A few weeks ago, I asked the following:
Which is the best chess playing style in your opinion?
– Positional (Smyslov, Petrosian, Karpov, Kramnik, etc.)
– Attacking (Tal, Shirov, Topalov, J. Polgar, etc.)
– All around (Spassky, Botvinnik, Fischer, S. Polgar, etc.)
I also said in the comments that I purposely left some names out.
Which category would you place the following players in?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
I think Kasparov is all around player. Anand is attacking player. Korchnoi seems to be able to play almost anything so I would call him all around. I am not sure of Xie Jun, but I would say she is all around. Susan you would know her very well, how would you classify her?
TFK
I think universal is best.
Kasparov is Tactician but can handle it all.
Anand is Universal.
Korchnoi is Positional/Strategic.
Xie Jun Tactician but strong in Strategic too.
Are you one of those girls who asks questions, just to be liked?
No Peter you moron shes trying to run an interesting blog! If you dont like it go somewhere else!!
TFK
Kasparov – attacking. Korchnoi – all around.
Anand – positional.
I never saw a Xie Jun game though. I’ll look her up on a website that stores games by player.
Kortschnoi is playing complications,defence and counter-attack
best attacking player is Topalov
he’s also the strongest in endgame
Anand is a tactical/attacking player who has acquired universal skills off late.
Same for Korchonoi.
I dont know about Xiw jun
Kasparov is not human. He is a super-human
Who drew the interesting knight picture used for this thread?
Anand is definitely a universal player who leans towards attacking play. I have read that his hero was Tal. That says it all.
Many people consider Kasparov to be universal and to be 2850 peak he has to play all parts of the game well. The critical question in my mind is can he mix it up with the best of the best. If he was truly a universal player, he would have no trouble playing those berlin positions against Kramnik, consequently Kasparov has to be classified as an attacking player. Also consider the difficulty he had against Karpov and the ease with with he plays Shirov and Anand.
This is not a criticism of Kasparov just a little analysis for the sake of classification.
I don’t know too much about Krochnoi’s style so I won’t make any comments there.
Regards.
i’m an average talented chess player: my enthusiasm is permanently overruled by my abilities :-))
– but there is one thing i defenitely know about theory of the roi lopez: the berlin variation is a winning attempt for black! there was no remedy, there is no remedy and – i suppose – there will be no remedy for the white players!
imagine berlin walls, nightly illuminated by knights – even gari kilmovich could not resist … :-))
by the way – back to topic – the best chess style is always the most successful – because the winner is always right!
sincerly, Vohaul
To be an elite grandmaster, one has to be skilled in all facets of the game. However, I think the question drives more at tendencies and preferences, rather than at simple ability. Kasparov’s hero was Alekhine, and I believe that this reverence is reflected in his play. He is most comfortable as an attacking player, and aggressively seeks the initiative. Anand is very well rounded, but he would also probably be considered to be an attacking player, although a good argument could me made for labeling him universal. Korchnoi is somewhat unique; in his youth he particularly loved to gain a material edge, weather any attacks, then defeat his opponent with counterplay. Later in his career (his 30’s), he began to value the initiative more highly. During his most successful years, as well as presently, I would classify him as a universal player. As for Xie Jun, I unfortunately am rather ignorant of her play, and as such, I will decline to comment. For those with a particular interest, I would advise reading Kasparov’s My great Predeccessors; they provide a detailed analysis of each World Champions particular style, as well as those of other elite players of the era. It is quite fascinating to explore how each individual player can approach the game from a unique angle, and build upon the advances of their forebearers. Find a hero, study them, and I promise you will find your love for chess will only continue to grow!
Kasparov is definetely a All-arround player.
I learn his game against IBM deep blue ^^