Last week’s poll proved what we suspected: you are mainly chess players, not board game players.
One of the best things we ever did in Quality Chess was to start this blog. We had no real plans for it, and just did it because our website manager asked if we wanted one. The communication with people who know of our work is truly inspiring. I think one of the reasons is that it is quite rare we use the blog to promote our books. It feels bad, but at times I think we have to do it…
I really like the polls and the discussions. I want to know what other people think. I do not become a better writer and publisher from listening to my own thoughts. Some results have been truly surprising. Some not.
I was wondering: is there anything you think we should put on the poll? Any wacky (or sensible) question about chess you would like debated? If so, let us know and in time we might use it!
This week we will go non-chess for the poll. It’s football/soccer: Who will win Euro 2016?
A poll question I would ask is
Which is the most underrated or overrated chess book you would or would not recommend?
Mine would be :
underrated: Blunders and Briliancies by Mullen and Moss or Van Perlo’s Endgame tactics- entertaining as well as instructive
overrated: any Ray Keene database dump
I live in Spain and although I admit that they have a great team is unlikely to win
There is a Football world-ranking of nations (see http://de.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/) with 5 european nations it the Top-Ten. These european Top-Teams are:
– Belgium (Nr. 2)
– Germany (Nr. 4)
– Spain (Nr. 6)
– Portugal (Nr. 8)
– Austria (Nr. 10)
And now my question: Where is Austria (Nr. 5 in Europe and Nr. 10 in the world ranking) in your poll-list?
@Manfred Brod
Austria is skiing ;).
Rating list of best football teams are overrated. Its like in chess when we have kids of 12 years old that are fide masters and in june rating list has 2300 elo and in september 1989 elo.
And on behalf of many readers outside the EU….Yawn!!
@John Johnson
Come up with a good question for the future and stop complaining!
@Manfred Brod
Austria are under ‘Other’, together with Croatia, who are obviously much better than Austria, whatever the rankings say.
@John Johnson
Jacob has given his solution. And if you can’t suggest a good poll question, then I just might post an in-depth analysis of the merits of Austrian soccer.
Where is Scotland?
Viktor Korchnoi has died
He will always be remembered as one of the best
Poll question: Which upcoming QC book are you most/least excited about?
@ John Shaw:
Scotland – Nr. 43 – impressive!
John, Poll Question: Has Quality Chess asked all relevant questions, making future polls irrelevant?
@ Jacob, Is that an attempt at a variation of the Liar’s Paradox so beloved of Bertrand Russell?
Future poll questions:
– Which books are still missing in the QC range?
– How do you study our books (maybe different polls for the different types of books, i.e. opening books, middlegame books etc.)?
– Which aspects of our books could be improved in your opinion (again, maybe different polls for the different types of books)?
– Would you like us to publish a Najdorf book with two options (6…e6 and 6…e5)? 🙂
@Jacob Aagaard
Perhaps you should have a poll to find out what the people say?
Poll:
Think of Scotland.
Rank the following adjectives for those giving the most accurate impression of Scotland, in your view. Choose up to four, ranking from 1-4, 1 being most characteristic.
1. Bleak 2. Dreary 3. Cold 4. Depressing 5. Uncivilized 6. Foggy 7. Wet 8. Cloudy
@SimonB
7 for sure
@SimonB
You’re from England as you don’t know any other adjectives to describe a country?
Who was the best player who never become WC?
Paul Keres leaps to mind.
Rubinstein is another contender
@John Johnson
@Ray
All true, but it’s poll questions we need now, not your answers!
@SimonB
It’s a lovely sunny day in beautiful Scotland.
Please remember John and Jacob are from the dreich west coast of Scotland. Quite bonny here in the east as the QC have arranged the rain to fall on them first…
– which chess books should QC release in the classic series?
@Vassilis
without a doubt Korchnoi who dominated men less than half his age for 50 years!
@Steve S.
I just set a question for a poll… However, I strongly disagree. My vote is for Keres
Questions:
What time control do you prefer for _viewing_ chess (what time control should a tournament have to make it more likely for you to watch it live)
What is your favourite website for viewing top tournaments live (with “the tournament website” an option)
@Remco G
Did the last one once already!
