Talk:Greco Defence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Chess, a collaborative effort to improve Wikipedia's coverage of chess. For more information, visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
Start This article has been rated as Start-Class on the quality scale.
Low This article has been rated as Low-Importance on the importance scale.

To be clear, this page needs references not just from some article, but something to establish its relationship to Gioachino Greco, not to mention some real assertion of its notability. Perhaps there is some significance from it being historically noted since 1620, but without any mention of that, exactly how is apparent to the reader? Right now, this is primarily a discussion on how to play the opening, with the only thing besides that being well, a mention of some blind-folded game of dubious significance. Try to fix that. FrozenPurpleCube 22:17, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

The article cited clearly said that Greco analyzed the opening in 1620. That establishes the relationship to Greco. The chesscafe article is written by an expert (Garry Lane) who provides some further analysis. That means there exists two sources independent of the opening: Greco and Lane. I am not a big fan of the primary notability criterion but two independent sources means that the opening passes it. Sjakkalle (Check!) 07:51, 1 May 2007 (UTC)
Also the article is not a how-to on how to play the opening, and we have been through that debate already on Sicilian Defense where your position that the opening articles are how-tos were rejected. "it is a favorite opening among novice players, it has also been used by people who according to Lane "should know better" tells about the openings popularity (relevant), is not a how-to (in fact none of the article is), and does not refer to the blindfold game of dubious importance. Also, I suggest that if you have aproblem with the article as it stands, then you should try to "fix that". Sjakkalle (Check!) 08:09, 1 May 2007 (UTC)
I can't see anything in the article about the origins of the name. Just a suggestion of an amusing line. That's not saying as much as you think, since it's a really minimal reference. So, please, try to get better references. Especially, there's still no indication of the importance, and while I would be glad to fix it, I don't have anything to fix it with. I'm sorry, but I don't have every single book on chess, there's nothing I could find online that's substantial, and I don't even know if it's worth fixing. So pardon me for not bothering to go hit up a library. If you do, then you can respond to my concerns by addressing them. If you don't, then you can leave up the tag and hope somebody else reads this discussion and tries to fix it. FrozenPurpleCube 14:25, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, I still don't think the references are adequate, so I've gone to WP:3 to see a third opinion. Especially since as I see it, the reference is not adequate at all for the real problem which is the notability of the subject of this article. FrozenPurpleCube 22:53, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

My opinion: I have to agree that the article should be rewritten to state why the Greco Defence is notable enough to be named. It doesn't have to be anything major, just give a reason a Wikipedia reader (as opposed to a "Wiki-Chess" reader) should care. Maybe it's because it's a favorite opening among novice players? Move that statement to the opening paragraph, and cite the quote (actually, cite the quote anyway). Was is used in a very famous game? The "George Koltanowski" game mentioned doesn't seem particularly famous, although another reference might prove it so. Is/was it preferred by any famous players? Name them. Is it just because Gioacchino Greco documented it? Find out why this particular opening got named after him, instead of others he documented, and mention in half a sentence who Greco was. Does it have more history than just Greco in 1620? Mention it. Does it even have any sort of reputation like the other two openings linked from this article?
Also, the article has only one reference, and that reference seems to have supplied all the information in the article. Add more references! Something on the reason this opening got named after Greco would be good, and a reference for that last sentence is really needed. Even a "good"/"common" refutation or two, well supported by references, wouldn't be amiss. Anomie 02:38, 2 May 2007 (UTC)