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May-14-09
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| Honza Cervenka: <Further, it is apparent that Capablanca finds it very difficult to separate himself from his dry style of play. His technique, on the other hand, has been at least equalled by Bogoljubow and is not especially feared by the other masters.’> At least in his game against Bogo Capa was able to "separate himself from his dry style of play" and crushed him in great style (see Capablanca vs Bogoljubov, 1925) and if anybody had big troubles with Capa, it was just Bogo. But in general he was quite right with this remark. Capa's approach "safety first" did not made him the best service in some tournaments including Moscow 1925 or Bad Kissingen 1928 where Bogo finished ahead of him. |
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| May-14-09 |
| paladin at large: <Honza Cervenka> Capa's loss of a couple of games at Moscow 1925 was probably more a result of his self-imposed grueling simul schedule between Leningrad and Moscow during the Moscow tournament than to his playing style. |
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May-14-09
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| keypusher: <paladin at large> At Moscow 1925 Bogoljubov, Lasker and Capablanca each had two losses, but Bogo and Lasker finished ahead of Capablanca because they had fewer draws. Similarly at New York 1924 both Capablanca and Lasker had one loss but Lasker finished a point and a half in front because he had fewer draws. I think that's what honza meant by his reference to Capablanca's <safety first> style. |
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May-14-09
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| Honza Cervenka: <keypusher> is right. But the number of Capa's draws was not the main problem I had in mind here as it was only the outcome of his playing style and rather easygoing approach to the game. What I really had in mind was the character of significant portion of Capa's draws in these tournaments. If you go through his games there you can see quite a lot of quite effortless and bloodless draws where Capa had white pieces and went deliberately for massive simplification already in opening or early middlegame with dead drawn ending as result, which was easily held by his (sometimes much weaker) opponents. |
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May-14-09
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| Honza Cervenka: In Moscow 1925 typical examples of Capa's approach were games Capablanca vs Gruenfeld, 1925, Capablanca vs Rubinstein, 1925, Capablanca vs Lasker, 1925 and I Rabinovich vs Capablanca, 1925 though in last of these games Capa had black pieces (but Ilya Rabinovich with all respect to him was not in Capa's league as a player and Moscow tournament was not his best performance). He also let Romanovsky to force perpetual just in sixteen moves which Peter Arsenievich did gladly and without hesitation (see P Romanovsky vs Capablanca, 1925). Try to compare this with draws of Bogo or Lasker in the same tournament... |
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May-14-09
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| Benzol: I suppose that as the World Champion Capablanca felt secure and rested on his laurels so to speak. After he lost the title he made more effort in the later tournaments of 1928 and 1929. He was 2nd at Bad Kissingen 1928 after Bogolyubov, 1st at Berlin 1928 ahead of Niemzowitsch, Spielmann, Tartakower, Reti, Rubinstein and Marshall. 1st at Budapest 1928, 1st at Barcelona 1929, 1st at Budapest 1929 and 2nd behind Niemzowitsch at Karlsbad 1929. When he was motivated he could really make an effort. |
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May-14-09
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| keypusher: <honza>
<Try to compare this with draws of Bogo or Lasker in the same tournament...> Gruenfeld vs Lasker, 1925
Admittedly an extreme example but it makes the point. :-) |
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| May-16-09 |
| paladin at large: <keypusher><Honza Cervenka> I understand the point about the draws. However, Capa was used to winning in spite of his "dry" style. He breezed through major tournaments in 1922 in London and 1927 in New York. The two losses in Moscow 1925 were to lesser opponents in the midst of a grueling simul schedule away from the tournament. At New York 1924, he got off to a slow start due to flu/heavy cold (an illness which was noted in reports at the time), recovered, and finished 10+ 5=, but still not enough to catch Lasker. This reflects more on Lasker's greatness than a shortcoming in Capa's approach, I think. |
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May-16-09
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| keypusher: <Paladin at large> If he had drawn his two Moscow losses he still would have finished behind Bogoljubov. If he had won both of his losses he would have finished tied with Bogoljubov. If he had won his loss to Reti at New York 1924 he still would have finished behind Lasker. So whatever the state of his health or his simul schedule, it seems to me that his approach can be criticized. He played four major tournaments as world champ. He won two, finished second once and third once. Certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but less than he might have accomplished IMO. On the other hand, it's been suggested that hypertension was affecting his endurance by the 1920s. |
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| May-17-09 |
| paladin at large: <keypusher> You are right, he would not have caught Bogo or Lasker. However, you are applying a standard to Capa that you would apply to no one else, i.e., "if you had just approached your play a little differently, you would have won every tournament!". No one's losses get as much scrutiny as his. Lasker described Capa's style well, and defended Capa's chosen, or perhaps ingrained, approach. My impression is that Capa did not lose often enough for him to consider having to change his ways. You have raised an interesting thing, as you frequently do, which is - when did Capa ever play along bold lines (e.g. in Capa-Tartakower 1922, Capa- Czerniak 1939 come immediately to mind) - and then lose? I can't think of an example, right off hand. I believe first mention (Winter) of Capa seeking physician's help is 1929 in Carlsbad. |
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May-17-09
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| keypusher: <Paladin at Large> Well, of course, one thing about Capablanca is going over all his defeats doesn't take very long. Maybe this game counts as playing on bold lines and losing: Capablanca vs R T Black, 1911
But there certainly aren't many candidates.
