The United States is represented by a grand total of one American-developed
player in the top 100 on FIDE's new list. That's Syrian-born Yasser
Seirawan, # 78, who did not play any FIDE-rated games during the last rating
period (I believe Yasser has retired from serious chess). Excluding
Seirawan, our three highest-rated players (all from Eastern Europe) weigh in
at 2624, 2621, and 2611 (I'm leaving Onischuk out -- not sure of his
residence status). Even a tiny country like the Netherlands can put together
a stronger team than the USA, with 2 of their top 3 players native-born and
trained and their star, Sokolov, enjoying a renaissance of sorts.

I would estimate that the US has by far the lowest ratio of world-class
players (2600) for its population than any other nation.

Our opportunity to develop world-class players is vanishing as our immigrant
GMs inevitably sink into the vast nowhere, relatively speaking, of 2500 and
2400 status. In ten years there will be nobody even remotely world-class for
developing American players to compete with or learn from. We've never
really had a critical mass of prominent chess instructors, or anything
resembling chess schools. But soon we'll have nobody, nothing but a bunch of
geezer-patzers slamming the clock at weekend G/90s and bragging about the
good old days.

"Hey, I once saw Arthur Bisguier at a weekend Swiss!"

Angelo

"I would estimate that the US has by far the lowest ratio of world-class
players (2600) for its population than any other nation." (adp)
=============
Angelo, the USA can't be first in every category of human endeavor. If the
USA has to rank last in something, then chess is a good choice because chess
isn't important.

Haas

"Our opportunity to develop world-class players is vanishing..." (adp)
=============
That implies we still have or once had an opportunity to develop world-class
players.
When was that?
The few world-class players we've had more or less came out of nowhere and
developed more or less on their own.

Haas

Dear Mr. DePalma,

Heil Dubya!

In the first place, persons playing for the U. S. A. are United Statesians, no
matter where they were born. (And Seirawan was not born in the U. S. A.)
Thus, we have five representatives among the top 100 FIDE rated players.
Considering how U. S. "culture" demeans ANY application of pro-human culture,
five in the top 100 is pretty damn good!

Secondly, Hikaru Nakamura is the second youngest player on the top 20 "Juniors"
list and is ranked number 13. Varuzhan Akobian's rating of 2516 is not too far
behind the 2565 of the 20th ranked "Junior".

Thirdly, Zsuzsa Polgar is the second highest rated female player, behind her
sister Judit. In addition, Irina Krush is ranked 18th and Anna Zatonskih is
ranked 25th amongst women.

It is not the end of the world that we're not No. 1. It IS the end of the
world that the U. S. A. puts more money into military aggression than into all
other matters combined in its Federal budget. Were we to educate our children
in music, mathematics, languages, history, philosophy, art, chemistry, physics,
biology -- in short, the liberal arts -- and produce Ph. Ds. in those subjects
instead of our plethora of MBAs, we also would produce many more 2600 and 2700
FIDE ratings.

Whasamatter, baby? We're NOT No. 1? The sky ain't falling.

The United States is represented by a grand total of one American-developed
player in the top 100 on FIDE's new list. That's Syrian-born Yasser
Seirawan, # 78, who did not play any FIDE-rated games during the last rating
period (I believe Yasser has retired from serious chess). Excluding
Seirawan, our three highest-rated players (all from Eastern Europe) weigh in
at 2624, 2621, and 2611 (I'm leaving Onischuk out -- not sure of his
residence status). Even a tiny country like the Netherlands can put together
a stronger team than the USA, with 2 of their top 3 players native-born and
trained and their star, Sokolov, enjoying a renaissance of sorts.

I would estimate that the US has by far the lowest ratio of world-class
players (2600) for its population than any other nation.

Our opportunity to develop world-class players is vanishing as our immigrant
GMs inevitably sink into the vast nowhere, relatively speaking, of 2500 and
2400 status. In ten years there will be nobody even remotely world-class for
developing American players to compete with or learn from. We've never
really had a critical mass of prominent chess instructors, or anything
resembling chess schools. But soon we'll have nobody, nothing but a bunch of
geezer-patzers slamming the clock at weekend G/90s and bragging about the
good old days.

"Hey, I once saw Arthur Bisguier at a weekend Swiss!"

Angelo

Heute Uhmuhrikkka, Afghanistan, Irak und Haïti. Morgen die ganze Welt!

Uhmuhrikkka, Uhmuhrikkka über Alles!

(The more information that comes out about the attacks on the Twin Towers and
the Pentagon of 11 September 2001 the more it appears that those attacks were
organized by the rulers of the United States and were intended to have the same
effect on the people of the United States that the Reichstag fire had on the
people of Germany in 1933.)

Fight terrorism! Dissolve the CIA and disarm the Pentagon! (I have been
watching the hearings of the Commission to investigate the attacks on the Twin
Towers and the Pentagon of 11 September 2001. As a result, I have become
convinced that every one of the witnesses and their four Presidents - and every
one of the Commissioners - should be tried for:
(1. Conspiracy to commit terrorism; and/or
(2. Commission of terrorist acts; and/or
(3. Conspiracy to commit murder; and/or
(4. Commission of murder; and/or
(5. Treason; and/or
(6. Suborning one or more of the above acts.)

Jerome Bibuld
gens una sumus

"Were we to educate our children
in music, mathematics, languages, history, philosophy, art, chemistry, physics,
biology -- in short, the liberal arts -- and produce Ph. Ds. in those subjects
instead of our plethora of MBAs, we also would produce many more 2600 and 2700
FIDE ratings." (chessphoto)
=============
No we would not. The evidence suggests our talented chess bums give up
chess to pursue those Ph.D's in order to make something worthwhile of their
lives. Tarjan, Kamsky, Rachels, et al.

