time with friends and family. Adam has been designing his own
computer game, and secretly spends part of his homework time
programming his new game. He frequently plays chess online,
because it's one of the few games his parents don't disapprove of.
Style: Compared to his opponents, Adam undervalues his pieces. He focuses
on promoting his pawns and finishing things up in the endgame. He
has earned a rating of 1152 online.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Joey
Rating: 1154
Biography: Joey is really into computers, but nobody would ever call him a
nerd. He's also the president of his class and one of the best
gymnasts at his school. His friends love to come to Joey's house
to see all of the coolest computer games and Internet web sites.
After his friends leave, Joey often logs onto an Internet chess
site, and plays chess against players from all over the world.
Style: Joey is an all around solid chess player and has learned to work at
all areas of his game. He's developed a rating of 1154.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Miranda
Rating: 1161
Biography: A recent college graduate from UC Santa Barbara, Miranda is
currently working as a hostess at a trendy Los Angeles eatery while
looking for a PR job in the movie industry. After discovering that
chess is becoming one of the trendy things to do in Hollywood,
Miranda began sharpening up her game. It's been 8 years since she
first learned to play chess.
Style: Miranda is a beginning to intermediate player with a rating of
1161. She is not familiar with opening book theory and will tend to
neglect the center of the board.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Duke
Rating: 1191
Biography: Duke lives on his family's ranch outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He and his family work very hard, rising at 5:00 AM every day to
care for their livestock. Duke's main responsibility is caring for
the family's horses, with which he has a special rapport. When he
gets the chance, Duke really enjoys a good game of chess with one
of his sisters. He has a horse that he raised from birth and named
Alekhine, after his favorite chess player.
Style: Duke has studied just about everything that has to do with his
favorite grandmaster Alekhine and tries to mimic him as much as
possible (he even uses the same openings). Duke has a rating of
1191.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Risa
Rating: 1197
Biography: Risa went to an American school in her native Japan and as a
result, speaks fluent English. After she graduated from college
with a Masters in Business, her professional path was set. She now
free-lances to large corporations as an interpreter, with special
capability in the area of large-scale mergers. She often gains
respect from her clients by engaging them in chess matches. She
usually loses these matches which, it turns out, is a good business
move.
Style: Risa pays little attention to her pawns (mostly she moves them just
to activate her other pieces). Look for her to hang a pawn or two.
She is rated 1197.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Josh - Age 6
Rating: 1200
Biography: Josh Waitzkin learned to play chess in Washington Square Park in
New York City when he was 6 years old. His early teachers were old
retired men and chess hustlers, tough players who moved the pieces
trying to eke out a living. Josh was a gifted tactician and a
fierce competitor, perfect for the park, and his games always
attracted a crowd. In games against seasoned players he would
sometimes seem to fall into a zone. His mother would say that when
he sat down at the chess board the little boy went away and an old
man came to play.
Style: As a 6-year-old Josh was pure aggression. Rated at 1200, Josh
didn't know much about positional subtleties or opening theory, but
when the game got messy he was dangerous. Josh liked to bring his
queen out early and to set traps. In the heat of attack, Josh
tended to overlook his own king safety.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cole
Rating: 1214
Biography: Cole is a psychic healer. He first discovered his talent shortly
after being struck by lightning on his 21st birthday. His first
patient was his Irish Setter, Oasis, who was born with hip
dysplasia. After being massaged by Cole, Oasis started running
around like a puppy - for the first time in his life. It wasn’t
long before Cole began practicing his healing powers on people as
well. Cole finds his healing sessions to be very draining, and he
relaxes by playing chess.
Style: Cole believes that the secrect to chess is opening up cramped
positions and letting the energy of the pieces fly. This usually
leaves his king vulnerable to attack. His rating is 1214.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gil
Rating: 1230
Biography: Gil is the talent booker for a small music club. Renowned for his
knowledge of folk and blues artists, Gil puts together popular
shows with unexpected combinations of artists. People travel from
all over the country to see his shows and the inevitable jam
sessions that happen after. In the wee hours of the morning, when
most club patrons have long since gone home, Gil often engages in
chess games with various musicians, waiters, and flunkies.
Style: Gil has a sound grasp of the game but sometimes he will make moves
that look almost random (which usually lead to him losing). He is
rated 1230.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hayden
Rating: 1241
Biography: Hayden's parents are both college professors and really want their
son to follow their academic path. Unfortunately, Hayden is more
interested in sports, especially tennis. While his parents
pressure him to bring his grades up so he can attend an Ivy League
college, Hayden's plan is to win a tennis scholarship at a
California University, and eventually become a tennis pro or tennis
coach. As part of his parents' academic regimen, Hayden is
required to play chess several afternoons per week. In truth, he
kind of likes the game, but hates that his parents make him play
it.
Style: When Hayden feels like playing well he will come out attacking but
if his parents are watching he will make random moves just to annoy
them. His rating is 1241.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kris
Rating: 1245
Biography: Kris is an aspiring photographer currently working as an assistant
for one of the leading fashion photographers in the industry. An
energetic worker, Kris is thrilled when, from time to time, she's
allowed to set up a shot. On the set, she's often lured into chess
matches by various craftspeople and models, including Rick.
Style: Kris is a 1245-rated beginning player who tends to overvalue
queens. She does have an opening repertoire, but her opening book
play puts her at a disadvantage more often than not.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Miguel
Rating: 1247
Biography: Miguel started out as a teenager working at a burger joint. By
working hard, saving money, and developing contacts, he was
eventually able to buy a fast food franchise of his own. He now
owns 12 fast food restaurants and plans to retire within the next
five years. When he does retire, he plans to travel the world and
dedicate himself to a deeper study of art, music, languages, and
chess.
Style: Miguel believes pawns to be the 'soul of chess' and values them
highly. The only drawback for Miguel is that he doesn't strive to
promote them. His rating is 1247.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Alicia
Rating: 1260
Biography: Alicia has been interested in fashion ever since the first time her
mom told her not to wear plaid and polka dots together. She started
making her own clothes when she was 11 and recently designed her
own prom dress. She works after school in a boutique and is saving
her money to attend a design school in Paris. Some afternoons, when
business in the boutique is very slow, Alicia and another clerk
pass the time by playing chess.
Style: Alicia's main concern is the safety of her king. She will trade off
pieces so her opponent doesn't have anything to threaten her king
with. Her rating is 1260.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shaun
Rating: 1269
Biography: An active teenager, Shaun plays football on his school team (which
won their division championship), goes dirt bike riding, and is
learning to kickbox. If there were more hours in the week, he'd
also play rugby and hockey. About the only time he sits still
(except when he's doing his homework) is when he's engaged in a
chess match with one of his brothers. His competitive spirit is
just as evident on the chessboard as it is on the football field.
Style: Shaun is a ferocious attacker. He will charge at an opponent the
same way he charges down the football field. He has earned a rating
of 1269.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Willow
Rating: 1286
Biography: As her name would indicate, Willow is the daughter of hippies and a
child of the earth. She lives off the land with a group of kindred
souls and occasionally plays chess by firelight in the group's
communal living room.
Style: Willow's playing style reflects her gentle nature. She is more than
willing to accept a draw and will let her opponent control the
center. She has no use for the war-like knights. Still, at a rating
of 1286, she's no pushover for beginning players.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Josh - Age 7
Rating: 1365
Biography: Josh Waitzkin started working with renowned chess coach Bruce
Pandolfini when he was 7 years old. Their early study focused on
the end game and Josh soon became very confident in this crucial
part of the struggle. In his first tournament games, Josh often
found himself down a pawn or a piece but would fight back and
usually finesse a win in the end game. Bruce started calling Josh
'Tiger' because of his attacking style and the name caught on at
Washington Square Park in New York City, where he often played.
Josh was a 1400 player when he was 7, stronger than half the
tournament players in the country.
Style: At seven, Josh he was studying the endgame and middlegame. Openings
were his weakness. Rated at 1365, Josh was a tough fighter, clawed
his way out of trouble, and earned the nickname 'Tiger.' He would
sometimes trade into worse endgames and then try to win - a two-
edged-sword.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Elijah
Rating: 1367
Biography: Elijah's favorite class is journalism, and his favorite part of the
day is the time he spends working on the school newspaper. Though
he enjoys writing news stories, his favorite articles are feature
stories about interesting people or events he hears about. Part of
Elijah's 'beat' as a reporter is his school's chess club, which is
easy for him because he is already a member.
Style: Elijah gets good tips by playing against other members of his chess
club. One of the things he is working on is using his bishops more
effectively. He is rated 1367 in his club.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mariah
Rating: 1390
Biography: An eight-year old tomboy, Mariah divides her time between soccer,
rollerblading, and chess. She already shows a lot of talent in
chess and is very good at figuring out difficult moves and
positions. Though her parents can still beat her at chess, she
spends a lot of time studying the game, and is getting better every
day.
Style: Mariah has memorized a few openings, but not very deeply. She tends
to protect her queen and is reluctant to trade it away for another
queen or even two rooks. Her rating is 1390.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Aaron
Rating: 1413
Biography: Aaron likes to think of himself as a modern day explorer. In his
job as a geologist, he frequently travels to uninhabited places in
search of oil, precious metals, or interesting geological
formations. Since he spends weeks at a time living out of his
backpack, entertainment is a precious commodity, and he and his
partners enjoy the luxury that their pocket chess set provides
them.
