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Posted by ccmcacollister uskidscompute.com 2/18/2006 20:31:16 Play online chess	Subject: Pronouncing GM's & Chess terms in English Message: I would like to know better how some GM names are pronounced, and sure some others would too! Please help us to build a Reference here if you can. Please do correct me if something is not right, or Question it if you have heard it otherwise than given by anyone here ... so we can get it as correct as possible. This is not something I am GOOD at, just INTERESTED in. SO: Please confirm those given here as well, if you can. The purpose of my thread is to learn along with you, or from you. Perhaps someone knows a good link for the phonetics ? Besides GM's, Opening Names and Chess Terms are quite appropriate for this thread. It is a very difficult subject tho, IMO. Especially names, since there is not always agreement about a particular player, for spelling it, even within English. And some sources try to change their spelling to make it more phonetic, etc. For EG, Petroff or Petrov ?! Nowadays it seems the ...ov has become the more popular interpretation for Russian names. Karpov, Kasparov, etc. *** Here the symbols used are as follows: @ =being used to denote the "schwa" sounding of letter "e" (which sounds nothing like the "a" in Schwa however!) ' =used to denote primary Emphasis, along with Capital Letters ' = a secondary Emphasis if the syllable is in Small Letters * Generality: I have read that most Russian names and Eastern European, of 3 or more syllables, tend to place the speaking Emphasis upon the Second syllable rather than on the First as English tends toward. Thus I believe it would be KasPAR'ov rather then KASparov (right? Or bad example?) LjuBOjevic (with silent "L"?) ? ******************** Pirc = I've heard it's like Pertz or Peertz to pronounce, rather than Perk or Peerk Ruy Lopez = RI Lopez pronounced like Rye bread or Wry humour. Alekhine = I've heard it Al YEK' ee in and AL' ek yin ??! ...Help ! Keres = ? Botvinnik = ? Euwe = something like oww(rhymes with you) wa or w@ !? Lautier = Lah' tee aa Collister = Cahl iss ter ... the cahl as in Phone Call ... }8-) Fianchetto (Italian)= I believe is correctly fee' an KEH' toe, yes? but is very commonly said fee an CHET' oh or fee an SHET' o by players. *
Posted by ccmcacollister uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 01:18:19 Play online chess	British Google has some pronunciation sites Message: Here is a short list of pronunciations found today. I notice that it shows Pirc, Euwe, Ljubojevic, and very surprisingly even Ruy Lopez pronounced differently than my prior source. (And I am almost certain my Ruy Lopez was already correct, as it was based upon phonics of Spanish language. Being WRY rather than RHU-EE, tho I hear it that way quite commonly is the USA. On the others, I just don't know if my prior source or the present was more accurate. This one also says the "J" is silent, not the "L" in Ljubojevic. -sigh- See what I mean about this being a tough topic?) Here is a short list: * * * * * * * * * * * * * Correspondence International Master (IM) Alapin (ah-LAH-pin), Semyon - Russian master Alekhine (ahl-YECK-een), Alexander - former world champion Antoshin (ahn-TOE-sheen), Vladimir - Soviet grandmaster Bernstein (BERN-shtyne), Ossip - Russian Grandmaster Bisguier (BIS-gire), Arthur - American Grandmaster Bogolyubov (bah-gah-LYU-bahf), Efim - German Grandmaster Boleslavsky (ba-leh-SLAV-skee), Isaak - Soviet Grandmaster Botvinnik (baht-VIHN-ik), Mikhail - former world champion Bronstein, David (brahn-SHTAYN) - Soviet Grandmaster Caissa (KI-E-sa) - goddess of chess Charousek (Kha-ROO-sek), Rudolf - Hungarian master Chernin (chair-NEEN), Alexander - Soviet Grandmaster Chiburdanidze (tchee-boor-dah-NEED-zeh)Maya-fmr wmn's WC Colle (KAW-lee), Edgard - Belgium champion Dvoretsky (dvahr-YET-skee), Mark - chess trainer En passant (ahn pah-SAHNT) - a special pawn capturing En prise (ahn preez) - piece hanging Euwe (UHR-vuh), Max - fmr WC Fedorowicz (Fe-do-RO-vich), John - American GM Gaprindashvili (gah-prin-dahsh-VEE-lee)Nona - fmr wmn's WC Gligoric (Glee-GO-rich), Svetozar - Yugoslav GM Gruenfeld (GREWN-feld), Ernst - Austrian GM Giuoco Piano (JOKE-o Pee-AH-no) - Italian Opening J'adoube (Zha-DOOB) - I adjust Janowsky (Yan-OF-sky), Dawid - Polish master Kasparov (Kah-SPAHR-off), Garry - former WC Kavalek (kuh-VAHL-ek), Lubomir - American GM Keres (CARE-ess), Paul - Soviet Grandmaster Khalifman (kha-leef-MAHN), Alexander - former FIDE WC Kmoch (k-MOTCH), Hans - chess master and writer Kortchnoi (kahrch-NOY), Viktor - Swiss GM Labourdonnais (lah-boor-do-NAY), Louis - 19th century player Lange (LAHN-guh), Max - German player and author Lein (Lane), Anatoly - American GM Ljubojevic (Luh-BOY-yuh-vitch), Ljubomir - Yugoslav GM Maroczy (muh-ROT-see), Geza - Hungarian Grandmaster Najdorf (NIGH-dorf), Miguel - Argentine Grandmaster Petroff (PEHT-roff), Alexander - Russian master Pirc (Peerts), Vasja - Yugoslav Grandmaster Polugaevsky (pah-loo-gah-YEV-skee), Lev - Soviet GM Reti (RAY-tee), Richard - Hungarian master Robatsch (RO-bahtsch), Karl - Austrian Grandmaster Ruy Lopez (Rue-y Lopeth) - 16th century Spanish priest and player Saemisch (SAME-ish), Friedrich - German Grandmaster Schliemann (SHLEE-mon), Adolf - German player Shirov (SHEER-ahf), Alexey - Soviet grandmaster Smyslov (smih-SLOEFF), Vasily - former world champion Spassky (SPAHSS-kee), Boris - former world chess champion Stein (Shtayne), Leonid - Soviet Grandmaster Sveshnikov (SVYESH-ni-kahff), Yevgeny - Soviet grandmaster Taimanov (tie-MAH-naff), Mark - Soviet grandmaster Tal (Tahl), Mikhail - former world champion Tarrasch (tuh-ROSH), Siegbert - German master Tartakower(tart-a-KO-Wer)Savielly-Austrain/Polish/Russian GM Tchigorin (chih-GOE-reen), Mikhail - Russian master Timman (TEE-mahn), Jan - Dutch Grandmaster Winawer (WIN-ah-wer), Szymon - Polish master Xie Jun (she-a-JUNE) - former world women's champion Zaitsev (ZITE-seff) Znosko-Borovsky(ZNOE-ska-bah-ROEV-skee)Yevgeny Rus.NM Zugzwang (TSOOKS-vahng), position where moving worsens it Zukertort (SOOK-er-tort), Johann - German master Zwischenzug (TSVEYE-shun-tsook) - in-between move *************************************** FOR a more complete listing, see another Great Site from BILL WALL (who also had that wonderful site of 1000+ Chess traps) ,which is at the following e-address ... -> www.geocities.com **********************************************
Posted by alberlie uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 01:38:18 Play online chess	ok, the ones I konw about... Message: Alekhine is actually completely wrong in our times. - There is a letter in russian, the "yo", which is written as a "e" with two dots above it, kind of like the german "ä, ü, ö,", just with an "e" instead. This letter is pronounced as "yó" with an open "o" (like the "o" in "jogging") - the "kh" is pronounced as a the "j" in the spanish rojo (red) or the "ch" in the german "Dach" (roof). So, actually, Alekhine is properly pronounced as "Alyochin" ("i" as in "grin") - Euwe: No, it doesn't rhyme with "you" :o) The "eu" is the same sound as the "oi" in "exploited". the "w" is a "sounding" w, not like in "wonderful" but like in "Video". Not as strong as "Fide", however :o) All together that makes "Oive". Accent on "Oi" - Botvinnik: as it is spelled, the "i" short as in "winning", the "v" as in "Video", accent on the first "i" - Lautier: say Loootijeee, accent on the last syllable - Leko: also with that weired "e" letter with dots. Pronounced as the german "ö" which again is pronounced kind of like the "u" in "burn" without the r-sound accompanying it. (yeah, I know that sounds like "butter, but without fat") You are right - it is KasPArov (not KasPAR'ov, though), but it almost for sure isn't LjuBOjevic but LjuboJEvic, BotVInnik, AlJOchine - so penultimate syllable. It's GORbatchov though, CHRUststov and WOLgograd, LENingrad etc. (don't ask me why) - You are right, fianchetto is with a hard "k" -sound ——— Hard Times for Chess — Early last week, Silvio Danailov, the manager of Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, said in an interview that the M-Tel Masters would not be played this year because the main sponsor, after which the chess tournament is named, had pulled out. Instead, the company decided that it would get more for its money by sponsoring Topalov in his upcoming world chess championship match against Viswanathan Anand of India, the titleholder. Danailov said that he hoped that the chess tournament, which is usually held in May, would return next year. The world chess championship match begins on April 23 in Sofia, Bulgaria. M-Tel was first played in 2005, so it does not have a long tradition, but ...
