Its simply incredible that people can compare Fischer to Hitler !?? There is definitely something seriously wrong with those of you who do ! You need serious help for your HATE ! Hitler was responsible for the deaths of millions. Fischer never harmed anyone, never mind murdering anyone ! Lets not forget that Fischer was abandoned by BOTH of his parents ! How "normal" would you or I be if abandoned by both our parents?! Considering what he went through I find it amazing he didnt actually kill people..... so a he said some hateful things, SO WHAT !? I say this as an American myself and supposedly he hated Americans according to those who attack him and according to his own words.... did he ? I think he more likely hated the US govt and not literally all Americans. Could I be wrong? Sure, its possible. Could YOU be wrong? Yes, thats also possible. As for an earlier poster that said his anti-semitism is worse than his anti-Americanism I can only ask WHY ? As an American and not being semitic I definitely cannot agree with that at all. As has been pointed out Fischer had many jewish friends, how can this be if he truly hated jews ? Spock might say " it's not logical".
Bobby Fischer - The Player, Not the Man
Also keep in mind that Fischer was tested at 180+ IQ - very few of us understand what it really means to be at that level. I surely do not. I imagine the world looks a *little* different when you are that smart.
And Reb, , I'm not saying you are not patriotic, but I would love to hear how sending 20k to a country who attacked us instead of keeping it in America just because you want a better product is patriotic! In my opinion, it is Japanese auto makers who *caused* the big three to decline. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon for a while and US cars stopped selling as well, and therefore the quality suffered. I agree totally that Toyotas and Hondas are top-notch vehicles that are extremely reliable, but at what cost to American auto-workers?
Did the Japanese auto workers cause the decline of US autos ? I am not so sure. Perhaps its just that people didnt know how reliable a car can be until the Japanese got into the business? Have you ever owned a Honda or Toyota, or Mazda ? As for patriotism and the American auto workers, how patriotic is it for US auto industry to have plants in other parts of the world to avoid taxes, medical plans and lower labor costs to increase their profits? It seems to me all they care about is profit and arent patriotic at all so why should the individual consumer worry about being patriotic on such an important purchase? As for the Japanese attacking the US the blockade against them was strangling them and they felt they had no choice. What do you think the US would do if some other country was blockading us? Isnt a blockade an act of war ? Many today believe the Japanese were intentionally provoked in order to get the US into WWII as the American people were against it..... overwhelmingly against it UNTIL attacked by Japan. After the attack American opinion changed ofcourse....
Er... guys, no-one is comparing Fischer to Hitler. Haven't you ever heard of reductio ad absurdum? That's what people who are bringing up Hitler are trying to do: trying to say "well, if we're meant to take fischer's chess and ignore his racism, what about the logical extreme of racism, Hitler? Should we learn stuff from that too?"
Unfortunately I think the answer to that is a resounding yes, we should learn from Hitler, so the reduction ad absurdum fails.
Er... guys, no-one is comparing Fischer to Hitler. Haven't you ever heard of reductio ad absurdum? That's what people who are bringing up Hitler are trying to do: trying to say "well, if we're meant to take fischer's chess and ignore his racism, what about the logical extreme of racism, Hitler? Should we learn stuff from that too?"
Unfortunately I think the answer to that is a resounding yes, we should learn from Hitler, so the reduction ad absurdum fails.
SchuBomb and I have been at loggerheads on this, and come to different conclusions, but at least we agree here -- calm down. No one compared Fischer to Hitler. Try reading what was written rather than pulling out one word and going off on a warbler. It was a thought experiment, if you accept x where is the line drawn do you go so far as to accept y or z. Perfectly reasonable line of discussion.
On the other matters, Fischer, no matter how great a chess player, is not immune to criticism no matter the woes of his life and ubringing -- I mean, it would be nice if other people with horrible upbringings + autism + whatever else is claimed as an excuse for his hateful views and statements were given as much latitude (half the prison population of the US would qualify for the exemption from moral rectitude if that were the case).
Don't be disengenuous about it -- it's not his IQ, his autism, his whatever-etc that is getting him the free ride with many of his defenders... .plain and simply he was the greatest chess player yet known (yes, even to my mind) and that is enough for some to overlook anything. Not for me and others, though. And I doubt any arguments will ever change minds on either side of the aisle.
I agree! Many times, folks who are *too* smart have odd views and stuff doesn't necessarily work right LOL!
I believe Fischer to be one such individual. 
SchuBomb wrote: " The tactics exist independant of who did them"
That is insightful. Thank you.
bomtrown: you're welcome :)
Bajoran_Moon: I'm glad you agree. also, I just need to correct a couple of things - Fischer was not autistic, the 180 IQ he's often quoted as having was tested as a child, and can't be compared to adult IQ (not to even go into the flaws that IQ tests have), and personally, I don't give Fischer a free ride for his chess magic (or for that matter, anyone a free ride for anything), but I suppose some people do. I think most people, however, just think like I do and say "ignore the man, enjoy the chess, because he may or may not have been a great man, but on the board, he was most certainly a great man!"
