AFebruary 18 1991
The Urbana Daily Citizen, Urbana, Ohio, Monday, February 18, 1991
Tides of Fashion
How times change. In his autobiography, 19th-century master Joseph Henry Blackburne wrote of the Lopez, “It is an opening I never play in a tournament, except when I feel a little off color and am content with a draw.” A few years later, Siegbert Tarrasch referred to the Four Knights Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6) as one of the “milk cows of the tournament circuit.” Today the breed is nearly extinct.
Why the change? In part, it is a result of the progress of theory; the proper techniques for the second player have become common property. Another factor is fashion, or perhaps peer pressure; one plays what the masters play, usually with good reason. Maybe the vintage Scotch will make a comeback.
