Author: Tord Romstad
Date: 06:36:08 10/31/03
Go up one level in this thread
On October 31, 2003 at 08:37:20, Alastair Scott wrote: >On October 30, 2003 at 14:39:42, Darren Rushton wrote: > >>[D] r5k1/ppp2r1p/3p3b/3Pn3/1n2PPp1/1P2K1P1/PBB1N2q/R2Q3R b - - 0 1 >> >>Does your program find 24...Rxf4!!! > >As others have pointed out, most if not do so almost instantly. The followup is >quite another matter :) Yes. This position is a good example of Bent Larsen's claim that "the major weakness of computer chess programs is tactics" (I don't remember the precise quote). While computer programs are good at finding shallow tactics quickly, they still can't match the best human players at finding extremely deep combinations. >On the subject of Nezhmetdinov, "Super Nezh - Rashid Nezhmetdinov" by Alex >Pishkin is, unfortunately, out of print but well worth tracking down. This book is a must have for any chess enthusiast who don't read Russian (there are better books about Nezhmetdinov in Russian, I think), despite its many weaknesses. The title is really tacky, of course. I also find it annoying that "Super Nezh" is substituted for Nezhmetdinov's name in all games. For instance, the game discussed in this thread is listed as "L. Polugaevsky-Super Nezh, 18th Russian ch. Sochi 1958". The analysis of the games also leaves a lot to be desired, it is mostly short and superficial. Reading in the preface of the book that Salo Flohr in 1954 was "in his prime and preparing to play a match with Alekhine" (who had been dead for several years at the time) made me wonder how accurate the historical part of the book really is. What makes the book worth reading despite its flaws is, of course, the fabulous games. Nezhmetdinov makes other attacking masters like Chigorin, Spielmann, Tal and Bronstein look conservative and cautious. For pure enjoyment, there are few chess books in my collection which can match Pishkin's book. It's sad to hear that it's out of print. Tord
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