Searching for Bobby sAviOr

whatthefat

United States918 Posts

September 30 2011 17:47 GMT

There are many parallels between the games of Chess and Starcraft, most notably that they are both strategy games played at a highly competitive level. Chess is a tad bit older, with the modern rules being around 600 years old. However, the evolution of chess and its championship cycle has occurred on a much slower timescale than Broodwar’s, meaning their histories can be reasonably compared. Inspired by that line of thinking, and the beautiful work of others in analyzing and visualizing player ratings for both Chess and Broodwar, I decided to write a mostly non-serious account of their respective histories and the intertwined stories of their greatest players. I know there have been many other Chess/Broodwar comparison threads, but I wanted to do something a little different.

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In the distant past, Chess was a very different beast. Pieces moved differently, and the rules of the game differed. Around 1500 AD, a transformation occurred, and the game took on its modern form. Similarly, Broodwar went through a transformative change with the landmark patch 1.08 in early 2001.

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As Queens and Dropships gained in movement speed, the games became more dynamic, setting the groundwork for the future evolution into popular competitive games. In this, the earliest stage of life for both games, outstanding players discovered basic principles. Maynard popularized his namesake technique of transferring workers, while Philidor emphasized the value of pawn structure in dictating the flow of the game. Basic openings were developed, although opening theory remained relatively rudimentary.

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As the two games continued to evolve, so too did the level of competition. In later years, the games of Chess and Broodwar were to be dominated by their Russian and Korean contingents, respectively. However, at this stage, players from all over the world were competing on level terms.

Howard Staunton was among the first of the great talents, dominating the Chess world throughout the 1840s. Meanwhile, H.O.T.-Forever, one of the first pro players, became one of the highest rated Broodwar players from 2000-2003.

Perhaps the greatest talents of this era came from North America. The legendary Paul Morphy demonstrated his talents as a child prodigy, and went on to briefly become the strongest Chess player the World had yet to see in the late 1850s, before abruptly retiring. In the Broodwar scene, the Canadian player Grrrr... hit the top in 2000, bringing a new level of strategy and creativity to the game.

To this point, both Chess and Broodwar had been played on raw talent and imagination. Brilliant players like Joseph Blackburne in Chess and GARIMTO in Broodwar triumphed by their clever and unorthodox ideas, but had little in the way of serious preparation compared to the greats of today.

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That was all to change as two highly innovative players shot to the top, revolutionizing their respective games. In Chess, Wilhelm Steinitz became the first official World Champion, and developed the first rigorous theory of the positional elements of the game. Meanwhile, BoxeR brought an unprecedented level of training in basic mechanics and micro to the game of Broodwar, dominating the game with his highly entertaining style.

Both BoxeR and Steinitz cemented their dominance by emphatically overcoming an extremely powerful and aggressive rival; for BoxeR it was YellOw, while for Steinitz it was Anderssen. Today, BoxeR and Steinitz are remembered as pioneers who laid the way for all future players.

The respective reigns of Steinitz and BoxeR were eventually eclipsed by the rise of even greater talents. In 1894, Steinitz was convincingly defeated for the World Chess Championship by a new contender, Emanuel Lasker. The rematch in 1896 was even more one-sided, beginning a 10 year period in which Lasker dominated nearly every tournament he entered. Meanwhile, BoxeR was upstaged by the young talent NaDa, who went on to become one of the greatest Broodwar players of all time, and the first golden mouse winner.

Both NaDa and Lasker displayed tremendously longevity. NaDa holds the longest Top 30 streak in the KeSPA Rankings, lasting 87 months. Lasker was World Chess Champion for 27 years, longer than any other player. Both players also made significant contributions outside of their games: Lasker to the field of pure mathematics, and NaDa to the field of bodybuilding.

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BoxeR and Steinitz left significant legacies. Steinitz's theory proved highly valuable in the world of Chess, and shaped the play of the next generation of greats, including Capablanca. Similarly, BoxeR helped to train some of the greatest players of the next generation, including iloveoov.

Jose Raul Capablanca was a highly prodigious talent, who exploded onto the chess scene in 1909 when he defeated the US champion with 8 wins to 1. He was renowned for his incredibly fast and flawless play, earning him the nickname 'the chess machine'. After dominating the chess world for a decade, he faced Lasker for the World Championship in 1921, winning the match without a single loss. Capablanca's games continue to inspire today, and have even been shown to match as closely to the moves of a computer as any modern day champion's.

