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                C O M P U T E R   P E R S O N A L I T I E S
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                             Chessmaster 7000
                                for the PC

                        Computer Personality Guide
                               Version 1.0
                           Last Updated 10/17/03

                      Written & Compiled by TestaALT
                      Email Address [email protected]

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=================
Table of Contents
=================

1. What's New?
2. Computer Personalities
    2.1  -  1 - 1000 ratings
    2.2  -  1001 - 2000 ratings
    2.3  -  2001+ ratings
    2.4  -  GrandMasters

3. Closing
    3.1  -  Credits
    3.2  -  Legal Disclaimer
    3.3  -  Contact Information

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You should now be at the beginning of the appropriate section.

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      1. What's New?
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Version 1.0  --  10/17/03  --  Completed.

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      2. Computer Personalities
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    Name: Name of player
  Rating: Rating the game gives them.
Biography: There past.

   Style: How they play,

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      2.1  -  1 - 1000 ratings

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    Name: Cassie
  Rating: 23
Biography: Cassie likes to make things.  Though she and her friends own a lot
          of dolls, Cassie rarely plays with hers.  She just makes things for
          them, like clothes, houses, and furniture.  She really likes the
          chess pieces in her parents' chess set and decided to make a big
          chess set of her own out of papier maché.  Her mom is teaching her
          how to play chess so when her new pieces are finished, she can play
          chess with them.

   Style: Cassie likes to hold onto her pieces for as long as possible which
          clutters up her side of the board and makes it hard for her pieces
          to move. She is rated 23.

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    Name: Ryan
  Rating: 28
Biography: Ryan loves to play tricks on people.  Sometimes he hides his
          sister’s shoes, and sometimes he steals the baloney from his
          brother’s sandwich.  He wants to be a magician when he grows up.
          He likes to pretend he’s never played chess before, so when people
          think they’re teaching him how to play, he can trick them and beat
          them.  This trick usually only works on kids, though.

   Style: Ryan's tries to trick people on the chess board so much that he
          usually winds up tricking himself. His complicated schemes make his
          chess play seem almost random (which is why he is rated 28).

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    Name: Pete
  Rating: 37
Biography: Pete would like to be a veterinarian when he grows up.  So far, his
          parents have gotten him a Golden Retriever, two cats (one white and
          one calico), a parakeet, a turtle, five goldfish, and one sea
          snail.  Pete takes very good care of his pets and hardly ever has
          to be reminded to feed them.  One time a baby sparrow fell out of
          its nest in his backyard and Pete helped nurse it back to health.
          He started playing chess when his uncle gave him a chess set where
          the pieces all looked like animals.

   Style: Pete's favorite chess piece is the knight (because it looks like a
          horse) and he will try to hold onto his knights for as long as
          possible. Sometimes this causes him to lose games. He is rated 37.

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    Name: Raina
  Rating: 52
Biography: Raina is a pediatrician who works in third world countries.  Most
          of her time is spent giving inoculations and educating communities
          on how to maintain sanitary conditions, but she occasionally gets
          the satisfaction of healing a sick child.  Though the people she
          works with are poor, they have rich traditions, and many of them
          have been playing chess for generations.  Raina didn’t play chess
          before she started working in third world communities, but she does
          now.

   Style: Raina overvalues the queen and will try to set up defensive
          postions in order to protect her. She is rated 52.

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    Name: Clyde
  Rating: 65
Biography: A professional chicken-sexer from Arkansas, Clyde looks on chess as
          one of the prissy things the managers at the hatchery do to impress
          each other. Actually, he's watched a number of games, so he knows
          how the pieces move, but he's not about to actually sit down and
          play a game - unless he's promoted to management, that is.

   Style: Clyde's moves are almost random. He may start moving his King for
          no particular reason or hang pieces like crazy. At a 65 rating, he
          should not be difficult to defeat.

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    Name: Bambi
  Rating: 76
Biography: When Bambi was a little girl she’d put on a show for her family as
          often as they’d sit still and watch.  As an adult, this flair for
          exhibitionism comes in handy in her job delivering singing
          telegrams.  When she first started she’d occasionally work as a
          stripper too, but no longer feels that’s a respectable profession.
          However, she has added pie-throwing to her repertoire, and has
          been hired to throw pies at many well-known politicians,
          entertainers, and businessmen.  Bambi's boyfriend enjoys chess and
          keeps trying to engage Bambi in games, but she has a hard time
          sitting still long enough to finish a game.

   Style: Bambi just barely knows the rules of chess and moves her pieces
          without consequence (which explains her 76 rating). On a good day
          she will last beyond 30 moves.

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    Name: Tracy
  Rating: 77
Biography: Tracy is a typical teenage girl.  She likes to hang out with her
          friends, talk about boys, go to the mall, and talk on the phone.
          She's very active in the drama club at her school and dreams of
          becoming a successful screen actress some day.  She started playing
          chess when one of her friends brought a chess set to a slumber
          party.  She's played a few times, but is not very good at it, nor
          is she interested in getting better.

   Style: Tracy knows all the rules of chess but wants to get the game over
          as fast as she can. She will trade away her pieces for the sake of
          speeding things up even if it means losing the game (that is why
          she is rated 77).

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    Name: Ben
  Rating: 84
Biography: Ben is a quiet boy who spends hours at a time playing with his
          model airplanes or looking at airplane books.  He likes to draw
          pictures (mostly of airplanes and helicopters) and can identify
          almost all of the airplanes that fly over his house.  He doesn’t
          have any brothers or sisters, but does have an iguana named
          Slippery Sam.  Ben’s dad just taught him how to play chess and he
          looks forward to their nightly after-supper chess matches.

   Style: Ben knows how all the pieces move but still isn't quite sure what
          to do with his pawns so he usually trades them off or ignores them
          all together. His rating is 84.

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    Name: Parker
  Rating: 90
Biography: By the age of three, Parker could identify most makes of cars.  If
          he saw a Jaguar (his favorite car), he could even tell you what
          year it was made.  His love of cars continues, and he hopes that
          one day he can be a car designer, preferably in Europe.  After
          seeing a chess table in the back seat of a Rolls Royce at a car
          show he decided it would be cool to learn how to play chess.

   Style: Parker has learned the basics of chess pretty well except that he
          forgets about his pawns. When he loses, it is usually because his
          opponent has captured all his pawns. He is rated 90.

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    Name: Josie
  Rating: 121
Biography: As the voice of 'Silly Goose', a character in a popular children's
          television show, Josie has all the trappings of success without the
          deterrents of fame. Josie played chess for awhile as a teenager,
          but hasn't played in quite a long time.

   Style: Josie plays for fun and is not overly concerned with the outcome of
          the game. She tends to leave pieces unguarded and does not have a
          long-term strategy. She is rated 121.

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    Name: Dottie
  Rating: 167
Biography: Dottie is a beloved piano teacher, having taught scales and
          arpeggios to hundreds of impressionable students over the years. In
          an effort to share one of his interests, her husband recently tried
          to teach her to play chess, but she had a difficult time thinking
          past the first few moves.

   Style: Dottie's lack of experience makes her an easy opponent to defeat.
          She tends to overvalue queens and undervalue rooks. Her rating is
          167.

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    Name: Elena
  Rating: 177
Biography: Elena is a bookkeeper for a small sporting goods firm. A single
          parent of a nine year-old daughter, Elena recently learned to play
          chess at a parents' night out at her church. She's now trying to
          teach her daughter to play.

   Style: Elena is a beginning player (177) who tends to play erratically
          after the first couple of moves. She tends to overvalue pawns.

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    Name: Kamika
  Rating: 188
Biography: Kamika likes games and is very good at jumping rope.  She knows how
          to count backward from 1000 (which drives her big brother crazy).
          Kamika loves to make up stories and taught herself to play chess by
          making up stories about the chess pieces.  Her second favorite
          chess piece is the Knight, and her most favorite is the Queen.
          Sometimes she leaves the chess pieces in her dollhouse (which also
          drives her big brother crazy).

   Style: Kamika is a beginning player with a rating of 188. She knows how
          all the pieces move but doesn't organize them very well. She values
          her queen and knights dearly and will only trade them if her
          opponent is willing to do the same.

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    Name: Petra
  Rating: 191
Biography: Petra is an artist on a very small scale: she paints elaborate
          designs on fingernails.  Having taken a job as a manicurist to work
          her way through art school, Petra ended up combining both areas of
          her life, and is now in high demand as a specialty fingernail
          painter.  One of her most interesting creations was a chess set
          painted on the nails of a grandmaster, who was using her
          fingernails as a ploy to distract her opponent in a championship
          match.  Petra watched the match (which her client won) and learned
          a bit about chess in the process.

   Style: Petra understands the rules of chess but doesn't understand any of
          the strategy. She moves quickly with little thought to the
          consequences. Her rating is 191.

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    Name: Niko
  Rating: 222
Biography: Niko's sister, Kia, absolutely hates creepy-crawly things like bugs
          and snakes, which is one of the reasons Niko really likes them.  He
          has a collection of 26 different bugs he's found at the park and in
          his family's back yard.  His mom won't let him actually keep any
          snakes, but he still brings one home every now and then anyway.  He
          likes to play chess with Kia because he beats her sometimes.

   Style: Niko likes to go on the attack. He will charge at his opponent
          which tends to make him reckless with his queen and forget about
          the safety of his king. He is rated 222.

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    Name: Winston
  Rating: 235
Biography: Winston is the CEO of a company that rents portable toilets.  He
          more or less fell into his current position when he married a woman
          whose father owned the company.  The old man retired shortly after
          the marriage, and Winston was given the job.  In truth, Winston
          thinks his job stinks, but is just lazy enough to not go after
          another position.  Whenever possible, he avoids work by sitting in
          his office and playing quite a bit of computer solitaire and chess.

   Style: Winston frequently falls victim to simple combinations. He doesn't
          take the time and look at the board position, he likes to make
          moves on instinct (which is why his rating is 235).

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    Name: Dana
  Rating: 273
Biography: Dana is a woodworker who creates beautiful wooden furniture. He
          mostly uses hand tools and adds delicate hand-carved touches to all
          of his pieces.  As a side-line, he also custom-designs chess sets
          for serious players and collectors.  Though he loves the look and
          feel of chess pieces, he pretty much hates the game.  He’s only
          played a few times, and doesn’t really care if he plays much again.

   Style: Dana moves very quickly without much thought to consequences. He is
          vulnerable to combinations. His rating is 273.

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    Name: Dominic
  Rating: 330
Biography: A professional soccer player in his native Italy, Dominic takes
          soccer very seriously and spends every waking moment toning his
          body and working on becoming a better player. He'll play chess when
          asked to, but doesn't really enjoy the game all that much as it
          takes him away from working out.

   Style: Dominic is a 330-rated novice player with no knowledge of opening
          theory. He plays recklessly and enjoys trading pieces.

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    Name: Ashley
  Rating: 343
Biography: Ashley is a fine art painter who uses traditional methods and
          materials to create works in the style of her favorite master,
          Rembrandt.  From time to time she is commissioned to paint a
          portrait or create what she calls 'couch art' (a painting designed
          to match the colors of someone’s couch), but otherwise, she’s
          pretty much a stereotypical starving artist.  Since she mostly
          likes to paint at night, she spends her days sketching city scenes,
          and often sketches chess players at her local park.

   Style: Ashley has picked up the rules of chess but is a little lean on
          strategy. Opening are the weakest part of her game. She is rated
          343.

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    Name: Mia
  Rating: 373
Biography: Mia has a tremendous fascination with other cultures and has pen
          pals all over the world.  She exchanges letters and gifts with
          children in Peru, South Africa, Hong Kong, France, Mexico, and
          Russia.  Mia speaks English only (plus a little Spanish), so
          communication is often difficult.  As a result, her Russian pen
          pal, Yuri, has introduced Mia to the concept of playing chess
          through the mail.  Every couple of weeks, one of them makes a chess
          move and sends it to the other.  So far, Yuri has won all of the
          games, but Mia is becoming a better chess player and may beat him
          one day.

   Style: Mia is a beginning chess player, her rating is 373. She knows that
          the queen is the most valuable piece in the game and goes to great
          lengths to keep her safe.

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    Name: André
  Rating: 397
Biography: André realized he had a special talent for drawing at the age of
          four when all of his friends kept asking him to draw monsters and
          dragons for them.  André and his older brother, Brett, are very
          close, and when Brett helps André with his math homework, André
          draws illustrations for Brett's science homework.  André and Brett
          learned how to play chess from their dad, and they often play chess
          matches after school.

   Style: André likes to try to surround his opponent and squeeze them into
          the middle of the board. Sometimes this works but often he gets
          checkmated before he can finish completing his plan. His rating is
          397.

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    Name: Kia
  Rating: 398
Biography: Kia is a talented ballet dancer who takes dance classes several
          hours a day, 6 days a week.  She has already danced the lead in a
          local production of the Nutcracker Suite and hopes to one day join
          a professional ballet company in New York or Europe.  When she's
          home she occasionally plays chess against her little brother, Niko,
          and really hates it when he beats her.

   Style: Kia makes sure all her pieces are well defended, sometimes she is
          so concerned with defending that she misses her opportunity to
          attack and win a piece. Her rating is 398.

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    Name: Skippy
  Rating: 402
Biography: The eternal party boy, Skippy has been in college for seven of the
          past eight years (don't ask about the missing year) and is hoping
          to be a senior next year. Voted by his fraternity as 'Most Likely
          to Drop Trou,' Skippy has actually played chess three times, even
          though he doesn't remember two of the games.

   Style: Skippy is a low-rated player (402) who plays quickly and gives
          little thought to the game. He will often drop pieces and has no
          sense of positional play. Wait for him to give the game away.

