If it was him, then I guess it must have been in his early ages..;)

If I go crazy than yippdy do. You only live one life might as well experience it all :)

No really though. I would like to call it eccentric, and eccentric people can be very interesting.

Vibovit wrote:

TheAOD wrote:

Being ostricized or isolating yourself from society destoys a persons grasp on reality.  Of course I'm no doctor or socioligist so this could be way off.  It just seems to be true for all great talents.  Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madona, OJ Simpson, Britany Spears, Phil Spector, Kurt Cobain, Nietzche, Henry VIII, Hitler, & Stalin  are a few arguably great people either for their acievments or their public appeal.  These people are all eccentric and are arguably insane.

What indicates that Madonna or OJ Simpson are insane?

That's why I say arguably....  OJ may not have been convicted of the crime of killing his ex-wife and her lover; however, he was planning to write a book called, "How I did it."  According to the news report I heard Nicole Brown's family filed an injunction stopping him from releasing this book.  In addition he was recently involved in some incident involving a gun and sports memorabilia because he apparently makes his money selling the stuff he steals.  If none of that stuff is true then I guess you're right.  If any of it is, then he's really weird and at least edging towards crazy. Keep in mind that although he was not convicted of murder he did lose his case in civil court.   If he killed that woman he's crazy in my mind.  As for Madonna maybe she's not crazy.  Maybe she's just weird.  I think publishing a book of nude pictures of yourself, which might destroy your career, is eccentric.  Once again I'm no expert so this is all debatable.

Anthony

I can't even begin to imagine what Korchnoi will be like if he ever retires from chess. 

What's wrong with him?

I think we're missing a link. The point is that briliant people oftenly are "crazy" or eccentric. And to play chess on such a level you'd have to be briliant.
So they couldn't get "insane" by their level of chess inflating, more like their intelligence increasing. Or maybe that they'd have to become a bit crazy to become more intelligent.
I don't know why people are "crazy" on such high intelligence levels. But I think it has more to do with people being "normal". Normal is just a barrier, keeping you from developing the way you (or your brain) wants to, or at least restricting it. You can hardly be briliant and normal at the same time. I've read some things about the greatest discoveries being made by insane people, in the most insane ways.

TheAOD wrote:

Vibovit wrote:

TheAOD wrote:

Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madona, OJ Simpson [...] These people are all eccentric and are arguably insane.

What indicates that Madonna or OJ Simpson are insane?

That's why I say arguably....  OJ may not have been convicted of the crime of killing his ex-wife and her lover; however, he was planning to write a book called, "How I did it."  According to the news report I heard Nicole Brown's family filed an injunction stopping him from releasing this book.

It doesn't indicate insanity in my opinion at all, but "let's agree we disagree" :)

TheMoonwalker wrote:

What's wrong with him?

Korchnoi hasn't aged well. He is a grumpy old man with hardly a kind word for anybody. He talks down at his opponents and gets cantankerous when he loses. Not a pleasant person at all. He still has a sharp mind and his game hasn't lost much, if anything, he just has a really miserable outlook and attitude. If he didn't have chess to occupy his mind all these years, he'd probably be even more bonkers than Fischer.

Watch this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9k5oBgaZGI

Korchnoi loses to Sofia Polgar in a blitz game. She tries to engage him in friendly conversation after the game, but all Korchnoi says repeatedly is "This is first and last time you win me", and he's not saying it in a friendly, joking way, either. 

From what I read elsewhere, they'd had some history of personal conflict before.

The catalogue of "insanities" seems to extend further and further, come to think of it I guess Karpov is on the brink of madness; after all, he's collecting stamps (obviously an irrational activity, perhaps obsessive compulsory disorder).

There are actually a lot of GMs who hate each other.

Like Topalov and Kramnik...

yeah, and Kasparov - Karpov

I think chess (like mathematics and other similar activities) if done obsessively can do some damage in the perception of reality.

It's as simple as that: while ordinary kids and teenager spend most of their times learning how to interact with others, social skills, approacing girls, facing rejection , overcome the little big fears that every kid has (and seem incredibly silly to you when you grow up) Fischer (just to use him as example) was studying and playing chess.

In that sense chess is dangerous, and you have to be careful.

But for an adult who play only for fun I don't think there is any risk of getting crazy :)

Human's by nature are social, and the desire to belong to a group usually prevails. Individuals who wish to dominate or control, rather than merely lead, have emotional disorders. It is not that chess playing creates the madness. The madness is attracted to various opportunities to dominate and control. Chess merely provides a culture in which these individuals find attractive. It does not create the problem, only feeds it.

Vibovit wrote:

Karpov is on the brink of madness; after all, he's collecting stamps (obviously an irrational activity, perhaps obsessive compulsory disorder).

They made him do it !!

to be or not to be crazy?

who is ,, crazy,, from chess ? yes there are many ,,crazy ,, men!right,no?

im not scared anyways id be mad if i lost  the world championships

I once read a passage in the book ' Bobby Fischer goes to war' where someone said. "Chess isn't something that drives people mad. Chess is something that keeps mad people sane."

fluffycarter:not getting invitied to the world championships IS losing the world championships, only you can feel better at losing because you never had a chance.