Great Players of the Past: IM Calvin Blocker

Check out Ben's Chessable courses here! www.chessable.... GM Ben Finegold discusses Ohio Legend IM Calvin Blocker as part of the Great Players of the Past series. This lecture was recorded July 13th, 2022, in Roswell, Georgia.
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[@DougMaverickTube]

Just had coffee with Calvin a couple weeks ago. (With Calvin, a cup of coffee is a 5 hour experience). Loves chess. Loves humans. I hope good things happen for him with this video coming out.

[@marcconnelly5652]

I've never heard of Calvin before

[@karch139]

I traveled to Ohio to visit a friend in summer 1987, and entered the “Parma Open”. I was 3-0, then had to face the other 3-0. This was one Calvin Blocker. I believe he was the 30th strongest player in the US at the time. I was a mere 2050 or so player. The game was a real war. It was like 95 degrees and the tourney was outdoors. The sweat poured out of both of us. Well, I gave him some challenge, went 70 moves, but of course I lost in the endgame. Thank you Calvin Blocker for giving me a great memory, I am glad to hear you’re alive and well!

[@ric1watts]

Enjoyable lecture, played you once & Calvin a few times. It was nice to reminice & see some Blocker game anylized by you ! Thanks, Ric Marshall

[@maplespring2007]

I was a high school player in Cleveland 1972 to 1976. Calvin Blocker was a hero and so amazing!. I got to play him a couple times, a Cleveland Open and some other event . He was already a top master in Cleveland along with Burns and Wozney. That was a heyday for Cleveland chess with the high school league, the ethnic club league, regular tournaments organized by James Schroeder and Bill McElyea, a great little publication by the Cleveland Chess Association, leaders like Bill Costaras who loved chess, and especially worked to do great things for kid’s interested in chess! Fond memories!

[@moderneros]

Never saw this originally, great to cover some IMs of the past!!

[@GMBenjaminFinegold]

This is a new one! - Ben’s Editor

[@MrCheeze]

@@GMBenjaminFinegold Description says 2021 but video itself says 2022, I guess 2022 is correct?

[@ublade82]

It's harder to cover IMs of the future

[@andrewschultz6608]

@@ublade82 a great comedian of the past, Mitch Hedberg, approves this comment.

[@Bell2trac]

Thanks Ben for this great lecture and for honoring Calvin. I must say that Calvin was always a gentleman to me as you were, both of you had the gift that when you talked to me that you never talked down to me. Thank you for your and Calvin’s kindness to me! Tony Mantia

[@juhonieminen4219]

5:14 "He was looking down the diagonal. He was trying to imagine what the bishop was thinking." Right there, sir, you earned my double thumbs up.

[@teacheralex6373]

Ben always teaches me something, makes me laugh, and relax; I think I love this guy

[@jeffreyfisher3115]

I enjoyed this video about a local-legend player you know personally. “Write about what you know” works for videos.

[@stephenz1784]

You should do a podcast style episode with Calvin B, he would provide a fascinating conversation for your audience!

[@BetterChessTraining]

A great player whom I've had the pleasure of watching play over the years (for me mostly in the early 2000's). I ran into him at a tournament last year and it was good to chat with him. He was an early chess hero of mine when I first started playing chess competitively.

[@worfle]

Really enjoyable lecture, easy to tell you love and respect this guy.

[@chessfanatic1717]

so glad to finally see calvin get more publicity! he’s a fantastic player, and a fantastic coach!

[@stevehrop5527]

I remember a tournament at the University of Akron in the mid 80s where 16-year old Ben drew his game against Blocker. I played Blocker seven times in USCF events (one draw and six losses). He absolutely was GM strength at his peak and reached #13 on the list of highest rated US players.

[@Rubrickety]

In the early 1990s Bill Watterson's work was so overexposed that I had to install a Calvin blocker on my Mac.

[@nicks3294]

Frankly, terrible

[@mikewalsh9041]

Thank you for this. I remember Calvin, *a vivid memory* from when we were undergrads at CWRU. He had a wonderful knack for explication, or teaching, and could describe a game in a way that made it luminous even to a non-player like me.

[@beeble2003]

Never heard of this guy. Now I have. Thanks!

[@duaflip]

I’m from Ohio and I’ve never been to an OTB tournament, but even I know about Calvin Blocker. Nice to see some proper coverage on him

[@ariterjanian5000]

Thank you for this recording! Calvin still makes some appearances in the Cleveland chess scene. He is quite interesting and brilliant. Had the pleasure of losing to him in a simul and in a rapid game. Takes every game seriously, and can indeed speak for hours : ) He is regarded as a chess legend in Cleveland.

[@EpicVideoMaster11]

Calvin sounds wonderful

[@jthrash9081]

Crazy I'm from Toledo I've never heard of this guy.

[@f12mnb]

Great video! Thank you Ben. I remember seeing Calvin Blocker playing up in Michigan once at a tourney in Ann Arbor.

[@Ben-gd1so]

"Every move, De Firmian missed the best move: resigns" LOL love it, great lecture.

[@JohnEmm]

I gave Calvin the analysis for this game on index cards after researching the Sveshnikov at the John G. White library in the early 80's. FM John McCarthy

[@michaelemerson1949]

Always play Kf8 half the time.