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    Name: Darcy
  Rating: 414
Biography: As an only child, Darcy hasn't had much exposure to other kids at
          home.  Perhaps that's why she spends so much time with kids when
          she's away from home.  A favorite babysitter for neighborhood
          families, Darcy also works afternoons at a daycare center.  Darcy
          knows how to play chess because she often baby-sits for Mariah, and
          Mariah taught her how to play.

   Style: Darcy has just begun to play chess and she gets really nervous
          about her opponent's queen. Sometimes she gets so worried that she
          overlooks other things on the chess board. Her rating is 414.

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    Name: Tex
  Rating: 427
Biography: Tex is from a long line of Texas oilmen and often brags that he,
          too, is an oilman.  Unfortunately, the reality is that Tex changes
          oil for a living.  Tex’s grandfather left Tex’s daddy, Slim, his
          wealth in oil wells, but by the time Tex was born, Slim had
          squandered the family fortune away.  Once Tex grew up, he decided
          to pursue his interest in cars, and became a decent mechanic.  Tex
          and one of his mechanic co-workers keep a running chess game going
          in the garage where they work.  Since their hands are always
          greasy, they created a chess set out of used oilcans.

   Style: Tex is a defensive player (rated 427). He trys to frustrate his
          opponent into making a mistake and then exploit it for the victory.

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    Name: Matthew
  Rating: 429
Biography: Matthew wants to be an architect when he grows up, just like his
          father.  When he was three or four years old, he created huge
          towers using all kinds of building sets and blocks to create
          different effects.  Now, his dad sometimes lets him use
          professional modeling materials to build model houses and office
          buildings.  Father and son also share a love of chess.

   Style: Matthew is rated 429. His dad has taught him well and he is an all
          around solid chess player, he just needs to keep practicing.

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    Name: Lydia
  Rating: 431
Biography: Lydia is a construction foreman who just began playing chess
          recently when progress on the building she was working on was
          delayed by torrential rains. Though she's only just begun playing,
          she thinks she's going to like the game.

   Style: Lydia approached learning chess by committing several opening lines
          to memory, which has greatly strengthened her opening play.
          However, since she doesn't understand the theory behind the
          openings, her play falls apart once the game leaves book. She is
          rated 431.

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    Name: Ross
  Rating: 521
Biography: Ross first looked at the moon through a telescope when he was five
          and camping with his family.  He immediately started begging for a
          telescope of his own.  He now owns three telescopes and spends
          almost every night scanning the skies for new discoveries.  His
          dream is to one day have a comet named after him.  In the evening,
          his mom often joins him on their back porch for a chess game, and
          while she ponders her chess moves, he gazes at the stars.

   Style: Ross likes to play an open game where his pieces can rocket around
          the board. This has a tendency to leave his king vulnerable to
          attack. Ross is rated 521.

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    Name: Andy
  Rating: 523
Biography: Andy is one of the more popular teachers at a large metropolitan
          high school.  An English teacher, he uses theatrics, props, and
          special effects to make subjects like Shakespeare, Keats, and
          Tolstoy come alive.  One of his more off-beat props is his use of
          chess pieces to demonstrate development of conflict, tension, and
          character dynamics.

   Style: Andy doesn't know much about chess openings and tends to overvalue
          his pieces. His rating is 523.

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    Name: Jax
  Rating: 528
Biography: Jax almost makes his living as a gambler.  A serious poker player,
          he travels around to different casinos and tournaments, and wins
          often enough to keep his habit going.  During his losing streaks
          (and he has many), he resorts to supplementing his income with bar
          bets, and several of his favorite variations involve chess.  Though
          he’s clever when faced with difficult chess positions, he’s doesn’t
          play well in game situations.

   Style: Jax almost makes his living as a gambler.  A serious poker player,
          he travels around to different casinos and tournaments, and wins
          often enough to keep his habit going.  During his losing streaks
          (and he has many), he resorts to supplementing his income with bar
          bets, and several of his favorite variations involve chess.  Though
          he’s clever when faced with difficult chess positions, he’s doesn’t
          play well in game situations.

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    Name: Manny
  Rating: 542
Biography: Manny is a state congressman representing a small town in New
          Jersey. During long congressional sessions he likes to play
          electronic games to stave off boredom. One of the games he owns is
          a pocket chess game, but he's not as good at it as he is at playing
          some of the sports and war-type games he owns.

   Style: Manny is a 542-rated beginning player who makes typical beginner
          mistakes: hanging pieces and not seeing combinations.

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    Name: Bonita
  Rating: 565
Biography: Bonita is an attorney and an idealist.  Having graduated near the
          top of her Berkeley law class she was invited to work at several
          top law firms, but chose instead to have her own small practice.
          She now dedicates herself to helping the downtrodden beat big
          business and big government.  Most of her clients are poor and as a
          result, she has accepted vegetables, home-baked bread, and car
          washes in return for her services.  One of the more unusual
          payments she received was for an immigration case, in which a
          Russian immigrant paid his fee by giving Bonita some very good
          chess lessons.

   Style: Bonita is a beginning chess player (rated 565). She values rooks
          and bishops almost the same and has a tendency to miss obvious
          combinations.

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    Name: Jerry
  Rating: 596
Biography: Jerry has been a fireman for 15 years.  A thrill-seeker, he loves
          the moments that involve actual fire-fighting, but hates the long
          waits in-between.  On his long days off he likes to go hang-
          gliding, dirt-biking, and scuba diving.  When confined to the
          firehouse, he and his fellow fire fighters pass the time by
          reading, lifting weights, and playing chess.  The loser of the
          chess matches usually cooks meals for the day.

   Style: Jerry is a reckless attacker. He goes after his opponent with no
          regard for position or his king's safety. He just likes to see the
          pieces fly (that's why his rating is 596).

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    Name: Seth
  Rating: 695
Biography: A recent college graduate, Seth is currently 'finding himself' by
          travelling across the country in an old VW van. Seth spends most
          evenings playing his guitar and writing love songs. He recently
          learned to play chess at a hostel near Boulder, Colorado and has
          since had a few more opportunities to play.

   Style: Seth is a beginning player who will tend to go for a draw even if
          he is slightly ahead. He likes to trade pieces when he can unless
          the queens are involved. He is rated 695.

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    Name: Jesse
  Rating: 695
Biography: Jesse enjoys skateboarding, playing basketball, and hanging out at
          the video arcade.  But he also feels a tremendous responsibility to
          help others.  So, he collects blankets for the homeless and
          volunteers every Sunday at a local soup kitchen.  Sometimes he
          organizes games for children at a local homeless shelter.  After
          somebody donated a chess set to the shelter, Jesse started playing
          the game and has taught a number of the children how to play as
          well.

   Style: Jesse likes to surprise opponents with attacks that seem to come
          from out of nowhere so he really values the pieces that can attack
          from long-range. His rating is 695.

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    Name: Shannon
  Rating: 701
Biography: Shannon has known for a long time that she wanted to be an
          astronaut when she grew up.  Toward that end, she has begun working
          toward her pilot's license, and is learning everything she can
          about the space shuttle and the people who are fortunate enough to
          go into outer space.  Her dream is to be able to go to Mars some
          day.  Shannon learned how to play chess when she was a young child,
          but doesn't find much time to play these days.

   Style: Shannon still remembers all the basics but is rusty in the opening.
          With practice Shannon should be able to improve her 701 rating.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Gabriela
  Rating: 709
Biography: Gabriela literally grew up at her family’s Mexican restaurant.  As
          soon as she could carry a plate without dropping it, she began
          helping out by bussing tables and washing dishes.  Now one of the
          restaurant’s most popular waitresses, Gabriela works hard, knowing
          that one day the restaurant will belong to her and her children.
          Between the lunch rush and the dinner set-up, many of the
          restaurant’s workers relax by challenging each other to games of
          chess.

   Style: Gabriela plays very defensively. She doesn't like to trade pieces
          unless pressed. She is rated 709.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Jenna
  Rating: 728
Biography: A registered nurse, Jenna has been a member of the Peace Corps in
          Central America for the last year and a half. She was quite
          surprised to discover that the local citizens are avid chess
          players. So, on many evenings she finds herself engaged in chess
          matches using beautiful, hand-carved chess pieces of a Mayan
          design.

   Style: Jenna has fairly good opening book knowledge for a beginning 728-
          rated player. She tends to avoid draws and does not always
          sufficiently protect her king.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Carrie
  Rating: 747
Biography: Carrie is a senior at a high school for gifted students. An
          overachiever, she's active in student government, theatre, the
          school newspaper, and several local charities. Though she knows a
          little about chess, she hasn't really had the opportunity to learn
          the game well enough to become a good player.

   Style: Carrie's lack of experience in the game is reflected in her 747
          rating. Although she is familiar with the relative values of the
          pieces, she is not usually able to exploit her opponent's errors.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Lisa
  Rating: 765
Biography: It took over a year of begging, but at the age of 12 Lisa finally
          convinced her dad to help her build a greenhouse in their backyard.
          Since then she's had the perfect place to grow orchids and conduct
          experiments on creating new strains of exotic plants and flowers.
          When not working at her interest in botany, Lisa sings in a band
          with four of her friends.  Lisa is frustrated when her twin
          sister, Lucy instigates arguments between the two of them, and
          often directs their rivalry to games of chess.

   Style: Lisa has developed a strategy to counter-act her sister Lucy. She
          will resist trading pieces and gets very defensive. She will try to
          clear the board of pawns and then go for the checkmate. Her rating
          is 765.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Brett
  Rating: 780
Biography: Brett loves to be outdoors, and his two favorite pastimes help to
          keep him there.  An avid swimmer, he's one of the best free-style
          swimmers on his school team.  His favorite hobby is photography,
          where his specialty is taking close-up pictures of patterns found
          in nature.  He works part time mowing lawns to be able to afford
          film and darkroom equipment.  Brett and his younger brother, André
          are very close and frequently play chess together.

   Style: Brett has the toughest time at the beginning of a chess game but
          once his opponent moves into his territory he sharpens up fast. He
          is rated 780.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Simon
  Rating: 785
Biography: Simon's dad was a professional soccer player in England, which may
          be one of the reasons Simon is such a great soccer goalie.  When
          not playing soccer, Simon also enjoys playing in a rollerblade
          hockey league and playing strategy games with his friends. He and
          his friends have recently begun playing chess as well, and Simon
          has discovered that he's quite good at the game.  He's now hoping
          to find more challenging opponents to practice his chess game on.

   Style: Simon has learned the fundamentals of chess pretty well, with
          practice he will become a tough opponent. His rating is 785.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Sonja
  Rating: 815
Biography: Sonja lives her life as a sort of professional 'wannabe.' A high
          school science teacher, she has tried out for the space program
          three times and been rejected three times. She has also been
          rejected as a contestant by the television show 'Jeopardy' four
          times. Her one great thrill was a one-time appearance on Wheel of
          Fortune, where she won $2,356. Also a chess 'wannabe,' she has
          spent a great amount of time learning about chess strategy and
          tactics.

   Style: Sonja has great technical knowledge about chess, but lacks the
          ability to string it together successfully in a game. She
          occasionally makes a brilliant play, but her games are thwarted by
          erratic moves and an over-dependence on the value of queens.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Billy
  Rating: 829
Biography: Watch out Mark McGwire!  Billy Logan is waiting in the wings!
          Billy eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball.  A first baseman, he
          plays every chance he gets and practices batting into a net in his
          backyard.  While supportive of their son's talent in baseball, his
          parents would like to see him do other things too, so they've been
          encouraging him to play chess with a cousin and a neighbor.  Much
          to his surprise, Billy likes chess quite a lot (but not as much as
          baseball).

   Style: Billy is an attacker who goes right after his opponent. With more
          practice Billy will become a formidable opponent. Right now his
          rating is 829.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Kendra
  Rating: 837
Biography: Kendra is a teenager who loves to cook, or to be more accurate, she
          loves to bake.  Whether it's lasagna, or cookies, or double
          chocolate hazelnut torte, Kendra is an expert at making good things
          come from the oven.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that her
          mother is a terrible cook, even managing to ruin macaroni and
          cheese.  On the other hand, Kendra's mother is an excellent chess
          player, and has slowly been teaching her daughter the finer points
          of the game.

   Style: Kendra gets really nervous about her opponent's queen and tries to
          do everything she can to get rid of it. Sometimes she pays so much
          attention to doing this that she gets herself in a bad position.
          She is rated 837.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Argyle
  Rating: 871
Biography: Argyle is the bass guitarist in a rock band that travels the
          country playing over 250 performances each year.  During their long
          bus trips, one of the ways the band members keep themselves
          occupied is by challenging each other to games of chess.  Roxy, the
          lead singer in the band, wins most of her games, so Argyle avoids
          playing her whenever he can.

   Style: Argyle has a tendency to play cramped and very defensive games. He
          is rated 871.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Raj
  Rating: 893
Biography: Raj is determined to find a cure for cancer.  As part of a team of
          genetic engineers, Raj is working on ways in which DNA can be used
          to combat disease and the destruction of cells.  Raj and his co-
          workers are very dedicated to their work, often toiling round the
          clock and on weekends.  To encourage his employees to take breaks,
          Raj’s boss recently added a ping pong table, dartboard, and chess
          table to the company break room.

   Style: Raj trades away his pieces without a second thought (which is why
          he is rated 893). He can easily be rooked into giving away
          favorable exchanges.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Jonesie
  Rating: 910
Biography: Jonesie is the guy who calls you during dinner to ask how you feel
          about the latest budget initiative in your city.  In between jobs
          doing telephone polls, he also works as a telemarketer, usually for
          one of the many available long-distance services.  He’s so
          accustomed to hearing the phone slammed down in his ear that it no
          longer bothers him.  While waiting for his automatic dialer to
          locate a live human being, Jonesie and his fellow telemarketers
          pass the time by playing tic-tac-toe and chess.

