a great chess player is one who makes great chess moves (regardless of his relative insanity), eg fischer. whatever other random philosophical or metaphysical meanings you want to assign the game are only your own views.
So, by your definition of a "great" chess player, someone who makes great chess moves regardless of his lack of sportsmanship would still be considered "great".
On that point, I would disagree because greatness is not a divergence of skill and sportsmanship. There are players with "great skill" who often lack common courtesy and show a lack of sportsmanship during matches online. Perhaps they only display their evil tendencies or malicious intent to opponents sitting at a computer screen and reserve their best behavior for those whom they play in person.
Personally, I believe that a "great chess player" is one who displays the highest acumen of chess skill while also being able to demonstrate the highest degree of sportsmanship to all of his opponents. I realize that it is very difficult to maintain your composure when your opponent is a complete gutter snipe or a sadistic animal who takes pleasure in taunting and humiliating you online, but some players are able to maintain themselves and stay true to their belief in great sportsmanship. I commend such players and believe that they add a lot to our online community.
i disagree i think a great chessplayer is someone who plays great chess...
I much more honor the person who is true tó himself over the one that shows great sportsmanship because of calculation.
besides who wants to be remembered as the not so good player who was a great sportman. Its like not getting girls but being kind hearted instead, i mean who really wants that accomplishment???
As I stated before, if a chess player merely has great chess skill, it does not by default make him a "great chess player". There are horrible and utterly ruthless people who have great chess skills, but lack any sense of sportsmanship when playing chess.
We can agree to disagree about what does or does not constitute a great chess player, but as for me I personally believe that a great chess player is someone who has great skills as well as great sportsmanship. It is similar to measuring the greatness of men. Just because a man has great monetary wealth and status in society, it does not make that man great. There are horrible human beings who have a lot of money and treat their fellow men like animals. To look upon such men as great is to lower yourself to the level of the inhumane and on par with the ruthless dribbles that are known as scoundrels.
I would say that personally Kosteniuk is my favorite women's chess champion of the last 5 years. She had humble beginnings and never let the game change her as a person. A good example of a great chess player.
In comparison, take a look at Magnus. When he makes a mistake, he will stand up show is utter frustration and pucker his lips like a child. What is even more funny is the fact that Magnus sometimes does not pay attention to his opponent's position during the match and takes his opponents for granted. Where is the respect in that? Such a player is one who the masses should root against rather than idolize as the apex of chess mastery.
As for your comment about getting "girls", all girls like clowns so I really don't know what you're talking about.
well i guess we have different views i find her "bikini pics and all that pics with people kissing her hand slightly annoying"
its not like she is the only woman or that most beautiful that is. But im a conservative person and i more like the japanese philosophy of aesthetics of the old days and dont like vulgarism that much. also i when i spend my hard earned cash on her software. i at least hoped for a better design, but because her name isnt eric schiller that doesnt seem to mater....
As for your comment about getting "girls", all girls like clowns so I really don't know what you're talking about.
lol
And I agree with your OP, Joker!
Once, I fell in love with a news reporter girl in Gotham. Ahhhh.. she was beautiful. Wonderful shiny silk hair, soft skin, and legs to die for. I said, "Stop the press, who is this?"
Needless to say, I tried everything to get her attention. I dressed up in my best purple suit, got together my posse and rolled into the city carrying my longest cannon gun and blasting music by the artist formerly known as Prince. I would have played Purple Rain, but I agree it would have been a little... uh... *happy* if you know what I mean.
Anyway, I even put on a bunch of make-up and I was on my best behavior when I finally met my beautiful news reporter/goddess of love. Instead of taking a liking to me, she ended up falling for a creepy monotone speaking rich loser who lived with an old man in an empty house and parked his car in a secret cave fortress in the hills someplace. I thought about following him, but that would have taken the mystery out of his persona and I thought that his creepiness was actually pretty cool. After all, it made him even more than a freak than me and that's hard to do. I'd explain it this way.. remember when pretty girls in school would hang around with average to below average friends? Well, that's because those other girls made them look better. I like that bat freak because he actually makes me look kind of normal. Not really, but kind of normal.