Who are the most eccentric world class Chess players?

Rubinstein, Nimzovich.

Ivanchuk can stir things up from time to time...

Chess in Heaven, sighs i bet Morphy is strongest of them all with the most experience.

Oh, yeah, Morphy beats them all - there's hardly anything less eccentric than a man playing with women shoes.

Here's an example -

"Chucky", as Ivanchuk is called, has been described by Viswanathan Anand as the most eccentric player in the chess world. Anand, tongue-in-cheek, gave his view on Ivanchuk like this:^[10]

He's someone who is very intelligent ... but you never know which mood he is going to be in. Some days he will treat you like his long-lost brother. The next day he ignores you completely.

The players have a word for him. They say he lives on 'Planet Ivanchuk'. (Laughs) ... I have seen him totally drunk and singing Ukrainian poetry and then the next day I have seen him give an impressive talk.

For a while he was trying to learn Turkish. Don’t ask me why ... Every day is a surprise with him.

When he plays, Ivanchuk rarely looks at the board. Instead he stares at the ceiling and at the walls with a blank stare (although this is not uncommon with top players who calculate without looking at the board). His playing style is unpredictable and highly original, making him a threat to any chess player, although it sometimes also leads to quick losses.

After a string of unsuccessful performances culminated in his elimination at the early stages of the 2009 World Cup, Ivanchuk announced, in a highly emotional interview, his retirement from professional chess.^[11] However, he soon recanted this decision.^[12]

That award goes to Ivanchuck. Ounce been seen kicking a solid brick pillar hard enough to break his toes after losing a game... He is also known to analyze his lost games down to the endgame of every possible variation! Typical eccentric genius.

Fischer is certifiably insane. Well, was. Nimzowitsch was described as Savielly Tartakower as, "He pretends to be crazy in order to drive us all crazy,".

What about me?

 How about some proof, at least in writing...?

My vote goes to Ivanchuk.

Ivanchuck could be nice looking with a little grooming and an exercise plan.  The part about picking his nose though...in public?  Not cute.

AfafBouardi wrote:

Ivanchuck could be nice looking with a little grooming and an exercise plan.  The part about picking his nose though...in public?  Not cute.

what is it with women and hygiene? It's gotta be relatively new too - our grandmothers grandmothers (..etc) had no trouble with cavemen

Now now laddie, the shame is all yours. Best to just admit it.

I have been reading about Bobby Fischer lately...it's amasing that in 1972 he refused to defend against Karpov and walked away from all that money...but I was surprised to learn that this was not the first time...he was leading a number of tournaments before this, and got angry and simply walked...

Karpov was 1975.

He walked and threatened to walk more than any chess player that comes to mind. Part of it must've been due to his psychology (he had a heightened sense of persecution, I would say) and part of it was some deeply held principles that I have to admire.

He chose an impoverished life for years when he could have played a game or two of chess and made millions.

There isn't a whole lot apart from his chess that I admire him for, but holding to his values in those circumstances is above the grade.

I'm sure someone will disagree.