Style: Aaron is a very positional chess player. Sometimes he concentrates
so much on improving his position that he misses the obvious. His
rating is 1413.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Annie
Rating: 1429
Biography: Annie is a straight A student who really enjoys school. Her
favorite subject is math - any kind of math - algebra, geometry,
even calculus. She became attracted to chess when her math
instructor used calculation of chess movements as a problem for the
class. She studies chess diligently and is quite good at the game,
though she tends to play fairly technically, ignoring her intuition
altogether.
Style: Annie's study of chess theory has made her a good player, the one
thing she needs to work on is making sure her pieces have plenty of
room to move. She is rated 1429.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Liz
Rating: 1452
Biography: A best-selling author of romance novels, Liz is independently
wealthy and spends several months of each year touring the world on
luxury cruise ships. She plays chess mostly to meet eligible
bachelors while travelling and finds it to be an excellent way to
determine the intelligence and breeding of her opponents.
Style: Liz has a good knowledge of opening theory but will often trade a
minor piece (bishop or knight) for two pawns in the middle game.
She is quite willing to accept a draw in most situations. Her
rating is 1452.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Berry
Rating: 1496
Biography: Berry has been around the world five times. As a flight attendant
on international flights, she flies back and forth from Washington,
D.C. and New York City to European capitols every day. On her days
off, she makes liberal use of the free airfare available to her and
has visited almost every major airport in the world. Some of the
regulars on her overnight flights like to play chess, and she play
whenever she gets the chance.
Style: Berry never likes to get behind in material. This causes her to
lose sight of possible positional advantages. Her rating is 1496.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lacey
Rating: 1505
Biography: Lacey is a Boston lawyer specializing in business law. She has a
commuter marriage with her husband, a city planner in New York
City. Since she and her husband have so little time together, they
look for unique ways to share fun times together. One of the
activities they enjoy is carrying on chess matches via e-mail.
Style: Lacey plays like lightning and her moves appear to be flawlessly
executed. However, she only looks a move or two ahead and
weaknesses can be found in her position when examined closely. The
key to defeating her is to not get drawn into her speedy play. She
will never hang a piece, but longer combinations will do her in.
Her rating is 1505.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Trent
Rating: 1551
Biography: Trent's mom loves to tell the story of the time three-year-old
Trent wandered away from their campsite and took up residence with
two baby bear cubs in a cave. Luckily, he was found before the
mama bear returned. Trent has always felt comfortable in the
woods, and often rides his mountain bike through the forest near
his home. He's been an apprentice trail guide at a nearby national
park for three years and will probably be promoted to full guide
next year. He and his family camp together often, and always bring
a portable chess set with them so they can play chess around the
campfire.
Style: Trent has played enough chess to realize that control of the center
of the board is a big advantage. He will try to place his pieces in
the center and divide his opponents forces. This strategy has
earned him a 1551 rating.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Charles
Rating: 1564
Biography: Charles is a senior analyst with a large brokerage firm. He
recently began playing chess again, after years away from the game,
as a way to find common ground with his troubled teenage son.
Style: Charles is an intermediate player (1564) with a preference for
gambit openings. The key weakness in his play is his over-valuation
of bishops. He has been known to trade his rook or even two knights
for an enemy bishop.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Derek
Rating: 1577
Biography: Derek was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Within weeks of
his birth his stock portfolio was worth millions. Unable to find
direction in his life, Derek has drifted from school to school and
job to job. Like his approach to everything else in life, Derek
learned to play chess from one of the best coaches, but never
really applied himself to the game.
Style: Derek's playing style is fairly bizarre: it is almost impossible to
get him to exchange pieces. The key to defeating him is to
continually harass his pieces. He would rather give ground and tie
up his own position than give up a piece. He is rated at 1577.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Les
Rating: 1578
Biography: Les is a New York City cab driver. He first started driving a cab
to put himself through college, earning a Bachelor’s Degree, then a
Master’s, and finally, his Ph.D. By the time he had his advanced
degree in Tibetan Philosophy, he realized that there were not a lot
of jobs available in his area of expertise, so driving a cab turned
into a career. Most nights, he and his dispatcher keep a running
chess game going over the radio. Les once picked up Bobby Fisher,
who berated him for the stupid move he was making in that night’s
match.
Style: Les is notorious for playing cramped, closed games. When things get
really tight his pieces usually wind up 'tripping' over each other.
He is rated 1578.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Josh - Age 8
Rating: 1600
Biography: Josh Waitzkin started playing in adult tournaments when he was 8
years old. Though this was frustrating in many ways, he found that
his games against adults gave him an edge when competing against
kids. He played for the national title for the first time at 8 and
was sure he would win but fell for an opening trap and lost in the
last round. David Arnett, the kid that beat him, would later become
his best friend and a chess master. Josh would later describe that
loss as the most painful and greatest moment in his chess life.
'Talent is cheap,' he would come to reflect, 'You have to put in
the work'.
Style: Openings were still the weakest part of Josh's game. Playing 6-hour
tournament games against adults, he learned that playing for traps
usually doesn't work against tough opponents. His Washington Square
Park style was evolving. Positional ideas were flowing into tactics
and the endgame. His rating was 1600.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jon
Rating: 1646
Biography: If asked to name his favorite historical figure, Jon would probably
say Pablo Picasso or Leonardo DaVinci. Jon is quite a good artist
in his own right, and carries a sketchbook with him wherever he
goes. This has occasionally gotten him into trouble in school,
where he is often reprimanded for sketching the teacher's portrait
rather than listening to the lesson. Jon's best friend from
childhood turned out to be a science nut and the thing the two
friends still have in common is their love of chess.
Style: Jon is an all around solid chess player (rated 1646) except that he
values his bishops much more than his knights.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tasha
Rating: 1656
Biography: Tasha is a very talented young writer. She writes poetry,
children's books, and has even written a short novel, but she
especially loves to write short stories. Three of her stories have
been published in literary publications, and she's won regional and
national writing awards for her work. Her writing ability has
already garnered interest from an Ivy League school, and she
expects to be able to attend college on full scholarship. Tasha's
entire family plays chess, and she can't ever remember not knowing
how to play the game.
Style: Tasha has developed into a good chess player (rated 1656). She has
no obvious weakness and only occasionally will she make a big
mistake.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wendy
Rating: 1665
Biography: A successful inventor, some of Wendy's more noted creations include
the doggie litter box, a doggie high chair, and a doggie stroller.
The inspirations for her inventions are her two toy poodles, Peter
Pan and Tinkerbell. Wendy insists that her two dogs be groomed
every week, and occupies her waiting time at the grooming shoppe by
challenging the French owner to games of chess.
Style: Wendy is a 1665-rated intermediate player with a shallow knowledge
of opening theory. She will often neglect positional
considerations, especially passed and weak pawns.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Nikolai
Rating: 1704
Biography: Nikolai is a physics professor at a prestigious European college.
He is a tough taskmaster, and students have to work hard to receive
merely a passing grade. Nonetheless, students flock to his
classes, as everyone knows that, once they’ve taken his class,
their understanding of physics will be well-grounded, and their
academic background will be given prestige. During his rare time
off, Nikolai teaches chess, and is an equally demanding teacher on
the chessboard.
Style: Nikolai's weakness is his pawns. He gets so wrapped up in
calculating complicated combinations that he neglects the safety of
his pawns. He is rated 1704.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mateo
Rating: 1759
Biography: Mateo graduated from high school at the age of 15 and is already a
student at a prestigious university. He is studying to become a
chemist or molecular biologist. Mateo is the first in his family
to attend college, and his parents are very proud of him. Though
his family is working class, they have always placed a high value
on intellectual pursuits, and taught all of their children to play
chess at an early age.
Style: Overall, Mateo plays chess really well (he is rated 1759) but he
has a tendency to neglect the center of the board.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Josh - Age 9
Rating: 1800
Biography: Josh Waitzkin won his first National Championship at age nine,
which became the basis for the book and film 'Searching For Bobby
Fischer'. He would later say that this victory was the most
important in his life because it taught him that hard work pays off
and that he should never give up. Since losing the year before he
had studied long hours and had developed a feel for the end game
unusual for a boy so young. He was already becoming a complete
player rated around 1800 and competing almost exclusively against
adults, he could slash through a tactical melee or eke out a win in
an even end game.
Style: At age 9 Josh was very sharp tactically and got stronger as the
game moved along. His opening knowledge still lagged behind but he
would later explain that this was very good for his future growth
as a player. Studying the openings is just memorizing moves,
hoping for traps, but studying the endgame is learning about chess.
His rating was 1800.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dave
Rating: 1807
Biography: Dave has probably made you laugh more times than you’ll ever know.
As a veteran comedy writer, Dave has contributed material to scores
of well-known comedians, politicians and talk shows. His credits
also include a top-grossing movie and years as head writer for a
number-one television show. Now living off of residuals, Dave
spends his days gardening, playing chess, and walking his dogs,
Larry, Moe and Curly.
Style: Dave favors his knights. Watch out for his nasty knight forks
(which seem to come from out of nowhere). He is rated 1807.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: George
Rating: 1834
Biography: George is known as 'The Singing Dentist.' An operatic baritone,
George likes to sing while he works and (most of) his patients
actually find it relaxing when he sings. Usually, he sings opera
or popular music (and occasionally takes requests), but when he
works on children, he sings songs he’s made up about Mr. Tooth, Mr.
Drill, and Madame Rinse and Spit. George really enjoys chess and
plays on-line whenever he gets the chance.
Style: George uses his knights with skilled precision. They are his
favorite weapon. Look out for his knight forks and traps. His
rating is 1834.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dylan
Rating: 1944
Biography: Though initially discouraged from playing chess by his father (who
worried about the solitary intensity the game requires), Dylan has
developed an amazingly healthy attitude toward the game. By
balancing his study of chess with his love for baseball and goofing
off, Dylan has managed to improve his skills while still
maintaining a normal life. He and his father frequently have long,
heated matches, which Dylan has, from time to time, begun to win.
