There is a small problem because stylistically Kasparov should be analogous to Jaedong and Karpov would be Flash, but in terms of Kasparov supplanting Karpov, Flash replaced Jaedong at the top. sAviOr/Fischer is especially apt. Particularly the intrigue they still inspire even when no longer playing their games professionally.

I wonder where Petrosian and Spassky fit, as Midas and Nal_ra? (Pringles 1).

Misanthrope

United States924 Posts

October 01 2011 07:41 GMT

#125

Whatthefat deserves a star. After the gift of the SQ formula to the SC world, perhaps one of the most fantastic contributions since APM, it's impossible to imagine him without one. This article clearly casts away any doubt the TL mods may have about issuing such a boon.

qck

United Kingdom201 Posts

October 01 2011 07:50 GMT

#126

Brilliant read, thanks a lot for putting this together.

Ventil

Sweden414 Posts

October 01 2011 08:12 GMT

#127

Sweet article. Really interesting and mindblowing to see the similarities between the two scenes!

sluggaslamoo

Australia4494 Posts

October 01 2011 08:15 GMT

#128

This is really cool.

Maybe also include the correlation between Kasparov's preparation and Flash's preparation. Flash's analysis of players and preparation before games is unparalleled in the Starcraft scene. It's the reason he rarely gets silvers in the grand finals. Flash always brings something new (but still amazingly solid) to every grand final, that makes even the best players look terrible.

IGotPlayguuu

Italy660 Posts

October 01 2011 08:34 GMT

#129

aahah very good post !

Malinor

Germany4758 Posts

October 01 2011 08:56 GMT

#130

That was a very entertaining read, thank you.

TheAmazombie

United States3714 Posts

October 01 2011 09:06 GMT

#131

This is awesome, especially since the innovations of Fischer and Morphy are some of my favorites ever. I love it.

fyyer

United States145 Posts

October 01 2011 09:10 GMT

#132

The blog layout was good, and the amount of work put into it was good as well. I think the comparisons are pretty laughable though. For example

Fischer dedicated his whole life to Chess, even after he "retired", he was still studying tournament games and trying to find improvements in people's games. He was obsessed. Bobby Fischer hated the collusion (calling it outright cheating) the Soviets were doing when they would agree to short draws with each other. Fischer was also arguably the best ever at Blitz Chess (fast chess). Savior on the other hand is a slow APM BW player, and was proven to collude with other Koreans for profit. If Fischer himself would have played BW, he would have hated Savior.

What Botvinnik brought to the table was the idea of serious game preparation before a match. Before Botvinnik, home preparation was an after-thought, post Botvinnik it was taken very seriously. I don't recall July ever being known for studying his opponents and preparing accordingly.

Karpov was a slow "constricting" positional Chess player, Jaedong is a wildly aggressive BW player. The only relation Jaedong and Flash have with their respective chess players you assigned them to is Jaedong is always #2 behind Flash, just like Karpov was always #2 behind Kasparov.

Morphy completely dominated EVERYONE during his days. He was also the most well versed in openings for his era. He literally couldn't be stopped while he played. USA couldn't stop him and when he went to Europe to challenge their best, they couldn't stop him. He was so good compared to his peers infact, that he at a certain point refused to play anyone unless he was given a handicap (usually by starting the game a pawn or knight down). Grrr.... massed carriers.

I could go on and on, but since you added this disclaimer, I guess it's alright:

I decided to write a mostly non-serious account of their respective histories and the intertwined stories of their greatest players

I think these comparisons minimize the amount of studying and preparation Chess players do. There is so much more effort involved with far less gains. In general though, good effort.

Iplaythings

Denmark9110 Posts

October 01 2011 09:12 GMT

#133

i absolutely dig the paralels

great read!

Sixotanaka

Australia191 Posts

October 01 2011 09:27 GMT

#134

I've always compared Capablanca and Grr... The way neither of them practiced very much, but still naturally owned the game. To later be surpassed by those who spent all their time on the game.

vol_

Australia1608 Posts

October 01 2011 09:53 GMT

#135

That was a great read!

icystorage

Jollibee19350 Posts

October 01 2011 10:24 GMT

#136

when i play chess, i really compare and use broodwar tactics and strategy in it. thank you for this entertaining article

HighTemper

Canada3867 Posts

October 01 2011 10:31 GMT

#137

Another article that I clicked out of boredom and thought of having a high chance of TLDR after the first paragraph, but I actually read through it word by word.

Great article. BW for another 500 years!!!