Spassky is a great human.
Boris Spassky (Any views)
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Elroch wrote:
Spassky is a great human.
Unfortunately a bit of an anti-semite ...
Aug 16, 2021
0
#144
BonTheCat wrote:
Elroch wrote:
Spassky is a great human.
Unfortunately a bit of an anti-semite ...
so was fischer, and far worse, if memory serves me right lol
quietheathen1st wrote:
BonTheCat wrote:
Elroch wrote:
Spassky is a great human.
Unfortunately a bit of an anti-semite ...
so was fischer, and far worse, if memory serves me right lol
True, but Spassky a) isn't half Jewish himself, and b) hasn't hitherto shown any signs of mental illness. That Bobby Fischer was a rabid anti-semite is obviously on record, but so is also the very clear signs of someone who was of unsound mind.
Boris Gulko wrote in an article that at least some of Spassky's antisemitism was an act of sorts. When they spoke in 1993, Spassky denied that the Holocaust actually happened, but immediately changed his mind as soon as Gulko confronted him with facts.
Aug 26, 2021
0
#147
BonTheCat wrote:
quietheathen1st wrote:
BonTheCat wrote:
Elroch wrote:
Spassky is a great human.
Unfortunately a bit of an anti-semite ...
so was fischer, and far worse, if memory serves me right lol
True, but Spassky a) isn't half Jewish himself, and b) hasn't hitherto shown any signs of mental illness. That Bobby Fischer was a rabid anti-semite is obviously on record, but so is also the very clear signs of someone who was of unsound mind.
fischer was incredibly intelligent, much more so than spassky. are u sure u wish to use that excuse here?
Aug 27, 2021
0
#148
quietheathen1st wrote:
BonTheCat wrote:
quietheathen1st wrote:
BonTheCat wrote:
Elroch wrote:
Spassky is a great human.
Unfortunately a bit of an anti-semite ...
so was fischer, and far worse, if memory serves me right lol
True, but Spassky a) isn't half Jewish himself, and b) hasn't hitherto shown any signs of mental illness. That Bobby Fischer was a rabid anti-semite is obviously on record, but so is also the very clear signs of someone who was of unsound mind.
fischer was incredibly intelligent, much more so than spassky. are u sure u wish to use that excuse here?
Intelligence and insanity are not mutually exclusive. The majority of the top Nazis tried at Nuremburg were assessed to be high-IQ.
ok
Aug 30, 2021
0
#151
quietheathen1st wrote:
They weren't insane tho lol
You figure that murdering six million Jews in order to "purify Europe" is a perfectly sane idea?
Okie-dokie.
Aug 31, 2021
0
#152
blueemu wrote:
quietheathen1st wrote:
They weren't insane tho lol
You figure that murdering six million Jews in order to "purify Europe" is a perfectly sane idea?
Okie-dokie.
any murderer now is 100% insane? okie dokie
Why did Bobby Fischer use a limited opening repertoire?
Curiously, whilst he did branch out a little he did seem to “ stick to heavily studied “ main openings
Feb 1, 2022
0
#154
I am really disapointed, that not a single sentence was written in the articels about Boris V. Spassky's Birthday. 85 years at 30.1 He is the oldest living Chess Worldchampion. Was always a fair sportsman and gentlemen. Also at the articel about the "Tata Steel/ Wijk an Zee" tournament his the only winner (Soviet dominante) which is not named or a picture of him. I really like Chess.com, but this is failure. :(
Feb 1, 2022
0
#155
BonTheCat wrote:
quietheathen1st wrote:
BonTheCat wrote:
Elroch wrote:
Spassky is a great human.
Unfortunately a bit of an anti-semite ...
so was fischer, and far worse, if memory serves me right lol
True, but Spassky a) isn't half Jewish himself,
Actually, Spassky's mother was Jewish, like Fischer's.
I was previously unaware of his antisemitism (as well as him being Jewish). It is clear that he objected to what he perceived as the excessive power of Jews in Russia. Not inconsistent with his own ancestry, but generally viewed as antisemitic (although it could easily be viewed as similar to say the objection of a white person to the white domination of government of a country, the main difference being that Jews are not the majority in Russia).
He supported the banning of certain Jewish organisations based on the claim that they fomented racial hatred. I have no knowledge of the merits of this, but it is not entirely inconceivable that there was some truth in it.
Certainly it seems the petition he signed to support this action was antisemitic in nature, containing racial stereotyping and other offensive content.
“”In 2012, he left France and returned to Russia. As of 2022, Spassky is the oldest living former world champion.””
Wow, sometimes we tend to discuss our champions in the “ past tense” based on past glories.
It’s a testament to his resilience and it’s great to also note his longevity😇😇
Whatever the political or social views of many of our chess “ giants” from years gone by the artistry of their chess stands the test of time. Comparing chess generations is also subjective in the sense that the measure of the chess champion is the comparison of his achievements against the quality of opposition ( of the time).
Feb 1, 2022
0
#158
It's interesting that they both had controversies where they supported antisemitism in their old age. Yikes!
SmallerCircles wrote:
It's interesting that they both had controversies where they supported antisemitism in their old age. Yikes!
I don’t think it was all that connected to old age…
”Fischer made numerous antisemitic statements and professed a general hatred for Jews since at least the early 1960s. Jan Hein Donner wrote that at the time of Bled 1961, "He idolized Hitler and read everything about him that he could lay his hands on. He also championed a brand of anti-semitism that could only be thought up by a mind completely cut off from reality”
as the Wikipedia page on Fischer puts it.
As for Spassky, it was first when he was in his 60s he signed that famous petition that talked about ritual murder on Christians and asked for a ban on Jewish organisations etc. He had supposedly made comments in the past that were more subtle but gave an impression that he shared some antisemitic views. I wonder if he appreciated Fischer more partly because they shared some opinions…
I wonder where Boris sits in the list of greatest players. Certainly , Bobby sits in the top ten of almost everyone’s estimations but Boris seems to not rate a mention there. Maybe somewhere in the 10 to 30 range seems reasonable
He sits in 16th :-)
https://chess24.com/en/learn/advanced/video/hall-of-fame-the-50-greatest-chess-players-of-all-time/intro-50-great-players