Style: Dylan is quite strong (1944) for a youngster. He sometimes neglects
the center, but he is adept at exploiting passed pawns.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Max
Rating: 1965
Biography: A gardener by trade, Max enjoys creating beauty and order out of
chaos and dirt. Though he doesn't play chess often, he always joins
in at get-togethers of his large extended family, where everybody,
from the wisest elder to the squirmiest child, plays chess and
discusses moves and strategies.
Style: Max enjoys the drama of ultra-blitz chess even when the time
controls don't call for it. His speedy play can be intimidating to
his opponents, and his tactics are good. The key to defeating him
is to look for holes in his strategic play. He is rated 1965.
==============================================================================
2.3 - 2001+ ratings
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Luke
Rating: 2018
Biography: A preacher in the bible belt, Luke is known for his powerful fire
and brimstone sermons. Among the parishioners with whom he plays
chess, he's also known for his fire and brimstone style of playing
chess. Don't even think of messing with his bishops.
Style: Luke is an intermediate player with a respectable 2018 rating. The
key to defeating him is to exploit his love of bishops by enticing
him to trade his rooks for your bishops.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Roxy
Rating: 2025
Biography: Roxy is the lead singer in a rock band that tours the country 250
days each year. During the band's long bus journeys, chess is one
of the activities used to occupy their time. As the only female on
the bus, Roxy enjoys the fact that she almost always beats
everybody else at the game.
Style: On the whole, Roxy's play is balanced. She does have a liking for
the more unorthodox openings. She is a strong-intermediate 2025-
rated player.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rusty
Rating: 2077
Biography: A cowboy and rodeo clown, Rusty has managed to find steady
employment in the ranchlands of Wyoming. As a ten-year-old boy
Rusty learned to play chess from his father. Though he no longer
plays chess, he has fond memories of the time spent with his
father.
Style: Even though he hasn't played in awhile, Rusty's 2077 rating is
quite respectable. He prefers bishops over knights and he almost
completely ignores positional play.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Josh - Age 12
Rating: 2100
Biography: By the time Josh Waitzkin was 12 he had already won many national
titles and was widely recognized as America's strongest young
player. In a simultaneous exhibition at age 11, Josh drew a game
against World Champion Garry Kasparov, an unprecedented feat for a
boy so young. However, Josh encountered his first plateau at age 12
as his rating hovered around 2170 for over a year. Finally, a few
days after turning 13 he broke through and his rating quickly shot
up to 2400. Josh learned that even the fiercest competitor must
exhibit patience while his game grows.
Style: Josh had become a more rounded player at age 12, with a rating of
2100. His love for the endgame was complemented by a strong opening
repertoire and his desire to attack was grounded in objectivity.
His personality was very aggressive and it came across on the
board. Closed maneuvering games and positional nuance went against
his grain.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jessica
Rating: 2123
Biography: Jessica is a very promising young chess player who is coached by
her father and feels a lot of pressure to succeed. Playing almost
every day since the age of five has taken a toll on Jessica's
social life and she has recently begun to rebel against her
father's dreams. She sometimes plays erratically, even losing on
purpose so that the lesson can be over and she can go to the mall.
Style: Jessica prefers openings involving a lot of pawn moves. Although
her rating is a strong 2123, she overvalues pawns to the degree
that she will often trade a pawn for a minor piece.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Vlad
Rating: 2130
Biography: Vlad is a Russian-born physicist who emigrated from his native
country to the United States to be able to work on non-defense
applications. Like many Russians of his generation, he learned
chess in school as a young boy. In the United States, Vlad has used
his expertise at chess to help him make friends and overcome
language barriers.
Style: Vlad's favorite tactic is to play so quickly that his opponents try
to match his speedy pace regardless of what's on their clocks.
Vlad's rating of 2130 is quite respectable considering the fact
that he never thinks about a move more than a second. The key to
defeating Vlad is patience, patience, patience.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dobie
Rating: 2132
Biography: A product of the TV generation, Dobie and his brother Maynard were
not exposed to the finer things in life, including chess, by their
parents. Now a Porsche salesman, Dobie's wealthy girlfriend, Buffy,
is teaching him the game so he can compete with her Mummy and Daddy
during weekend getaways at their Long Island Estate.
Style: Dobie's 2132 rating puts him in the category of a strong
intermediate / weak advanced player. He slightly prefers playing
for material in exchange for positional strength.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rand
Rating: 2134
Biography: Rand is a Benedictine monk who spends part of each year
participating in a vow of silence. During those times, many of the
brethren like to play chess in the evenings when prayers and chores
are done for the day. Though aggressive play is officially frowned
upon, matches often become quite spirited, and Rand secretly takes
great pride in the fact that he often wins.
Style: Rand is an all-around balanced player. His opportunities for long
study have resulted in a deep knowledge of opening moves. He is
rated 2134.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kenji
Rating: 2137
Biography: The long lost son of an honored samurai, Kenji took up chess
knowing that it was a game his father enjoyed and that the game
serves as a connection to his deceased father. He works as a
professor of mathematics and enjoys collecting samurai swords.
Style: Each match is a battle to him and he takes pride in the decisive
blows that he deals to his opponents. He covets his knights because
they symbolize courage of samurais.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sunny
Rating: 2193
Biography: Sunny is the stay-at-home mother of four children, ages 4-11. Her
busy life is added to by the fact that she and her husband have
decided to home-school their children. Believing chess to be an
excellent lesson in logic, probability and strategy, they have
decided to include chess in their children's weekly curriculum.
Style: Being non-competitive by nature, Sunny plays for a draw from the
game's beginning. She controls the center well, but will often
neglect her pawn structure. She is rated 2193.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wally
Rating: 2238
Biography: Wally is a Midwestern farmer who meets with other farmers every
Friday at the local coffee shop where they engage in games of
chess, bridge, or pinochle. During the winter he and other chess
lovers are likely to meet more frequently, often spending long
afternoons challenging each other to matches.
Style: Wally's opening moves lull the opponent into expecting a long game,
but then Wally shifts gears and starts trading pieces quickly.
Wally's primary weakness is the fact that he values queens and
rooks the same. Given this peculiarity, it is remarkable that he
has been able to maintain a 2238 rating.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sam
Rating: 2241
Biography: Sam is a martial arts expert who makes her living by doing kick-
boxing exhibitions and by teaching kick-boxing and karate. Sam also
greatly enjoys a good game of chess. Though trained extensively to
use patience and self-control, Sam now uses only plastic chess
pieces and roll-up boards in her games, as she often resorts to
fits of karate when the chess game doesn't go her way.
Style: Sam is a 2241-rated strong intermediate player who hates draws. Her
patience in martial arts is much better than her patience in chess,
and her openings are designed for quick games.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Vanessa
Rating: 2294
Biography: Vanessa is a senior buyer for a major department store. Her self-
confidence and winning personality help her to get great deals on
high-quality merchandise for her stores. One of her favorite ways
to unwind after a busy week is to sit down to a long, peaceful
chess game with her husband.
Style: Vanessa is a strong 2294-rated player with no obvious weaknesses.
Her play is balanced and her opening book knowledge is deep.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ginger
Rating: 2315
Biography: Ginger is currently one of Hollywood's hottest agents. When not
schmoozing the studios or babysitting her clients, Ginger is often
participating in Hollywood's latest craze: chess. A surprisingly
talented player, Ginger will lose when it's a wise business
decision to do so. Ginger's new favorite phrase is 'Let's do
chess.'
Style: Ginger likes to test her adversaries by offering opportunities in
the opening game for clever traps. If the opponent spots and
exploits the opportunity, they should be able to defeat Ginger.
Otherwise, Ginger plays ruthlessly and will refuse to take a draw.
She is rated 2315.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rascal
Rating: 2318
Biography: Rascal is a protégé of Turk's, a wannabe as a street hustler. A
dockworker who works the swing shift, he often spends his
afternoons trying to hustle games. However, speed chess is not his
game, and, though talented, he doesn't have the thoughtful patience
needed for consistent play. He often loses games out of impatience
or a desire to try an unusual tactic.
Style: Rascal loves to remove pieces from the board. He plays openings
that involve a lot of captures. In the midgame, he will trade
pieces quickly to get to the endgame. He hates draws and is rated
2318.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Muldoon
Rating: 2347
Biography: A computer programmer by profession, Muldoon wrote his first chess
program for his Apple II when he was 13 years old. He has continued
to enjoy the combination of chess and computers and buys the best
and latest version of Chessmaster as soon as it hits the stores.
Because of his long hours working on a computer screen, he often
indulges in chess matches on-line.
Style: Muldoon's play is designed to get to the endgame with a superiority
of pawns and he is adept at exploiting passed pawns. His weakness
is that he sometimes trades away minor pieces for the pawn
superiority. He is rated 2347.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Toni
Rating: 2380
Biography: A receptionist at a high-class law firm, Toni often finds herself
to be bored between the inevitable crises and pressures of her job.
After exhausting every game of solitaire and hangman she could
find, she started playing chess on her computer at work. Toni
learned to play from her father, so her moments with the game tend
to bring back fond memories for her.