[@666nevermore]

My man there is no intro in the world I love more then ben’s one

[@andrewschultz6608]

I remember Calvin Blocker from the Chicago open many years ago. Someone was complaining a bit about how chess wasn't fun, and Blocker was giving them more than the just "turn that frown upside down" or "don't stress out" or "be lucky with what you have" lecture. I don't remember it now, but I sort of needed it a bit, too, after losing a long game.

[@kingcarl2434]

Great LECTURE

[@kenspencer9895]

I played Calvin in a Cleveland Open one time (I was 18xx and he was 22xx). I actually had a chance to simplify to a drawn pawn endgame, but I miscalculated it as a win for him and so played something else, subsequently losing. Later, I played him in either an Ohio Chess Congress or Cardinal Open (both in Columbus, OH). I blundered a piece (I had 3 different recaptures, but they all lost in different ways), so I resigned. I remember seeing a young Ben Finegold playing in some Ohio tournaments, also.

[@malacor17]

I'm from Ohio but I was never involved with the chess scene when I lived there. It's nice to hear about one of our great players!

[@mikestock969]

I've had the honors of talking with Calvin Blocker. He sure is a talkative person... however he has so much to teach. Infact I almost highred him as my chess coach a few years ago. What an inspiring gentleman/chess Master

[@anomanderrake440]

Absolutely not an exaggeration…Calvin Blocker is one of my most favorite people I’ve ever had the honor of spending time with.

[@scarscrews]

Thank you for making new lectures Mr Finegold ! The content is almost as class as the man doing the lecture

[@barcarolleenjoyer]

The position in the second game vs Sprenkle reminds me of a Sveshnikov, but mirrored.

[@mbire831]

Is there a better chess analysis site on KZbin than Mr. Finegold.'s ? I dont think so.

[@yommish]

A new lecture! Woo hoo

[@animalntelligence3170]

blocker is a very nice fellow.

[@domv2462]

"IM Calvin Blocker"? No you're not! You're Ben Finegold.

[@zlatkofelic8820]

True Ohio chess moment.

[@georgebumgardner841]

Shot in the dark... do you have Calvin's contact information? Even an email works. He was a dear friend I've lost touch with.. haven't seen him in 22 years... but he remembers me. He remembers everything.

[@beaut7811]

If you’re looking for someone who knows him and may be interested in putting you in contact Marc Esserman has an online presence and was one of his students

[@francislally6066]

The greater Cleveland chess club occasionally holds events with Calvin, if you Google them they might be able to get you in touch with him.

[@obmarte3803]

QA8 seems pretty winning in that third game.

[@cwjalexx]

"im c. blocker" hmm, very suspicious.

[@ajs3147]

I heard he killed the brother of IM Inigo Montoya

[@exuviumisopods]

Me: How many of you are focusing on Ben's dancing belly? GM Ben Finegold: That's why I am GM Ben Finegold and you are not. 😁

[@knurpsel6992]

Actually, your pronunciation of the word Zwischenzug is really good. Greetings from Germany.

[@matthewdavis3421]

Around 33:00 ish, would black never want to sac the c pawn by playing ...c4, Nxc4 in order to open the file and get some counter play on the queen side?

[@vigilante8374]

"One of the best players from Ohio, EVER" ? Pfffft. I'm the best player on my block.

[@angc214]

Ben, since we both hail from Detroit we are contractually obligated not to like anybody or anything from Ohio that is not Cedar Point. That being said, I love this lecture and it's too bad Blocker didn't make a bigger name for himself.

[@geckogeico2212]

Played in literally 1984

[@mrmanyouare]

drink everytime ben says OHIO lalwz

[@mortalwomprat]

Ah yes, C. Block

[@edmis90]

Go Eric White

[@eonny]

Emory Tate would be an interesting choice for a Great Players of the Past.

[@CovenantLazzy]

IMMA COPY HIS OPENINGS 😊

[@Waldwipfelling]

Fix it fix it fix it fix it. Doesn't work for me. But might be my computer, i don't know

[@styleisaweapon]

I know,

[@kingcarisma]

The answer is fries

[@zeninguem1937]

haha good one ben, we all know ohio isn't a real place

[@carlyoung7004]

No thing exciting

[@jeffreyjiminian4859]

JUST MET N PLAYED CALV♟N BL🧐CKER HAD A GREAT TIME TALKING CHESS N ANALYZING MATE IN TWO POSITIONS

[@mikejschin]

I knew Calvin in the early 1970s, before he became really good but everybody knew he was going to be very good. He got coaching from Milan Vukcevich, who was a professor at CWRU at the time. Vukcevich was at one point ranked #75 in the world, when there were only about 80 GMs. His OTB accomplishments included a tie for 1st place in the 1969 US Open (including wins against Bisguier and Denker) and 3rd place in the 1975 US Championship (with wins against Tarjan, Grefe, and Reshevsky). His focus on his scientific career (nominated for a Nobel Prize in chemistry) and composing chess puzzles (GM of Chess Composition and induction into the Chess Hall of Fame in that capacity) kept him from pursuing the OTB GM title. PLEASE do a video on this marvelous player.

[@johnarchibald9202]

You should do a video on Larry C

[@buxeessingh2571]

He used to come to our chess club at Case Western Reserve University.

[@giuseppeindelicati7845]

Maglietta fantastica!

[@andsviat]

That call to Las Vegas was really mean((( I lost all my savings!

[@AI-xi4jk]

I love the shirt 👕