Posted by ionadowman uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 03:20:30 Play online chess	Alekhine, it seems... Message: ...pronounced his name 'Al-YEH-kheen' rather than the original 'Al-YOH-kheen' (i.e. dropping the 'umlaut' (so to speak) over the letter 'e'). In his view (I gather) the latter sounded "too Jewish", though quite why his Jewish ancestry bothered him, or was a problem for him, I don't know. As for city names like Leningrad or Volgograd (or Stalingrad for that matter) having their stress on the first syllable, my guess would be that they are derived from bi-syllabic names: Lenin, Volga (river), Stalin, these also having the stress on the first syllable. Am I close? In conversation a zillion years ago (1970), a friend mentioned ex-world champion, name of 'Oive'. Took me quite a while to figure out who the hell he was talking about... Cheers, Ion ——— In Chicago, a Chess Tournament That Turns Out Grandmasters — In 1993, Laszlo Nagy began organizing monthly chess tournaments in Budapest that give players a chance to earn the norms needed to gain the grandmaster and international master titles. Called the First Saturday tournaments, the events have attracted many of the worldâ€™s best chess players. Five years ago, a Chicago man created a similar tournament series, the North American Masters, to help American chess players. The man, Sevan A. Muradian, organized the first one in April 2005. The 25th tournament ended March 24, and two players, Mackenzie Molner and Siddharth Ravichandran, each earned the third norm needed to become international masters ...
Posted by mattdw uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 03:27:00 Play online chess	Ionadowman Message: "though quite why his Jewish ancestry bothered him, or was a problem for him, I don't know" I believe it was because he was a Nazi sympathiser, which would explain it. ——— The late Vasily Smyslov was the composed champion of the 1950s — Vasily Smyslov, who died last weekend at 89, was the world's best chess player for most of the 1950s but held the championship crown for only one year and was nicknamed 'The Winter King'. Smyslov understood chess more profoundly than his great rival Mikhail Botvinnik, against whom he contested three world championship matches with honours even. But Botvinnik was the better psychologist, had a shrewd knowledge of chess politics and made wily use of rules where 12-12 kept his title in 1954 and his 1957 defeat gave him a return series where he caught the flu-stricken Smyslov at the start. Smyslov took his major reverse phlegmatically. Chess for him was an art form allied to ...
Posted by bucklehead uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 05:05:51 Play online chess	Alekhine Message: His name in Russian, as far as I can determine from the sources, is Александр Александрович Алехин. The pronunciation of his last name would thus appear to be fairly straightforward: al-YEKH-een. However, since he's dead and I'm too lazy to change my ways, he will always remain "AL-ek-hine" to me. And if anyone thinks I'm going to start saying "Peerts" instead of the quite obvious "Pirc," they're crazy. I might as well start saying "Ufimsev." ——— A glittering career — The 7th World Chess Champion Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (1921-2010) has died at the age of 89 in Moscow. He played four times for the world title including three matches against Mikhail Botvinnik. He won the title in 1957 and was one of the finest players in world chess for over 40 years. He remained an immensely strong chess player even into his 60s and was only eliminated from the world championship cycle by a young Garry Kasparov in 1984. Smyslov learnt the moves from his father, who was a very strong chess player, at the age of six and was schooled initially in endgames which doubtless led to his acknowledged mastery of this phase of the game. He became ...