Style: Toni is affectionately referred to as the 'pawngrabber' because of
her penchant for trading her minor pieces for enemy pawns. Not all
opponents can exploit this weakness, as evidenced by her high 2380
rating.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Buck
Rating: 2390
Biography: Buck is a long distance truck driver who occupies his time on long
journeys by carrying on chess games with other truckers over CB
radios. Anyone listening in to one of their transmissions is likely
to be confused as they use their own trucker lingo for pieces and
square moves. ('Elvis spotted at the second house, over,'
translates to Kh2.) Playing this way has honed his ability to think
through long strategies and picture tactics in his mind.
Style: Buck prefers openings that involve a lot of captures. His key
weakness is his almost total disregard for controlling the center.
In spite of this, his rating is a strong 2390.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Trudy
Rating: 2398
Biography: Trudy is a travel guide who takes American tourists on tours
throughout Europe and Scandinavia. After years of dealing with the
'Ugly American,' Trudy has seen it all, from a rich oilman
insisting on buying Trevi Fountain, to a woman sending back Steak
Tartare because it was undercooked. An avid chess player, Trudy
spotted an opportunity to expand her business and organized a chess
tour of Russia, where participants received instruction from some
of the finest chess minds in the Soviet Union.
Style: Trudy is a solid all-around string player (2398) with no specific
weaknesses. She does have a preference for knight openings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lili
Rating: 2417
Biography: Lili is an executive in an advertising firm who began playing chess
as an adult when her husband introduced her to the game. Though
both are workaholics, they almost always have a match going on,
with progress in the game often occurring between morning coffee
and the goodbye kiss, or just before settling in to watch David
Letterman and catch up on the next day's work.
Style: Lili's opening book knowledge is extensive but she seems to prefer
lines that put her at a slight disadvantage. She places a high
premium on controlling the center. Her rating is 2417.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jade
Rating: 2417
Biography: Jade was something of a child prodigy in chess, astounding her
relatives by her ability to beat them all by the age of 10. An avid
chess hobbyist, she occasionally played in tournaments throughout
her teen years, and often placed in the top ten finalists. Jade is
currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Eastern Philosophy at the
University of California at Berkeley.
Style: Jade is a strong player with solid opening theory and a rating of
2417. The one weakness in her game is her reluctance to trade down
pieces. She will often pass up attacking opportunities and retreat,
waiting for her opponent to initiate the attack.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Will
Rating: 2477
Biography: Will is a perpetual graduate student at a large university in
Southern California, currently studying Philosophy. He frequently
escapes from his doctoral thesis by playing chess with fellow
students at the campus pub. Never a serious student of chess, Will
plays logically, but often comes up short in the endgame.
Style: Will has studied Tal's games extensively and attempts to emulate
his style of play, especially in the openings. He plays slightly
more materially than positionally and is rated 2477.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Natalie
Rating: 2495
Biography: Natalie comes from a family of over-achievers, with a brother who's
a champion gymnast and a sister who's a violin prodigy. A talented
pianist and gymnast in her own right, Natalie's favorite pastime is
chess, and her parents have given her every opportunity to pursue
this interest. Now working on her B.A. at Yale, Natalie often goes
to local coffeehouses to play chess.
Style: Natalie prefers openings that complicate the middle of the board
with a lot of pieces. In the midgame, she goes on the attack. She
is rated 2495.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Waldo
Rating: 2498
Biography: A professional courier of sensitive documents for the Pentagon,
Waldo spends over 50% of every week on an airplane, travelling to
some exotic locale. To his sky-high seatmates, he often represents
his job as being that of a secret agent. Because he meets dozens of
new people every week, he's seldom at a loss for a new chess
opponent to challenge on his magnetic travel set. Waldo's story of
being a secret agent backfired on him when he sat next to Liam on a
Moscow/New York flight.
Style: Waldo is a strong player (2498) who likes to offer material in the
opening game in exchange for development. He will typically trade
his bishops away for enemy knights.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jinx
Rating: 2519
Biography: Jinx is the youngest in her chess-playing family with five older
brothers, two of whom are chess champions. Jinx got her nickname by
the fact that, whenever she attends a tournament in which one of
her brothers plays, he always loses early in the competition. She
has learned to play chess in much the same manner as she plays
other competitive sports like 'one of the guys.'
Style: Jinx is a strong 2519-rated player, but she tends to neglect the
mobility of her own pieces, controlling the center, and her own
pawn structure.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cal
Rating: 2555
Biography: Cal learned chess at an early age and played extensively until his
parents, worried about his social development, tried to make him
give up the game. In college his interest in chess and psychology
culminated in a doctoral thesis entitled 'Psychophysical analysis
of the relationship between concentrated multiple-ply searches and
dissociative identity / obsessive-compulsive disorders with related
trichotillomania.' Cal now has a thriving psychotherapy practice
and counts a number of top chess players in his clientele.
Style: Cal plays King's pawn openings exclusively and prefers open games
and reducing material on the board. Watch out for sacrifices
(sometimes ill-advised) designed to put pressure on the enemy King.
His favorite saying is 'The ability to play chess is the sign of a
gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted
life.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Griffin
Rating: 2583
Biography: A computer graphics artist working in Silicon Valley, Griffin was
given a box of oil paints and a chess set by his parents on his
twelfth birthday. It was the chess set that initially captured
Griffin's imagination. After becoming the best chess player in his
high school class, he rediscovered those untouched oil paints and
moved on to earn an MFA from a respected art school. His love for
chess and chess imagery resurfaced years later in his now well-
known 'Bishop Series' of offset lithographs.
Style: Griffin is a balanced player with no glaring weaknesses. He is
rated 2583.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sven
Rating: 2587
Biography: A lumberjack in the deep woods of Alaska, Sven is a champion log-
roller and tobacco spitter. During the long northern winters he
keeps his wits sharp by playing chess against himself. When the
weather is good he and his big dog Lucy like to go into town for
some R&R. While Lucy plays with the other sled dogs, Sven takes to
the local tavern and wagers games of chess for tankards of ale. By
the end of the night he has usually clear-cut the competition and
is a bit tipsy. Emma, the friendly barmaid, lets him sleep it off
before his sled-trek back to his cabin.
Style: Sven likes to play as many games as possible in a night (more games
= more beer) so look for him to be pretty aggressive. He likes to
chop down material quickly and then whittle away at the endgame.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hans
Rating: 2596
Biography: Hans lives in the Swiss Alps and leads ski tours in the winter and
hiking tours in the summer. Part of the tourist appeal at the lodge
where he works is the opportunity to curl up in front of a warm
fire every evening with a hot buttered rum and a good book or a
game of chess. With his charming personality and handsome appeal,
Hans is a favorite with the ladies.
Style: Hans plays a very solid and balanced game of chess and his
knowledge of opening theory is deep. He is rated 2596.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Slick
Rating: 2632
Biography: A child prodigy in math, Slick took up chess when he concluded that
it was a strictly mathematical game. As in math, he developed his
own shortcuts for solving many chess problems. Slick will play
anyone at any time, and plays just for the fun of it. All games are
challenging to him, as every game is different. Slick was given his
nickname because of his tendency to leave his pieces as mobile as
possible.
Style: Slick likes to get the Queens off the board because they greatly
increase the mathematical possibilities. He is generally reckless
in situations with which he isn't familiar, but keeps his pieces
mobile. He's very knowledgeable on the Sicilian defense. He will
often take a draw, as tying is mathematically better than losing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Turk
Rating: 2634
Biography: A native New Yorker, Turk was raised on the mean streets and
learned to play chess at a local boy's club. Thus saved from a life
of crime, Turk is nonetheless a street hustler, occasionally
selling discount wares, but mostly eking out a living by
challenging all comers to speed chess matches, $5.00 a game, in
Washington Square.
Style: Turk is an excellent 2634-rated play who likes to trip up his
opponents by playing unorthodox openings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shakespeare
Rating: 2648
Biography: Shakespeare (so nicknamed because of his frequent tendency to quote
the Bard) is a clerk at a trendy but mellow bookstore and coffee
shop. The store has chess tables set up for anyone wanting to play,
and every chance he gets, Shakespeare takes up the gauntlet of
competition.
Style: Shakespeare's other nickname is the 'pawnmaster.' He will carefully
guard his pawns so that he can eventually overwhelm his opponent
with a swarm of pawns. His rating is 2648.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: J.T.
Rating: 2648
Biography: J.T. attended the finest prep schools as a teenager, where chess
was offered as part of the curriculum. Though naturally talented at
the game, he never developed the passion needed to propel him from
'very good' status to the status of greatness. Though he hasn't
played much in recent years, he can usually sit down and pick up
where he left off, instantly playing as well as he did in his teen
years.
Style: J.T. plays opening specifically designed to entice the opponent
into falling into one of a number of specific traps that he has
prepared for. He is rated 2648.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Logan
Rating: 2650
Biography: Logan is an English professor at a small, prestigious college in
the Northeast. As faculty advisor for the college chess team, he
enjoys the opportunity of playing against the bright young minds of
his school and helping shape the strengths and strategies of his
protégés.
Style: Logan is called the 'drawmaster.' His openings tend to be drawish
and he will often play for a draw even when ahead. He is rated at
2650.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rick
Rating: 2654
Biography: Rick is an up-and-coming model who likes to relax at photography
shoots by inviting models, set designers, hair stylists, etc., into
chess competitions. Because of his pretty-boy/party boy reputation,
his new opponents don't tend to take him very seriously. They soon
find out that he's a very good player.
Style: Rick prefers gambit openings and has a slight preference of knights
over bishops. He is also adept at exploiting passed pawns. He is
rated 2654.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Queenie
Rating: 2670
Biography: Raised in a culture where girls were not allowed to excel in a
pursuit as serious as chess, Queenie nonetheless became an
excellent player through matches with her older brother and
friends. In recent years she has taken great pleasure in providing
chess tutelage to her granddaughter, who is now recognized as an
up-and-coming female player.