   Style: Jonesie is wild and daring on the chess board. He likes to try a
          lot of queen sacrifices and knight traps. Frequently he is victim
          of his own flamboyance. His rating is 910.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Lucy
  Rating: 945
Biography: If you talk to Lucy, be prepared for an argument.  It's not that
          she's a negative person, but she loves to engage people in debate,
          a trait that comes in handy as captain of her school debating team.
          She's also a member of the Young Democrats club, and hopes to have
          a career in politics.  Lucy and her twin sister, Lisa alternate
          between being best friends and friendly rivals.  One of the ways
          they work out their differences is over a good game of chess.

   Style: Lucy has developed a simple strategy where she trades off pieces
          and then trys to promote one of her pawns. It seems to work often
          enough, her rating is 945.

==============================================================================

      2.2  -  1001 - 2000 ratings

==============================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Bogie
  Rating: 1035
Biography: A professional hockey player by trade, Bogie has an extremely
          aggressive style on the ice. In contrast, he's a surprisingly
          gentle chess player. Perhaps that's because he mostly plays chess
          against his two daughters, aged six and eight.

   Style: Bogie's lack of experience and 1035 rating prevents him from
          putting together complex strategy, but his hockey experience has
          taught him the importance of controlling the center of the
          chessboard.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Mark
  Rating: 1103
Biography: Mark created his first web site as a teenager.  He’s grown with the
          industry and is now an in-demand Webmaster.  Many of the companies
          Mark has worked for have created instant millionaires among their
          employees.  Unfortunately, Mark has demonstrated a serious talent
          for bad timing, and has jumped ship just before each big score. Co-
          workers have begun to consider it a good omen when Mark leaves
          their company.  One of the web sites Mark created is for an on-line
          chess game.

   Style: Mark is good at attacking with his bishops. He uses them as sharp,
          vicious weapons. His weakness is that he inhibits their
          effectiveness by blocking them with his own pawns. His rating is
          1103.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Buddy
  Rating: 1140
Biography: Buddy is Jessica's younger brother. Having watched his older sister
          endure the pressures of being a chess star, Buddy has made sure
          that the same fate doesn't visit him. He often plays erratically
          and loses on purpose so his father will lose patience and end the
          chess lessons. Then Buddy happily joins his friends in his favorite
          pastime, skateboarding.

   Style: Buddy plays quite quickly and wants to get the game over quickly.
          He'll trade pieces at the drop of a hat and will take any
          opportunity for a draw. Although his raw chess skill is sound, he
          plays at a rating of only 1140.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Adam
  Rating: 1152
Biography: Adam is a computer game addict.  His parents have instituted strict
          rules about when he can and cannot play games on the computer,
          because otherwise he'd never get his homework done, or spend any
          time with friends and family.  Adam has been designing his own
          computer game, and secretly spends part of his homework time
          programming his new game.  He frequently plays chess online,
          because it's one of the few games his parents don't disapprove of.

   Style: Compared to his opponents, Adam undervalues his pieces. He focuses
          on promoting his pawns and finishing things up in the endgame. He
          has earned a rating of 1152 online.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Joey
  Rating: 1154
Biography: Joey is really into computers, but nobody would ever call him a
          nerd.  He's also the president of his class and one of the best
          gymnasts at his school.  His friends love to come to Joey's house
          to see all of the coolest computer games and Internet web sites.
          After his friends leave, Joey often logs onto an Internet chess
          site, and plays chess against players from all over the world.

   Style: Joey is an all around solid chess player and has learned to work at
          all areas of his game. He's developed a rating of 1154.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Miranda
  Rating: 1161
Biography: A recent college graduate from UC Santa Barbara, Miranda is
          currently working as a hostess at a trendy Los Angeles eatery while
          looking for a PR job in the movie industry. After discovering that
          chess is becoming one of the trendy things to do in Hollywood,
          Miranda began sharpening up her game. It's been 8 years since she
          first learned to play chess.

   Style: Miranda is a beginning to intermediate player with a rating of
          1161. She is not familiar with opening book theory and will tend to
          neglect the center of the board.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Duke
  Rating: 1191
Biography: Duke lives on his family's ranch outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
          He and his family work very hard, rising at 5:00 AM every day to
          care for their livestock.  Duke's main responsibility is caring for
          the family's horses, with which he has a special rapport.  When he
          gets the chance, Duke really enjoys a good game of chess with one
          of his sisters.  He has a horse that he raised from birth and named
          Alekhine, after his favorite chess player.

   Style: Duke has studied just about everything that has to do with his
          favorite grandmaster Alekhine and tries to mimic him as much as
          possible (he even uses the same openings). Duke has a rating of
          1191.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Risa
  Rating: 1197
Biography: Risa went to an American school in her native Japan and as a
          result, speaks fluent English.  After she graduated from college
          with a Masters in Business, her professional path was set.  She now
          free-lances to large corporations as an interpreter, with special
          capability in the area of large-scale mergers.  She often gains
          respect from her clients by engaging them in chess matches.  She
          usually loses these matches which, it turns out, is a good business
          move.

   Style: Risa pays little attention to her pawns (mostly she moves them just
          to activate her other pieces). Look for her to hang a pawn or two.
          She is rated 1197.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Josh - Age 6
  Rating: 1200
Biography: Josh Waitzkin learned to play chess in Washington Square Park in
          New York City when he was 6 years old. His early teachers were old
          retired men and chess hustlers, tough players who moved the pieces
          trying to eke out a living. Josh was a gifted tactician and a
          fierce competitor, perfect for the park, and his games always
          attracted a crowd. In games against seasoned players he would
          sometimes seem to fall into a zone. His mother would say that when
          he sat down at the chess board the little boy went away and an old
          man came to play.

   Style: As a 6-year-old Josh was pure aggression. Rated at 1200, Josh
          didn't know much about positional subtleties or opening theory, but
          when the game got messy he was dangerous. Josh liked to bring his
          queen out early and to set traps. In the heat of attack, Josh
          tended to overlook his own king safety.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Cole
  Rating: 1214
Biography: Cole is a psychic healer.  He first discovered his talent shortly
          after being struck by lightning on his 21st birthday.  His first
          patient was his Irish Setter, Oasis, who was born with hip
          dysplasia.  After being massaged by Cole, Oasis started running
          around like a puppy - for the first time in his life.  It wasn’t
          long before Cole began practicing his healing powers on people as
          well.  Cole finds his healing sessions to be very draining, and he
          relaxes by playing chess.
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   Style: Cole believes that the secrect to chess is opening up cramped
          positions and letting the energy of the pieces fly. This usually
          leaves his king vulnerable to attack. His rating is 1214.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Gil
  Rating: 1230
Biography: Gil is the talent booker for a small music club.  Renowned for his
          knowledge of folk and blues artists, Gil puts together popular
          shows with unexpected combinations of artists.  People travel from
          all over the country to see his shows and the inevitable jam
          sessions that happen after.  In the wee hours of the morning, when
          most club patrons have long since gone home, Gil often engages in
          chess games with various musicians, waiters, and flunkies.

   Style: Gil has a sound grasp of the game but sometimes he will make moves
          that look almost random (which usually lead to him losing). He is
          rated 1230.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Hayden
  Rating: 1241
Biography: Hayden's parents are both college professors and really want their
          son to follow their academic path.  Unfortunately, Hayden is more
          interested in sports, especially tennis.  While his parents
          pressure him to bring his grades up so he can attend an Ivy League
          college, Hayden's plan is to win a tennis scholarship at a
          California University, and eventually become a tennis pro or tennis
          coach.  As part of his parents' academic regimen, Hayden is
          required to play chess several afternoons per week.  In truth, he
          kind of likes the game, but hates that his parents make him play
          it.

   Style: When Hayden feels like playing well he will come out attacking but
          if his parents are watching he will make random moves just to annoy
          them. His rating is 1241.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Kris
  Rating: 1245
Biography: Kris is an aspiring photographer currently working as an assistant
          for one of the leading fashion photographers in the industry. An
          energetic worker, Kris is thrilled when, from time to time, she's
          allowed to set up a shot. On the set, she's often lured into chess
          matches by various craftspeople and models, including Rick.

   Style: Kris is a 1245-rated beginning player who tends to overvalue
          queens. She does have an opening repertoire, but her opening book
          play puts her at a disadvantage more often than not.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Miguel
  Rating: 1247
Biography: Miguel started out as a teenager working at a burger joint.  By
          working hard, saving money, and developing contacts, he was
          eventually able to buy a fast food franchise of his own.  He now
          owns 12 fast food restaurants and plans to retire within the next
          five years.  When he does retire, he plans to travel the world and
          dedicate himself to a deeper study of art, music, languages, and
          chess.

   Style: Miguel believes pawns to be the 'soul of chess' and values them
          highly. The only drawback for Miguel is that he doesn't strive to
          promote them. His rating is 1247.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Alicia
  Rating: 1260
Biography: Alicia has been interested in fashion ever since the first time her
          mom told her not to wear plaid and polka dots together. She started
          making her own clothes when she was 11 and recently designed her
          own prom dress. She works after school in a boutique and is saving
          her money to attend a design school in Paris. Some afternoons, when
          business in the boutique is very slow, Alicia and another clerk
          pass the time by playing chess.

   Style: Alicia's main concern is the safety of her king. She will trade off
          pieces so her opponent doesn't have anything to threaten her king
          with. Her rating is 1260.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Shaun
  Rating: 1269
Biography: An active teenager, Shaun plays football on his school team (which
          won their division championship), goes dirt bike riding, and is
          learning to kickbox.  If there were more hours in the week, he'd
          also play rugby and hockey.  About the only time he sits still
          (except when he's doing his homework) is when he's engaged in a
          chess match with one of his brothers. His competitive spirit is
          just as evident on the chessboard as it is on the football field.

   Style: Shaun is a ferocious attacker. He will charge at an opponent the
          same way he charges down the football field. He has earned a rating
          of 1269.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Willow
  Rating: 1286
Biography: As her name would indicate, Willow is the daughter of hippies and a
          child of the earth. She lives off the land with a group of kindred
          souls and occasionally plays chess by firelight in the group's
          communal living room.

   Style: Willow's playing style reflects her gentle nature. She is more than
          willing to accept a draw and will let her opponent control the
          center. She has no use for the war-like knights. Still, at a rating
          of 1286, she's no pushover for beginning players.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Josh - Age 7
  Rating: 1365
Biography: Josh Waitzkin started working with renowned chess coach Bruce
          Pandolfini when he was 7 years old. Their early study focused on
          the end game and Josh soon became very confident in this crucial
          part of the struggle. In his first tournament games, Josh often
          found himself down a pawn or a piece but would fight back and
          usually finesse a win in the end game. Bruce started calling Josh
          'Tiger' because of his attacking style and the name caught on at
          Washington Square Park in New York City, where he often played.
          Josh was a 1400 player when he was 7, stronger than half the
          tournament players in the country.

   Style: At seven, Josh he was studying the endgame and middlegame. Openings
          were his weakness. Rated at 1365, Josh was a tough fighter, clawed
          his way out of trouble, and earned the nickname 'Tiger.' He would
          sometimes trade into worse endgames and then try to win - a two-
          edged-sword.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Elijah
  Rating: 1367
Biography: Elijah's favorite class is journalism, and his favorite part of the
          day is the time he spends working on the school newspaper.  Though
          he enjoys writing news stories, his favorite articles are feature
          stories about interesting people or events he hears about.  Part of
          Elijah's 'beat' as a reporter is his school's chess club, which is
          easy for him because he is already a member.

   Style: Elijah gets good tips by playing against other members of his chess
          club. One of the things he is working on is using his bishops more
          effectively. He is rated 1367 in his club.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Mariah
  Rating: 1390
Biography: An eight-year old tomboy, Mariah divides her time between soccer,
          rollerblading, and chess. She already shows a lot of talent in
          chess and is very good at figuring out difficult moves and
          positions. Though her parents can still beat her at chess, she
          spends a lot of time studying the game, and is getting better every
          day.

   Style: Mariah has memorized a few openings, but not very deeply. She tends
          to protect her queen and is reluctant to trade it away for another
          queen or even two rooks. Her rating is 1390.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Aaron
  Rating: 1413
Biography: Aaron likes to think of himself as a modern day explorer.  In his
          job as a geologist, he frequently travels to uninhabited places in
          search of oil, precious metals, or interesting geological
          formations.  Since he spends weeks at a time living out of his
          backpack, entertainment is a precious commodity, and he and his
          partners enjoy the luxury that their pocket chess set provides
          them.

   Style: Aaron is a very positional chess player. Sometimes he concentrates
          so much on improving his position that he misses the obvious. His
          rating is 1413.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Annie
  Rating: 1429
Biography: Annie is a straight A student who really enjoys school.  Her
          favorite subject is math - any kind of math - algebra, geometry,
          even calculus.  She became attracted to chess when her math
          instructor used calculation of chess movements as a problem for the
          class.  She studies chess diligently and is quite good at the game,
          though she tends to play fairly technically, ignoring her intuition
          altogether.

   Style: Annie's study of chess theory has made her a good player, the one
          thing she needs to work on is making sure her pieces have plenty of
          room to move. She is rated 1429.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Liz
  Rating: 1452
Biography: A best-selling author of romance novels, Liz is independently
          wealthy and spends several months of each year touring the world on
          luxury cruise ships. She plays chess mostly to meet eligible
          bachelors while travelling and finds it to be an excellent way to
          determine the intelligence and breeding of her opponents.