@Vassilis
It is commonly known that Korchnoi “threw” his last game of the 1973 match per KGB orders. Otherwise it is also true however that Keres was denied a valid chance to play for the title. To me both these men should have, by all reasonable accounts, become World Champions. I say Korchnoi because, due to his longevity and the number of GM scalps he has taken over the years I give hime just a slight edge plus his almost Ivanchuk creativity harkening back to the modern golden age of chess.
@Jacob Aagaard
Jacob, any plans for GM Repertoire The Dutch? Thanks guys for all the hard work and excellent, excellent products!
Here is the Boris question. When are you going to do a book on Rubinstein?
@Jacob: I thought the one that was done was for playing, not viewing top tournaments? Or maybe I don’t know all previous QC blog polls by heart, but that would be disappointing.
@Steve S.
So Keres gets slammed for having a heart attack? You’re a tough grader.
Poll question: Should there be a GM Repertoire The Colle?
If so, I’ll certainly purchase it on FC.
@John Johnson
I never EVER mentioned a heart attack nor in any way, shape or form did I slam Keres. Not sure at all where you got such a ludicrous idea John. As well I also think Rubinstein, Nimzowitsch and Timman come to mind.
@Remco G
We are talking maybe 18 months ago…
@Bill
Oxymoron
It would seem so if the elite were not using the London seriously (or Kramnik the g3 thing he uses). At this point it seems that anything that gives you a healthy position is worth a chance, as there seems no way to get a minor advantage anywhere anyways.
@Steve S.
Or Bronstein.
@Ray
Don’t get me started on Davidovich. I sometimes think he, above all else, deserved to be World Champion at least 3 times! 🙂
The @Jacob Aagaard
Agreed ?
Poll : What is the country where QC books are the most sold ? 1-China 2- Germany 3- UK 4- USA
@Pinpon
That sounds more like a quizz to me…
Right – so ” will be in the N years to come “
Besides Rubinstein, Nimzovich, Bronstein, Keres, Korchnoi, Tarrasch also seems a contender for best never world champion. In my personal opinion, Timman is not and neither is Ivanchuk. At least one year where you were the best sounds reasonable, not only counting the highs but also the lows.
@Oscar
Ivanchuk was number one in the live ratings in 2007. So were Carlsen, Kramnik, Anand, Topalov. Maybe one more.
@Oscar
You are free to disagree but he was second strongest on the planet in rankings for : By 1982 Timman was ranked second in the world, behind only Anatoly Karpov. In the 1980s he won a number of very strong tournaments, including Amsterdam IBM in 1981, Wijk aan Zee 1981, and 1985, Linares 1988, the 1989 Euwe Memorial, and the 1989 World Cup tournament in Rotterdam. Other major successes included Las Palmas 1981, Mar del Plata 1982, Bugojno 1984, and Sarajevo 1984. One of his notable later successes was the 2nd Immopar Rapid Tournament in 1991, a weekend event which attracted a huge amount of prize money. In this knock-out format tournament he defeated Gata Kamsky 1½–½, Karpov 2–0, Viswanathan Anand 1½–½, and finally the World Champion Garry Kasparov 1½–½ to win the first prize of approximately 75,000 USD. His performance was equivalent to an Elo rating of 2950.
@Oscar
Anyone who can beat Kamsky( at his best then), Vishy, and Garry has my vote for sure!
@Steven S.
By the way adjusted for American inflation (or global, etc.) his first prize of $75,000 had the same buying power as $309,356.32 in 2016.
Timman had its successes, surely, but I’d pick any of the others over him anytime. As for Ivanchuk, being first on the list for a while is quite a feat. But counting only the good periods, and not the bad ones immediately before or after, does not seem fair. If a good period would have lasted at least a year I’d think differently. Maybe that could be one of the requirements to decide about the best non world champion: being best of the world at least one year.
@Oscar
Carlsen was only number one for a day in 2007, in comparison. I am not sure Ivanchuk was no. 1 on any official lists either 🙂
So a next poll could be about the player who was closest to / most deserved / something else being world champion? Phrasing the question is difficult for me. Ivanchuk was stronger than Tarrasch, still I think the latter was better compared to the time he played in.
Look at Havanna: Chucky is alive and kicking!