I’ve decided that I would like to discuss something that I think nobody hates. We were having some good discussions in a Great Debates hijack about Tigran Petrosian, a former world champion, so this seemed like a good idea.
Credentials: (Not much, but here they are…) I used to play tournament chess on a weekly basis, and I’ve actually won prize money and trophies. I was at one time the North Carolina Class A champion, and was twice invited to the North Carolina Closed Championship. I was once an elected officer of the NCCA (North Carolina Chess Association). When I stopped playing, my rating was 2180, which was 20 points shy of Master. My title was only “Expert” (2000 - 2199). But I have beaten masters in rated tournament games.
I’ve played against GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Lev Alburt, and former world champion, GM Victor Korchnoi. All of these grandmasters chewed me up and spat me out. I was involved in the 1980s effort to bring back Bobby Fischer so he could defend his crown in a match with Anatoly Karpov. We even corresponded with his personal secretary. (No, I don’t know where he is.)
There are probably better players here than I am, but this just seemed like fun. So if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.