   Style: Liz has a good knowledge of opening theory but will often trade a
          minor piece (bishop or knight) for two pawns in the middle game.
          She is quite willing to accept a draw in most situations. Her
          rating is 1452.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Berry
  Rating: 1496
Biography: Berry has been around the world five times.  As a flight attendant
          on international flights, she flies back and forth from Washington,
          D.C. and New York City to European capitols every day.  On her days
          off, she makes liberal use of the free airfare available to her and
          has visited almost every major airport in the world.  Some of the
          regulars on her overnight flights like to play chess, and she play
          whenever she gets the chance.

   Style: Berry never likes to get behind in material. This causes her to
          lose sight of possible positional advantages. Her rating is 1496.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Lacey
  Rating: 1505
Biography: Lacey is a Boston lawyer specializing in business law. She has a
          commuter marriage with her husband, a city planner in New York
          City. Since she and her husband have so little time together, they
          look for unique ways to share fun times together. One of the
          activities they enjoy is carrying on chess matches via e-mail.

   Style: Lacey plays like lightning and her moves appear to be flawlessly
          executed. However, she only looks a move or two ahead and
          weaknesses can be found in her position when examined closely. The
          key to defeating her is to not get drawn into her speedy play. She
          will never hang a piece, but longer combinations will do her in.
          Her rating is 1505.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Trent
  Rating: 1551
Biography: Trent's mom loves to tell the story of the time three-year-old
          Trent wandered away from their campsite and took up residence with
          two baby bear cubs in a cave.  Luckily, he was found before the
          mama bear returned.  Trent has always felt comfortable in the
          woods, and often rides his mountain bike through the forest near
          his home.  He's been an apprentice trail guide at a nearby national
          park for three years and will probably be promoted to full guide
          next year.  He and his family camp together often, and always bring
          a portable chess set with them so they can play chess around the
          campfire.

   Style: Trent has played enough chess to realize that control of the center
          of the board is a big advantage. He will try to place his pieces in
          the center and divide his opponents forces. This strategy has
          earned him a 1551 rating.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Charles
  Rating: 1564
Biography: Charles is a senior analyst with a large brokerage firm. He
          recently began playing chess again, after years away from the game,
          as a way to find common ground with his troubled teenage son.

   Style: Charles is an intermediate player (1564) with a preference for
          gambit openings. The key weakness in his play is his over-valuation
          of bishops. He has been known to trade his rook or even two knights
          for an enemy bishop.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Derek
  Rating: 1577
Biography: Derek was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Within weeks of
          his birth his stock portfolio was worth millions. Unable to find
          direction in his life, Derek has drifted from school to school and
          job to job. Like his approach to everything else in life, Derek
          learned to play chess from one of the best coaches, but never
          really applied himself to the game.

   Style: Derek's playing style is fairly bizarre: it is almost impossible to
          get him to exchange pieces. The key to defeating him is to
          continually harass his pieces. He would rather give ground and tie
          up his own position than give up a piece. He is rated at 1577.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Les
  Rating: 1578
Biography: Les is a New York City cab driver.  He first started driving a cab
          to put himself through college, earning a Bachelor’s Degree, then a
          Master’s, and finally, his Ph.D.  By the time he had his advanced
          degree in Tibetan Philosophy, he realized that there were not a lot
          of jobs available in his area of expertise, so driving a cab turned
          into a career.  Most nights, he and his dispatcher keep a running
          chess game going over the radio. Les once picked up Bobby Fisher,
          who berated him for the stupid move he was making in that night’s
          match.

   Style: Les is notorious for playing cramped, closed games. When things get
          really tight his pieces usually wind up 'tripping' over each other.
          He is rated 1578.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Josh - Age 8
  Rating: 1600
Biography: Josh Waitzkin started playing in adult tournaments when he was 8
          years old. Though this was frustrating in many ways, he found that
          his games against adults gave him an edge when competing against
          kids. He played for the national title for the first time at 8 and
          was sure he would win but fell for an opening trap and lost in the
          last round. David Arnett, the kid that beat him, would later become
          his best friend and a chess master. Josh would later describe that
          loss as the most painful and greatest moment in his chess life.
          'Talent is cheap,' he would come to reflect, 'You have to put in
          the work'.

   Style: Openings were still the weakest part of Josh's game. Playing 6-hour
          tournament games against adults, he learned that playing for traps
          usually doesn't work against tough opponents. His Washington Square
          Park style was evolving. Positional ideas were flowing into tactics
          and the endgame.  His rating was 1600.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Jon
  Rating: 1646
Biography: If asked to name his favorite historical figure, Jon would probably
          say Pablo Picasso or Leonardo DaVinci.  Jon is quite a good artist
          in his own right, and carries a sketchbook with him wherever he
          goes.  This has occasionally gotten him into trouble in school,
          where he is often reprimanded for sketching the teacher's portrait
          rather than listening to the lesson.  Jon's best friend from
          childhood turned out to be a science nut and the thing the two
          friends still have in common is their love of chess.

   Style: Jon is an all around solid chess player (rated 1646) except that he
          values his bishops much more than his knights.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Tasha
  Rating: 1656
Biography: Tasha is a very talented young writer.  She writes poetry,
          children's books, and has even written a short novel, but she
          especially loves to write short stories.  Three of her stories have
          been published in literary publications, and she's won regional and
          national writing awards for her work.  Her writing ability has
          already garnered interest from an Ivy League school, and she
          expects to be able to attend college on full scholarship.  Tasha's
          entire family plays chess, and she can't ever remember not knowing
          how to play the game.

   Style: Tasha has developed into a good chess player (rated 1656). She has
          no obvious weakness and only occasionally will she make a big
          mistake.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Wendy
  Rating: 1665
Biography: A successful inventor, some of Wendy's more noted creations include
          the doggie litter box, a doggie high chair, and a doggie stroller.
          The inspirations for her inventions are her two toy poodles, Peter
          Pan and Tinkerbell. Wendy insists that her two dogs be groomed
          every week, and occupies her waiting time at the grooming shoppe by
          challenging the French owner to games of chess.

   Style: Wendy is a 1665-rated intermediate player with a shallow knowledge
          of opening theory. She will often neglect positional
          considerations, especially passed and weak pawns.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Nikolai
  Rating: 1704
Biography: Nikolai is a physics professor at a prestigious European college.
          He is a tough taskmaster, and students have to work hard to receive
          merely a passing grade.  Nonetheless, students flock to his
          classes, as everyone knows that, once they’ve taken his class,
          their understanding of physics will be well-grounded, and their
          academic background will be given prestige.  During his rare time
          off, Nikolai teaches chess, and is an equally demanding teacher on
          the chessboard.

   Style: Nikolai's weakness is his pawns. He gets so wrapped up in
          calculating complicated combinations that he neglects the safety of
          his pawns. He is rated 1704.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Mateo
  Rating: 1759
Biography: Mateo graduated from high school at the age of 15 and is already a
          student at a prestigious university.  He is studying to become a
          chemist or molecular biologist.  Mateo is the first in his family
          to attend college, and his parents are very proud of him.  Though
          his family is working class, they have always placed a high value
          on intellectual pursuits, and taught all of their children to play
          chess at an early age.

   Style: Overall, Mateo plays chess really well (he is rated 1759) but he
          has a tendency to neglect the center of the board.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Josh - Age 9
  Rating: 1800
Biography: Josh Waitzkin won his first National Championship at age nine,
          which became the basis for the book and film 'Searching For Bobby
          Fischer'. He would later say that this victory was the most
          important in his life because it taught him that hard work pays off
          and that he should never give up. Since losing the year before he
          had studied long hours and had developed a feel for the end game
          unusual for a boy so young. He was already becoming a complete
          player rated around 1800 and competing almost exclusively against
          adults, he could slash through a tactical melee or eke out a win in
          an even end game.

   Style: At age 9 Josh was very sharp tactically and got stronger as the
          game moved along.  His opening knowledge still lagged behind but he
          would later explain that this was very good for his future growth
          as a player.  Studying the openings is just memorizing moves,
          hoping for traps, but studying the endgame is learning about chess.
          His rating was 1800.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Dave
  Rating: 1807
Biography: Dave has probably made you laugh more times than you’ll ever know.
          As a veteran comedy writer, Dave has contributed material to scores
          of well-known comedians, politicians and talk shows.  His credits
          also include a top-grossing movie and years as head writer for a
          number-one television show.  Now living off of residuals, Dave
          spends his days gardening, playing chess, and walking his dogs,
          Larry, Moe and Curly.

   Style: Dave favors his knights. Watch out for his nasty knight forks
          (which seem to come from out of nowhere). He is rated 1807.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: George
  Rating: 1834
Biography: George is known as 'The Singing Dentist.'  An operatic baritone,
          George likes to sing while he works and (most of) his patients
          actually find it relaxing when he sings.  Usually, he sings opera
          or popular music (and occasionally takes requests), but when he
          works on children, he sings songs he’s made up about Mr. Tooth, Mr.
          Drill, and Madame Rinse and Spit.  George really enjoys chess and
          plays on-line whenever he gets the chance.

   Style: George uses his knights with skilled precision. They are his
          favorite weapon. Look out for his knight forks and traps. His
          rating is 1834.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Dylan
  Rating: 1944
Biography: Though initially discouraged from playing chess by his father (who
          worried about the solitary intensity the game requires), Dylan has
          developed an amazingly healthy attitude toward the game. By
          balancing his study of chess with his love for baseball and goofing
          off, Dylan has managed to improve his skills while still
          maintaining a normal life. He and his father frequently have long,
          heated matches, which Dylan has, from time to time, begun to win.

   Style: Dylan is quite strong (1944) for a youngster. He sometimes neglects
          the center, but he is adept at exploiting passed pawns.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Max
  Rating: 1965
Biography: A gardener by trade, Max enjoys creating beauty and order out of
          chaos and dirt. Though he doesn't play chess often, he always joins
          in at get-togethers of his large extended family, where everybody,
          from the wisest elder to the squirmiest child, plays chess and
          discusses moves and strategies.

   Style: Max enjoys the drama of ultra-blitz chess even when the time
          controls don't call for it. His speedy play can be intimidating to
          his opponents, and his tactics are good. The key to defeating him
          is to look for holes in his strategic play. He is rated 1965.

==============================================================================

      2.3  -  2001+ ratings

==============================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Luke
  Rating: 2018
Biography: A preacher in the bible belt, Luke is known for his powerful fire
          and brimstone sermons. Among the parishioners with whom he plays
          chess, he's also known for his fire and brimstone style of playing
          chess. Don't even think of messing with his bishops.

   Style: Luke is an intermediate player with a respectable 2018 rating. The
          key to defeating him is to exploit his love of bishops by enticing
          him to trade his rooks for your bishops.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Roxy
  Rating: 2025
Biography: Roxy is the lead singer in a rock band that tours the country 250
          days each year. During the band's long bus journeys, chess is one
          of the activities used to occupy their time. As the only female on
          the bus, Roxy enjoys the fact that she almost always beats
          everybody else at the game.

   Style: On the whole, Roxy's play is balanced. She does have a liking for
          the more unorthodox openings. She is a strong-intermediate 2025-
          rated player.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Rusty
  Rating: 2077
Biography: A cowboy and rodeo clown, Rusty has managed to find steady
          employment in the ranchlands of Wyoming. As a ten-year-old boy
          Rusty learned to play chess from his father. Though he no longer
          plays chess, he has fond memories of the time spent with his
          father.

   Style: Even though he hasn't played in awhile, Rusty's 2077 rating is
          quite respectable. He prefers bishops over knights and he almost
          completely ignores positional play.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Josh - Age 12
  Rating: 2100
Biography: By the time Josh Waitzkin was 12 he had already won many national
          titles and was widely recognized as America's strongest young
          player. In a simultaneous exhibition at age 11, Josh drew a game
          against World Champion Garry Kasparov, an unprecedented feat for a
          boy so young. However, Josh encountered his first plateau at age 12
          as his rating hovered around 2170 for over a year. Finally, a few
          days after turning 13 he broke through and his rating quickly shot
          up to 2400. Josh learned that even the fiercest competitor must
          exhibit patience while his game grows.

   Style: Josh had become a more rounded player at age 12, with a rating of
          2100. His love for the endgame was complemented by a strong opening
          repertoire and his desire to attack was grounded in objectivity.
          His personality was very aggressive and it came across on the
          board. Closed maneuvering games and positional nuance went against
          his grain.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Jessica
  Rating: 2123
Biography: Jessica is a very promising young chess player who is coached by
          her father and feels a lot of pressure to succeed. Playing almost
          every day since the age of five has taken a toll on Jessica's
          social life and she has recently begun to rebel against her
          father's dreams. She sometimes plays erratically, even losing on
          purpose so that the lesson can be over and she can go to the mall.

   Style: Jessica prefers openings involving a lot of pawn moves. Although
          her rating is a strong 2123, she overvalues pawns to the degree
          that she will often trade a pawn for a minor piece.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Vlad
  Rating: 2130
Biography: Vlad is a Russian-born physicist who emigrated from his native
          country to the United States to be able to work on non-defense
          applications. Like many Russians of his generation, he learned
          chess in school as a young boy. In the United States, Vlad has used
          his expertise at chess to help him make friends and overcome
          language barriers.

   Style: Vlad's favorite tactic is to play so quickly that his opponents try
          to match his speedy pace regardless of what's on their clocks.
          Vlad's rating of 2130 is quite respectable considering the fact
          that he never thinks about a move more than a second. The key to
          defeating Vlad is patience, patience, patience.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Dobie
  Rating: 2132
Biography: A product of the TV generation, Dobie and his brother Maynard were
          not exposed to the finer things in life, including chess, by their
          parents. Now a Porsche salesman, Dobie's wealthy girlfriend, Buffy,
          is teaching him the game so he can compete with her Mummy and Daddy
          during weekend getaways at their Long Island Estate.