Style: Queenie is a very strong (2670) player whose only quirk is her
penchant for getting the queen out early.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lou
Rating: 2674
Biography: A leading female chess player in the 60's, Lou stopped playing
competitively to raise her two sons and pursue her law degree. She
rarely plays these days, as neither her husband nor her sons
provide much of a challenge to her abilities. However, she recently
discovered the joy of playing chess on-line and from time to time
logs on under the name 'Queen of Torts.'
Style: Lou is a natural player who has made it a point to ignore
conventional opening theory, believing that it keeps her game from
becoming stagnant. She attacks each opening position with an open
mind. Her rating is 2674.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Frederic
Rating: 2678
Biography: Frederic is a postal worker in his native Bavaria. Like most of the
men in his village, he began learning to play chess before he
learned to ride a bicycle. Most nights, he and his friends go to a
pub where they drink and talk over a chessboard. Frederic's skill
as a chess player is somewhat renowned and players travel from
neighboring villages to challenge him. Most often, he wins.
Style: Frederic is a very strong 2678-rated player who plays a balanced
game. He prefers to play openings that were popular in the early
20th century.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Doc
Rating: 2680
Biography: A veterinarian in rural Arizona, Doc has maintained a
correspondence chess competition with an old college buddy
currently living in Florida. Since both players know the other's
idiosyncrasies and playing styles so well, they are constantly
trying to out-maneuver each other with new techniques and ideas.
Style: Doc's opening theory is often unconventional but is always solid.
His play is balanced and he is rated a quite strong 2680.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Liam
Rating: 2708
Biography: A former CIA operative, Liam learned chess as part of his cover in
the Soviet Union. He rose high in the ranks of the 'Secret Scythe'
chess organization that was the backbone of the Soviet Chess
machine in the '80s. Liam began to manifest 'identity problems' in
the late 80's as the Soviet Union began to collapse. After a
devastating loss to American Josh Waitzkin, he swore to destroy the
'chess world', and defected to Cuba. There are reports that he is
currently the secret 'Chess Guru,' of Fidel Castro.
Style: Liam always opens with 1. d4 as white, and will aim for the Queen's
Gambit. He defends with either the Caro-Kann or the Pirc against 1.
e4, and will reply Nf6 to 1. d4, aiming for the Grunfeld Defense as
black. As white, Liam is a relentless attacker, as black, a
stubborn defender.
==============================================================================
2.4 - Grandmasters
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Waitzkin
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1976 - ) Born in New York City, Josh Waitzkin first started
playing chess at the age of six. He discovered the game while
strolling through Washington Square Park in New York City, where
many of the locals played 'speed chess.' This fast and aggressive
style of chess appealed to him and he immediately picked up the
game. As a scholastic competitor he won eight national titles and
his youthful career was immortalized when Paramount Pictures
released 'Searching for Bobby Fischer,' the movie based on his life
and love of chess. Josh became a National Master at age 13 and an
International Master at age 16. Today, Josh is one of the most
popular and widely recognized chess players and has gained a world-
wide reputation for the humanistic grace with which he speaks and
writes about the game.
Style: Waitzkin is known for his fearless attacking style and deep
understanding of the endgame. His study of eastern philosophy has
enriched his game with restraint and indirection. He greatly
admires the 'fluid artistry' of Anand.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Timman
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1951 - ) Jan Timman won his national title on numerous occasions
starting in 1974, thus inheriting the mantle of Holland`s best
player from Euwe and then Donner. He has beaten all reigning world
champs in individual games and has always had fine results,
including Mar Del Plata 1982 -- first ahead of Karpov by two full
points. In 1993 he dropped a FIDE title match to Karpov and turned
his attention to chess journalism. Today Timman is best known as
the editor of New In Chess.
Style: Timman is well versed in the openings and sports a flexible but
muscular style. Over the years he has blended deep theoretical
knowledge, great courage and a direct classical approach. He could
be described as a universal player.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tarrasch
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1862 - 1934) Siegbert Tarrasch, born in Breslau, Germany, was a
medical doctor and one of the world`s four best players (along with
Steinitz, Lasker and Chigorin) for about 20 years until he lost a
title match to Lasker in 1908. He occupies a unique position in
chess literature and today is remembered chiefly as a great chess
teacher. His word was law. Uniting the theories of Morphy and
Steinitz, he preached the value of mobility and rapid development.
'By 1914 anybody who read books understood the principles of the
open game, and they understood them either directly or indirectly
because of Tarrasch`s untiring efforts' --Fine.
Style: Tarrasch was an apostle of the attack who patiently accumulated
small advantages until they added up to a big bang. He championed
the Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez and the Tarrasch Defense where he
believed that the mobility of Black`s pieces outweighed his
isolated queen pawn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tal
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1936 - 1993) Mikhail Tal was born in Riga, Latvia, and swiftly
received international acclaim with his fearless and imaginative
attacks. Full of nervous energy, chain-smoking, pacing restlessly
between moves, he was obsessed with chess and played fast games
against all comers into the wee hours. He was world champion for
only one year after beating Botvinnik in 1960 but lost the rematch
in 1961. Although plagued with ill-health, Tal always remained a
favorite with the fans. His witty book 'The Life And Games Of
Mikhail Tal' (1976) is a classic that will be enjoyed by future
generations.
Style: Tal could play just about any opening well, but he took risks. All
he needed was a chance to attack and the position would explode in
fireworks, he had a genius for bold middlegame play. 'I like to
grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind,' he
wrote. 'I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators
react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Steinitz
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1836 - 1900) Wilhelm Steinitz was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
He learned chess at the age of 12; unable to afford a board and
men, he made his own. He went to Vienna as a young man and first
attempted to earn a living as a journalist before dedicating his
vocation to chess. He held the first official world championship
from 1886-94, it was the 25 year old Lasker who eventually de-
throned him. He earned a living as a chess pro in London, then the
Mecca of the chess world, before emigrating to America where he
died in poverty.
Style: His early attacking style, typical of the era, showed few clues of
the positional style he developed later. When he finally revolted
against Romantic doctrines, the break was sharp and irrevocable. He
excelled in the closed game with barricaded pawn structures, and
was noted for moving his king in the opening to gain material.
Steinitz frequently invited premature attacks to prove they were
unsound.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Spassky
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1937 - ) Boris Spassky was born in Leningrad, USSR. He became
world junior champion in 1955 and went on to capture the crown from
Petrosian. Spassky reigned as world champion from 1969-72. His
dramatic match with Fischer at Reykjavik in 1972 captured headlines
all over the globe. Spassky disobeyed orders to return home and
sportingly continued playing after he amassed a two-point lead when
Fischer failed to show up for their second game. However, Spassky
could not withstand Fischer`s fierce onslaught and although he
fought valiantly, lost his title. Soviet authorities punished him
for losing to an American. He eventually moved to France to play on
their Olympic team. In 1992 he again faced Fischer for a record
purse of $5 million and again he lost.
Style: Spassky was a universal player who was comfortable in virtually any
position. 'When I am in form my style is a little bit stubborn,
almost brutal. Sometimes I feel a great spirit of fight which
drives me on,' he said. He had a natural attacking ability, a flair
for lively tactics, and numerous intriguing sacrifices can be found
in his games. As Black he resurrected the Tarrasch Defense and as
White the Leningrad Variation of the Nimzo-Indian.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Smyslov
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1921 - ) Vassily Smyslov was born in Moscow, USSR. Chess nearly
lost him when he narrowly failed an audition as a singer with the
Bolshoi Opera in 1950. He then faced Botvinnik in three title
matches with an overall score of 18 wins, 17 losses and 34 draws.
Smyslov drew their first match in 1954, won the second in 1957 and
became world champion for a year before dropping a rematch in 1958.
In his heyday he was nearly invincible, and his amazing longevity
was demonstrated in 1984 when at age 63 he became the oldest player
to reach the finals where he was dispatched by Kasparov.
Style: Smyslov combined the best of old and new ideas with a serene,
simple and powerful brand of chess. As White he favored the English
and was equally at home in flank openings or classical defenses. He
seldom strained for complications, content to let his famous
endgame technique do the job for him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Short
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1965 - ) Nigel Short was born in Leigh, England, and became the
youngest player to achieve the International Master title by age
15, when he was runner-up to Kasparov in the World Junior. In 1993,
after winning preliminary matches against the likes of Timman and
Karpov, he became the first Western challenger for the title since
Bobby Fischer in 1972. Dissatisfied with FIDE, however, he and
Kasparov broke away to form the rival PCA. The Times of London put
up a purse of $2.5 million, and the fascinating story of their
historic confrontation is reported by Dominic Lawson in 'Endgame'
(Harmony Books 1994).
Style: Short has a natural attacking style and usually opens with 1. e4.
He plays for open positions and attacking lines. His play can be
characterized as sporadic because though he has achieved brilliant
wins against some of the world`s best, he has also suffered
horrible defeats to lesser players.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shirov
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1972 - ) Alexei Shirov was born in Riga, Latvia, and has remained
in the world's top ten ever since he was 20. Due to problems with
his country's chess officials and after losing his life savings
when a bank failed, he emigrated to Spain 'because I already spoke
some Spanish.' His presence on their Olympic team in 1996 helped
Spain finish sixth in a field of over 100 nations, a sensational
result. Shirov got his big break at Linares in 1998 as runner-up to
Anand, whom he then replaced in a match with Kramnik where victory
earned him a $2 million title shot against Kasparov. 'All this talk
about two world champions is nonsense,' said Shirov. 'Kasparov is
the only real one. He proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. To
win the title you have to beat Kasparov in a match. It`s as simple
as that.' If he can dethrone Kasparov, Shirov pledged to play a
unification match against the FIDE title holder.
