Best chess player ever

I take it that this is an agreement that Fischer didn't win dozens of tournaments against the strongest fields ever assembled, or even one of them :-)

Let's take the strongest tournament Fischer won in his career, the Interzonal in 1970. Of the players in the top three of the rating list Fischer was the only participant. Not a weak tournament in any way and Fischer did really well, but it obviously doesn't count as anywhere close to the strongest field ever assembled when he didn't face a single player ranked in the top three. I'm not going to bother listing the dozens of tournaments Kasparov won against considerably stronger fields than that but just pick one example as a comparison. When Kasparov won Wijk for the third year in a row it had #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and #9 on the rating list. Quite a difference, and one of the reasons why I find it hard to make any serious comparison between Kasparov and Fischer. Those are fields Kasparov won against time and again for decades, not to mention all his title wins against Karpov, Anand, etc. Comparing Kasparov and Lasker would be more interesting since they are on the same level in many ways, but I'd still place Kasparov slightly ahead.

It's insane to claim that Kasparov contended against players better than Fischer contended with.

Petrosian, Tal, Botvinnik, Spassky, Larsen, Smyslov, Reshevsky, Korchnoi, and others all are probably better players than Kasparov was himself, much less his opponents.

Players learn from others... computers advanced that process. Fischer even in 1992 would have destroyed Kasparov in a match. Look at the simple facts... Fischer turned his back on traditional chess, and focused on random, if that doesn't speak to chess genius, nothing does.

checkmateibeatu cannot be changed, and claims 'end of story'.

Like I said, he'd have been a great juror for OJ.

your fischer fanboy fanatacism is almost as crazy as fischer himself. i don't think a sane person would dare claim that all of those players are better than kasparov.

i_r_n00b certainly seems to be a latin expert, while trotting out the "psychologist" defense of the cheater Kasparov. Such intellectualism!

Bollocks!

The man has no shame. Not Kasparov... and not the noob who worships him enough to take such a spurious line of defense.

Complaining about Polgar "bitching" is another fallacious argument... obviously therefor, the K-lover is a he... and a bit of an arse in the process.

As to claiming that chess being a gentleman's game makes me guilty of "snobbery", I'd say your defense of cheating, by any and all methods, proves only that sir, you are, no gentleman.

well Fischer wasnt a nutcase, and probably smarter than anyone on this site, especially those who insult him here. Well its the usual tactic in the west to call everyone nuts you disagree and i dont think all was ok what he said. But it was his personal opinion and definetly doesnt mean that he was nuts. Actually Fischers only problem was that he was much to honest, always spoke his mind, not like the rest fo mankind. always thinking how they profit and be nice to everyone just to use them, probably if you just overlook the bad words, and just look at the character of fischer. he probably was the last hero.  

Probably Fischer was the last guy we meet in hour lifetime who was completly honest. Well what he said wasnt nice, but he would have been way richer and loved by anyone if he were just dishonest like everyone else.

You also must not forget that whatever he said, may didnt sound nice, but he nev er hurt anyone. he just talked.

For me Fischer will always be a hero!!!!!

The Title says "Best Chess Player Ever" Anyone who bring up how Fischer is no good as a person should go back and study elementary English Language

Im going to assume that a great grandmaster such as Judit polgar knows the rules of the game she is playing. Following the rules, she knew that nothing could be done after she lost, yet she still complained(I respect polgar's chess ability, but her actions i perceive as being b****y. ). Personally, i don't approve of this behavior. Because the rules are such that kasparov's actions are exculpated by the superceding rule of agreement of the end of the game, he technically did not cheat. If you are going to claim he cheated, do so say that it is your personal arbitrary opinion that he cheated.

i claim you are snobbish not because of your claim to a gentlemen's game, but because of your absurd arbitrary judgements and moral standards. it seems you just make up random morals or rules to fit occasions to what you deem as "gentlemanly" subject to various hypocritical behavior, you just pick and choose what is gentlemanly such as labeling kasparov as sexist and ungentlemanly, while the even more sexist Fishcher is praised.

if you think fischer wasn't a nutcase, i think you don't know enough about Fischer. or we disagree with what a nutcase is.

he did resist arrest and i assume there was some physical confrontation. words can hurt though.

I respect the chess Fischer played on the board. however, he is a nutcase in his views aside from chess.

I always found people with these kind off mindsets interesting.   Let me ask you, what would happen if you got some new insight?

In this case for example you see some games you had not seen earlier, or even better your understanding off chess improves. Is it then still not possible that your opinion alters? 

If not, could you explain why?

-edit-

When I read my post I thought it may be read as sarcasm, that is not my intent. I would really like to know

noob strikes again...

Polgar is to fault that Kasparov is a cheater? wowwwww.

Technically did not cheat? You need to be an attorney for Casey Anthony.

As to the noobs claims that calling out Kasparov on his behavior is some type of hypocritical standard... I can only express the obvious.

Cheating and Lying are two forms of hypocrisy.

Looks like the noob admires a hypocrite, while claiming the one who states the facts squarely is one.

Hypocrisy squared.

RFJC stop this nonsense. If you want to be such an extreme fan off Fischer that you really think that other great players are ants in comparison to him, that is fine. There is no need to insult people who think otherwise.

People who say Maradonna is the best football player ever don't care either that he received a bunch of red cards in his career/made a goal with his hand. It only adds to his legacy.

True, and most don't trashtalk the likes off Pele, Cruijff, etc

By the way, in golf, a true gentleman's game, the players are responsible for calling infractions on themself, and recording their scores properly in the process.

In Kasparov's world, being the self righteous prig that he is, and to those who worship him, breaking a rule then denying it is his moral right, in fact, if the rule that he is caught breaking is "a bad rule" by their declaration, all should bow down to the King and declare fealty.

In fact, the victim becomes the evildoer! Polgar to the stockade!

Guess what tribal mentality all that behavior mimics?

Artsew tells me to stop the nonsense.

Nonsense.

Telling the truth and stating facts in refutation of the mud slung by others against those who are honest obviously is verboten here.

What is this? Free speech America? Or somewhere else?

Me too!

Attribution without factuality is another lie...

Typical behavior of the disrupting. Muddy those waters more Art.