   Style: Dobie's 2132 rating puts him in the category of a strong
          intermediate / weak advanced player. He slightly prefers playing
          for material in exchange for positional strength.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name: Rand
  Rating: 2134
Biography: Rand is a Benedictine monk who spends part of each year
          participating in a vow of silence. During those times, many of the
          brethren like to play chess in the evenings when prayers and chores
          are done for the day. Though aggressive play is officially frowned
          upon, matches often become quite spirited, and Rand secretly takes
          great pride in the fact that he often wins.

   Style: Rand is an all-around balanced player. His opportunities for long
          study have resulted in a deep knowledge of opening moves. He is
          rated 2134.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Kenji
  Rating: 2137
Biography: The long lost son of an honored samurai, Kenji took up chess
          knowing that it was a game his father enjoyed and that the game
          serves as a connection to his deceased father. He works as a
          professor of mathematics and enjoys collecting samurai swords.

   Style: Each match is a battle to him and he takes pride in the decisive
          blows that he deals to his opponents. He covets his knights because
          they symbolize courage of samurais.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Sunny
  Rating: 2193
Biography: Sunny is the stay-at-home mother of four children, ages 4-11. Her
          busy life is added to by the fact that she and her husband have
          decided to home-school their children. Believing chess to be an
          excellent lesson in logic, probability and strategy, they have
          decided to include chess in their children's weekly curriculum.

   Style: Being non-competitive by nature, Sunny plays for a draw from the
          game's beginning. She controls the center well, but will often
          neglect her pawn structure. She is rated 2193.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Wally
  Rating: 2238
Biography: Wally is a Midwestern farmer who meets with other farmers every
          Friday at the local coffee shop where they engage in games of
          chess, bridge, or pinochle. During the winter he and other chess
          lovers are likely to meet more frequently, often spending long
          afternoons challenging each other to matches.

   Style: Wally's opening moves lull the opponent into expecting a long game,
          but then Wally shifts gears and starts trading pieces quickly.
          Wally's primary weakness is the fact that he values queens and
          rooks the same. Given this peculiarity, it is remarkable that he
          has been able to maintain a 2238 rating.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Sam
  Rating: 2241
Biography: Sam is a martial arts expert who makes her living by doing kick-
          boxing exhibitions and by teaching kick-boxing and karate. Sam also
          greatly enjoys a good game of chess. Though trained extensively to
          use patience and self-control, Sam now uses only plastic chess
          pieces and roll-up boards in her games, as she often resorts to
          fits of karate when the chess game doesn't go her way.

   Style: Sam is a 2241-rated strong intermediate player who hates draws. Her
          patience in martial arts is much better than her patience in chess,
          and her openings are designed for quick games.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Vanessa
  Rating: 2294
Biography: Vanessa is a senior buyer for a major department store. Her self-
          confidence and winning personality help her to get great deals on
          high-quality merchandise for her stores. One of her favorite ways
          to unwind after a busy week is to sit down to a long, peaceful
          chess game with her husband.

   Style: Vanessa is a strong 2294-rated player with no obvious weaknesses.
          Her play is balanced and her opening book knowledge is deep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Ginger
  Rating: 2315
Biography: Ginger is currently one of Hollywood's hottest agents. When not
          schmoozing the studios or babysitting her clients, Ginger is often
          participating in Hollywood's latest craze: chess. A surprisingly
          talented player, Ginger will lose when it's a wise business
          decision to do so. Ginger's new favorite phrase is 'Let's do
          chess.'

   Style: Ginger likes to test her adversaries by offering opportunities in
          the opening game for clever traps. If the opponent spots and
          exploits the opportunity, they should be able to defeat Ginger.
          Otherwise, Ginger plays ruthlessly and will refuse to take a draw.
          She is rated 2315.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Rascal
  Rating: 2318
Biography: Rascal is a protégé of Turk's, a wannabe as a street hustler. A
          dockworker who works the swing shift, he often spends his
          afternoons trying to hustle games. However, speed chess is not his
          game, and, though talented, he doesn't have the thoughtful patience
          needed for consistent play. He often loses games out of impatience
          or a desire to try an unusual tactic.

   Style: Rascal loves to remove pieces from the board. He plays openings
          that involve a lot of captures. In the midgame, he will trade
          pieces quickly to get to the endgame. He hates draws and is rated
          2318.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Muldoon
  Rating: 2347
Biography: A computer programmer by profession, Muldoon wrote his first chess
          program for his Apple II when he was 13 years old. He has continued
          to enjoy the combination of chess and computers and buys the best
          and latest version of Chessmaster as soon as it hits the stores.
          Because of his long hours working on a computer screen, he often
          indulges in chess matches on-line.

   Style: Muldoon's play is designed to get to the endgame with a superiority
          of pawns and he is adept at exploiting passed pawns. His weakness
          is that he sometimes trades away minor pieces for the pawn
          superiority. He is rated 2347.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Toni
  Rating: 2380
Biography: A receptionist at a high-class law firm, Toni often finds herself
          to be bored between the inevitable crises and pressures of her job.
          After exhausting every game of solitaire and hangman she could
          find, she started playing chess on her computer at work. Toni
          learned to play from her father, so her moments with the game tend
          to bring back fond memories for her.

   Style: Toni is affectionately referred to as the 'pawngrabber' because of
          her penchant for trading her minor pieces for enemy pawns. Not all
          opponents can exploit this weakness, as evidenced by her high 2380
          rating.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Buck
  Rating: 2390
Biography: Buck is a long distance truck driver who occupies his time on long
          journeys by carrying on chess games with other truckers over CB
          radios. Anyone listening in to one of their transmissions is likely
          to be confused as they use their own trucker lingo for pieces and
          square moves. ('Elvis spotted at the second house, over,'
          translates to Kh2.) Playing this way has honed his ability to think
          through long strategies and picture tactics in his mind.

   Style: Buck prefers openings that involve a lot of captures. His key
          weakness is his almost total disregard for controlling the center.
          In spite of this, his rating is a strong 2390.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Trudy
  Rating: 2398
Biography: Trudy is a travel guide who takes American tourists on tours
          throughout Europe and Scandinavia. After years of dealing with the
          'Ugly American,' Trudy has seen it all, from a rich oilman
          insisting on buying Trevi Fountain, to a woman sending back Steak
          Tartare because it was undercooked. An avid chess player, Trudy
          spotted an opportunity to expand her business and organized a chess
          tour of Russia, where participants received instruction from some
          of the finest chess minds in the Soviet Union.

   Style: Trudy is a solid all-around string player (2398) with no specific
          weaknesses. She does have a preference for knight openings.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Lili
  Rating: 2417
Biography: Lili is an executive in an advertising firm who began playing chess
          as an adult when her husband introduced her to the game. Though
          both are workaholics, they almost always have a match going on,
          with progress in the game often occurring between morning coffee
          and the goodbye kiss, or just before settling in to watch David
          Letterman and catch up on the next day's work.

   Style: Lili's opening book knowledge is extensive but she seems to prefer
          lines that put her at a slight disadvantage. She places a high
          premium on controlling the center. Her rating is 2417.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Jade
  Rating: 2417
Biography: Jade was something of a child prodigy in chess, astounding her
          relatives by her ability to beat them all by the age of 10. An avid
          chess hobbyist, she occasionally played in tournaments throughout
          her teen years, and often placed in the top ten finalists. Jade is
          currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Eastern Philosophy at the
          University of California at Berkeley.

   Style: Jade is a strong player with solid opening theory and a rating of
          2417. The one weakness in her game is her reluctance to trade down
          pieces. She will often pass up attacking opportunities and retreat,
          waiting for her opponent to initiate the attack.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Will
  Rating: 2477
Biography: Will is a perpetual graduate student at a large university in
          Southern California, currently studying Philosophy. He frequently
          escapes from his doctoral thesis by playing chess with fellow
          students at the campus pub. Never a serious student of chess, Will
          plays logically, but often comes up short in the endgame.

   Style: Will has studied Tal's games extensively and attempts to emulate
          his style of play, especially in the openings. He plays slightly
          more materially than positionally and is rated 2477.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Natalie
  Rating: 2495
Biography: Natalie comes from a family of over-achievers, with a brother who's
          a champion gymnast and a sister who's a violin prodigy. A talented
          pianist and gymnast in her own right, Natalie's favorite pastime is
          chess, and her parents have given her every opportunity to pursue
          this interest. Now working on her B.A. at Yale, Natalie often goes
          to local coffeehouses to play chess.

   Style: Natalie prefers openings that complicate the middle of the board
          with a lot of pieces. In the midgame, she goes on the attack. She
          is rated 2495.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Waldo
  Rating: 2498
Biography: A professional courier of sensitive documents for the Pentagon,
          Waldo spends over 50% of every week on an airplane, travelling to
          some exotic locale. To his sky-high seatmates, he often represents
          his job as being that of a secret agent. Because he meets dozens of
          new people every week, he's seldom at a loss for a new chess
          opponent to challenge on his magnetic travel set. Waldo's story of
          being a secret agent backfired on him when he sat next to Liam on a
          Moscow/New York flight.

   Style: Waldo is a strong player (2498) who likes to offer material in the
          opening game in exchange for development. He will typically trade
          his bishops away for enemy knights.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Jinx
  Rating: 2519
Biography: Jinx is the youngest in her chess-playing family with five older
          brothers, two of whom are chess champions. Jinx got her nickname by
          the fact that, whenever she attends a tournament in which one of
          her brothers plays, he always loses early in the competition. She
          has learned to play chess in much the same manner as she plays
          other competitive sports like 'one of the guys.'

   Style: Jinx is a strong 2519-rated player, but she tends to neglect the
          mobility of her own pieces, controlling the center, and her own
          pawn structure.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Cal
  Rating: 2555
Biography: Cal learned chess at an early age and played extensively until his
          parents, worried about his social development, tried to make him
          give up the game. In college his interest in chess and psychology
          culminated in a doctoral thesis entitled 'Psychophysical analysis
          of the relationship between concentrated multiple-ply searches and
          dissociative identity / obsessive-compulsive disorders with related
          trichotillomania.' Cal now has a thriving psychotherapy practice
          and counts a number of top chess players in his clientele.

   Style: Cal plays King's pawn openings exclusively and prefers open games
          and reducing material on the board. Watch out for sacrifices
          (sometimes ill-advised) designed to put pressure on the enemy King.
          His favorite saying is 'The ability to play chess is the sign of a
          gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted
          life.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Griffin
  Rating: 2583
Biography: A computer graphics artist working in Silicon Valley, Griffin was
          given a box of oil paints and a chess set by his parents on his
          twelfth birthday. It was the chess set that initially captured
          Griffin's imagination. After becoming the best chess player in his
          high school class, he rediscovered those untouched oil paints and
          moved on to earn an MFA from a respected art school. His love for
          chess and chess imagery resurfaced years later in his now well-
          known 'Bishop Series' of offset lithographs.

   Style: Griffin is a balanced player with no glaring weaknesses. He is
          rated 2583.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Sven
  Rating: 2587
Biography: A lumberjack in the deep woods of Alaska, Sven is a champion log-
          roller and tobacco spitter. During the long northern winters he
          keeps his wits sharp by playing chess against himself. When the
          weather is good he and his big dog Lucy like to go into town for
          some R&R. While Lucy plays with the other sled dogs, Sven takes to
          the local tavern and wagers games of chess for tankards of ale. By
          the end of the night he has usually clear-cut the competition and
          is a bit tipsy. Emma, the friendly barmaid, lets him sleep it off
          before his sled-trek back to his cabin.

   Style: Sven likes to play as many games as possible in a night (more games
          = more beer) so look for him to be pretty aggressive. He likes to
          chop down material quickly and then whittle away at the endgame.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Hans
  Rating: 2596
Biography: Hans lives in the Swiss Alps and leads ski tours in the winter and
          hiking tours in the summer. Part of the tourist appeal at the lodge
          where he works is the opportunity to curl up in front of a warm
          fire every evening with a hot buttered rum and a good book or a
          game of chess. With his charming personality and handsome appeal,
          Hans is a favorite with the ladies.

   Style: Hans plays a very solid and balanced game of chess and his
          knowledge of opening theory is deep. He is rated 2596.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Slick
  Rating: 2632
Biography: A child prodigy in math, Slick took up chess when he concluded that
          it was a strictly mathematical game. As in math, he developed his
          own shortcuts for solving many chess problems. Slick will play
          anyone at any time, and plays just for the fun of it. All games are
          challenging to him, as every game is different. Slick was given his
          nickname because of his tendency to leave his pieces as mobile as
          possible.

   Style: Slick likes to get the Queens off the board because they greatly
          increase the mathematical possibilities. He is generally reckless
          in situations with which he isn't familiar, but keeps his pieces
          mobile. He's very knowledgeable on the Sicilian defense. He will
          often take a draw, as tying is mathematically better than losing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Turk
  Rating: 2634
Biography: A native New Yorker, Turk was raised on the mean streets and </pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
          learned to play chess at a local boy's club. Thus saved from a life
          of crime, Turk is nonetheless a street hustler, occasionally
          selling discount wares, but mostly eking out a living by
          challenging all comers to speed chess matches, $5.00 a game, in
          Washington Square.

   Style: Turk is an excellent 2634-rated play who likes to trip up his
          opponents by playing unorthodox openings.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Shakespeare
  Rating: 2648
Biography: Shakespeare (so nicknamed because of his frequent tendency to quote
          the Bard) is a clerk at a trendy but mellow bookstore and coffee
          shop. The store has chess tables set up for anyone wanting to play,
          and every chance he gets, Shakespeare takes up the gauntlet of
          competition.

   Style: Shakespeare's other nickname is the 'pawnmaster.' He will carefully
          guard his pawns so that he can eventually overwhelm his opponent
          with a swarm of pawns. His rating is 2648.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: J.T.
  Rating: 2648
Biography: J.T. attended the finest prep schools as a teenager, where chess
          was offered as part of the curriculum. Though naturally talented at
          the game, he never developed the passion needed to propel him from
          'very good' status to the status of greatness. Though he hasn't
          played much in recent years, he can usually sit down and pick up
          where he left off, instantly playing as well as he did in his teen
          years.