Style: Shirov is basically a tactician who plays exciting chess and
doesn`t shrink from risk. He seems to have the Lasker touch; an
ability to find moves that may not be best but which unnerve the
opponent. 'Shirov is a knight of combinations and attacks in the
Tal style. No wonder he titled his book of best games 'Fire On
Board.'' -- Shamkovich.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Seirawan
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1960 - ) Yasser Seirawan was born in Damascus, Syria, but lived in
the USA since age 2. He became world junior champion in 1979, then
won Wijk aan Zee in 1980. He tied for first with Browne in the 1981
USA Championship, which he won by himself in 1986. After defeating
two reigning world champions (Karpov and Kasparov) in individual
games, a dispute with chess officials over the way they picked
Olympic teams soured him on playing. In 1988 Seirawan started a new
venture as editor and publisher of 'Inside Chess,' gradually
turning his talents toward the business side of the game. Today he
competes infrequently.
Style:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rubinstein
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1881-1961) The youngest of 12 children, Akiba Rubinstein was born
in Stawiski, a Polish border town then in Russia. He learned chess
at 16 and devoted his life to the game, remaining one of the top
four until after WWI. He might have become world champion, but
being a poor Jewish person from the ghetto never got backing for a
shot at the title. His greatest victory came at Carlsbad 1907 with
everyone there except Lasker, then by a tie for first with Lasker
(whom he beat) at St. Petersburg 1909. Rubinstein's last hurrah
came at Vienna 1922. A lifelong shyness developed into a
persecution complex. 'There is scarcely another master who suffers
so from nerves, which cause him moments of complete exhaustion so
that he commits crude blunders,' noted Reti.
Style: For accuracy, profundity and beauty, Rubinstein`s endgames have
seldom been equaled. He enriched countless openings, casting doubt
on both the Tarrash Defense and the Four Knights as serious
tournament weapons. A perfectionist who shunned uncertainty, he
courted simplifications and quiet lines without complications. He
invariably began with 1. d4 and replied to it with 1...d5.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Reti
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1889-1929) Richard Reti was born in Pezinok (then in Hungary) and
earned his living writing chess columns and giving simultaneous
displays. In 1925 he played 29 blindfold games at once, then a
record. His results were always good -- he broke Capablanca's eight
year winning streak by beating him at New York 1924 -- but he was
never a contender. Today he is best remembered for writing two
classics 'Masters of the Chessboard' and 'Modern Ideas in Chess.'
Style: Reti belonged to the Hypermodern school; changing the old rule
'always occupy the center with pawns' with a new one, 'never occupy
the center.' Fianchetto formations like 1. g3 and 2. Bg2 aimed to
control the center indirectly. Reti's Opening 1. Nf3 also fills the
bill, as does Alekhine`s Defense (1. e4 Nf6) tempting White to
create targets by advancing his central pawns too far.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Reshevsky
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1911 - 1992) Samuel Reshevsky, born in Ozorkow, Poland, was a
famous child prodigy who started touring the world at age 6 giving
simultaneous displays. He quit playing after his family settled in
America to complete his education and become an accountant. Upon
returning to the international arena, he won Margate in 1935 ahead
of Capablanca and captured the USA Championship in 1936 and
remained a contender for the title into the 1970s.
Style: Reshevsky was partial to 1. d4 and often defended against it with
the Nimzo-Indian. He spent little time studying openings and was
consequently often hampered by time pressure. Euwe observed that he
seemed at home in 'boring positions.' Botvinnik remarked that he
played from the very first move for the better ending. He is
characterized above all by superb tactical skill.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Polgar
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1976 - ) Judith Polgar, born in Budapest, Hungary, was the
youngest of three sisters who all became grandmasters after their
father trained them almost from birth to excel at chess. She
achieved the title at 15 and became the highest rated female in
history before breaking into the top ten by winning a 10-game
training match against Spassky in 1992. In 1998 she also beat
Karpov 5-3 at a fast time limit of 25 minutes per side. She fought
her way to the top by competing only in mixed events despite dogged
resistance from Communist chess officials in her own country who
tried to confine her and her two sisters to women`s tournaments.
Style: Polgar is an aggressive player who invariably opens with 1. e4 and
strives for the initiative right from the start. 'If there is a
nice option, I sacrifice even if it's risky because I like the
beauty of the game. But I do try to win too,' she said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pillsbury
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1872-1906) Born in Summerville, South Carolina, Harry Nelson
Pillsbury learned chess at 16 and was one of the few great masters
content to make it his profession. His blindfold powers and
miraculous memory were a delight to behold. During simultaneous
exhibitions of chess and checkers he would ask someone to submit a
list of 30 words which he repeated backwards when he was all
through. In 1895 he sailed to Europe and startled the world by
winning Hastings ahead of all the leading players of his day -- but
his first success was to be his greatest. Always a tough contender,
only once again did he share first in an international tournament
at Munich 1900. Ill-health plagued his play and he died prematurely
at 34.
Style: His style was vigorous and combinative. Both the Queen's Gambit and
Ruy Lopez, two major defensive weapons of the modern master, first
became popular chiefly because of the treatment he gave them. Where
direct methods were applicable, he was incomparable; when patient
maneuvering was required he was less successful, and he was
sometimes ill-at-ease in the endgame.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Petrosian
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1929 - 1984) Tigran Petrosian was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Both
his parents died when he was 16 years old. He took work in an
officer`s club to maintain his family and found chess to be his
main consolation. The play and principles of Capablanca and
Nimzowitsch influenced his early development. In 1963, he wrested
the world title crown from Botvinnik, which took two months, and
then defended it against Spassky in 1966. He later lost his title
to Spassky in 1969. Petrosian was content to draw with most of his
rivals but he was almost impossible to beat due to his extreme
prophylactic play.
Style: Petrosian had a unique defensive style that made him perhaps the
least popular champion in history, at least from a fan`s point of
view, though connoisseurs savor his subtlety. He excelled in
closed, constricted positions and often retreated behind pawn
barriers waiting to pounce upon his opponent's slightest error. His
special talent was snuffing out attacks even before foes began to
mobilize their forces. Shunning sharp lines with white, he was fond
of the Caro-Kann and French Defense as Black.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Nimzowitsch
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1886 - 1935) Aaron Nimzowitsch, born in Riga, Latvia, was the
greatest player of the hypermodern school. In 1922 he emigrated to
Denmark and from a small rented room in Copenhagen penned 'My
System' and other classics that deeply influenced future
generations. His finest result was winning Carlsbad 1929 ahead of
Capablanca but a compulsion to prove his 'unorthodox' theories and
'mysterious' moves sometimes proved costly in tournaments. He made
decisive contributions to opening theory; he revived the Winawer
Variation of the French Defense, the Queen's Indian and Nimzo-
Indian Defense. He also coined many memorable phrases such as 'the
pawn has a lust to expand,' 'prophylaxis' and 'the bishop bites on
granite.' Two of his most famous disciples are Petrosian and
Karpov.
Style: Nimzowitsch belonged to the hypermodern school, which believed that
control of the center did not necessarily imply occupation by
pawns. He liked maneuvering in closed and cramped positions. 'He
has a profound liking for ugly opening moves,' wrote his great
antagonist Dr. Tarrasch, chief spokesman for the classical school.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Morphy
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1837-1884) Born in New Orleans, USA, Paul Morphy was the first
'unofficial' World Champion (1858-9) but then retired from chess to
pursue an unsuccessful career as a lawyer. He grasped the
principles of chess before anyone else and today his insights are
accepted by all serious players. He abhorred being considered a
chess pro, believing it was not a fit profession for a grown man.
In an era when the dynamic young nation suffered from a cultural
inferiority complex, he was the toast of America after going to
Europe and defeating their best players, including Adolf Anderssen,
who later lost a match to Steinitz, the first official world champ.
Style: Morphy pushed only a few pawns in the opening to free his pieces
and open lines and boldly sacrificed material to gain the
initiative. He excelled in open games; his keen positional judgment
laid the groundwork for stunning combinations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Marshall
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1877 - 1944) Frank Marshall was born in New York, USA. Since age
10 not a day went by in which he didn`t play at least one game of
chess. He made his international debut at Paris 1900 where he
finished fourth and became America`s strongest player for the next
30 years. His greatest success was first at Cambridge Springs in
1904 ahead of Lasker and Pillsbury. His only interests were chess
and family life. His only weakness was a liking for drink, though
he never let it interfere with serious play. The Marshall Chess
Club, which he founded, is still located as 23 West 10 Street in
Manhattan.
Style: Marshall`s bent was for attack, he liked gambits and took risks,
even against the strongest of players. He had a keen eye for the
purely combinative side of chess, positional subtleties meant
little to him; he cared for the acrobatics of the pieces. He often
amazed his competition by his incredible ingenuity in the most
sterile positions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lasker
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1868 - 1941) Emanuel Lasker, born in Berlinchen, Germany, held the
World Championship longer than anyone in history, from 1894-1921.
He was a well- rounded man who also wrote about mathematics and
philosophy. He did not wish to devote his life to chess, but
financial pressure always forced him back. His classic book
'Lasker`s Manual Of Chess' describes his approach to the game and
pays tribute to the revolutionary theories of Steinitz, the
champion he deposed.
