Sem Member since Mar-08-08 · Last seen Nov-20-09 While having played chess since I was 6, I have always remained a patzer. I am interested in chess history and anecdotes (ever since I followed Tal-Botvinnik, and Bled 1961 in that year - with Tal, Fischer, Petrosian and Keres), and in strategic players like Steinitz, Petrosian, Suttles. I appreciate books written when German still was the chess language and love reading Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch and Vidmar.

Sem has kibitzed 298 times to chessgames   [more...]

Nov-20-09 Lev Polugaevsky    Sem: Who has the prerogative of including a picture in a biography on this website? Will chessgames.com upload a photo offered by one of its members?      Nov-19-09 Lubensky vs Petrosian, 1949    Sem: Whatever did Lubensky have in mind with his 18th move?      Nov-19-09 Ivanchuk vs V Gashimov, 2009   Sem: Yes,<Raf>, Ivanchuk is a different man here. Looking at his scores in Hoogeveen and Moscow and now in this rapid tournament, I cannot help thinking that his genius is more manifest in normal games.      Nov-18-09 V Belov vs S Knott, 2004    Sem: 38. ... b5 looks slow to me; I would have played one of the other pawns.      Nov-16-09 D Gedult vs A Gorfinkel, 1973   Sem: Now everything is ready for b4.      Nov-16-09 D Gedult vs Gill, 1974   Sem: Funny: in the first ten moves White seems to be courting disaster.      Nov-13-09 Gurgenidze vs Kotov, 1954   Sem: Quick and dirty. If 9. Nxd5, then ... Nf3+ plus ... Bh3#. As many holes in White's position as in a Gruyere cheese.      Nov-13-09 Svidler vs Carlsen, 2009   Sem: <returnoftheking>, <Eyal>, thanks for your comment. You give me some hope again.      Nov-12-09 D G Baird vs Showalter, 1889   Sem: Thanks for your help, <Pawn and Two>! All Fritz's ground work makes me wonder whether he is a digital incarnation of King Friedrich of Prussia. Best to you.      Nov-12-09 Keene vs W Reichenbach, 1975    Sem: Dear Mr Keene, my sincere thanks for your contribution to 'Learn From The Grandmasters'. What you wrote on Al-Lajlaj (in your annotations of 'Keres-Petrosian 1959') greatly appeals to me, since it provides an insight into a world which was more poetic and far less frantic than our own. ...

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