   Style: J.T. plays opening specifically designed to entice the opponent
          into falling into one of a number of specific traps that he has
          prepared for. He is rated 2648.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Logan
  Rating: 2650
Biography: Logan is an English professor at a small, prestigious college in
          the Northeast. As faculty advisor for the college chess team, he
          enjoys the opportunity of playing against the bright young minds of
          his school and helping shape the strengths and strategies of his
          protégés.

   Style: Logan is called the 'drawmaster.' His openings tend to be drawish
          and he will often play for a draw even when ahead. He is rated at
          2650.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Rick
  Rating: 2654
Biography: Rick is an up-and-coming model who likes to relax at photography
          shoots by inviting models, set designers, hair stylists, etc., into
          chess competitions. Because of his pretty-boy/party boy reputation,
          his new opponents don't tend to take him very seriously. They soon
          find out that he's a very good player.

   Style: Rick prefers gambit openings and has a slight preference of knights
          over bishops. He is also adept at exploiting passed pawns. He is
          rated 2654.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Queenie
  Rating: 2670
Biography: Raised in a culture where girls were not allowed to excel in a
          pursuit as serious as chess, Queenie nonetheless became an
          excellent player through matches with her older brother and
          friends. In recent years she has taken great pleasure in providing
          chess tutelage to her granddaughter, who is now recognized as an
          up-and-coming female player.

   Style: Queenie is a very strong (2670) player whose only quirk is her
          penchant for getting the queen out early.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Lou
  Rating: 2674
Biography: A leading female chess player in the 60's, Lou stopped playing
          competitively to raise her two sons and pursue her law degree. She
          rarely plays these days, as neither her husband nor her sons
          provide much of a challenge to her abilities. However, she recently
          discovered the joy of playing chess on-line and from time to time
          logs on under the name 'Queen of Torts.'

   Style: Lou is a natural player who has made it a point to ignore
          conventional opening theory, believing that it keeps her game from
          becoming stagnant. She attacks each opening position with an open
          mind. Her rating is 2674.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Frederic
  Rating: 2678
Biography: Frederic is a postal worker in his native Bavaria. Like most of the
          men in his village, he began learning to play chess before he
          learned to ride a bicycle. Most nights, he and his friends go to a
          pub where they drink and talk over a chessboard. Frederic's skill
          as a chess player is somewhat renowned and players travel from
          neighboring villages to challenge him. Most often, he wins.

   Style: Frederic is a very strong 2678-rated player who plays a balanced
          game. He prefers to play openings that were popular in the early
          20th century.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Doc
  Rating: 2680
Biography: A veterinarian in rural Arizona, Doc has maintained a
          correspondence chess competition with an old college buddy
          currently living in Florida. Since both players know the other's
          idiosyncrasies and playing styles so well, they are constantly
          trying to out-maneuver each other with new techniques and ideas.

   Style: Doc's opening theory is often unconventional but is always solid.
          His play is balanced and he is rated a quite strong 2680.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Liam
  Rating: 2708
Biography: A former CIA operative, Liam learned chess as part of his cover in
          the Soviet Union. He rose high in the ranks of the 'Secret Scythe'
          chess organization that was the backbone of the Soviet Chess
          machine in the '80s. Liam began to manifest 'identity problems' in
          the late 80's as the Soviet Union began to collapse. After a
          devastating loss to American Josh Waitzkin, he swore to destroy the
          'chess world', and defected to Cuba. There are reports that he is
          currently the secret 'Chess Guru,' of Fidel Castro.

   Style: Liam always opens with 1. d4 as white, and will aim for the Queen's
          Gambit. He defends with either the Caro-Kann or the Pirc against 1.
          e4, and will reply Nf6 to 1. d4, aiming for the Grunfeld Defense as
          black. As white, Liam is a relentless attacker, as black, a
          stubborn defender.


==============================================================================

      2.4  -  Grandmasters

==============================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Waitzkin
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1976 - )  Born in New York City, Josh Waitzkin first started
          playing chess at the age of six. He discovered the game while
          strolling through Washington Square Park in New York City, where
          many of the locals played 'speed chess.' This fast and aggressive
          style of chess appealed to him and he immediately picked up the
          game. As a scholastic competitor he won eight national titles and
          his youthful career was immortalized when Paramount Pictures
          released 'Searching for Bobby Fischer,' the movie based on his life
          and love of chess. Josh became a National Master at age 13 and an
          International Master at age 16. Today, Josh is one of the most
          popular and widely recognized chess players and has gained a world-
          wide reputation for the humanistic grace with which he speaks and
          writes about the game.

   Style: Waitzkin is known for his fearless attacking style and deep
          understanding of the endgame. His study of eastern philosophy has
          enriched his game with restraint and indirection. He greatly
          admires the 'fluid artistry' of Anand.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Timman
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1951 - ) Jan Timman won his national title on numerous occasions
          starting in 1974, thus inheriting the mantle of Holland`s best
          player from Euwe and then Donner. He has beaten all reigning world
          champs in individual games and has always had fine results,
          including Mar Del Plata 1982 -- first ahead of Karpov by two full
          points. In 1993 he dropped a FIDE title match to Karpov and turned
          his attention to chess journalism. Today Timman is best known as
          the editor of New In Chess.

   Style: Timman is well versed in the openings and sports a flexible but
          muscular style. Over the years he has blended deep theoretical
          knowledge, great courage and a direct classical approach. He could
          be described as a universal player.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Tarrasch
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1862 - 1934) Siegbert Tarrasch, born in Breslau, Germany, was a
          medical doctor and one of the world`s four best players (along with
          Steinitz, Lasker and Chigorin) for about 20 years until he lost a
          title match to Lasker in 1908. He occupies a unique position in
          chess literature and today is remembered chiefly as a great chess
          teacher. His word was law. Uniting the theories of Morphy and
          Steinitz, he preached the value of mobility and rapid development.
          'By 1914 anybody who read books understood the principles of the
          open game, and they understood them either directly or indirectly
          because of Tarrasch`s untiring efforts' --Fine.

   Style: Tarrasch was an apostle of the attack who patiently accumulated
          small advantages until they added up to a big bang. He championed
          the Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez and the Tarrasch Defense where he
          believed that the mobility of Black`s pieces outweighed his
          isolated queen pawn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Tal
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1936 - 1993) Mikhail Tal was born in Riga, Latvia, and swiftly
          received international acclaim with his fearless and imaginative
          attacks. Full of nervous energy, chain-smoking, pacing restlessly
          between moves, he was obsessed with chess and played fast games
          against all comers into the wee hours. He was world champion for
          only one year after beating Botvinnik in 1960 but lost the rematch
          in 1961. Although plagued with ill-health, Tal always remained a
          favorite with the fans. His witty book 'The Life And Games Of
          Mikhail Tal' (1976) is a classic that will be enjoyed by future
          generations.

   Style: Tal could play just about any opening well, but he took risks. All
          he needed was a chance to attack and the position would explode in
          fireworks, he had a genius for bold middlegame play. 'I like to
          grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind,' he
          wrote. 'I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators
          react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Steinitz
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1836 - 1900) Wilhelm Steinitz was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
          He learned chess at the age of 12; unable to afford a board and
          men, he made his own. He went to Vienna as a young man and first
          attempted to earn a living as a journalist before dedicating his
          vocation to chess. He held the first official world championship
          from 1886-94, it was the 25 year old Lasker who eventually de-
          throned him. He earned a living as a chess pro in London, then the
          Mecca of the chess world, before emigrating to America where he
          died in poverty.

   Style: His early attacking style, typical of the era, showed few clues of
          the positional style he developed later. When he finally revolted
          against Romantic doctrines, the break was sharp and irrevocable. He
          excelled in the closed game with barricaded pawn structures, and
          was noted for moving his king in the opening to gain material.
          Steinitz frequently invited premature attacks to prove they were
          unsound.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Spassky
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1937 - ) Boris Spassky was born in Leningrad, USSR. He became
          world junior champion in 1955 and went on to capture the crown from
          Petrosian. Spassky reigned as world champion from 1969-72. His
          dramatic match with Fischer at Reykjavik in 1972 captured headlines
          all over the globe. Spassky disobeyed orders to return home and
          sportingly continued playing after he amassed a two-point lead when
          Fischer failed to show up for their second game. However, Spassky
          could not withstand Fischer`s fierce onslaught and although he
          fought valiantly, lost his title. Soviet authorities punished him
          for losing to an American. He eventually moved to France to play on
          their Olympic team. In 1992 he again faced Fischer for a record
          purse of $5 million and again he lost.

   Style: Spassky was a universal player who was comfortable in virtually any
          position. 'When I am in form my style is a little bit stubborn,
          almost brutal. Sometimes I feel a great spirit of fight which
          drives me on,' he said. He had a natural attacking ability, a flair
          for lively tactics, and numerous intriguing sacrifices can be found
          in his games. As Black he resurrected the Tarrasch Defense and as
          White the Leningrad Variation of the Nimzo-Indian.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Smyslov
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1921 - ) Vassily Smyslov was born in Moscow, USSR. Chess nearly
          lost him when he narrowly failed an audition as a singer with the
          Bolshoi Opera in 1950. He then faced Botvinnik in three title
          matches with an overall score of 18 wins, 17 losses and 34 draws.
          Smyslov drew their first match in 1954, won the second in 1957 and
          became world champion for a year before dropping a rematch in 1958.
          In his heyday he was nearly invincible, and his amazing longevity
          was demonstrated in 1984 when at age 63 he became the oldest player
          to reach the finals where he was dispatched by Kasparov.

   Style: Smyslov combined the best of old and new ideas with a serene,
          simple and powerful brand of chess. As White he favored the English
          and was equally at home in flank openings or classical defenses. He
          seldom strained for complications, content to let his famous
          endgame technique do the job for him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Short
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1965 - ) Nigel Short was born in Leigh, England, and became the
          youngest player to achieve the International Master title by age
          15, when he was runner-up to Kasparov in the World Junior. In 1993,
          after winning preliminary matches against the likes of Timman and
          Karpov, he became the first Western challenger for the title since
          Bobby Fischer in 1972. Dissatisfied with FIDE, however, he and
          Kasparov broke away to form the rival PCA. The Times of London put
          up a purse of $2.5 million, and the fascinating story of their
          historic confrontation is reported by Dominic Lawson in 'Endgame'
          (Harmony Books 1994).

   Style: Short has a natural attacking style and usually opens with 1. e4.
          He plays for open positions and attacking lines. His play can be
          characterized as sporadic because though he has achieved brilliant
          wins against some of the world`s best, he has also suffered
          horrible defeats to lesser players.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Shirov
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1972 - ) Alexei Shirov was born in Riga, Latvia, and has remained
          in the world's top ten ever since he was 20. Due to problems with
          his country's chess officials and after losing his life savings
          when a bank failed, he emigrated to Spain 'because I already spoke
          some Spanish.' His presence on their Olympic team in 1996 helped
          Spain finish sixth in a field of over 100 nations, a sensational
          result. Shirov got his big break at Linares in 1998 as runner-up to
          Anand, whom he then replaced in a match with Kramnik where victory
          earned him a $2 million title shot against Kasparov. 'All this talk
          about two world champions is nonsense,' said Shirov. 'Kasparov is
          the only real one. He proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. To
          win the title you have to beat Kasparov in a match. It`s as simple
          as that.' If he can dethrone Kasparov, Shirov pledged to play a
          unification match against the FIDE title holder.

   Style: Shirov is basically a tactician who plays exciting chess and
          doesn`t shrink from risk. He seems to have the Lasker touch; an
          ability to find moves that may not be best but which unnerve the
          opponent. 'Shirov is a knight of combinations and attacks in the
          Tal style. No wonder he titled his book of best games 'Fire On
          Board.'' -- Shamkovich.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Seirawan
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1960 - ) Yasser Seirawan was born in Damascus, Syria, but lived in
          the USA since age 2. He became world junior champion in 1979, then
          won Wijk aan Zee in 1980. He tied for first with Browne in the 1981
          USA Championship, which he won by himself in 1986. After defeating
          two reigning world champions (Karpov and Kasparov) in individual
          games, a dispute with chess officials over the way they picked
          Olympic teams soured him on playing. In 1988 Seirawan started a new
          venture as editor and publisher of 'Inside Chess,' gradually
          turning his talents toward the business side of the game. Today he
          competes infrequently.

   Style:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Rubinstein
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1881-1961) The youngest of 12 children, Akiba Rubinstein was born
          in Stawiski, a Polish border town then in Russia. He learned chess
          at 16 and devoted his life to the game, remaining one of the top
          four until after WWI. He might have become world champion, but
          being a poor Jewish person from the ghetto never got backing for a
          shot at the title. His greatest victory came at Carlsbad 1907 with
          everyone there except Lasker, then by a tie for first with Lasker
          (whom he beat) at St. Petersburg 1909. Rubinstein's last hurrah
          came at Vienna 1922. A lifelong shyness developed into a
          persecution complex. 'There is scarcely another master who suffers
          so from nerves, which cause him moments of complete exhaustion so
          that he commits crude blunders,' noted Reti.

   Style: For accuracy, profundity and beauty, Rubinstein`s endgames have
          seldom been equaled. He enriched countless openings, casting doubt
          on both the Tarrash Defense and the Four Knights as serious
          tournament weapons. A perfectionist who shunned uncertainty, he
          courted simplifications and quiet lines without complications. He
          invariably began with 1. d4 and replied to it with 1...d5.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Reti
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1889-1929) Richard Reti was born in Pezinok (then in Hungary) and
          earned his living writing chess columns and giving simultaneous
          displays. In 1925 he played 29 blindfold games at once, then a
          record. His results were always good -- he broke Capablanca's eight
          year winning streak by beating him at New York 1924 -- but he was
          never a contender. Today he is best remembered for writing two
          classics 'Masters of the Chessboard' and 'Modern Ideas in Chess.'

