Great Players of the Past: IM Mark Diesen

Mark Carl Diesen (September 16, 1957 in Buffalo, New York - December 9, 2008 in Conroe, Texas)[1] was an American chess player. He earned the International Master title in 1976 by winning the World Junior Championship at Groningen, ahead of such noted players as Ľubomír Ftáčnik and Oleg Romanishin.
06:32 Mark Diesen vs John Nunn, Christmas Congress 1973-1974
17:21 Mark Diesen vs Nick de Firmian, US Junior Championship 1976
22:19 Mark Diesen vs Walter Browne, Lone Pine 1976
29:38 Mark Diesen vs Krum Georgiev, World Junior 1976
This lecture was recorded on January 08, 2024 in Roswell, Georgia. Thank you Gabe Salloum for sponsoring!
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[@user-xz6ek8mq4g]

Ben having anecdotes about lesser-known players like Krum Georgiev is part of what makes him such a great chess streamer.

[@aarongifs]

A wealth of knowledge. I've learned so much about chess history from Ben's videos and streams. He even knows what the non-professionals are doing for a career and where they live now, very interesting stuff.

[@justinturner4681]

He should drink beer in the morning

[@sillychinas]

He was a very Diesen player

[@mepposhow]

This Krum anecdote is one of the craziest things he ever told us. I wonder how he was able to keep it back for almost a decade making videos. :D

[@Mathemagical55]

The Nunn game was played at Hastings 73/74 but in the Challengers event, not the main grandmaster tournament. At the time John Nunn wasn't a famous GM, or even an IM. He was an 18-year old undergraduate at Oxford although he graduated a few months later. The common quote about Nunn is that he was "the youngest Oxford undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey" but extremely young undergraduates were not uncommon in the 15th and 16th centuries and records are incomplete. He was certainly the youngest for several hundred years until his record was broken by Ruth Lawrence.

[@jayyy5270]

One of the most high quality series on the internet

[@douglasquaid7550]

40 minutes with Ben.

[@justinturner4681]

3 seconds reading this with me

[@survivaloftheidiots6239]

Wow i heard Ben say Groningen today, great👍

[@jefferydarensbourg2706]

He used to be a member of the Baton Rouge Chess Club when I was young, and played in our weekly tournaments like anyone else. Nice to see Alfred mentioned as well. Thanks for the video!

[@jonathanm3200]

I really enjoyed this lecture because he isn't someone I've ever heard of! Covering some lesser known players is very interesting. I wish Diesen had kept playing chess!

[@edmillerpoker2506]

wow i know these names.. alfred carlin was my coach when i was a kid.. the great master of the terrible torre attack

[@paulgoogol2652]

if you can call it an attack.

[@ivanzivkovic8224]

Named after ..?

[@h0wnr681]

The famous Mr. Attack, of course@@ivanzivkovic8224

[@petargadev6630]

Diesen Nuts

[@justinturner4681]

Best comment

[@owenkelliher4927]

That last game was very nice

[@justinturner4681]

My last day of skool was very nice

[@AaronBrand]

Injured himself in a fall. That reminds me of the video I just watched showing Magnus jumping the velvet rope in slo-mo set to music. It could have gone much differently than that I guess…

[@atwarwithdust]

Now we need a Walter Browne lecture!... Did he ever play the Board of Education?

[@paulgoogol2652]

in the last game Nf6 was an obvious killer. in my own games as per usual I played against one of the super boring exchange french people and drew easily but the engine pointed out I could have play f6-f5 Nd7-f6-e4 and with the french defense pawn on d5 that knight was a monster. some days later I played this "idea" and won easily. when the pawns stand like that already you just know a knight has to go there. but if that has to he prepared... you'd have to actually think which you can't in a Blitz game. but because I was just repeating an idea from Stonkfish, I didn't have to think. just turn off the brain, make the moves... the lesson was: never think.

[@jeffreyfisher3115]

May be time for "Great Viewers of the Present" lectures

[@Doodloper]

Diesen was a great player

[@Shane-rg6bl]

plz make a video on the catalan

[@Rubrickety]

I think Ben was probably confusing the World Junior with the Olympics and chess with gymnastics and Lombardi with Mary Lou Retton.

[@user-ek4ic2ip9e]

“Who you playing this round?”
“Diesen?”
“Who?”
“Diesnutz!”

[@thinboxdictator6720]

today I learned that bishops goes backwards.

[@justinturner4681]

Do you?

[@dustinl.8632]

Did the Bulgarian guys get home by now? 😥

[@wesleykipp]

Keep expecting to hear Finegold say "Diesen knights". Too many Hikaru videos 😢

[@williamk.wright5922]

First and so forth

[@markcromer4069]

But mostly so forth.

[@user-ts2co4ov5h]

Never heard of him. Do one on Leonid Stein. 3 times Russian Champion

[@Mathemagical55]

No, this series is for *great players* like American IMs, not three-time USSR champions

[@konigsrustung8115]

He did one nein nein nein years ago: ua-cam.com/video/eM82L0n3Q7A/v-deo.html

[@mepposhow]

He did one nein nein nein years ago: ua-cam.com/video/eM82L0n3Q7A/v-deo.html

[@mitchellwilson4873]

He's already done a lecture on Stein..

[@mr.rubban5002]

Although I am Syrian, i retreated like a french man

[@justinturner4681]

French fries are edible