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| Dec-29-11 | | playground player: <Phony Benoni> Gee, those are interesting stats. They would almost lead one to believe the Queens Gambit should be accepted. I couldn't help noticing my favorite 1.b4 was not on the list. There must be something wrong with the statistics. Happy New Year! |
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Dec-29-11
 | | Phony Benoni: <playground player: I couldn't help noticing my favorite 1.b4 was not on the list. There must be something wrong with the statistics.> Be patient. I haven't published the list of best results for Black yet. |
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Dec-29-11
| | Phony Benoni: And now, by special request (mine):
<SILLY DATABASE STATISTICS> <The Andras Adorjan "Black is OK!" Award for the Line with the Best Winning Percentage for Black> 1. Sicilian (B57) (60.1%, 380 games) 2. Sicilian, Closed, 6.Be3 (B26) (57.2%, 648 games) 3. King's Indian, Four Pawns Attack, with Be2 and Nf3 (E78) (56.0%, 33 games) 4. Queen's Pawn Game (D04) (55.9%, 678 games) 5. Sicilian, Najdorf, 6...e6 (B95) (55.6%, 462 games) 6. Benoni, Four Pawns Attack (A68) (55.3%, 150 games) 7. Two Knights (C57) (55.2%, 783 games) 8. Benoni, Fianchetto, 11...Re8 (A64) (54.9%, 313 games) 9. Bird's Opening (A03) (54.9%, 900 games) 10. Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack (B51) (54.5%, 1869 games) 11. Benoni, Fianchetto, 9...Nbd7 (A63) (54.3%, 104 games) 12. Benoni, Classical with ...Re8 and ...Na6 (A78) (54.2%, 71 games) 13. Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin Attack (B88) (54.1%, 590 games) 14. English, Symmetrical (A37) (53.6%, 1134 games) 15. Sicilian, Closed (B25) (53.5%, 1431 games) 16. Sicilian, Closed (B24) (53.2%, 1123 games) 17. Sicilian, Kan (B41) (53.1%, 876 games) 18. Nimzo-Indian, Spielmann Variation (E22) (53.0%, 180 games) 19. King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit (c31) (52.9%, 759 games) 20. Bird's Opening (A02) (52.8%, 1115 games) One reason for the popularity of the Sicilian can be seen here. The top <1.e4 e5> opening (Two Knights (C57)) shows one of the problems of database collection. That code includes the Traxler/Wilkes Barre Variation, which often ends in quick wins for Black that invariably get published and thus preserved in databases. Objectively, I doubt the variation is better for Black than White, but White's boring wins by grinding out a material edge are rarely preserved. And what can I say? The Benoni Rocks!
(P.S. to <playground player>: You'll notice that <A00>, which includes 1.b4 and other openings, is not on the list. The Polish alone would come in 14th on this list (54.1%, 554 games). But then, that's because nobody plays the opening like you do. |
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Dec-29-11
 | | WannaBe: Goooooooo Benoni! |
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| Dec-29-11 | | playground player: <Phony Benoni> So 1.b4 wins 34% of the time for White. Would the stats get any better if I said this assessment hurts my feelings? BTW, I've always liked the Benoni against 1.d4; but the Albin Countergambit is even more fun to play than the Benoni. |
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| Dec-29-11 | | King Death: It's been a couple days since I dropped by and it looks like there's good stuff to catach up on here. The reason I came now is the following link. If I remember right, <Phony Benoni>'s a Tigers fan and he might like this article. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/... |
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Dec-29-11
| | Phony Benoni: <King Death> Alan Trammell is a tough call in my mind. He hasn't got the stats like Ripken with his streak or Yount with 3000 hits. He hasn't got the color or inspirational qualities of Ozzie Smith or Kirby Puckett. You didn't go to the ballpark just to see Alan Trammell play. No, he was a lot like Al Kaline--he played the game at a very high level for a very long time without being flashy or sensational. I still have my doubts that Kaline would have been a first-ballot HOF selection without those 3000 hits. It's been 15 years since Trammell played, 20 since he was a regular. Memories fade. But even while he was active, you would have been hard-pressed to pick out his greatest moment. He had thousands of great ones, but no signature play that he will always be remembered by. And guys like that just don't get elected without the stats. Ask Ron Santo. |
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| Dec-29-11 | | King Death: <Phony Benoni> You're right about that. The one thing about Ozzie Smith was his glove even though as stated in the article, offensively Trammell kills him. So Smith has one easily identifiable stat in his line, though for most the glove alone isn't enough. |
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Dec-29-11
| | Phony Benoni: <King Death> It takes really spectacular glove work over a long period of time. A big stage helps too. Brooks Robinson probably made the Hall of Fame in large part due to that unforgettable performance in the 1970 World Series against the Reds. And Ozzie had the back flip too. That's the sort of thing people remember long after memories of 20 years of consistency fade. |
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| Dec-29-11 | | Jim Bartle: Trammell and Whitaker were both excellent players for a long time, but you'd have to add a couple hundred more guys to the HOF if they meet the entrance standards. I do realize they're probably better than a lot of players from the teens through the '30s who are in. Trammell's positives are a long and consistent career, hitting well at the toughest position, plus a monster year in 1987. But that was also the year when everybody hit a ton (Boggs 24 homers, for example, when he never hit more than 11 any other year). |
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| Dec-29-11 | | King Death: < playground player: ...BTW, I've always liked the Benoni against 1.d4; but the Albin Countergambit is even more fun to play than the Benoni.> If you were active today you'd be lucky to ever play those openings since everybody likes 1.d4 d5 or 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3. I was never afraid of either opening but sometimes tried the Modern Benoni because I liked the dynamic play you got plus the chances in the endgame (if I survived that long!). |