Haas

Hi,

I wouldn't bother about that if I were you. The Fiji islands are even worse
off in the world standings than the US.

When Fiji catch up its time to start worrying....

Rubix

"Angelo DePalma" wrote in message
...

The United States is represented by a grand total of one
American-developed
player in the top 100 on FIDE's new list. That's Syrian-born Yasser
Seirawan, # 78, who did not play any FIDE-rated games during the last
rating
period (I believe Yasser has retired from serious chess). Excluding
Seirawan, our three highest-rated players (all from Eastern Europe) weigh
in
at 2624, 2621, and 2611 (I'm leaving Onischuk out -- not sure of his
residence status). Even a tiny country like the Netherlands can put
together
a stronger team than the USA, with 2 of their top 3 players native-born
and
trained and their star, Sokolov, enjoying a renaissance of sorts.

I would estimate that the US has by far the lowest ratio of world-class
players (2600) for its population than any other nation.

Our opportunity to develop world-class players is vanishing as our
immigrant
GMs inevitably sink into the vast nowhere, relatively speaking, of 2500
and
2400 status. In ten years there will be nobody even remotely world-class
for
developing American players to compete with or learn from. We've never
really had a critical mass of prominent chess instructors, or anything
resembling chess schools. But soon we'll have nobody, nothing but a bunch
of
geezer-patzers slamming the clock at weekend G/90s and bragging about the
good old days.

"Hey, I once saw Arthur Bisguier at a weekend Swiss!"

Angelo

It is not the end of the world that we're not No. 1. It IS the end of the
world that the U. S. A. puts more money into military aggression than into all
other matters combined in its Federal budget.

The US spends about 3.5% of it's GDP on the Military.. even now. The
interest on the National Debt alone is a little higher that that
annually.


Were we to educate our children
in music, mathematics, languages, history, philosophy, art, chemistry, physics,
biology -- in short, the liberal arts -- and produce Ph. Ds. in those subjects
instead of our plethora of MBAs, we also would produce many more 2600 and 2700
FIDE ratings.


Assuming that Busines majors dominate the educational scene, which I'm
a little dubious of, how does this translate to worse chess playing?
I mean, where are all the math, music, and science geniuses coming
from Hungary, Russia, Georgia, and China? Or England even, which has
far more native born top-rank players than the US.

Dear Mr. Lamont,

Heil Dubya!

One could argue your figures, but, in this case, I'll simply ask from whence
comes our "National Debt". (Incidentally, the "GDP" is NOT the "Federal
budget".)

It is not the end of the world that we're not No. 1. It IS the end of the
world that the U. S. A. puts more money into military aggression than into
all
other matters combined in its Federal budget.

The US spends about 3.5% of it's GDP on the Military.. even now. The
interest on the National Debt alone is a little higher that that
annually.

(Much snipped.)

Heute Uhmuhrikkka, Afghanistan, Irak und Haïti. Morgen die ganze Welt!

Uhmuhrikkka, Uhmuhrikkka über Alles!

(The more information that comes out about the attacks on the Twin Towers and
the Pentagon of 11 September 2001 the more it appears that those attacks were
organized by the rulers of the United States and were intended to have the same
effect on the people of the United States that the Reichstag fire had on the
people of Germany in 1933.)

Fight terrorism! Dissolve the CIA and disarm the Pentagon! (I have been
watching the hearings of the Commission to investigate the attacks on the Twin
Towers and the Pentagon of 11 September 2001. As a result, I have become
convinced that every one of the witnesses and their four Presidents - and every
one of the Commissioners - should be tried for:
(1. Conspiracy to commit terrorism; and/or
(2. Commission of terrorist acts; and/or
(3. Conspiracy to commit murder; and/or
(4. Commission of murder; and/or
(5. Treason; and/or
(6. Suborning one or more of the above acts.)

Fraternally,

Jerome Bibuld
gens una sumus

On 5 Apr 2004 05:22:22 -0700, (John Lamont) wrote:

It is not the end of the world that we're not No. 1. It IS the end of the
world that the U. S. A. puts more money into military aggression than into all
other matters combined in its Federal budget.

The US spends about 3.5% of it's GDP on the Military.. even now. The
interest on the National Debt alone is a little higher that that
annually.

Bull.

The U.S. Government says that military spending amounts to 18% of the
budget, the Center for Defense Information (CDI) reports 51%, the
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) reports 40%, and the
War Resisters League claims 49%.

If you take the lowest number - i.e. the one from your gvnmt, famous
for honestly and accuracy - you get roughly your figure of 3.5%; if
you take the highest it looks more like 10%.




Were we to educate our children
in music, mathematics, languages, history, philosophy, art, chemistry, physics,
biology -- in short, the liberal arts -- and produce Ph. Ds. in those subjects
instead of our plethora of MBAs, we also would produce many more 2600 and 2700
FIDE ratings.


Assuming that Busines majors dominate the educational scene, which I'm
a little dubious of, how does this translate to worse chess playing?
I mean, where are all the math, music, and science geniuses coming
from Hungary, Russia, Georgia, and China? Or England even, which has
far more native born top-rank players than the US.

Dear Mr. DePalma,

Heil Dubya!

In the first place, persons playing for the U. S. A. are United Statesians,
no

Jerry,
United Statesians v. Americans-the diff ?




Tony D.
NASCAR-It's the World Wide Wrestling of Auto Racing