Iloveoov achieved a similar level of dominance in the game of Broodwar. Recruited by BoxeR, he hit the top in 2003, crushing his way to victory in 5 starleague finals over the next three years. Known as the "Cheater Terran" for his untouchable macro skills, he is considered one of the greatest Broodwar players of all time. His streak of 33-3 from 2003-2004 is the best streak of all time, and his streak of 25-0 is the longest ever winning streak in TvZ.

Capablanca was ultimately toppled by Alexander Alekhine, an extremely talented and hardworking Russian player. Alekhine had a long and impressive career, and at his height, he completely dominated the chess world. He was particularly known for his calculating skills, and his ability to turn the flow of a game to his favor, often in unexpected and imaginative fashion.

GoRush had a long and successful Broodwar history, winning the World Cyber Games in 2000, before temporarily taking a break. On his full return, GoRush climbed to the top of the Broodwar scene, taking an MSL title in 2005 on the heels of iloveoov. At his best, GoRush was particularly renowned for ability to dictate the flow of a game through his incredible game management skills.

After bearing witness to some extraordinary early talents, the games of Chess and Broodwar had evolved to a new level of competition. The talent pool for both games ran incredibly deep, and battles for the top prizes became increasingly fierce.

In this hyper-competitive era, two players managed to rise above the rest: World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik, and golden mouse winner July. Both distinguished themselves by extraordinary performances in finals matches. Botvinnik made a name for himself in 1938, with a stunning victory over Capablanca. He first won the World Chess Championship in 1948, and for a period of several years he was leagues ahead of his competitors. In 1957 he lost the championship for the first time, but went on to win it back again on two more occasions in 1958 and 1961. Throughout his career, Botvinnik made significant contributions to chess theory, raising the level of preparation required of top players.

July was a dominant force in the Broodwar scene from 2003-2005, breaking iloveoov's 25-0 winning streak against Zerg, and crushing his way through to several tournament victories, including two OSLs. Despite a subsequent slump, he recaptured his earlier form to win another starleague in 2008, thereby becoming the first Zerg to win a golden mouse. July's development of mutalisk micro remains one of the most important theoretical contributions to the game.

One of the greatest chess talents was perhaps Mikhail Tal, a player with an unrivaled intuition for attacking play. Tal experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the chess world, going from a relative unknown in 1957 to winning the World Championship from Botvinnik in 1960 with his hyper-aggressive play. Sadly, however, from here forward his career was plagued by health issues, and though he made a few promising attempts to return to the pinnacle of chess, he never recaptured his early glories.

In the world of Broodwar, GGPlay experienced a similarly rapid rise to the top, culminating in his 2007 DAUM OSL victory, highlighted by his singular defiler control. However, his play dramatically disintegrated after this, as he was crippled by carpal tunnel syndrome. Although in subsequent years he occasionally appeared to be on his way back to the top, he too never fully recovered his best form.

This was a golden era for both Chess and Broodwar, and it played host to a pantheon of great talents, many of whom went on to compete at the top level for many years.
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Chess was not ready for what came next. Nor was Broodwar.

After a relatively stable period, both games were about to be rocked by perhaps their greatest talents - and certainly their greatest tragedies. Enter sAviOr. Enter Bobby Fischer.

In a climate where Zerg was considered hopelessly underpowered, sAviOr’s stupendous run of five consecutive MSL finals (3 victories) and an OSL victory was unprecedented. Winning with ridiculous ease against all races, he completely redefined the way Zerg is played.

Similarly, Fischer fought the odds to take down the Russians single-handedly. His absurd run to the world title included consecutive 6-0 victories over Taimanov and Larsen (with zero draws - remembering that more than half of all chess games at the top level are draws), followed by a 6.5-2.5 dismantling of the former World Champion Petrosian and a 12.5-8.5 victory in the final versus Spassky. In the middle of the cold war, the entire Russian chess school had united to try to stop Fischer, but he proved to be an unstoppable force.

Tragically, both players were to leave the limelight as dramatically as they had arrived, leaving their many fans aghast. After crashing to a 0-3 MSL final loss against Bisu, sAvioR entered a slump from which he never recovered. Then in 2010, tragedy turned to catastrophe when he was permanently banned for his involvement in match fixing.

After his world title victory, Fischer, growing increasingly paranoid, refused to defend his Championship title against Karpov and announced his retirement.

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Both Chess and Broodwar had been advanced to completely new levels of play by sAviOr and Fischer. And both games were left badly wounded in the absence of their fallen heroes.

