Who is the greatest chess player of all time ?? Bobby Fischer ??

That's interesting, Lucifer. Capa certainly was one of the greatest geniuses to play the game, but there's a difference between being a great genius and a great player. Ivanchuk s one of this generation's greatest geniuses, but he never challenged for the title.

Kasparov was, like Gretzky and Jordan, extremely talented and a workaholic. Capa was never known for his work ethic.

I have to agree on this, Ivanchuk is great.

He is confusing Spaski with someone else.

BF was the world's best chessplayer for a blip period of time. Certainly not the best player of all-time. He only had a couple of brilliancies as he fearfully avoided double-edged positons like the Zika virus.

Garry Kasparov is the best player of all-time - hands down....yet he is no longer the best player in the world today. Like disco & leg warmers & scrunchies, his was an idea whose time had come.

It reminds somehow Fischer, a pro.

....'cuz he was scared to play back then.

how's your ISPN doing anyway?

In Cambodja

For me it's Mikhail Tal. Of all the players i've read about and watched or gone over games of Tal (in good health) is the best... or more accurately the best attacker, and chess is about attacking. He was crazy, had flair, pulled stunts like charging the center of the board with his king in the middle game! Basically, I like him the most because he's an attacker that appears unorthodox, but results don't lie... there was method to the madness. ;}

One forges one's style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW

Karna, from that same interview:

"As for Bobby Fischer, I think I'd probably have a good chance to beat him. But you never know." ~Magnus

He also said that if he were to play one last game of chess against any player living or dead, he'd choose a young Garry Kasparov. 

Nakamura has said that he'd be able to beat Fischer at his best.

He was talking about the historical Fischer, not some hypothetical Fischer who suddenly was transported to today, overcame his bias against engines, studied using the best databases for months, and actually showed up to play. Anand has said that he had an analysis session with Fischer in the 1990s and was surprised that Fischer couldn't accept how strong engines have become. 

Bobby Fischer was clearly an astonishing player in his era.  Key term: in his era.  I find it so difficult to compare chess players from two totally different times, chess is an ever evolving game.  Some would say Morphy would be up there.  Capablanca and Karpov both have such an admirable style of play.  Kasparov was so dominant for so long.  Personally I'd put Alekhine up there, just because he was on top for so long and was an alcoholic lol.  He reportedly pissed himself during matches even sometimes, and he still was on top!  I also am amazed by his wide array of openings, he was a guy who really pushed the envelope in many regards.

Spassky would have studied the games of Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik etc. so would know.

Fischer essentially "retired" from chess formally after winning his world title although he lived another 36 years and introduced Fischer Clocks and Chess960 into the world.

I think that it was getting clear that grandmasters knew so much opening theory that they could usually force draws if they wanted to, and thus he wanted a change in format so that Karpov couldn't get one win then 23 draws to win the title against him. What he asked for was essentially put in practice except it was first to 6 wins and no automatic retention of the title with a draw. That a Karpov vs Kasparov match had to be abandoned at 5-4 and a load of draws led to them changing the rule back again.

A world title with a mix of time controls and types of chess is an interesting concept. i.e. some slow chess, some more rapid and even some 960. Maybe if it's all tied then some blitz or bullet. (A bit like a penalty shoot-out deciding a world cup).

Also I always think about Fischer's unmatched focus.  If you look at Kasparov or Carlsen, they have other things happening in their lives.  Kasparov has always been very into politics and social reform.  Carlsen has branded himself to hell (clothing line, chess sets, etc.).  Karpov got a Ph.D. at one point if I am not mistaken.  Bobby Fischer never had that, I mean that guy barely had a friend.  He never really was interested in learning anything educational.  He did not know who his dad was, and everything that I've read/seen has said that his mother was by no means a very strong figure.  She was always out of the house fighting for some extreme social cause.  So you could argue that Bobby Fischer didn't really even have much of a family.

Which potentially translated into his entire life becoming chess.  He never even gave an attempt at advancing himself in any other medium.  That guy was as focused on chess as any person could ever be focused on anything in their life, ultimately that trait also lead to his demise.  But in my mind that is what makes Bobby Fischer so different.

For some unknown reason no one mentions Mikhail Botvinnik

Fischer was a sponge. He studied everything, including the Soviet chess magazines.

Although it is impossible to say who the greatest player of all time was, (This is because theory moves on and later players see further because they are standing on the shoulders of giants (to borrow from Newton)).

Fisher certainly did some incredible things for chess. He beat the Russians. He played without seconds in top matches. and other things. He was the first player to make $1M from playing chess and so on. On the debit side he was a racist anti Semite.

As an interesting trivia point,Claude Bloodgood was the second highest rated player in America during fishers reign although (and because) he only played corres. and OTB against other players he had thought whilst in prison for murder on death row. After his eventual release he killed his mother in cold blood. (The above is from memory, you can look it up to see if I remember correctly.)

Impossible to say ? Not so.

The greatest of course was...

The Great Turk

Bested all comers for a generation. His winning % is 2nd to none.