On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:30:38 -0700 (PDT), wrote:


To inject some statistics into this discussion, here is a list of
all games on the CB Megadatabase 2005 in which Spassky played the
King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) as White. I give the name of his
opponent, the event and date, the result, and the number of moves:

Averbakh, 22nd USSR Ch, Moscow 1955 1-0, 29
Bronstein, 27th USSR Ch, Leningrad 1960 1-0, 23
Y. Sakharov, 27th USSR Ch, Leningrad 1960 1-0, 30
Liberzon, 27th USSR Ch, Leningrad 1960 ½-½, 34
P. Gibbs, event? 1960 1-0, 25
P. Tumurbator, event? 1960, 1-0 37
Fischer, Mar del Plata 1960, 1-0, 29
Najdorf, Varna Olympiad 1962, ½-½, 27
Limbos, Varna Olympiad 1962, 1-0, 37
Novopashin, 30th USSR Ch, Yerevan 1962,½-½, 21
Matanovic, Belgrade 1964, ½-½, 41
Krogius, Chigorin Memorial 1964, ½-½, 45
Kholmov, 31st USSR Ch playoff, 1964, 1-0, 25
Portisch, Budapest 1967, 1-0, 56
Bronstein, Moscow 1971, ½-½, 18
Ornstein, Nice Olympiad 1974, ½-½, 74
Pytel, Nice Olympiad 1974, 1-0, 39
Karpov, exhibition, Hamburg, 1982, 1-0, 84
Hermann, Bundesliga, 1985, 1-0, 31
Rivas Pastor, Linares 1985, ½-½, 13
Seirawan, Candidates Tournament 1985, 1-0, 32
Susan Polgar, Wellington 1988, 1-0, 42
J. Martinez, Oviedo rapid 1991, 1-0, 25
A. David, France, 1993, ½-½, 60
Xie Jun, Veterans-vs-Women 1994, ½-½, 25
Korchnoi, St. Petersburg rapid 1999, ½-½, 34
Fressinet, France, 2001, ½-½, 23
Adamapoulos, simul, Kalamata, 2002, ½-½, 14

This is an overall record of +15 -0 =13. Surprising to me that
Spassky seems never to have lost with the KG in serious play. And his
opponents include Averbakh, Bronstein, Fischer, Najdorf, Kholmov,
Portisch, Seirawan and Korchnoi, all-time greats every one.


Hmmm. Will Phil now back off on the ignorant proclamations he made
earlier in the thread or continue to bluster and evade? If I were a
bettin' man, I know where I'd put my money.