   Style: Reti belonged to the Hypermodern school; changing the old rule
          'always occupy the center with pawns' with a new one, 'never occupy
          the center.' Fianchetto formations like 1. g3 and 2. Bg2 aimed to
          control the center indirectly. Reti's Opening 1. Nf3 also fills the
          bill, as does Alekhine`s Defense (1. e4 Nf6) tempting White to
          create targets by advancing his central pawns too far.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Reshevsky
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1911 - 1992) Samuel Reshevsky, born in Ozorkow, Poland, was a
          famous child prodigy who started touring the world at age 6 giving
          simultaneous displays. He quit playing after his family settled in
          America to complete his education and become an accountant. Upon
          returning to the international arena, he won Margate in 1935 ahead
          of Capablanca and captured the USA Championship in 1936 and
          remained a contender for the title into the 1970s.

   Style: Reshevsky was partial to 1. d4 and often defended against it with
          the Nimzo-Indian. He spent little time studying openings and was
          consequently often hampered by time pressure. Euwe observed that he
          seemed at home in 'boring positions.' Botvinnik remarked that he
          played from the very first move for the better ending. He is
          characterized above all by superb tactical skill.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Polgar
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1976 - ) Judith Polgar, born in Budapest, Hungary, was the
          youngest of three sisters who all became grandmasters after their
          father trained them almost from birth to excel at chess. She
          achieved the title at 15 and became the highest rated female in
          history before breaking into the top ten by winning a 10-game
          training match against Spassky in 1992. In 1998 she also beat
          Karpov 5-3 at a fast time limit of 25 minutes per side. She fought
          her way to the top by competing only in mixed events despite dogged
          resistance from Communist chess officials in her own country who
          tried to confine her and her two sisters to women`s tournaments.

   Style: Polgar is an aggressive player who invariably opens with 1. e4 and
          strives for the initiative right from the start. 'If there is a
          nice option, I sacrifice even if it's risky because I like the
          beauty of the game. But I do try to win too,' she said.

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    Name: Pillsbury
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1872-1906) Born in Summerville, South Carolina, Harry Nelson
          Pillsbury learned chess at 16 and was one of the few great masters
          content to make it his profession. His blindfold powers and
          miraculous memory were a delight to behold. During simultaneous
          exhibitions of chess and checkers he would ask someone to submit a
          list of 30 words which he repeated backwards when he was all
          through. In 1895 he sailed to Europe and startled the world by
          winning Hastings ahead of all the leading players of his day -- but
          his first success was to be his greatest. Always a tough contender,
          only once again did he share first in an international tournament
          at Munich 1900. Ill-health plagued his play and he died prematurely
          at 34.

   Style: His style was vigorous and combinative. Both the Queen's Gambit and
          Ruy Lopez, two major defensive weapons of the modern master, first
          became popular chiefly because of the treatment he gave them. Where
          direct methods were applicable, he was incomparable; when patient
          maneuvering was required he was less successful, and he was
          sometimes ill-at-ease in the endgame.

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    Name: Petrosian
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1929 - 1984) Tigran Petrosian was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Both
          his parents died when he was 16 years old. He took work in an
          officer`s club to maintain his family and found chess to be his
          main consolation. The play and principles of Capablanca and
          Nimzowitsch influenced his early development. In 1963, he wrested
          the world title crown from Botvinnik, which took two months, and
          then defended it against Spassky in 1966. He later lost his title
          to Spassky in 1969. Petrosian was content to draw with most of his
          rivals but he was almost impossible to beat due to his extreme
          prophylactic play.

   Style: Petrosian had a unique defensive style that made him perhaps the
          least popular champion in history, at least from a fan`s point of
          view, though connoisseurs savor his subtlety. He excelled in
          closed, constricted positions and often retreated behind pawn
          barriers waiting to pounce upon his opponent's slightest error. His
          special talent was snuffing out attacks even before foes began to
          mobilize their forces. Shunning sharp lines with white, he was fond
          of the Caro-Kann and French Defense as Black.

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    Name: Nimzowitsch
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1886 - 1935) Aaron Nimzowitsch, born in Riga, Latvia, was the
          greatest player of the hypermodern school. In 1922 he emigrated to
          Denmark and from a small rented room in Copenhagen penned 'My
          System' and other classics that deeply influenced future
          generations. His finest result was winning Carlsbad 1929 ahead of
          Capablanca but a compulsion to prove his 'unorthodox' theories and
          'mysterious' moves sometimes proved costly in tournaments. He made
          decisive contributions to opening theory; he revived the Winawer
          Variation of the French Defense, the Queen's Indian and Nimzo-
          Indian Defense. He also coined many memorable phrases such as 'the
          pawn has a lust to expand,' 'prophylaxis' and 'the bishop bites on
          granite.' Two of his most famous disciples are Petrosian and
          Karpov.

   Style: Nimzowitsch belonged to the hypermodern school, which believed that
          control of the center did not necessarily imply occupation by
          pawns. He liked maneuvering in closed and cramped positions. 'He
          has a profound liking for ugly opening moves,' wrote his great
          antagonist Dr. Tarrasch, chief spokesman for the classical school.

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    Name: Morphy
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1837-1884) Born in New Orleans, USA, Paul Morphy was the first
          'unofficial' World Champion (1858-9) but then retired from chess to
          pursue an unsuccessful career as a lawyer. He grasped the
          principles of chess before anyone else and today his insights are
          accepted by all serious players. He abhorred being considered a
          chess pro, believing it was not a fit profession for a grown man.
          In an era when the dynamic young nation suffered from a cultural
          inferiority complex, he was the toast of America after going to
          Europe and defeating their best players, including Adolf Anderssen,
          who later lost a match to Steinitz, the first official world champ.

   Style: Morphy pushed only a few pawns in the opening to free his pieces
          and open lines and boldly sacrificed material to gain the
          initiative. He excelled in open games; his keen positional judgment
          laid the groundwork for stunning combinations.

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    Name: Marshall
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1877 - 1944) Frank Marshall was born in New York, USA. Since age
          10 not a day went by in which he didn`t play at least one game of
          chess. He made his international debut at Paris 1900 where he
          finished fourth and became America`s strongest player for the next
           30 years. His greatest success was first at Cambridge Springs in
           1904 ahead of Lasker and Pillsbury. His only interests were chess
           and family life. His only weakness was a liking for drink, though
           he never let it interfere with serious play. The Marshall Chess
           Club, which he founded, is still located as 23 West 10 Street in
           Manhattan.

   Style: Marshall`s bent was for attack, he liked gambits and took risks,
          even against the strongest of players. He had a keen eye for the
          purely combinative side of chess, positional subtleties meant
          little to him; he cared for the acrobatics of the pieces. He often
          amazed his competition by his incredible ingenuity in the most
          sterile positions.

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    Name: Lasker
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1868 - 1941) Emanuel Lasker, born in Berlinchen, Germany, held the
          World Championship longer than anyone in history, from 1894-1921.
          He was a well- rounded man who also wrote about mathematics and
          philosophy. He did not wish to devote his life to chess, but
          financial pressure always forced him back. His classic book
          'Lasker`s Manual Of Chess' describes his approach to the game and
          pays tribute to the revolutionary theories of Steinitz, the
          champion he deposed.

   Style: Lasker often played the man and not the board. He regarded chess as
          a psychological duel between two minds and was known for taking
          calculated risks by rejecting the best move in favor of one he felt
          would most rattle his opponent. A great defensive player and fine
          tactician, his style was versatile; he was equally at home in open
          or closed positions.

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    Name: Larsen
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1935 - ) Denmark`s leading player for decades, Bent Larsen learned
          the moves of chess at age 6 and was the first Westerner to pose the
          Soviet bloc a serious challenge. In 1956 he won fame at the Moscow
          Olympiad as overall high scorer on first board (+11 -1 = 6). His
          results continued to be spectacular, and from 1967 to 1970 he
          failed to win first prize only once in nine consecutive events. His
          play faltered after 1971 when Fischer trounced him 6-0 in a world
          championship qualifying match; yet Larsen remained in demand from
          organizers because he always plays to win and takes calculated
          risks that delight spectators.

   Style: Larsen is an original who strikes out a lot and hits many home
          runs. He shuns the beaten path and successfully revived many old
          and forgotten opening variations, but he is not reckless and is
          quite capable of solid positional play.

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    Name: Korchnoi
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1931 - ) Viktor Korchnoi was born in Leningrad, USSR, and along
          with Keres is often ranked as the strongest player who never became
          world champion. He won the powerful USSR Championship four times
          before defecting to the USA in 1976. In 1978 and 1981, while his
          family was held hostage inside the USSR, he lost two title matches
          to Karpov, after which his wife and son were freed. In 1983 he
          dropped a semi-final match to Kasparov, ending his chance to
          challenge Karpov again, but he continued to enjoy incredibly good
          results and has remained a feared competitor.

   Style: Korchnoi is tough and tenacious, fighting every game to the bitter
          end with grim determination. A defensive player who revels in
          ferocious counter-attacks, he is partial to the French Defense and
          the English Opening, his old workhorse.

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    Name: Keres
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1916 - 1975) Paul Keres, born in Narva, Estonia, was among eight
          of the world`s superstars for a quarter of a century ever since his
          sensational debut at top board on his country's Olympic team in
          1935. At Bad Neuheim 1936 he tied for first with Alekhine, then won
          Semmering 1937 ahead of Capablanca. A tie with Fine at AVRO 1938
          ahead of Alekhine, Botvinnik, Capablanca, Euwe, Flohr and Reshevsky
          earned Keres a title shot against Alekhine -- except for the advent
          of W.W.II. After the war evidence indicates Soviet officials
          prevented him from interfering with Botvinnik`s ascension to the
          crown. Keres was an excellent openings analyst who originated
          several important lines and strengthened many variations.

   Style: Keres gradually changed his style from a brilliant attacker who
          prefers open games to a classical positional player. He became a
          devotee of solid openings, and in the middle game he undertook
          risky attacks only when the chances favored him.

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    Name: Kasparov
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1963 - ) Born Harry Weinstein in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan,
          his name was later changed to Garry Kasparov in order to sound more
          'Russian'. At 17 he won the World Junior and become the youngest
          world champion at 22 by beating Karpov in 1985. Both Kasparov and
          Karpov towered above their contemporaries for another ten years and
          treated fans to the greatest rivalry in chess history. In 1993
          Kasparov forfeited the FIDE championship by declining to play under
          FIDE rules and instead helped found the Professional Chess
          Association (PCA). In 1995 he beat Anand to surpass Fischer as the
          highest rated player ever, but it was his games against the IBM
          supercomputer Deep Blue that brought him some of his greatest
          publicity. In 1996 he defended the honor of all mankind by beating
          the super-machine 4 games to 2 in a 6 game match, but after IBM
          made many refinements Deep Blue came back much stronger and in
          their 1997 rematch Kasparov fell (3.5 - 2.5).

   Style: Kasparov calculates quickly and finds rich opening novelties, which
          are usually the product of deep preparation. Often he will give up
          a pawn or sacrifice material just so that his pieces have more
          mobility. He often amazes spectators by choosing discarded openings
          such as the Scotch Game or the sharp Evans Gambit. Basically he
          opens with 1. d4 and usually defends against 1. e4 with the double-
          edged Sicilian.

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    Name: Karpov
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1951 - ) Anatoly Karpov was born in Zlatoust in the former Soviet
          Union. He won the FIDE title twice by default: in 1975 when Fischer
          refused to play and in 1993 when Kasparov formed the Professional
          Chess Association. Karpov was the darling of the Kremlin and his
          two title defenses against Soviet defector Korchnoi in 1978 and
          1981 were marred by the fact that the challenger`s family was held
          hostage inside the USSR. A marathon match with Kasparov in 1984 was
          halted by FIDE after 48 games and almost six months when an
          exhausted Karpov was leading by two points. He lost the title to
          Kasparov in 1985 and failed to get it back despite three more
          matches culminating in 1990. Karpov regained the FIDE crown against
          Timman in 1993, Kamsky in 1996 and Anand in 1998. He was the most
          active champion in history and won more first prizes in major
          events (some 150) than any other great player.

   Style: Very much like Petrosian in style -- but far more aggressive --
          Karpov played accurate and positional chess without taking many
          risks or making many mistakes. He sought small but persistent edges
          in the opening and then ground his opponents to dust. As White he
          relied primarily on 1. e4 and as Black on the Caro-Kann and Queen's
          Indian Defense.

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    Name: Kamsky
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1974 - ) Gata Kamsky was born in Tatarstan, USSR. He was raised by
          his father who took him out of school at an early age to study
          chess full time. He won the championship of Leningrad at age 12 and
          defected with his father to the USA during the New York Open in
          1989. Kamsky swiftly established himself as top dog by winning the
          USA championship in 1991. At 21 he defeated Anand, Salov, Short and
          Kramnik in preliminary matches to earn a title shot against FIDE
          champion Karpov in 1996. After taking home the loser's share of
          $562,500 Kamsky declared he was giving up chess to study medicine.

   Style: A tenacious defender, not overly aggressive, Kamsky is especially
          strong in the endgame. For someone so young his style curiously
          resembles the mature Reshevsky.

