Kirk, its very possible his best fide was 2579 , I just cant find the list. I checked my own name there and they use my best fide rating, which is lower than my best uscf so you could be right afterall. It seems chess.com goes by fide ratings. The problem may be I cant see lists before 2000 apparently. I dont know if there is a way to see lists before 2000 ? Ashley's best uscf was over 2600 so it seems they arent using uscf.
Maurice Ashley
Sort:
yall r weird
Aug 11, 2009
0
#44
emochicklol wrote:
yall r weird
Then don't hang about on chess websites!
emochicklol wrote:
yall r weird
It's " y'all " and you may be right ! 
Maurice Ashley and Josh Waitzkin worked on the following opening, although while Waitzkin was able to use it with success, and Ashley didn't.
mkirk wrote:
aansel wrote:
I think the OP was off. Maurice Ashley is a great ambassador for chess and an excellent commentator. He was never a "World class" GM but he was very strong (as is any GM) and a positive influence on chess in the US.
Aansel is probably correct.
No, the OP called ashley the tiger woods of chess because he's a good black player, not because he's the best, though tiger woods is one of the best but mainly because they're both black.
Elubas--I am not sure what you are talking about or what your point is--Tiger Woods is the number 1 golf player in the World and has dominated the sport for years. And yes he is black (actually Thai and Black)--Maurice Ashley is a very good chess player and also of color--but he has not dominated the chess--so the Original poster is wrong in his comparison
Tiger Woods dominates his sport.
Ashley has never been strong enough to qualify for more than one US Championship (and this was one that permitted a long list of competitors), and in the one he played he finished way, way down the list.
Ashley's best FIDE rating of 2504 is more than 300 points behind the best players.
So how can Ashley be the Tiger Woods of chess?
It doesn't fit perfectly, but he did become a GM right? But I think Nolaupt considers ashley a role model, representing the blacks kind of like tiger woods. I mean 2500 is pretty respectable. But I guess it would have to be a black super gm lol so not quite.
Tiger's statement on race is interesting, even inspiring (since race seems to be part of the topic):
Tiger Woods On Race
MEDIA STATEMENT:
The purpose of this statement is to explain my heritage for the benefit of members of the media who may be seeing me play for the first time. It is the final and only comment I will make regarding the issue.
My parents have taught me to always be proud of my ethnic background. Please rest assured that is, and always will be, the case - past, present, and future.
The media has portrayed me as African-America; sometimes, Asian. In fact, I am both.
Yes, I am the product of two great cultures, one African-American and the other Asian.
On my father's side, I am African-American. On my mother's side, I am Thai. Truthfully, I feel very fortunate, and EQUALLY PROUD, to be both African-American and Asian!
The critical and fundamental point is that ethnic background and/or composition should NOT make a difference. It does NOT make a difference to me. The bottom line is that I am an American...and proud of it!
That is who I am and what I am. Now, with your cooperation, I hope I can just be a golfer and a human being.
Signed,
TIGER WOODS
chessoholicalien wrote:
I don't see any hate here, just a statement of the facts. Ashley has not achieved in chess what Woods has achieved in golf. Why can you not see that? And I agree Ashley is good role model for (African-)American chess.
Correct, chessoholicalein. It's not even close. I like Maurice Ashley a lot... But how many times has Maurice Ashley been the U.S. Champion? Or even competed for a World Championship?
By contrast, Tiger Woods has won the U.S. Open 3 times and has been ranked no. 1 in the world at the end of 9 seasons of the 14 he has played. That does not include the 2009 season, in which he is currently ranked no. 1.
An Ashley-Woods comparison is way off unless it is only racially-based, which makes it even more way off. This country needs to get off of what race someone is and start appreciating acheivements for what they are - not what color the person is who reached them.
Is Maurice Ashley a role model? Yes. Is he a great chess player? Yes. Is he equivalent to Tiger Woods? Not even close.
Reb wrote:
Karpov once said : " any GM under 2650 is weak" and Ashley's best fide rating was 2504 back in 2001 so he is "weak" according to Karpov.
Isnt Karpov under 2650 rating? LOL
SerbianChessStar wrote:
Isnt Karpov under 2650 rating? LOL
Yeah he's 2619 now...
chessoholicalien wrote:
SerbianChessStar wrote:
Isnt Karpov under 2650 rating? LOL
Yeah he's 2619 now...
So based on his quote he called himself weak.
Let's make it happen!
I think the OP was off. Maurice Ashley is a great ambassador for chess and an excellent commentator. He was never a "World class" GM but he was very strong (as is any GM) and a positive influence on chess in the US.
Aansel is probably correct.