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Dec-30-11
| | Phony Benoni: Back to less serious business:
<SILLY DATABASE STATISTICS> <The Alfred, Lord Tennyson Half a Loaf, Half a Loaf, Half a Loaf Onward Award for the Line with the Highest Draw Percentage> 1. Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation (D14) (752 games; 69.1%) 2. Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (D59) (325 games; 68.6%) 3. Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Classical, 13.de (D69) (96 games; 66.7%) 4. Queen's Gambit Declined (D56) (437 games; 65.9%) 5. Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 9.Qxc3 (E19) (768 games; 62.8%) 6. Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack (D62) (163 games; 60.7%) 7. Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O, Main line (D79) (500 games; 58.6%) 8. Sicilian, Accelerated Fianchetto (B36) (647 games; 55.5%) 9. Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation (D13) (1110 games; 55.2%) 10. Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst (D58) (1572 games; 54.8%) 11. Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation (E55) (481 games; 54.1%) 12. Grunfeld, Spassky Variation, Main line, 10...cd, 11.cd (D88) (122 games; 53.3%) 13. Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense (C93) (559 games; 53.1%) 14. Neo-Grunfeld, 6.cd Nxd5, 7.O-O Nb6 (D76) (427 games; 52.7%) 15. Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line (D67) (242 games; 52.5%) 16. Catalan, Open, Classical line (E05) (668 games; 51.9%) 17. Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3 (D42) (280 games; 51.8%) 18. Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical (D27) (1955 gmes; 51.7%) 19. King's Indian, Four Pawns Attack, with Be2 and Nf3 (E78) (33 games; 51.5%) 20. French, Tarrasch, Open Variation, Main line (C09) (798 games; 51.3%) Stupid gambit openings. They never lead to interesting play! |
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Dec-30-11
| | WannaBe: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footba... Bad boy gets sent home, on a bus! |
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Dec-30-11
| | Phony Benoni: So he got kicked off the team? |
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Dec-30-11
| | WannaBe: I think just sent home for now, possibly further punishment afterwards, now VT is down to their 3rd (field goal) kicker. |
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| Dec-30-11 | | Jim Bartle: The kickers?? |
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Dec-30-11
| | Phony Benoni: I didn't even know Vermont was in a bowl game. |
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| Dec-31-11 | | playground player: <Phony Benoni> Well, if 3,000 hits don't get you into the HOF, what will? If Al Kaline had played in New York, he would've had a candy bar named after him. Trammell for the Hall? He is arguably the best shortstop the Tigers had in their long history. (OK, Harvey Kuenn hit better; but Trammell was a much better fielder.) That ought to be worth something. <Esteemed Colleagues> Visit my blog and help me get 5,000 hits for the year--I'm only 30 short. See http://leeduigon.com/ It's free, and you don't have to stay any longer than you want to. |
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Dec-31-11
 | | Penguincw: Happy New Year <Phony Benoni>. |
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| Dec-31-11 | | Jim Bartle: I would never eat a candy bar named after Al Kaline. It would be much too caustic and bitter. |
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Dec-31-11
| | Phony Benoni: <JB> He should have been a pitcher or catcher. |
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Dec-31-11
| | Phony Benoni: And we ring out the Old Year with:
<The John Paul Jones "I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight" Award for the Variations with the Lowest Percentage of Draws>. 1. King's Gambit Accepted (C37) (442 games; 8.8%) 2. King's Knight Opening (C40) (568 games; 12.5%) 3. King's Gambit Accepted (C38) (467 games; 12.6%) 4. Two Knights (C57) (783 games; 13.0%) 5. Center Game (C21) (376 games; 14.4%) 6. Evans Gambit (C51) (936 games; 14.6%) 7. Evans Gambit (C52) (598 games; 14.9%) 8. King's Gambit Accepted (C34) (1180 games; 15.0%) 9. King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham (C35) (483 games; 15.1%) 10. King's Gambit Accepted (C39) (722 games; 15.2%) 11. Benoni, Classical, 9...a6, 10.a4 (A74) (25 games; 16.0%) 12. Bishop's Opening (C23) (305 games; 16.1%) 13. King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit (C31) (759 games; 16.9%) 14. King's Gambit Declined (C30) (1401 games; 17.2%) 15. King's Gambit Accepted (C33) (1164 games; 18.1%) 16. Dutch, Staunton Gambit (A82) (110 games; 18.2%) 17. Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit (D08) (380 games; 18.3%) 18. Two Knights (C58) (468 games; 18.4%) 19. King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit (C32) (467 games; 18.4%) 20. Center Game (C22) (422 games; 19.0%) Nine of the 10 King's Gambit codes are listed here. The peaceful King's Gambit Accepted, Abbazia Defense (C36) comes in 49th, at 24.4%. Which is still not bad compared to the entire database at 35.5% draws. |
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Dec-31-11
| | Phony Benoni: <playground player> If you get 5000 hits, are you a lock for the Hall of Fame? |
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| Dec-31-11 | | Travis Bickle: Happy New Year Phony!! And remember every time a Cub hits a homerun an Angel get's his wings! ; P http://youtu.be/Z3sXVxqDbFk |
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| Dec-31-11 | | Jim Bartle: I wonder, PB, if the low number of draws in those openings, particularly all the Kings Gambits, are due primarily to the nature of the openings themselves, or more to the playing styles of the players who like to play them. I suspect it's a combination of the two. |
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