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WHO IS THE GREATEST CHESS PLAYER OF ALL TIME? Defend your answer...

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theoreticalboy

Laughing

Same as in the first syllable of Berkeley.  Nothing to do with hippies, however.

AndyClifton

Good (I wouldn't want pawnee to come bustin in through the door wearing his sandals and carrying his Aoxomoxoa 8-track).

TetsuoShima
Chigosian50 wrote:

I will probably offend quite a few people on here, but I see very little reason to exalt Bobby Fischer as the greatest player ever. When it comes to longevity and creativity there are several better candidates. Obviously he was a chess phenomenon with a fantastic technique and a ferocious will to win, but he was also allowed to dedicate more time to chess than any other player before or since. If he had lived in the Soviet Union, he would have been forced to finish his studies, get a degree, some sort of a job, and to meet standard social obligations. Fischer has more myths surrounding him than any other player because he was seen as a symbol of capitalism conquering communism during the Cold War, and in general the West being superior to the East. If you read Frank Brady's wonderful book Endgame(and Brady is a Fischer-fan!), Bobby comes across as a person with a remarkable IQ, who was also horrible and ungrateful to anyone who helped him; petty, vindictive, immature, intellectually defective (I'm referring to the anti-semitic rants) and most importantly utterly selfish in a most shocking way. He never became a real human being, so for me he has become a symbol of chess that has lost its rightful place in world culture and become utterly and completely meaningless. Even his religious life had no sign of virtue in any recognisable shape or form. Fischer lacked compassion and decency in so many tragic ways, it's absolutely heartbreaking.  

Well its remarkable that Brady makes money with the name of someone he throws in the dirt.

Anyway Fischer was the most creative i ever saw. Yes of course people talk bad for all the wrong reason, maybe the need the 5 minutes of fame, maybe the think they can make money with it or they are just jealous. Many people are bad though no wonder most people hate him. Because Bobby Fischer was not phoney he always said the truth, but its true when you are honest you have many enemies. Like Al Pacino said in the godfather, i feel sorry for him he is a honestly good person which means he wont live long. 

By the way who is Frank Brady anyway??

TetsuoShima

Also when Bronstein commented on Fischers game he said: what an amazing idea i never ever saw something like that before.

GenghisCant

He only ever spoke the truth? lol

Ubik42

I recall the Brady biography as being more fawning. "I was proud just to be in the same room with him" was one of his quotes.

Chigosian50

Frank Brady's recent book on Fischer will remain the gold standard of chess biographies for a long time, and if you don't know who he is, maybe you should start studying American chess history outside of Bobby Fischer?

It's always easy to dismiss anyone who doesn't agree with your hero worship. Does not make it true though.

SmyslovFan
TetsuoShima wrote:
 

Well its remarkable that Brady makes money with the name of someone he throws in the dirt.

Anyway Fischer was the most creative i ever saw. Yes of course people talk bad for all the wrong reason, maybe the need the 5 minutes of fame, maybe the think they can make money with it or they are just jealous. Many people are bad though no wonder most people hate him. Because Bobby Fischer was not phoney he always said the truth, but its true when you are honest you have many enemies. Like Al Pacino said in the godfather, i feel sorry for him he is a honestly good person which means he wont live long. 

By the way who is Frank Brady anyway??

This is worth saving. A Fischer fanboy who doesn't know who Frank Brady was. 

GenghisCant

Not surprising. I don't think he's so much as googled Fischer, some of the comments I've seen.

TetsuoShima
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TetsuoShima
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TetsuoShima
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Nizman

Fisher... Fisher... Fisher... # yawning # its getting boring in here 4get the past lets talk abt the present like the 2013 FIDE candidate matches taking place.. How i wish garry was in this tournament no doubt he would have gotten the 8 points oredy..

ChastityMoon
Chigosian50 wrote:

I will probably offend quite a few people on here, but I see very little reason to exalt Bobby Fischer as the greatest player ever. When it comes to longevity and creativity there are several better candidates. Obviously he was a chess phenomenon with a fantastic technique and a ferocious will to win, but he was also allowed to dedicate more time to chess than any other player before or since. If he had lived in the Soviet Union, he would have been forced to finish his studies, get a degree, some sort of a job, and to meet standard social obligations. Fischer has more myths surrounding him than any other player because he was seen as a symbol of capitalism conquering communism during the Cold War, and in general the West being superior to the East. If you read Frank Brady's wonderful book Endgame(and Brady is a Fischer-fan!), Bobby comes across as a person with a remarkable IQ, who was also horrible and ungrateful to anyone who helped him; petty, vindictive, immature, intellectually defective (I'm referring to the anti-semitic rants) and most importantly utterly selfish in a most shocking way. He never became a real human being, so for me he has become a symbol of chess that has lost its rightful place in world culture and become utterly and completely meaningless. Even his religious life had no sign of virtue in any recognisable shape or form. Fischer lacked compassion and decency in so many tragic ways, it's absolutely heartbreaking.  

Well put.  I agree 100% with everything you said.   He deprived chess of much by refusing to come out and play again.  He became a smeagle clutching the ring to himself.

Sunofthemorninglight

if Fischer was a russian, he'd have done his own thing, won the world championship and still be hated for his lack of social skills after emigrating to the US.

Chigosian50

Well my Scottish friend, since my wife is one of you, I hope I'll be forgiven for telling you you're talking out of a horse's arse on this one.... 

Chigosian50

Jonathan Rowson for premier after Salmond btw

SmyslovFan

Here's an excerpt from an interview Spassky gave where he discusses why Fischer dominated him in 1972. Others, including Geller and Karpov, stated that Spassky had not trained properly for the match, but Spassky suggests that Fischer's psychological ploys away from the board are what caused him to lose focus:

After the first two games you were leading by two points. Bobby did not turn up for the 2nd game after quarrelling with the organisers.

After the 2nd game I could have returned to Moscow. There was only one way I could have won this match: before the 3rd game, when Bobby raised a scandal with the organisers, I should have resigned this game.

But that sounds quite absurd!

Why? I was about to do so, but I was the Chess King and I could not go back upon my word. I had promised to play this game. As a result, I destroyed my fighting spirit and the match which promised to be a great chess feast turned into a litigation. Some days before the start of the 3rd game I spoke for half an hour on the telephone with Pavlov, president of the Soviet Sports Committee. He demanded that I should declare an ultimatum which, I was sure, Fischer, Euwe and the organisers would have never accepted; so, the match would be broken off. The whole telephone conversation was just a never-ending exchange of two phrases: ‘Boris Vassilievich, you must declare an ultimatum!’; to which I responded, ‘Sergei Pavlovich, I shall play the match!’ After this conversation I spent three hours in bed shivering with nervousness. Actually I saved Fischer when I agreed to play the 3rd game. So, the match was practically finished after this game. In the second half of the match I simply did not have the energy. A chess player in such a match is like a car which has too little fuel left. And if you have to go 500 kilometres with practically no fuel, where will the car take you? Unfortunately, most of the chess public is not aware of it.

Source: http://www.kingpinchess.net/?p=16

 

Sunofthemorninglight
Chigosian50 wrote:

Well my Scottish friend, since my wife is one of you, I hope I'll be forgiven for telling you i'm talking out of a horse's arse on this one.... 

no probs, try some mints.

chessisfortheweak

mikhail tal for his ability to sacrifice piece after piece and make his opponents surrender with suficient amount of pieces. the best to be will be carlsen tho. 21 or w/e and he is just under 2900.... almost certainly will become world champ very early in his life and maintain the highest rating of all time.