The Tiger Woods of chess comes to town

The Star Tribune ^ | 2-22-2003 | Peg Meier

[Cagey]

The man who has been called the Tiger Woods of chess -- "but I make a little less money than Tiger" -- is in the Twin Cities this weekend to whip up kids to push that pawn and check that king.

[Cagey]

Kids do enjoy chess if someone takes the time to show them how it's played.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Chess needs strategies. So does life.

He's right there.

[Mr. Mulliner]

When I read the phrase "Tiger Woods of chess," I wasn't thinking "black chess player." I was thinking it must refer to someone who dedicated himself at an early age to the game of chess and showed genius at it.

As much good as Tiger Woods might do in his success at golf, I hate to see him become a racial icon. It's not race that got him where he's at and it shouldn't be race that makes him someone to look up to.

The same applies to this chess player.

[PJ-Comix]

This isn't so unusual. I remember seeing elderly Jewish men and young black men playing chess with each other all the time at a park that I think was in the Fairfax area of L.A.. I've also witnessed a similar scene at other places as well.

[Balata]

FYI

[FReepaholic]

>>...Kids do enjoy chess if someone takes the time to show them how it's played...<<

If you've been wondering if our video game driven kids have the ability to quietly sit still for hours, just go to a youth chess tournament.

It's amazing. I can't sit still that long.

[Cagey]

As much good as Tiger Woods might do in his success at golf, I hate to see him become a racial icon.

Tiger Woods would probably be the first to agree with you. I think it was shortly after one of his first big wins when Clinton asked him to come to the White House for a publicity photo op and Tiger declined the invite knowing he was going to be used because of his race.

Hole n one probably knows the details.

[tictoc]

Check out some of GM Ashley's games here.

[jpl]

As much good as Tiger Woods might do in his success at golf, I hate to see him become a racial icon. It's not race that got him where he's at and it shouldn't be race that makes him someone to look up to.

One of the great things about Tiger is that he agrees with you 100%! He's about the furthest thing there is from a racialist. Jesse Jackson tried to "co-opt" him a couple of years back and Tiger, God bless him, basically told Jackson to go f**k off.

[Mr. Mulliner]

I think the NY Times tried to shame him last year when he refused to say that Augusta should allow women as members. That raised my respect level for Tiger even more.

[mhking]

I'm pretty rusty - used to be pretty good at chess; It's high time I pulled out my chess board and taught my kids to play...

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[pupdog]

If you've been wondering if our video game driven kids have the ability to quietly sit still for hours, just go to a youth chess tournament.

It's amazing. I can't sit still that long.

And yet, a good game of chess, or any similar mental battle, can be as intense an experience as any of our modern information-overload diversions (this from someone who enjoys them both). The loss here is in how few people are investigating these classic games to see that for themselves.

[tictoc]

For your kids:

Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess (CD ROM).

Of course, learning from Dad is even better.

[VeritatisSplendor]

Ashley is a solid player with a fair amount of natural talent, but not enough to be world-class. For a player of his ability to become a Grandmaster requires complete dedication, and everyone on the American chess scene was very pleased to see him make it after many years of slow but steady progress.

The year before he achieved the GM title, he just missed making his final qualification because the average rating of his opponents in a tournament was a couple of points too low. (The problem is that in chess your score must be a multiple of 1/2 point because you can only win, lose, or draw -- so he might have had 7 points out of 10 when a GM performance was 71%, but the next possible score for him would have been 7.5 which was well over the required level.) Usually, in such cases, the player petitions for an exception to the qualifying rules, and these exceptions are usually granted when it is just a matter of "rounding off", and would certainly have been in his case.

Ashley refused to do this even though it would have achieved his life's ambition. He wanted no special treatment of any kind, even though it was something which was routinely given to anyone in his situation. He knew he'd eventually make it.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Yeah, but let's cut some slack. There's plenty positive in this story; just his mother's attitude towards American opportunity says a lot. So if indeed it's hype to suggest that one of the 400 best chess players is equivalent to the best golfer, OK.

But the guy is attempting to inspire excellence in children who are tempted by the Jacksons and Sharptons of this country to become cynical. There is simply no surplus of people in this country successfully working at that.

[judgeandjury]

Tiger Woods - The Maurice Ashley of golf.

[Movemout]

I love it when black people bust a barrier; tennis, golf, chess-- it doesn't matter. A Grand Master is one heck of a chess player, period. Just think of the example he sets. I was a very good chess player at a very early age but I was burned out on it before I was twenty. This guy hung in there and became a GM. My hat is doffed in his general direction. How much better example is he than some thuggish hip-hop artist? Dare to be smart and educated at the same time. That is the trick.