Style: Lasker often played the man and not the board. He regarded chess as
a psychological duel between two minds and was known for taking
calculated risks by rejecting the best move in favor of one he felt
would most rattle his opponent. A great defensive player and fine
tactician, his style was versatile; he was equally at home in open
or closed positions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Larsen
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1935 - ) Denmark`s leading player for decades, Bent Larsen learned
the moves of chess at age 6 and was the first Westerner to pose the
Soviet bloc a serious challenge. In 1956 he won fame at the Moscow
Olympiad as overall high scorer on first board (+11 -1 = 6). His
results continued to be spectacular, and from 1967 to 1970 he
failed to win first prize only once in nine consecutive events. His
play faltered after 1971 when Fischer trounced him 6-0 in a world
championship qualifying match; yet Larsen remained in demand from
organizers because he always plays to win and takes calculated
risks that delight spectators.
Style: Larsen is an original who strikes out a lot and hits many home
runs. He shuns the beaten path and successfully revived many old
and forgotten opening variations, but he is not reckless and is
quite capable of solid positional play.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Korchnoi
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1931 - ) Viktor Korchnoi was born in Leningrad, USSR, and along
with Keres is often ranked as the strongest player who never became
world champion. He won the powerful USSR Championship four times
before defecting to the USA in 1976. In 1978 and 1981, while his
family was held hostage inside the USSR, he lost two title matches
to Karpov, after which his wife and son were freed. In 1983 he
dropped a semi-final match to Kasparov, ending his chance to
challenge Karpov again, but he continued to enjoy incredibly good
results and has remained a feared competitor.
Style: Korchnoi is tough and tenacious, fighting every game to the bitter
end with grim determination. A defensive player who revels in
ferocious counter-attacks, he is partial to the French Defense and
the English Opening, his old workhorse.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Keres
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1916 - 1975) Paul Keres, born in Narva, Estonia, was among eight
of the world`s superstars for a quarter of a century ever since his
sensational debut at top board on his country's Olympic team in
1935. At Bad Neuheim 1936 he tied for first with Alekhine, then won
Semmering 1937 ahead of Capablanca. A tie with Fine at AVRO 1938
ahead of Alekhine, Botvinnik, Capablanca, Euwe, Flohr and Reshevsky
earned Keres a title shot against Alekhine -- except for the advent
of W.W.II. After the war evidence indicates Soviet officials
prevented him from interfering with Botvinnik`s ascension to the
crown. Keres was an excellent openings analyst who originated
several important lines and strengthened many variations.
Style: Keres gradually changed his style from a brilliant attacker who
prefers open games to a classical positional player. He became a
devotee of solid openings, and in the middle game he undertook
risky attacks only when the chances favored him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kasparov
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1963 - ) Born Harry Weinstein in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan,
his name was later changed to Garry Kasparov in order to sound more
'Russian'. At 17 he won the World Junior and become the youngest
world champion at 22 by beating Karpov in 1985. Both Kasparov and
Karpov towered above their contemporaries for another ten years and
treated fans to the greatest rivalry in chess history. In 1993
Kasparov forfeited the FIDE championship by declining to play under
FIDE rules and instead helped found the Professional Chess
Association (PCA). In 1995 he beat Anand to surpass Fischer as the
highest rated player ever, but it was his games against the IBM
supercomputer Deep Blue that brought him some of his greatest
publicity. In 1996 he defended the honor of all mankind by beating
the super-machine 4 games to 2 in a 6 game match, but after IBM
made many refinements Deep Blue came back much stronger and in
their 1997 rematch Kasparov fell (3.5 - 2.5).
Style: Kasparov calculates quickly and finds rich opening novelties, which
are usually the product of deep preparation. Often he will give up
a pawn or sacrifice material just so that his pieces have more
mobility. He often amazes spectators by choosing discarded openings
such as the Scotch Game or the sharp Evans Gambit. Basically he
opens with 1. d4 and usually defends against 1. e4 with the double-
edged Sicilian.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Karpov
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1951 - ) Anatoly Karpov was born in Zlatoust in the former Soviet
Union. He won the FIDE title twice by default: in 1975 when Fischer
refused to play and in 1993 when Kasparov formed the Professional
Chess Association. Karpov was the darling of the Kremlin and his
two title defenses against Soviet defector Korchnoi in 1978 and
1981 were marred by the fact that the challenger`s family was held
hostage inside the USSR. A marathon match with Kasparov in 1984 was
halted by FIDE after 48 games and almost six months when an
exhausted Karpov was leading by two points. He lost the title to
Kasparov in 1985 and failed to get it back despite three more
matches culminating in 1990. Karpov regained the FIDE crown against
Timman in 1993, Kamsky in 1996 and Anand in 1998. He was the most
active champion in history and won more first prizes in major
events (some 150) than any other great player.
Style: Very much like Petrosian in style -- but far more aggressive --
Karpov played accurate and positional chess without taking many
risks or making many mistakes. He sought small but persistent edges
in the opening and then ground his opponents to dust. As White he
relied primarily on 1. e4 and as Black on the Caro-Kann and Queen's
Indian Defense.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kamsky
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1974 - ) Gata Kamsky was born in Tatarstan, USSR. He was raised by
his father who took him out of school at an early age to study
chess full time. He won the championship of Leningrad at age 12 and
defected with his father to the USA during the New York Open in
1989. Kamsky swiftly established himself as top dog by winning the
USA championship in 1991. At 21 he defeated Anand, Salov, Short and
Kramnik in preliminary matches to earn a title shot against FIDE
champion Karpov in 1996. After taking home the loser's share of
$562,500 Kamsky declared he was giving up chess to study medicine.
Style: A tenacious defender, not overly aggressive, Kamsky is especially
strong in the endgame. For someone so young his style curiously
resembles the mature Reshevsky.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Flohr
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1908-1983) Salo Flohr was born in Poland and moved to
Czechoslovakia after his parents were killed during a pogrom. From
1928 to 1937 he competed in 42 tournaments, winning or sharing
first in half of them. A hero in his adopted homeland, he endorsed
products such as cigars, collars and pastries. By 1937 he was
designated as Alekhine`s official challenger but was unable to
raise a purse and his hopes were dashed after finishing last at
AVRO a year later when a younger generation emerged led by Keres
and Fine. He lost his fighting spirit and became increasingly
cautious, adopting a policy of safety first, settling for tame
draws, content to demonstrate equality with his peers. After WWII
Flohr moved to the USSR where he served as a popular and witty
chess journalist.
Style: In the early days Flohr was known as an attacker; yet after age 30
his powers waned and he shunned risks. His style was a precursor of
what today is identified with Petrosian or Karpov -- an exact
positional player who excels in the endgame. Later he came to rely
exclusively on the queen's pawn game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fisher
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1943 - ) Robert James 'Bobby' Fischer was born in Chicago, raised
in Brooklyn, New York. He won the USA Championship at the unheard-
of age of 14 in 1958. He was a dominant player throughout the
1960`s but developed a reputation for being difficult by insisting
on very specific playing conditions. Fischer`s ambition was firmly
set on the world championship and in 1972 he got his chance. He was
set to play Boris Spassky for the title. No match in the history of
the game received more publicity. Fischer soundly defeated Spassky
and became the first American to win the world championship. He
then withdrew from serious play and in 1975 forfeited his title to
Karpov. He became a recluse and did not compete again until 1992
when a Yugoslav entrepreneur organized a rematch with Spassky for
$5 million ($3.35 million to the winner and $1.65 million to the
loser). Once again Fischer defeated his old rival and once again
vanished from the public eye, probably forever.
Style: Fischer is characterized by extensive opening analysis. He
disdained draws and had an intense will to win. His style was
direct, vigorous and relentlessly aggressive. As White he opened
with 1. e4 which he called 'best by test' and occasionally sprang
the King's Gambit. As Black he invariably defended with the Najdorf
Sicilian or King's Indian.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fine
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1914 - 1993) Reuben Fine was born in New York City, USA. During
the 1930s the rivalry between him and Reshevsky was white hot as
they led American teams to victory in the chess Olympiads. Fine won
the USA Open seven times but could never wrest the national title
from his nemesis. Fine`s greatest feat was tying for first with
Keres at AVRO 1938, ahead of Reshevsky and four world champions,
past and present. After the war, unable to make a living from
chess, Fine was faced with a hard choice. He became a psychologist,
declined to take part in the 1948 world championship in 1948, and
stopped competing altogether in 1951. Yet he remained America`s
premier chess author; his classics include 'Basic Chess Endings,'
'The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings,' 'Lessons From My Games,' and
'The World`s Great Chess games.'
Style: Fine preferred an open game and sought the initiative right from
the first move. He acquired an encyclopedic grasp of the openings
after revising the 6th edition of 'Modern Chess Openings' (which
came to be known as the Bible). Before 1938 he specialized in 1.d4
but switched to 1. e4 for AVRO where he beat Botvinnik and others
with prepared variations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Evans
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1932 - ) Born in New York, a hotbed of chess activity, Larry Evans
won every major American title at least once: the Open four times,
and the national championship five times starting in 1951 at 19
(the youngest ever before Fischer) and finally in 1980. A valuable
member of eight Olympic teams, he stopped playing after gaining the
Senior title in 1982 to work on his award-winning syndicated
newspaper column. A longtime contributor to Chess Life, he also
revised the famous 10th edition of MCO, collaborated on Fischer's
classic 'My 60 Memorable Games' and then assisted his colleague on
the road to the throne. Today Evans is considered the dean of
American chess.