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    Name: Flohr
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1908-1983) Salo Flohr was born in Poland and moved to
          Czechoslovakia after his parents were killed during a pogrom. From
          1928 to 1937 he competed in 42 tournaments, winning or sharing
          first in half of them. A hero in his adopted homeland, he endorsed
          products such as cigars, collars and pastries. By 1937 he was
          designated as Alekhine`s official challenger but was unable to
          raise a purse and his hopes were dashed after finishing last at
          AVRO a year later when a younger generation emerged led by Keres
          and Fine. He lost his fighting spirit and became increasingly
          cautious, adopting a policy of safety first, settling for tame
          draws, content to demonstrate equality with his peers. After WWII
          Flohr moved to the USSR where he served as a popular and witty
          chess journalist.

   Style: In the early days Flohr was known as an attacker; yet after age 30
          his powers waned and he shunned risks. His style was a precursor of
          what today is identified with Petrosian or Karpov -- an exact
          positional player who excels in the endgame. Later he came to rely
          exclusively on the queen's pawn game.

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    Name: Fisher
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1943 - ) Robert James 'Bobby' Fischer was born in Chicago, raised
          in Brooklyn, New York. He won the USA Championship at the unheard-
          of age of 14 in 1958. He was a dominant player throughout the
          1960`s but developed a reputation for being difficult by insisting
          on very specific playing conditions. Fischer`s ambition was firmly
          set on the world championship and in 1972 he got his chance. He was
          set to play Boris Spassky for the title. No match in the history of
          the game received more publicity. Fischer soundly defeated Spassky
          and became the first American to win the world championship. He
          then withdrew from serious play and in 1975 forfeited his title to
          Karpov. He became a recluse and did not compete again until 1992
          when a Yugoslav entrepreneur organized a rematch with Spassky for
          $5 million ($3.35 million to the winner and $1.65 million to the
          loser). Once again Fischer defeated his old rival and once again
          vanished from the public eye, probably forever.

   Style: Fischer is characterized by extensive opening analysis. He
          disdained draws and had an intense will to win. His style was
          direct, vigorous and relentlessly aggressive. As White he opened
          with 1. e4 which he called 'best by test' and occasionally sprang
          the King's Gambit. As Black he invariably defended with the Najdorf
          Sicilian or King's Indian.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Fine
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1914 - 1993) Reuben Fine was born in New York City, USA. During
          the 1930s the rivalry between him and Reshevsky was white hot as
          they led American teams to victory in the chess Olympiads. Fine won
          the USA Open seven times but could never wrest the national title
          from his nemesis. Fine`s greatest feat was tying for first with
          Keres at AVRO 1938, ahead of Reshevsky and four world champions,
          past and present. After the war, unable to make a living from
          chess, Fine was faced with a hard choice. He became a psychologist,
          declined to take part in the 1948 world championship in 1948, and
          stopped competing altogether in 1951. Yet he remained America`s
          premier chess author; his classics include 'Basic Chess Endings,'
          'The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings,' 'Lessons From My Games,' and
          'The World`s Great Chess games.'

   Style: Fine preferred an open game and sought the initiative right from
          the first move. He acquired an encyclopedic grasp of the openings
          after revising the 6th edition of 'Modern Chess Openings' (which
          came to be known as the Bible). Before 1938 he specialized in 1.d4
          but switched to 1. e4 for AVRO where he beat Botvinnik and others
          with prepared variations.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Evans
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1932 - ) Born in New York, a hotbed of chess activity, Larry Evans
          won every major American title at least once: the Open four times,
          and the national championship five times starting in 1951 at 19
          (the youngest ever before Fischer) and finally in 1980. A valuable
          member of eight Olympic teams, he stopped playing after gaining the
          Senior title in 1982 to work on his award-winning syndicated
          newspaper column. A longtime contributor to Chess Life, he also
          revised the famous 10th edition of MCO, collaborated on Fischer's
          classic 'My 60 Memorable Games' and then assisted his colleague on
          the road to the throne. Today Evans is considered the dean of
          American chess.

   Style: Evans is basically a counter-puncher who is fond of the English as
          White or the King`s Indian and Sicilian as Black. A fierce defender
          and avid pawn snatcher, a la Korchnoi, he has been known to suffer
          for hours nursing a lowly pawn all the way to victory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Euwe
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1901 - 1981) Machgielis 'Max' Euwe was born in Amsterdam, Holland.
          A mathematics teacher, he became the first real amateur to win the
          world championship in 1935. It was considered a fluke and he
          sportingly agreed to a rematch in 1937, thus enabling Alekhine to
          regain the crown. Euwe also found time for flying, swimming and
          boxing in addition to writing numerous chess books. From 1970-78 he
          was president of FIDE and visited more than 100 countries at his
          own expense to popularize the game in Africa and Asia.

   Style: Euwe was a theorist who was familiar with the entire range of
          openings. Although hypermodern ideas were often seen in his games
          as White, he stuck with classical lines as Black and helped to
          popularize the Slav Defense.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Capablanca
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1888 - 1942) Jose Raul Capablanca, born in Havana, already won a
          match at age 12 from the best player in Cuba. As a grown man, he
          was extremely charismatic, always dressed immaculately and had
          strong sense of honor. His understanding of chess was innate; the
          first major tournament he attempted was one of the strongest in the
          world and he came in first place (a distinction shared only with
          Pillsbury). After the first World War he was considered so
          invincible that his nickname became 'the chess machine.' In 1921 he
          captured the world championship from Lasker, but then surprisingly
          lost it to Alekhine in 1927. His intuition was phenomenal, his
          speed incredible. 'What others could not discover in a month, he
          saw at a glance,' noted Fine. He played prolifically and in his
          time, no other master sustained as few losses as he.

   Style: Capablanca`s style was direct and classical; he shunned unclear
          complications and tried to keep everything under control. He
          steered for simple positions that contained a drop of poison and
          often was able to squeeze wins out of drawish endgames.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Botvinnik
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1911-1995) Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik was born in St.
          Petersburg, Russia, and became the symbol of Soviet supremacy at
          chess. In 1948 he won a match- tournament organized by FIDE to fill
          the crown left vacant by Alekhine`s death. He defended it twice
          with 12-12 ties in 1951 and 1954, then lost to Smyslov in 1957 but
          won a rematch in 1958. In 1960 he lost to Tal but regained it in
          1961. Petrosian finally put him away for good in 1963. An
          electrical engineer, Botvinnik devoted his final years to
          perfecting chess computers and founding a chess school where his
          most famous student was Garry Kasparov.

   Style: A profound technician and iron logician, Botvinnik always sought
          the objectively best move. His position play was extremely solid,
          he had excellent endgame technique and was a dedicated student of
          the openings. His name is most closely associated with the French
          Defense, Dutch Defense, Semi- Slav and English Opening, which he
          honed into a feared weapon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Bogoliumbow
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1889 - 1952) Efim Bogoljubow was born in the Ukraine and became a
          German citizen during the 1920s. He twice challenged Alekhine for
          the title, in 1929 and 1934, but was crushed on both occasions. His
          greatest victories came at Moscow 1925 and Bad Kissingen 1928 where</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
          he finished well ahead of Capablanca. Alternating between brilliant
          success and lamentable failure, Bogoljubow was a born optimist who
          remained unperturbed by losses. 'The youngsters have read my
          book,' he wailed in his jovial manner. 'Now I have no chance.' He
          won the German championship for the fourth and last time in 1949.

   Style: Bogoljubow`s play was sound and his style primarily positional. In
          addition he had a tactical talent which came into its own
          especially when his opponent had been outplayed strategically. His
          weak point lay in his optimism and lack of objectivity. -- Euwe.

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    Name: BlackBurne
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1841-1924) Nicknamed 'the black death,' Joseph Henry Blackburne
          was born in Manchester. He learned chess at 18 and remained
          England`s best player for over 50 years, touring the country
          regularly and giving blindfold displays. He became a professional
          after winning his national title in 1869. His greatest success came
          at Berlin 1881 where he finished ahead of every leading master. But
          he lost three matches to Steinitz and one to Lasker. His capacity
          for scotch was enormous; legend has it he was so enraged at
          Steinitz during one of their games that he picked him up and almost
          threw him out the window.

   Style: Love of study did not accord with Blackburne`s robust personality.
          He was what we call today a 'coffee-house' player -- an unabashed
          tactician. Blackburne came to grief against top rivals because of
          his faulty positional judgment. With inferior masters, however, he
          uncorked one brilliancy after another.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Bird
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1830 - 1908) Born in Portsea, Hampshire, Henry Edward Bird was one
          of the leading British amateurs of last century and is best known
          today by the opening named after him (1. f4). He learned chess at
          age 10 by watching players at a coffee house in London; by 16 was a
          regular at the Divan in the Strand. He was strong enough to be
          invited to the first great international tournament at London 1851.
          When he lost to Morphy in 1858 Bird was only 28 and remained active
          for almost another 50 years. An outstanding accountant, he wrote a
          book entitled 'An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom' and
          also authored several chess treatises.

   Style: Bird was a natural player who chose openings generally regarded as
          bizarre. He cared little for theory and went his own way. The
          attack was his happy hunting ground, and he often disregarded
          positional considerations to pursue it for all it was worth.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Anderssen
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1818 - 1879) It is noteworthy that Adolf Anderssen, a math
          professor who hailed from Breslau, Germany, terms his own attacks
          as 'traps' and nothing more. His combinations were an inspiration
          of the moment and didn`t always flow out of the position,
          organically. Morphy knew not only how to attack but also when --
          and that is why he won. Nonetheless, Anderssen`s victory at the
          first great modern tournament in London 1851 established him as the
          best player in the world until he lost a close match to Steinitz in
          1866.

   Style: Pure combinative chess reached its climax in Anderssen. He
          represents the spirit of sacrifice, free and unrestrained' -- Fine.
          He developed pieces haphazardly and seized the earliest moment to
          attack, yet his ideas were lively, fresh and full of novelties. 1.
          e4 was his preferred opening move and he squared off in the center
          of the ring.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Anand
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1969 - ) Viswanathan Anand, born in Madras, is the best player
          India ever produced and was ranked in the world`s top ten since the
          early 1990s. He has unusually quick sight of the board, is noted
          for playing fast, and is one of the best-liked grandmasters on the
          circuit. In 1995 he dropped a PCA world championship match to
          Kasparov despite taking an early lead by drawing the first eight
          games and winning the ninth. In 1998 he dropped a short FIDE title
          bout to Karpov in overtime after achieving a 3-3 tie. Later that
          year Anand won Linares ahead of Kasparov and five other top rated
          stars, yet he declined another shot at the PCA title because of
          contractual obligations to FIDE.

   Style: Anand is resourceful in inferior positions and noted for his
          attacking skill, deep calculation and tactical ability. As White he
          prefers 1. e4 and likes solid, classical defenses with Black.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Alekhine
  Rating: Grandmaster
Biography: (1892 - 1946) Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was born to
          aristocracy in Moscow, Russia, and was taught chess at age 11 by
          his mother. Alekhine`s personality left a lot to be desired; he was
          devious, nervous, restless, and a heavy smoker and drinker. Though
          a chess genius in his own right, he held his contemporary and
          rival, Capablanca, in very high regards. Surprisingly, in 1927, he
          toppled Capablanca to gain the world championship and then
          studiously avoided any subsequent rematch. Alekhine`s penchant for
          drink caught up with him with his loss to Euwe in 1935. He then
          gave up drinking and smoking to regain it in 1937. During World War
          II he played in many tournaments in Germany and German-occupied
          countries. After the war he was criticized as an anti-Semite, a
          charge he firmly denied. He spent the last years of his life in
          Spain as he was endeavoring the British Chess Federation to
          organize a match between him and Botvinnik.

   Style: Alekhine was a keen tactician and stormy attacker as well as a
          superb technician. His secret was meticulous opening preparation;
          he occasionally experimented with gambit ideas that enabled him to
          literally shake combinations out of his sleeve.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Name: Chessmaster
  Rating: 2711
Biography: The Chessmaster`s exact origins are shrouded in mystery, but it is
          believed that he was created in a top-secret chess laboratory from
          bits and silicon. His wise and kindly presence has presided over
          the finest chess program in the world since 1986.

   Style: Chessmaster 7000 is powered by version 2.61D of the King chess
          engine. On this system, Chessmaster is rated at 2711 U.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==============================================================================
      3. Closing
==============================================================================

Ending.

==============================================================================
      3.1  -  Credits
==============================================================================

    CJayC  -  For making a wonderful site.
 The Game  -  For making such an extensive chess game! And having the
              descriptions and such.
    [ ? ]  -  Your name could be here! In lights!

==============================================================================
      3.2  -  Legal Disclaimer
==============================================================================

This document is Copyright © 2003 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All Rights
Reserved. This document may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form and
under any circumstances without the complete consent of the author. It may not
be sold, altered, or published in any way without the advance permission of
the author. All sources, which have contributed to this document, are cited
and/or credited in some form. The only sites I allow this document to be
viewed at are:

GameFAQs <http://www.gamefaqs.com>
IGN <http://www.ign.com>

If you see this document at any other sources email me telling so as I do
not allow this document to be published at any other sources. Please do not
ask me if you want this document on your website, as the answer will most
likely be no. These terms have become binding once the recipient (or reader)
opened this document. Violation of these terms is strictly prohibited and will
result in a lawsuit. Please do not take these terms as threats and/or not read
them as they are all very much true. I can sue you for an act of plagiarism
and will not hesitate to do so. Thank you for reading this legal disclaimer
and have a nice day!

==============================================================================
      3.3  -  Contact Information
==============================================================================

This section will tell you how to contact the author regarding work that he
has done. Questions you have can be sent to [email protected]. I have only
two rules when it comes to sending me an email. They our: The question should
not be answered in this document and put the game name in the subject line. If
you do not follow these rules your email will be ignored. The question might
be added in the next update as I see fit. I will try my best to respond to
your question. Thank you for reading this information.

 Did you like this guide? Rate my guide then see some of my other work at:

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