In this new era, Viktor Korchnoi rose to challenge for the Chess World Championship. Having enjoyed success in the 1960s, he brought his play to an entirely new level in the 1970s and 1980s. Considered by many to be greatest player never to become World Champion, he was well known for his scrappy and aggressive style.

In the post-sAviOr era, Bisu rose to become one of the strongest Protoss players of all time. From 2007-2008 he won 3 MSL titles, the most starleague titles achieved by any Protoss player. In the process, he generated a revolutionary new style of PvZ, and gained the nickname ‘Ninja Toss’ for his dark templar harassment skills.

The player to take Fischer’s throne was the new World Champion, Anatoly Karpov. Desperate to prove his worth as the new champion, he dominated the tournament scene in a way no previous champion had. After twice successfully defending his title against Korchnoi, Karpov had proved himself to be far and away the world’s best player. His incredibly solid style drew comparisons to Capablanca, and his endgame skills were unrivaled.

In the world of Broodwar, it was soon clear who the heir to sAviOr’s throne should be: Jaedong, another astonishingly talented Zerg. After announcing his presence with a 12-0 run against Terran in 2007 and his first starleague victory. He went on to prove that his ZvZ and ZvP were equally proficient, and made invaluable theoretical contributions to all three match-ups. Jaedong's mechanics were also nearly flawless, giving him a tremendous edge over his contemporaries.

Were it not for the fact that their careers happened to overlap with those of the next two great players, Karpov and Jaedong may well have been considered the greatest of all time in their respective games. Unfortunately for them, Kasparov and Flash had other plans.

Garry Kasparov ignited the Chess world when he won a Grandmaster tournament at the age of 16 despite having no rating, after being accidentally included. Within 5 years he was the number 1 ranked player, and beat Korchnoi and Smyslov to gain the right to challenge Karpov for the World Championship. Following a protracted match that was cancelled after 48 games, he won the rematch to become the youngest ever World Champion at the age of 22. Over the next 20 years, Kasparov went on to achieve a never before seen level of consistent dominance, being continually ranked world number 1 from 1985 to 2004. His play was immensely strong in every area of the game. He was especially renowned for his monstrous calculating abilities and incredible aggression. He also ushered in a new level of pre-game preparation with his extremely deep analyses.

Flash had an ignominious arrival onto the Broodwar scene, cheesing Bisu out of the Daum OSL. However, it was not long before his immense talent was recognized by all. In 2008 he became the youngest ever OSL winner at the age of 15, beating Jaedong and Bisu. His career temporarily faltered in 2009, before reaching a new level of dominance in 2010. During this time he reached the highest ever rating, scored the most ever KESPA points, and equaled NaDa's record for the most ever starleague titles (3 OSLs and 3 MSLs). Flash is known for being near flawless in every area of the game, being equally at home in aggressive and defensive positions. His innovations have led to significant advances in Terran strategies.

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In the wake of Kasparov and Flash, many new and promising talents have appeared onto the Chess and Broodwar scenes. These include Kramnik, Anand, Carlsen, Aronian and Topalov in Chess, and Stats, ZeRo, Effort, Fantasy, Hydra, and JangBi in Broodwar. Whether any of these players will recapture the levels of dominance achieved by their predecessors is currently unknown.

However, it is clear that the Russian stranglehold on Chess is gradually eroding as it becomes a more international game. Currently 3 of the top 5 players in the world are non-Russians. Whether a similar shift away from Korean dominance will ever occur in the world of Starcraft is unclear, but certainly the rise of the SC2 scene is bringing a more global involvement in Starcraft. I look forward with excitement to the future growth of both Starcraft (the world's number 1 e-sport) and Chess (the world's number 1 not-really-a-sport)!

Ack1027

United States7873 Posts

September 30 2011 17:59 GMT

As someone who is somewhat interested in the chess world and heavily invested in bw progaming this was a very cool article to read.

Got me to wiki a lot of the older chess players I have never heard about.

Also interesting to note that even though there are many similarities it doesn't look like korean's hold on bw will ever loosen simply due to bw's popularity level. Whereas Russians hold has been slipping.

Only criticism I would have is that I'm not sure what I'm exactly supposed to take away from the graphs. That they had similar performances? Oh..and the overexaggeration of savior but pretty much everyone on TL does this.

Danika

Mexico112 Posts

September 30 2011 18:03 GMT

great read i absolutelly loved the chess=broodwars style of the post