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B Finegold 
Photo courtesy of "WannaBe"  
Benjamin Finegold
Number of games in database: 232
Years covered: 1983 to 2008
Current FIDE rating: 2497
Highest rating achieved in database: 2611
Overall record: +87 -45 =100 (59.1%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Nimzo Indian (24) 
    E32 E33 E38 E30 E39
 King's Indian (24) 
    E61 E97 E92 E94 E91
 Queen's Pawn Game (12) 
    A40 A41 A45 D01 D00
 Semi-Slav (9) 
    D47 D45 D44 D43
 Modern Benoni (8) 
    A57 A56 A65
 Slav (6) 
    D15 D11 D12 D10
With the Black pieces:
 Sicilian (36) 
    B30 B66 B89 B32 B88
 Sicilian Richter-Rauser (12) 
    B66 B65 B63 B67
 Slav (11) 
    D19 D16 D15 D14 D11
 Ruy Lopez (10) 
    C65 C64 C97
 King's Indian (9) 
    E70 E92 E74 E84 E62
 English (6) 
    A15
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   B Finegold vs Anand, 1986 1/2-1/2
   G Johnstone vs B Finegold, 1992 1/2-1/2
   Yermolinsky vs B Finegold, 1994 0-1
   B Finegold vs J Gonzales, 2001 1-0

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BENJAMIN FINEGOLD
(born 1969) (citizen of United States of America)

[what is this?]
He is an IM.

 page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 232  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. B Finegold vs T Palmer ½-½54 1983 Ann Arbor Victory TournamentA07 King's Indian Attack
2. J Kulbacki vs B Finegold ½-½77 1983 Super Double TornadosC29 Vienna Gambit
3. D Thompson vs B Finegold 1-077 1983 Ann Arbor ch-MI opB00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening
4. B Finegold vs E Schiller  1-064 1984 Tournament 'Midwest Masters'D52 Queen's Gambit Declined
5. B Finegold vs Anand ½-½61 1986 OakhamD20 Queen's Gambit Accepted
6. B Finegold vs E Schiller  ½-½21 1986 WorldOpenD33 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
7. B Finegold vs Sherzer  ½-½38 1987 USA-ch U18A46 Queen's Pawn Game
8. Gulko vs B Finegold  1-066 1987 PhiladelphiaD97 Grunfeld, Russian
9. Suba vs B Finegold  0-138 1987 HastingsA15 English
10. B Finegold vs Hebden  ½-½65 1988 Hastings A57 Benko Gambit
11. J Howell vs B Finegold 1-037 1988 London (England)C55 Two Knights Defense
12. B Finegold vs Smyslov  ½-½17 1988 London LloydsE34 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation
13. B Finegold vs Gligoric  ½-½12 1988 Saint John op-2E39 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Pirc Variation
14. Kudrin vs B Finegold  1-047 1988 LondonC55 Two Knights Defense
15. Plaskett vs B Finegold  1-057 1988 Hastings op 8889C42 Petrov Defense
16. Psakhis vs B Finegold  1-081 1989 Amsterdam OHRA IID02 Queen's Pawn Game
17. B Finegold vs Sosonko  1-062 1989 AmsterdamE33 Nimzo-Indian, Classical
18. B Finegold vs Bagirov  ½-½37 1989 08, AmsterdamD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
19. Judit Polgar vs B Finegold 1-049 1989 Amsterdam Euwe-memB14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack
20. B Finegold vs Illescas-Cordoba  ½-½80 1989 ItD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
21. B Finegold vs Gelfand  1-025 1989 Amsterdam Euwe-memE38 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, 4...c5
22. R Knaak vs B Finegold  ½-½13 1990 ?D09 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit, 5.g3
23. B Finegold vs Wojtkiewicz  ½-½23 1990 Reykjavik A56 Benoni Defense
24. Judit Polgar vs B Finegold  1-037 1990 Dortmund-BC64 Ruy Lopez, Classical
25. T Arnason vs B Finegold  1-032 1990 OpenD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
 page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 232  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Finegold wins | Finegold loses  
 

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Aug-25-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Joshka: Yes congradulations Ben! And your from Michigan? thats allright, won't hold that against ya;-)
Aug-26-05   Greatful Fred: He has a game, as a teenager, against our very own TPstar, go to Tony Palmer, its a draw, I think.
Nov-09-05   Koster: Ben Finegold earned his second GM Norm at the Chicago Spring Futurity held from April 16-22. This was a round-robin event with twelve players. He scored 8.0/11 to tie for first with GM Varuzhan Akobian. Here are some of Ben’s games:

Ben Finegold (2522)
Vladimir Georgiev (2535)
Chicago Spring Futurity, Round 2
Chicago, IL, April 2005
Slav: Two Knights, D15

