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Finished games: 3307
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Rank/Rating/Name
1 2128 Barry
2 2099 Angela Alston
3 2015 Joseph Guadagno
4 1966 Gary Kevin Ware
5 1949 Ingvar Johannesson
6 1916 BennyW
7 1900 fightnite
8 1890 Alex80205
9 1889 Grossman
10 1888 phildo
11 1869 wwoneo
12 1868 Alaa
13 1854 Nelson Newman
14 1832 Vassilis
15 1823 Tarod
16 1810 mad cow
17 1784 Headhunter
18 1777 Dennis Steele
19 1771 Leventhfish
20 1766 Jay Stallings

"Here are some thumbnail descriptions of five well-known chess players of history. For each description, your task, and I believe it is a formidable one, is to guess which player it refers to.

The person who wrote these descriptions is a strong player and well-known writer of chess books, so we can at least assume he knows what he's talking about. If you think you know who any of these players are take a stab at it.

1. His aim is always to sieze the initiative. A remarkably deep combination player who can think out and compare long sequences of moves. But also an excellent position player, a good defender and a master of the endgame .... It is no exaggeration to call him the most versatile champion in the history of chess. Only in excessively tedious and dull positions was he vulnerable. And it was this one weakness which cost him a championship.

2. He never concerned himself with any particularly deep planning. In the opening all he asked for was a decent position; a shade the better, a shade the worse, this mattered little to him. Only with the arrival of middlegame complications and dangers did his genius truly awaken. Then he really could discover the best moves...especially when he was courting danger---and this was his real greatness.

3.He took the ideas of Reti and effectively integrated them into his practical play. His play was sound and his style was primarily positional. In addition he had tactical talent which came into its own especially when the opponent had been outplayed strategically. His weak point lay in his optimism and lack of objectivity.

4. His play exhibits on one hand the combinative richness of Alekhine, with a bias towards adventurousness, and on the other hand the solid positional basis of Smyslov and Petrosyan. Since he is the master of so many attacking weapons he is also well qualified to appraise the attacks of his opponents with great accuracy.

5. He's one of the most accomplished strategists in the history of chess,but in contrast to his collegues, he scores most of his positional victories not by intuition but by precise calculation. He is at home in all sorts of positions. He can conduct an attack well, and has registered many successes by mating attacks after the queens had gone. Equally he's a past master of defense, which he manages in active style."
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"Black History Spotlight:
African-American Athletes

The New York Liberty continues to celebrate the accomplishments of African-Americans in this week's Black History Spotlight. Nyliberty.com returns with a feature that highlights African-American athletes who helped pave the way for today's superstars.

MAURICE ASHLEY (1966-)
Maurice Ashley is a world-class chess phenomenon who plays with a mixture of charisma, poise and intellectual sharpness. Ashley, a Jamaica native, was inspired to play chess by former American World Champion Paul Morhpy and immediately fell in love with the sport. "Read more..:

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Finished games: 3124
Users: 1013"
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"What master made the following statement in the heat of a great war...

'...The cagey English merchant has grasped the meaning of possessions and their power in the world; but he has missed the true inwardness of things, and the rapid evolution of modern times has left him far behind. He is an egoist towards his fellow countrymen. He will not give the masses a share in higher things, as he wants to keep them under his sway as slaves. The Universities of Cambridge and Oxford are reserved for the sons of the rich. He views with suspicion our people, teeming with ideas, eager in pursuit of science, and ready to make any sacrifice. Who among us is not a philosopher? I know not a single German who does not carry in his bosom something of the spirit of Faust. The morale of the Germans is not mere theory. Mother, wife, sweetheart, have bidden their men go forth to battle. It is the genius of Humanity that speaks for this nation'."
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