Comments on: Anand beats Karpov 3.5-0.5, 2nd rapid match Kasparov-Karpov cancelled

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:55:56 +0000

Thankfully the match with kasparov has been canceled. It would have been another embarrassing massacre. Karpov has become a joke. Great time to retire for him and just enjoy life. I say this and he is/was my favorite player with Spassky.

By: Erevnitis

Erevnitis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:44:33 +0000

Maybe “was but a shadow”

By: ChessGirl

ChessGirl — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:28:41 +0000

I think both are possible, Arne. I would normally say “he´s just a shadow of…”, but of course Peter´s words just appear to be even more “dramatic”, if you will. I didn´t think it was weird when I read it.

By: dlugosz

dlugosz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:14:36 +0000

Ju? wielokrotnie pisa?em na http://szacharnia.blogspot.com, ?e Karpow powinien gra? tylko symultany. Mecze, w których nie jest w stanie wygra? nawet jednej partii szkodz? szachom i jemu.

By: PE

PE — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:32:26 +0000

from the US … I would just take the phrase to mean, simply put, he is not the player he used to be. So, it would be he is only a shadow of the player he once was …

By: Arne Moll

Arne Moll — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:51:58 +0000

Interesting. In Dutch, the expression is indeed ‘he’s NOT a shadow of the [X] he used to be’ but perhaps in English this is uncommon. I seem to recall a song by Brian May starting ‘I’m JUST a shadow of the man I used to be’ which seems to imply the same thing. Any native speakers care to comment on this?

By: Harish Srinivasan

Harish Srinivasan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:59:24 +0000

He means Karpov was not even a shadow of his past.

By: Erevnitis

Erevnitis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:47:00 +0000

“Like in his match against Kasparov in September in Valencia, Karpov was not a shadow of the player he used to be.”

You mean “Like in his match against Kasparov in September in Valencia, Karpov was a shadow of the player he used to be.”

By: pat j

pat j — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:04:27 +0000

they should of had me play anand… i could have played as well (or better yet, as poorly).