[realpatriot71]

How does one become a "grandmaster"?

[Cagey]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE				Contact:  Eric C. Johnson
March 18, 1999                                    (845) 562-8350
Press Release #8 of 1999

ASHLEY MAKES FINAL GM NORM AT MANHATTAN TOURNEY, BECOMES FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN GRANDMASTER

Maurice Ashley earned his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Manhattan Chess Club March International, held March 5-15 in New York, N.Y.

Ashley, 33, of Brooklyn, N.Y., scored 6 out of a possible 9 points to finish in second place in the 10-player tournament. GM Georgy Timoshenko (UKRAINE) won the event with 8 points.

Ashley, who already holds the title of International Master, becomes the first African-American player to qualify for the Grandmaster title. The Grandmaster title is an honor awarded by the World Chess Federation (FIDE), an international organization based in Switzerland.

An estimated 600 players worldwide hold the Grandmaster title. Of these, approximately 45 are U.S. players.

Players qualify for the Grandmaster title by collecting a series of norm performances in high-level events. Once a sufficient number of norms is achieved, the player's national federation submits an official title application to the FIDE Qualifications Committee for review.

When a player meets or exceeds the technical requirements, the confirmation of the title is automatic.

The U.S. Chess Federation will be submitting a Grandmaster title application for Ashley at the next FIDE Qualifications Committee meeting, to be held later this year.

For more information about titles and ratings, check the USCF website at USCF FAQ, or the FIDE website at www.fide.com.

For more information about this and other chess events, contact Assistant Director Eric C. Johnson, U.S. Chess Federation, 3054 NYS Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553; phone: (845) 562-8350; FAX: (914) 561-2437; World Wide Web: http://www.uschess.org

[realpatriot71]

How does one accumulate points? I would click the link, but if you can give me "the long and the short" of it . . .

[Cagey]

For a med student you sure are lazy...I thought you guys worked your butts off...

Really, that USCF FAQ link is pretty concise and gives an example of a player earning points. Check it out.

[Movemout]

45 Americans out of 250M people. Amazing accomplishment!

[realpatriot71]

I thought you guys worked your butts of

Don't believe the hype. I'll check the link. :-)

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

This guy was one of the color (no pun intended) commentators during the recent Kasporav/DeepThought match, televised on ESPN. He did a great job.

Also, listening to them really showed how chess players get a "feeling" for whether a move is good or not. Granted, Ashley and the other commentator didn't have time to study the moves as much as if they were actually playing, but they were saying things like "that's the kind of move you just make, b/c it feels good." I thought it was fascinating. Obviously, it takes a lot of practice before that "feeling" is likely to be right.

[Cagey]

Thanks for that link. I had no idea that type of link was on the internet and it's fascinating to watch a game in progress. Way, way, beyond a level I'd understand though.

You might enjoy reading post #20.

[Warrior Nurse]

Finally a Grandmaster that does not have anything to do with Rap Music.

Where is the NAACP on this issue? How about Al Sharpton or Je$$e Jackson?

[Cagey]

Where is the NAACP on this issue? How about Al Sharpton or Je$$e Jackson?

Exactly. This man made it completely on his own so they don't dare hold him up as an example. But, it seems as if he is making his own mark even if it is in a small way. I'll take that any day.

[MHGinTN]

Thank you for posting that, tictoc. I was wondering if we could take a look at a few of his games, to see if he's a Petrosian or a Morphy or a Spassky.

[Mr. Mojo]

watching Tiger realize his dream [at the 1997 Masters tournament in Augusta, Ga.], that convinced me that I needed to change my life and go chase mine. . . . He showed that a person of color could excel at anything."

Actually, a "person of color" was possibly the greatest of all the chess grandmasters --- Jose Raul Capablanca. This Ashley guy didn't even need to look outside his own sport to find inspiration, if indeed racial inspiration is what he desired. (And I have no idea why he needed it).

[MHGinTN]

He's sort of a Paul Morphy. I like the slashing techniques with solid combination threats he employs!

[Wyatt's Torch]

Have to disagree with you here. Tiger is (by some accounts) or will be the greatest golfer in the history of the game. Ashley's accomplishment is outstanding but it does not compare to being the best of all time.

[tictoc]

With apologies for flogging a dead thread (but there's no one here but us chickens anyway!) here is an interview with GM Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley's co-commentator in the recent Kasparov-Junior match.

His gracious comments about Ashley show that these two are classy types. On a side note, I was very pleased to see how well-dressed both were; quite a contrast to the slovenly appearance many top chess players unfortunately exhibit.

Ashley and Seirawan

Gratuitous babe pic:

Anna Hahn, 2003 USCF Women's Champion