The mood you're in (psychological state of mind) affects how you play. It's not all openings, theory and the nuts-and-bolts of the game

Fischer ranted, because he was Bobby Fischer.

A search for some "psychological edge" wouldn't explain his rantings in '75, at a match he didn't even show up for.  

But good posts though Psalms. Nicely stated.

His rantings in '75 could be explained by his not wanting to play and risk defeat. One of the Russian GMs (forget who it was but it might have been Kasparov) said Spassky was susceptible to Fischer's mind games while they never would have worked on Karpov. If Fischer knew his attempt to gain a psychological edge on Karpov was destined to fail, he may have been looking for an out, or excuse not to play. I'll have to re-read part of Kasparov's book on Fischer, Najdorf and Larsen because I think he quotes one GM as saying that he didn't believe anything would get Fischer to defend his title. But Max Euwe didn't think Fischer would play Spassky, so who knows?

I'm really not a good person, but thanks for the compliment:) Spassky was such a mensch that he maintained a friendship with Fischer for years after their WCC match in which Fischer behaved quite obnoxiously. Don't know how long that friendship lasted or if it survived Fischer's 9/11 comments on the radio station in the Philippines

I get the impression from recent comments by Spassky as well as his visit to Fischer's graveside that he really really misses him.....amazing.

The problem for Fischer (and for any great chess player) is that when people get to study your games during their formative years, they will not be as easy to play against as your own generation....standing on the shoulders of giants and all that. Kasparov is one of the few who considers Karpov to have been the favourite in the clash that never happened. Very hard to call in my opinion.

It should be stated once and for all that Karpov really went out of his way to get to play Fischer, with secret negotiations unknown to the Soviet authorities. He also seems convinced that he never completely fulfilled his potential due to the match never happening, and that he would have beaten Kasparov the first time round, if the match with Fischer had occurred. The greatest tournament player of all time never fulfilling his potential......that makes me smile!

One of the funniest photos I ever saw of Fischer was at the awards ceremony after the '72 match, where he's seated next to Spassky and Spassky's wife. Fischer has his pocket chess set out and is apparently trying to show Spassky a position from one of their games. You have to figure going over a game from the match was one of the last things Spassky wanted to do, but Fischer didn't care; he took out his pocket set anyway. And Spassky is seen in the photo casting a sideways glance at the pocket set - either out of courtesy or because he was once again pulled into Fischer's 64-square world. I think that's one of the things that led to Spassky maintaining a friendship with Fischer despite his behavior in the '72 match - his fanatical devotion to chess

Don't mean to harp on ulterior motives for Fischer's behavior but one other thing is worth mentioning (at least in my opinion:)

The media made a big deal out of Fischer accepting second board in the 1970 USSR vs. Rest of the World match after Larsen said he (Larsen) deserved first board based on his tournament successes and Fischer's inactivity. Everyone expected Fischer to object and for there to be a big fight, but Fischer quickly accepted having Larsen on first board, with Fischer on second board. The media praised Fischer for his behavior, but Frank Brady, a Fischer biographer, noted that Fischer would have faced Spassky if he played on first board and, on second board, he faced Petrosian. Brady hypothesized that far from being a magnanimous gesture, Fischer may not have felt prepared to face Spassky (he had never beaten him before) and wanted to play Petrosian instead (who he wound up beating 3.5 to 0.5.) That was the same match where Spassky crushed Larsen in a 17-move miniature after Larsen, who had white, got a little too creative in the opening.

I think Karpov probably would have won as well. Karpov had a big lead on Kasparov at one point in their match of unlimited duration but then started to slide and Kasparov picked up a few games. I think that's when the match was halted. Fischer's proposal for an unlimited match (draws don't count) wasn't really a good idea even though it was instituted for one of the Kasparov-Karpov matches (I think it was the first.) You can't tell how long a match like that will last and it's only natural that the less physically-fit player will start to suffer under all that stress.

4-0 to Karpov at after 31 games, if I remember right, and then Kasparov just transformed into this cat with nine lives, winning game 32, then drawing 15 games, then winning two more, by which time Karpov was close to a nervous breakdown. Greatest comeback in chess history. Maybe the greatest rivalry as well, though Botvinnik and Smyslov, Capablanca and Alyechin were great rivalries as well.

Best part of the Karpov-Kasparov rivalry, they were both so far ahead of the rest of the chess-playing world.

Either one would have been the undisputed best, if not for the other.

I too got pretty sick of this...although I am heartened to see that quite a number of chessplayers find the guy rather repellent as well (fortunately, the days when chess skill would absolve any flaw in one's makeup to the typical chessplayer seem to be over).

Not sure what to make of this...it is after all just a board game.

Of course we're the perfect ones to sit in judgment of him - and every other GM!

Well, that goes without saying...but it's never seemed to stop any of us from posting on these sorts of threads before. 

I'm shocked AndyClifton, truly shocked at your statement. Next you will say that Baseball is just a kid's game ? Oh wait a minute, it is just a kid's game. Never mind, carry on.

Yes, I'm as guilty as anyone:)