George Duke wrote on Mon, Feb 25, 2008 05:26 PM UTC:
Like Bobby Fischer to some extent, GM Milan Vukcevich (1937-2003) spoke on
Chess eccentricities, changes, and problem-composing openmindedly -- unlike stuffed shirts among GMs today. Exact quotes from V's address 8.August.1998 at Big Island, Hawaii, USA:
''Do you know that one needs three Grasshoppers to checkmate a bare
King? Do you know that when you put a Rook on an infinitely distant point
it attacks every square on a Lobachevsky chessboard?''
'' As a parallel, look at modern Chess problems. Composers play with
many fairy pieces: Grasshoppers, Paos, Laos, and Vaos, Nightriders,
Imitators, Sentinels, Orphans, and much more. On the other hand, a type of piece called Anti-Circe cannot be controlled without extensive help from a
good computer.'' ''Changes are already under way on another level: tournaments are being organized for Fischer Chess, Progressive Chess, and 3D Chess. Do you know that in the Italian city of Rimini there is an annual tournament for three-dimensional Chess? Let us recognize that people who organize the 3D tournament in Rimini are mostly Chess composers. If you think that they are lesser players, think of the complexities of Andernach Chess, where a capturing piece changes colour and strength. Do you know who your Queen is five moves from now? We definitely should be on the forefront of change, and we should recognize and support those who relentlessly explore in sometimes real wild territories.'' -- Vukcevich [Strictly verbatim with some switched order of presentation; to be continued]