Fischer and Hitler? Well, the comparison may not be appropriate, but for the sake of argument, just imagine that Hitler was the greatest chess player ever [and set aside the fact that Kasparov really was, haha]. I say we would and should admire his chess games.
I agree with those who simply insist that we make a DISTINCTION, e.g. "Hitler" the chessplayer was the greatest of all time; as a human being, one of the worst.
An earlier post mentioned Einstein being a wife beater. Is this true ? Any credible source on this ?
An earlier post mentioned Einstein being a wife beater. Is this true ? Any credible source on this ?
Hold on... wait for it... you're soon to be told by someone that every man back in those days beat his wife time and again, "rule of thumb" and all that, and he cannot be judged as he was a product of his time.
(in other words: I dunno, never heard of that before)
Einstein was not a good enough chessplayer to get away with wifebeating, unfortunately. he should have asked Lasker for lessons, then he would be excused I'm sure.
Hitler and Fischer. Compare and contrast.
Heh heh.
An earlier post mentioned Einstein being a wife beater. Is this true ? Any credible source on this ?
I read long time ago.
This what I found on the internet today:
http://oudeis23.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/einstein-arrested-twice-in-1906-for-domestic-violence/
Wow !! Thanks Paul.
Einstein was not a good enough chessplayer to get away with wifebeating, unfortunately. he should have asked Lasker for lessons, then he would be excused I'm sure.
This is pretty twisted here if you think saying hateful things is as bad as , or worse than , beating your wife ! ?
Einstein was not a good enough chessplayer to get away with wifebeating, unfortunately. he should have asked Lasker for lessons, then he would be excused I'm sure.
This is pretty twisted here if you think saying hateful things is as bad as , or worse than , beating your wife ! ?
Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that no-one on this site understands satire or has a funny bone in their body, and everyone here takes everything literally at face value. My bad.
(In all seriousness, no way am I going to trust one man's blog (have a read of it, it's clearly hyperbole, saying that Einstein is evil personified, and without a shred of genuine evidence for anything it says), about Einstein's domestic habits, and if he did beat his wife, neither physics nor chess would excuse it)
Seriously chess.com people, stop being so credulous.
And Reb, , I'm not saying you are not patriotic, but I would love to hear how sending 20k to a country who attacked us instead of keeping it in America just because you want a better product is patriotic! In my opinion, it is Japanese auto makers who *caused* the big three to decline. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon for a while and US cars stopped selling as well, and therefore the quality suffered. I agree totally that Toyotas and Hondas are top-notch vehicles that are extremely reliable, but at what cost to American auto-workers?
That is absurd. GM was paying three retirees for every guy who was actually working. And the guy who was actually working was often making in excess of $35 an hour. The quality of a product does not suffer because of a drop in demand; rather, quite the opposite. It is the producer's duty to appeal to the consumer, not t'other way 'round.
Furthermore, Japanese auto makers have many production facilities in the U.S. particularly the southeast. So, you are supporting American workers by purchasing Japanese vehicles.
I am from Michigan and drive a Ford F150, but am sick to death of hearing about all the victims of the inevitable collapse of Chrysler and GM.
And Reb, , I'm not saying you are not patriotic, but I would love to hear how sending 20k to a country who attacked us instead of keeping it in America just because you want a better product is patriotic! In my opinion, it is Japanese auto makers who *caused* the big three to decline. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon for a while and US cars stopped selling as well, and therefore the quality suffered. I agree totally that Toyotas and Hondas are top-notch vehicles that are extremely reliable, but at what cost to American auto-workers?
That is absurd. GM was paying three retirees for every guy who was actually working. And the guy who was actually working was often making in excess of $35 an hour. The quality of a product does not suffer because of a drop in demand; rather, quite the opposite. It is the producer's duty to appeal to the consumer, not t'other way 'round.
Furthermore, Japanese auto makers have many production facilities in the U.S. particularly the southeast. So, you are supporting American workers by purchasing Japanese vehicles.
I am from Michigan and drive a Ford F150, but am sick to death of hearing about all the victims of the inevitable collapse of Chrysler and GM.
Could I be supporting American workers by buying a Honda in Portugal ?! That would be a nice plus if so ! I hope I dont shatter any stereotypes here but I have never owned a pick up. I did have one hell of a time getting that gun rack to fit in the Honda Accord though ! 
I became so disgusted with Fischer that I gave away my copy of "60 Memorable Games." Since then I have focused on games of Alekhine and Capablanca. But, in the end, as time passes, I expect I will have to reacquire "60 Memorable Games" (doubtlessly at an exorbitant price).
Ah yes, Bobby Fischer the player...but Bobby Fischer wasn't a player. He was a forfeiter. He was a guy who lived 20 years out in the wilderness until apparently there were bills to pay and he came back to play another "world championship match" 20 years after the fact.
Why am I so pissed at the guy? Because I was a young player waiting for that renaissance which his presence promised...and which never came. To me he was like Paul Morphy (another guy with half a career)...and a guy who died in his bathtub (as Fischer might as well have done).
well if you think that he was like morphy then you should sympathise with poor fellow instead of abusing him!!