I live in Ukraine. I play chess (FIDE rating is 1959). I want to know your opinion about Fischer. Is he the only player you like? I wonder this because in english (I mean western countries) forums I read Fischer, Fischer, Fischer... You didn't know other players? There are a lot of wonderful chess players. As for me I like Karpov, Capablanca and Fischer also. Much peole like Alekhine, Tal, Petrosian, Topalov, Anand, etc.

 

So why do you speak mostly about  Robert Fischer?

 

P.S. Sorry for my English if there is something incorrect. 

In the United States, Fischer receives a lot of attention for two reasons.

 

The first is that he became a national hero in the 1970s by winning the world championship, which had been dominated by players from the Soviet Union. He used his fame and force of personality to promote chess in America, which greatly increased the popularity of the game over here. Many of the American chess enthusiasts on this site probably owe their interest in chess to Bobby Fischer, either directly or indirectly.

 

The second is his public persona since he retired. He regularly says controversial and offensive things about America, women and Jews (among others), and this leads everyone to continue paying attention to him. There's also a kind of mystique about him, since he never really declined while he was playing professionally and retired as the world champion. He claims that he is still the best in the world, and there's no way anyone can know if he's right.

 

For what it's worth, I'm American and I love Capablanca. 

Yes, everybody in the world knows this facts.

 

"Many of the American chess enthusiasts on this site probably owe their interest in chess to Bobby Fischer, either directly or indirectly."

Is this true? Thats interesting. So in US nobody knew about chess until  Fischer came?

 

So please tel me about chess in US. Are they popular? Your country begins to seem very strange to me.

People knew about chess, but there wasn't as much interest as there is now. Fischer's greatest contribution was to get Americans excited about the game. He wrote books, appeared on the radio and television, and got people to notice what much of the world already knew.

 

I don't know how to define "popular" here. Popular by what standard? I don't know how many people in Ukraine play chess, so I don't think I can give an answer that will be meaningful to you.

 

My country is very, very strange. I'm glad you noticed. 

By the way, Ukranian chessplayers Ivanchuk, Ponomaryov, Kariakin are among the

strongest in the world.

Yes, theese 3 are strong but not among the best I think. Anand, Kramnik, Topalov are stronger as for my opinion.

Dmytro wrote: Yes, theese 3 are strong but not among the best I think. Anand, Kramnik, Topalov are stronger as for my opinion.

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I meant among the strongest (sure among the 30 top players).

Yes, yes, I understood.

Why have you written this? I know this facts. I asked if he is popular and why he is popular.

 

We can describe carrer of any Champion and his chess game would be as wonderfull as Fischer's game.

For example, Karpov. He is also World Champion, aslo has a lot of titles and so on...

Or you, Americans divide players according to nationality? If so, it is very unclever. 

What you have to understand is that the game of chess is viewed a little differently here in North America than it is over where you're from.  Mostly here, the public perception is that chess is played by introverted brainiacs who, for lack of better words, are eccentric. 

Fischer continues to capture people's imaginations for a couple of reasons.  The first is the hype surrounding the Fischer-Spassky matches of 1972.  Any competition of the US vs. Soviets was bound to create hype.  The western media gave a lot of coverage to this challenge that normally wouldn't have received attention, because the US had a possibility of breaking the Soviet domination of chess, and winning another theatre in the Cold War.  People who had never played before, or only played casually, followed the games and cheered Fischer on.  When he won, he was a folk hero in America, and led to the so-called 'Fischer boom' where membership in chess clubs increased due to Fischer's win and publicizing the game in America.  Thousands of people who simply thought of chess as a board game started picking up on why it is so challenging.  It was the promotion of chess in the US in the early 70s that is attributed to Fischer's win, that still makes him the most recognizable figure in chess in North America.

 

Second, is Fischer's increasingly erratic behaviour since he won that title 35 years ago.  It solidified many people's perceptions that chess is a game for eccentrics and weirdos.  Mostly, it is not Fischer's chess playing that receives attention, but his comments and rants. 

 

It is not so much Fischer the chess player that people are interested in, it is Fischer the fallen hero.  And although Fischer was one of the most brilliant players ever, most casual fans will remember his rant against Jews and the US more than his achievements.

 Fischer is known here by so many to be a chess god.

Even  chess Titans such as  Morphy, Pillsbury, Akiba Rubenstien, Capablanca, Alekhine, Lasker ,Tal ,Keres, Kasparov, Karpov ,Kramnik,Smylov, Bronstien  all pale in comparison!

Fischer outranks them all.

So why wonder that he recieves so much attention and praise? -SIX

 

 By the way I am a big fan of Ivanchuk and Anand also -as well as Rossilimo and Charoseuk.-SIX

Well, in 1975 Fischer could beat Karpov, I think. In 1975 Karpov was not is his best as he became in the begining of 1980-ies.

 

And now... Now the life continues and, as Bobby once said, "Chess is life". 

Even Tal once said "Fischer is the greatest genius to descend from the chess heavens" , high praise indeed and from a man who bested Fischer more than most. However, Fischer himself said : "perhaps Morphy was the greatest genius of them all". Fischer also liked Capablanca a lot but strangely seemed to think little of Lasker. I began playing chess due to the 72 Fischer/Spassky match so guess who my favorite 2 players are?  Of the active players I like Anand and Carlsen most.

Reb wrote: Even Tal once said "Fischer is the greatest genius to descend from the chess heavens" , high praise indeed and from a man who bested Fischer more than most. However, Fischer himself said : "perhaps Morphy was the greatest genius of them all". Fischer also liked Capablanca a lot but strangely seemed to think little of Lasker. I began playing chess due to the 72 Fischer/Spassky match so guess who my favorite 2 players are?  Of the active players I like Anand and Carlsen most.

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 That's true early on Fischer didnt rate Lasker that highly. Years later he reappriased Lasker giving him very high praise and  very high rating.-- Even Fischer failed to see Lasker's genius until Fischer matured as a chess player.

I believe many top players have rated Morphy the greatest chess genius  even Capa thought so!

I rate chess geniuses in this order, Fischer, Capablanca, Paul Morphy

 , Akiba Rubinstein , Rudolf Charousek and Samuel Reshevsky.-SIX

Well Six, if both Fischer AND Capa thought Morphy was the greatest genius of them all that pretty much settles it in my book. 

I also think many more players than just Fischer are appreciated in the "West". But I think for many "Westerners" Fischer is/was part of their introduction to chess... so he will always be appreciated.

I own a number of chess books, and I remember buying most of them because there were sections (if not the entire thing) on Fischer. As my chess interests increased, nationalities blurred and I started to appreciate players for their play, and NOT where they came from.

I have recently been studying Nisipeanu's games. He may not be in the top 10, but his play is certainly some of the most interesting right now. Tal like sacrifices, amazing combinations, super solid play.

As far as Fischer is concerned, there may be a Fischer fixation in the west, but players from all over the world are still talking about the man. His play was simply that inspiring.

I would imagine there ia a Capablanca fixation in Cuba.

I'm from the U.S and I never liked Fischer. He was a good player but he is such a terrible person.  He may have won a lot but he didn't have the spirit of a true champion.

I agree with Dmitro's argument that Ficsher's power is overstated in the West.

Objectively (for example by rating) Kasparov is stronger.