Style: Evans is basically a counter-puncher who is fond of the English as
White or the King`s Indian and Sicilian as Black. A fierce defender
and avid pawn snatcher, a la Korchnoi, he has been known to suffer
for hours nursing a lowly pawn all the way to victory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Euwe
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1901 - 1981) Machgielis 'Max' Euwe was born in Amsterdam, Holland.
A mathematics teacher, he became the first real amateur to win the
world championship in 1935. It was considered a fluke and he
sportingly agreed to a rematch in 1937, thus enabling Alekhine to
regain the crown. Euwe also found time for flying, swimming and
boxing in addition to writing numerous chess books. From 1970-78 he
was president of FIDE and visited more than 100 countries at his
own expense to popularize the game in Africa and Asia.
Style: Euwe was a theorist who was familiar with the entire range of
openings. Although hypermodern ideas were often seen in his games
as White, he stuck with classical lines as Black and helped to
popularize the Slav Defense.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Capablanca
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1888 - 1942) Jose Raul Capablanca, born in Havana, already won a
match at age 12 from the best player in Cuba. As a grown man, he
was extremely charismatic, always dressed immaculately and had
strong sense of honor. His understanding of chess was innate; the
first major tournament he attempted was one of the strongest in the
world and he came in first place (a distinction shared only with
Pillsbury). After the first World War he was considered so
invincible that his nickname became 'the chess machine.' In 1921 he
captured the world championship from Lasker, but then surprisingly
lost it to Alekhine in 1927. His intuition was phenomenal, his
speed incredible. 'What others could not discover in a month, he
saw at a glance,' noted Fine. He played prolifically and in his
time, no other master sustained as few losses as he.
Style: Capablanca`s style was direct and classical; he shunned unclear
complications and tried to keep everything under control. He
steered for simple positions that contained a drop of poison and
often was able to squeeze wins out of drawish endgames.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Botvinnik
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1911-1995) Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik was born in St.
Petersburg, Russia, and became the symbol of Soviet supremacy at
chess. In 1948 he won a match- tournament organized by FIDE to fill
the crown left vacant by Alekhine`s death. He defended it twice
with 12-12 ties in 1951 and 1954, then lost to Smyslov in 1957 but
won a rematch in 1958. In 1960 he lost to Tal but regained it in
1961. Petrosian finally put him away for good in 1963. An
electrical engineer, Botvinnik devoted his final years to
perfecting chess computers and founding a chess school where his
most famous student was Garry Kasparov.
Style: A profound technician and iron logician, Botvinnik always sought
the objectively best move. His position play was extremely solid,
he had excellent endgame technique and was a dedicated student of
the openings. His name is most closely associated with the French
Defense, Dutch Defense, Semi- Slav and English Opening, which he
honed into a feared weapon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bogoliumbow
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1889 - 1952) Efim Bogoljubow was born in the Ukraine and became a
German citizen during the 1920s. He twice challenged Alekhine for
the title, in 1929 and 1934, but was crushed on both occasions. His
greatest victories came at Moscow 1925 and Bad Kissingen 1928 where
he finished well ahead of Capablanca. Alternating between brilliant
success and lamentable failure, Bogoljubow was a born optimist who
remained unperturbed by losses. 'The youngsters have read my
book,' he wailed in his jovial manner. 'Now I have no chance.' He
won the German championship for the fourth and last time in 1949.
Style: Bogoljubow`s play was sound and his style primarily positional. In
addition he had a tactical talent which came into its own
especially when his opponent had been outplayed strategically. His
weak point lay in his optimism and lack of objectivity. -- Euwe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: BlackBurne
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1841-1924) Nicknamed 'the black death,' Joseph Henry Blackburne
was born in Manchester. He learned chess at 18 and remained
England`s best player for over 50 years, touring the country
regularly and giving blindfold displays. He became a professional
after winning his national title in 1869. His greatest success came
at Berlin 1881 where he finished ahead of every leading master. But
he lost three matches to Steinitz and one to Lasker. His capacity
for scotch was enormous; legend has it he was so enraged at
Steinitz during one of their games that he picked him up and almost
threw him out the window.
Style: Love of study did not accord with Blackburne`s robust personality.
He was what we call today a 'coffee-house' player -- an unabashed
tactician. Blackburne came to grief against top rivals because of
his faulty positional judgment. With inferior masters, however, he
uncorked one brilliancy after another.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bird
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1830 - 1908) Born in Portsea, Hampshire, Henry Edward Bird was one
of the leading British amateurs of last century and is best known
today by the opening named after him (1. f4). He learned chess at
age 10 by watching players at a coffee house in London; by 16 was a
regular at the Divan in the Strand. He was strong enough to be
invited to the first great international tournament at London 1851.
When he lost to Morphy in 1858 Bird was only 28 and remained active
for almost another 50 years. An outstanding accountant, he wrote a
book entitled 'An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom' and
also authored several chess treatises.
Style: Bird was a natural player who chose openings generally regarded as
bizarre. He cared little for theory and went his own way. The
attack was his happy hunting ground, and he often disregarded
positional considerations to pursue it for all it was worth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Anderssen
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1818 - 1879) It is noteworthy that Adolf Anderssen, a math
professor who hailed from Breslau, Germany, terms his own attacks
as 'traps' and nothing more. His combinations were an inspiration
of the moment and didn`t always flow out of the position,
organically. Morphy knew not only how to attack but also when --
and that is why he won. Nonetheless, Anderssen`s victory at the
first great modern tournament in London 1851 established him as the
best player in the world until he lost a close match to Steinitz in
1866.
Style: Pure combinative chess reached its climax in Anderssen. He
represents the spirit of sacrifice, free and unrestrained' -- Fine.
He developed pieces haphazardly and seized the earliest moment to
attack, yet his ideas were lively, fresh and full of novelties. 1.
e4 was his preferred opening move and he squared off in the center
of the ring.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Anand
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1969 - ) Viswanathan Anand, born in Madras, is the best player
India ever produced and was ranked in the world`s top ten since the
early 1990s. He has unusually quick sight of the board, is noted
for playing fast, and is one of the best-liked grandmasters on the
circuit. In 1995 he dropped a PCA world championship match to
Kasparov despite taking an early lead by drawing the first eight
games and winning the ninth. In 1998 he dropped a short FIDE title
bout to Karpov in overtime after achieving a 3-3 tie. Later that
year Anand won Linares ahead of Kasparov and five other top rated
stars, yet he declined another shot at the PCA title because of
contractual obligations to FIDE.
Style: Anand is resourceful in inferior positions and noted for his
attacking skill, deep calculation and tactical ability. As White he
prefers 1. e4 and likes solid, classical defenses with Black.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Alekhine
Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1892 - 1946) Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was born to
aristocracy in Moscow, Russia, and was taught chess at age 11 by
his mother. Alekhine`s personality left a lot to be desired; he was
devious, nervous, restless, and a heavy smoker and drinker. Though
a chess genius in his own right, he held his contemporary and
rival, Capablanca, in very high regards. Surprisingly, in 1927, he
toppled Capablanca to gain the world championship and then
studiously avoided any subsequent rematch. Alekhine`s penchant for
drink caught up with him with his loss to Euwe in 1935. He then
gave up drinking and smoking to regain it in 1937. During World War
II he played in many tournaments in Germany and German-occupied
countries. After the war he was criticized as an anti-Semite, a
charge he firmly denied. He spent the last years of his life in
Spain as he was endeavoring the British Chess Federation to
organize a match between him and Botvinnik.
Style: Alekhine was a keen tactician and stormy attacker as well as a
superb technician. His secret was meticulous opening preparation;
he occasionally experimented with gambit ideas that enabled him to
literally shake combinations out of his sleeve.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Chessmaster
Rating: 2711
Biography: The Chessmaster`s exact origins are shrouded in mystery, but it is
believed that he was created in a top-secret chess laboratory from
bits and silicon. His wise and kindly presence has presided over
the finest chess program in the world since 1986.
Style: Chessmaster 7000 is powered by version 2.61D of the King chess
engine. On this system, Chessmaster is rated at 2711 U.S.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
3. Closing
==============================================================================
Ending.
==============================================================================
3.1 - Credits
==============================================================================
CJayC - For making a wonderful site.
The Game - For making such an extensive chess game! And having the
descriptions and such.
[ ? ] - Your name could be here! In lights!
==============================================================================
3.2 - Legal Disclaimer
==============================================================================
This document is Copyright © 2003 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All Rights
Reserved. This document may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form and
under any circumstances without the complete consent of the author. It may not
be sold, altered, or published in any way without the advance permission of
the author. All sources, which have contributed to this document, are cited
and/or credited in some form. The only sites I allow this document to be
viewed at are:
GameFAQs
IGN
If you see this document at any other sources email me telling so as I do
not allow this document to be published at any other sources. Please do not
ask me if you want this document on your website, as the answer will most
likely be no. These terms have become binding once the recipient (or reader)
opened this document. Violation of these terms is strictly prohibited and will
result in a lawsuit. Please do not take these terms as threats and/or not read
them as they are all very much true. I can sue you for an act of plagiarism
and will not hesitate to do so. Thank you for reading this legal disclaimer
and have a nice day!
==============================================================================
3.3 - Contact Information
==============================================================================
This section will tell you how to contact the author regarding work that he
has done. Questions you have can be sent to TestaALT@aol.com. I have only
two rules when it comes to sending me an email. They our: The question should
not be answered in this document and put the game name in the subject line. If
you do not follow these rules your email will be ignored. The question might
be added in the next update as I see fit. I will try my best to respond to
your question. Thank you for reading this information.
Did you like this guide? Rate my guide then see some of my other work at:
-> http://gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/23249.html <-
+- End of File -+