Posted by alberlie uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 06:57:43 Play online chess	ever heard Kasparov... Message: speak about Alekhine? He always says Alyokhine. ——— European Chess Championship attracts huge field — The 11th European Chess Championship, which finished March 18 in Rijeka, Croatia, attracted a mammoth field of 408 chess players representing 41 European countries. A record 187 grandmasters competed. At stake were 23 places in the next World Cup, plus a prize fund of 120,000 Euros (about $163,000). Ian Nepomniachtchi, a 19-year-old Russian grandmaster ranked a mere 35th at the start despite his formidable 2656 rating, took first prize with an undefeated score of 9-2. Next were Baadur Jobava of Georgia and Artyom Timofeev of Russia, each 8 1/2 -2 1/2 . Veteran Pia Cramling of Sweden won the 158-player women's chess tournament, which ...
Posted by mattdw uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 13:32:41 Play online chess	Bucklehead Message: I agree! hehe. I will keep pronouncing Pirc & Alekhine how the would be in English until I get truly fed up of people telling me to say it properly. :P
Posted by ccmcacollister uskidscompute.com 2/19/2006 16:41:30 Play online chess	Hmmm; Alekhine in Hawaiian . . . Message: Wouldn't it be something like: ################### Al e' ka HEE' nee ?! ##### ** * * *** ##### #### }8-D ########
Posted by bucklehead uskidscompute.com 4/16/2006 17:57:16 Play online chess	Not to beat a dead horse... Message: ...(indeed, one that is very nearly buried), but I came across this in the ChessCafe archives ( -> www.chesscafe.com ), and it sounds authoritative to me. No rumors or unsourced stories about Alekhine, but a realistic portrait by a man who knew him intimately: Hans Kmoch. Here's the relevant quote, in the midst of a fascinating article: "While reading those articles, I remembered that Alekhine used to get angry if his name was pronounced Al-YOH-khin, the way Russians sometimes pronounced it. The correct Russian pronunciation, he said, was Al-YEH-khin, explaining that the name was derived from that of a tree (‘alyesha’) that grew abundantly near one of his family’s estates. “Al-YOH-khin,” he claimed, was a Yiddish distortion of his name, like Trotsky for Troitsky or Feigl for the German Vogel. But strangely, no one whom I ever heard pronounce the name Al-YOH-khin was Jewish. One was a friendly elderly gentleman named (I believe) Tereshchenko. A Russian émigré like Alekhine, he had been named to the position of Alekhine’s second in the 1929 match against Bogolyubov mainly to please the world champion. He immediately antagonized Alekhine by addressing him as “Gospodin [Mr.] Alyokhin.” "
Posted by ionadowman uskidscompute.com 4/17/2006 04:02:42 Play online chess	Sad, isn't it? Message: A Nazi sympathizer he might have been, but I read somewhere that in the chess tournaments organised by the Nazis he was something of a hero to any Jews or Slavs among the spectators. I wonder if he knew this, or whether it would have mattered to him?
Posted by ccmcacollister uskidscompute.com 4/17/2006 04:19:49 Play online chess	Alekhine ... Message: I don't know that I believe him to be a Nazi sympathizer. Since it has come up several times ... the most recent info I have seen was that he was more or less held in Germany by the Nazi's and forced to make radio broadcasts. Someone who knew him stated that he did not in fact write broadcast info either. I'm sorry I cannot recall my source for this. But it might explain why they cast him a hero, or perhaps as one who shared their plight? Of course I wasnt there, so cannot confirm or deny :( This would be an interesting topic to start a thread tho. About Alekhine. If it is not considered a political matter and deleted or banned. I'll start a thread just about Alekhine, and leave it to others as to where and how softly they tread, but remember GK dislike of the political. Perhaps as a historical matter tho . . . it might be approached with a bit of care ?!