<However, you are applying a standard to Capa that you would apply to no one else, i.e., "if you had just approached your play a little differently, you would have won every tournament!". No one's losses get as much scrutiny as his.> That is a good point. |
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| May-20-09 |
| paladin at large: <keypusher> Yes, the game against Roy Black is a good example, thanks. |
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Jun-29-09
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| SirChrislov: All the o's are pronounced like a's:
bah-gah-LYU-bahf.
http://www.geocities.com/siliconval... |
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| Jul-09-09 |
| Jeff Popp: My mother and Efim's niece, Tilli Franke, lived in Mannheim, but often visited Triberg because it was the hometown of her mother's family, the Kaltenbach's. She said that Efim was always studying chess had would often get hurt walking down the street because he would be reading a book and would not watch where he was going. After the end of World War II he and his wife hid their daughters and young girls, my mother included, in the attic of their home in Triberg for fear of what incoming allied forces might do. When my father first met Efim, they shook hands and Efim's only question was "Do you play chess?" My father answered "no". He said that from then on Efim showed little or no interest in him. My mother is still alive, so if you have any non-chess questions about Efim, pass them to me and I'll see what I can find out. (You'd best hurry. The lady is 83.) |
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| Jul-10-09 |
| Jeff Popp: New info from my mother is that the correct and full spelling of his name is Ewfim Bogoljubow. She also said that he wrote a column for a chess players' newsletter. Efim was so engrossed in chess that he carried a small leather valise, about the size of a large wallet, that contained plastic chess pieces, that he carried with him where ever he went. He would constantly be using it, so much so that he would be in danger crossing a street or walking around town. My mother would escort him to tournaments in Mannheim, because he was unable to function or find his way about on his own. |
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Jul-10-09
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| SirChrislov: What other interests did he have beside chess?
was chess his only means of earning a living? |
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Jul-10-09
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| SirChrislov: Is it true that Alekine picked Bogo over Capablanca as his challenger because he knew Bogo was weaker? |
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| Jul-10-09 |
| Notbur: When, and how, did Bogo meet his wife? When did they marry? During World War 1, was Bogo allowed to mix with the local Germans or was he locked up? |
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| Jul-13-09 |
| Jeff Popp: I have forwarded the questions to my mother. I doubt she can answer the question about Alekine. |
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| Jul-14-09 |
| Jeff Popp: My mother has answered one of the questions so far. She confirms that
chess was his only means to earn a living. |
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| Jul-16-09 |
| Jeff Popp: I have a son with Asberger Syndrome and, based on my mother's descriptions, I would very strongly suspect the Bojo did as well. |
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Jul-22-09
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| SirChrislov: One of my co-workers' name is efim and his ukranian compatriots call him "fima". |
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Sep-01-09
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| percyblakeney: The First Bogoljubov Memorial was won by Malakhov ahead of Dreev and Zvjaginsev, but apparently it was another Bogoljubov: http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twi... |
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| Sep-01-09 |
| DCP23: <percyblakeney> That event was organized and sponsored by the nuclear physics research facility based in Dubna which employs Malakhov. That is why it's named after Bogolubov-the-physicist, not Bogolubov-the-chessplayer. Malakhov's employer: http://tinyurl.com/mljbuk
Bogolubov: http://tinyurl.com/m5pqev |
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Sep-14-09
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| percyblakeney: An interesting article on Bogo by Adrian Mikhalchishin: http://www.chesspro.ru/_events/2009...
http://translate.google.com/transla... |
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