Notes by Ben Finegold

I prepared a lot of this game, and made a slight improvement on Kaidanov-Georgiev from one month ago in Foxwoods. Georgiev did not meet the new 17.Rc7 (my prepared improvement) well, and was much worse soon thereafter.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 a6 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.e3 b6 8.cxb6 Qxb6 9.Bd3 Qxb2 10.Rc1 Nxf4 11.exf4 g6 12.0–0 Bh6 13.g3 0–0 14.Na4 Qb4 15.Rxc6 Rb8 16.Qc2 a5 17.Rc7 Re8 18.Qc6 Qd6 19.Ne5 Nf6 20.Qxd6 exd6 21.Nxf7 Bf8 22.Ng5 Bg7 23.Nc3 Rb4 24.Nb5 Bf8 25.Ra7 h6 26.Nf3 Bh3 27.Rc1 Ne4 28.Nc7 Rc8 29.Re1 Nf6 30.Bxg6 Kh8 31.Bf7 Rb2 32.Be6 Bxe6 33.Nxe6 Ne4 34.Nh4 Nxf2 35.Nxf8 Nh3+ 36.Kh1 Nf2+ 37.Kg1 Nh3+ 38.Kh1 Nf2+ 39.Kg2 Nd3+ 40.Kg1 Rxf8 41.Ng6+ Kg8 42.Ree7 1–0 source michigan Chess

I tried to upload the game to this site but the instructions for this are inadequate, at least for my limited computer knowledge.

Apr-03-06   skiskichess5: Why is Benjamin still not yet a GM?
Jun-16-06   madlydeeply: I would like to congratulate Ben Finegold on his latest match victory against Emmanuel Lasker.
Sep-06-06   BIDMONFA: Benjamin Finegold

FINEGOLD, Benjamin
http://www.bidmonfa.com/finegold_be...
_

Oct-04-06   DanielBryant: His blog URL implies that he's a GM, but his site header says IM.
Jul-04-07   James Demery: " If you`re trying to get to 2200 and you`re at 1600 step 1 is studying Jeremy Silman and step 2 is a lobotomy." - Ben Finegold
Jul-04-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  dx9293: He's not a GM because it came out that the FIDE rating report where he "achieved" his 3rd GM norm was falsified--the TD changed the order of the rounds or something like that. Thus, his title application was rejected.
Nov-16-07   Maroczy: Step 1 on getting to 2700+ must also be a lobotomy Mr. Finegold.
Nov-16-07   Jim Bartle: OK, I've completed step 1. What's step 2?
Nov-16-07   Maroczy: Arrange a match with Topalov.
Jan-29-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Resignation Trap: Finegold just won the 7th North American FIDE Invitational in Chicago with a score of 8/9. see: http://raychess.blogspot.com/2008/0... .

In second place with 6.5/9, and earning an IM norm, was Dr. Tansel Turgut .

Jan-29-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: Since the tournament qualifies for norms, does that mean Ben just got his 3rd for GM title??
Jun-06-08   wallytherhino: " If you`re trying to get to 2200 and you`re at 1600 step 1 is studying Jeremy Silman and step 2 is a lobotomy." - Ben Finegold

<James Demery> Why does finegold have a beef with Silman?

Jul-21-08   James Demery: I`m not really sure. I`ve wondered the same thing. Maybe he disagrees with the Silman Thinking Technique that Siman mentions in his books.
Jul-31-08   dumbgai: Maybe he means that by studying under Silman you'll become much better than 2200, so the lobotomy would bring you down a bit to 2200. It might sound strange but that's my interpretation of those words.
Jul-31-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  artyom2008: hi ben

Jul-31-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  BishopBerkeley: IM Finegold's personal website:

http://www.benjaminfinegold.com/

(: B Bishop Berkeley B :)

Sep-06-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  just a kid: On this site shows my results from a blitz tournament in my chess camp in june.I should have one point higher,but I ran out of time before I showed the winning comination.It should show up in the crosstable of Group b at the chess camp.http://finegoldchess.blogspot.com/2...
Sep-06-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  just a kid: As T.Larsen I might need to add.
Sep-06-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: i think Finegold might be referring to the idea that Silman's course is good to get you to master level, but the stress and pressure that it takes to get to the IM world class level will drive you crazy.
Sep-06-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: I doubt that Finegold's statement has anything to do with Silman personally. People used to say much the same thing about Fred Reinfeld.

The point is that once you reach a certain level you have to forget everything you've learned in order to improve further.

Of course, in reality you don't forget all those basic tactics and strategies. They just become so practiced and ingrained that you no longer have to think about them, and can use your brain power to concentrate on more advanced matters.

Simple tactics provide a good illustration of this.


click for larger view

A beginner playing White in this position will move the attacked queen to safety. Once shown the winning combination, they will store it away and eventually become more practiced in the idea. At some point, when shown this position, they will execute the smothered mate without having to think about it.

If you watch a grandmaster at blitz or in a simul, you'll be amazed how they plop their pieces down on the correct squares without seeming to think about it. They are still using the basic principles, but their skill and practice makes the process of applying those principles precise and automatic.

I do have a bit of a problem with Finegold's imagery. The lobotomy craze of the 50s and 60s was a human and medical tragedy, and not something I would prefer to joke about.

Mar-08-09   flhoosier: why isn't there a bio on ben's page?
Jun-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Marmot PFL: A much simpler interpretation is that anyone smart enough to be a strong master should be smart enough not to waste their on something as trivial as chess, at least in the view of society at large.
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