If Fischer would played Karpov for the World Champion, who would win?

@ SmyslovFan,

 All strong grandmasters Fischer beat were just weak patzers, come on! Give credit where credit is due, Fischer was just remarkable player and he place first place in Palma de Mallorca 1970 Interzonal tournament ahead of Bent Larsen, Efim Geller, Mark Taimanov, Vasily Smyslov, Lajos Portisch and Lev Polugeavsky. Fischer won in the candidate matches, Taimanov 6-0, Larsen who is very GM 6-0, Petrosian 6.5 -2.5, Petrosian was still very strong, young Kasparov had a very hard time beating Petrosian and Garry had to ask Spassky how to Petrosian. Fischer beat a worthy opponent Spassky, do you know that Spassky has a tied score against Kasparov 2-2 with 4 draws, between the year period of 1981 to 1990 this after playing Fischer, Spassky was still a force to be reckon with, and did you forget in 1990 Garry was 2800 elo and Spassky had tied score against Garry, it is a testament to Boris greatness as a chess genius! Spassky has a plus score against Seirawan 4-1 with 4 draws and Karpov is only 4-2 with 10 draws against Seirawan, Spassky is just remarkable player even in when he was old.

1970 Interzonal Tournament

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Total	Tie break
1	Bobby Fischer (United States)	-	0	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	½	18½
2	Bent Larsen (Denmark)	1	-	½	½	0	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	0	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	15	167.50
3	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	0	½	-	1	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	15	167.00
4	Robert Hübner (West Germany)	½	½	0	-	½	1	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	15	155.25
5	Mark Taimanov (Soviet Union)	0	1	½	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	0	1	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	14	146.50
6	Wolfgang Uhlmann (East Germany)	0	0	0	0	½	-	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	0	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	14	141.50
7	Lajos Portisch (Hungary)	½	½	½	½	½	0	-	½	0	1	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	0	13½	149.75
8	Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	0	½	0	1	½	½	½	-	1	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	13½	141.00
9	Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	0	-	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	½	13	146.75
10	Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)	0	½	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	-	1	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	0	½	1	½	1	1	13	135.50
11	Oscar Panno (Argentina)	0	0	½	1	½	½	½	½	0	0	-	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	12½	130.75
12	Henrique Mecking (Brazil)	0	0	0	½	1	½	0	1	½	½	½	-	1	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	1	1	1	1	12½	130.00
13	Vlastimil Hort (Czechoslovakia)	0	1	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	-	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	11½
14	Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia)	0	½	½	0	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	-	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	10½
15	Duncan Suttles (Canada)	0	½	0	½	0	1	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	½	-	0	½	½	1	½	0	1	½	1	10	105.75
16	Dragoljub Minić (Yugoslavia)	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	0	½	1	-	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	10	96.00
17	Samuel Reshevsky (United States)	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	½	0	-	½	½	½	0	0	½	1	9½
18	Milan Matulović (Yugoslavia)	½	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	-	½	½	0	0	½	1	9	98.50
19	William Addison (United States)	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	0	0	1	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	-	½	0	0	1	1	9	95.25
20	Miroslav Filip (Czechoslovakia)	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	-	½	1	½	0	8½	91.50

You seem to forget how great Fischer was and those GMs Bobby beat.

Yes, Fischer was 'funny' in a mental sort of way  But in later life, well 

  Lovely photo :-)

Are you serious?That is a shockingly ugly photo!(with the exception of the two ladies in the background).

Which of those men looks like you?  The man in the middle?

Are you gay?

A lot of people "played below their best" when they faced Fischer.  IM Andy Soltis one wrote (and I paraphrase), "When you were playing Fischer and thought you were winning, you knew you were going to lose."

You are very funny!  I am all man. Remember, those guys have probably wives as well.

Under these conditions (Fischer being dead) put your money on a draw!

My Dad used Vitalis.

Szechenyi Bath, Chess Players

Budapest, Hungary, 2010

Unfortunately, in that match in 1992 politics ruined much goodwill for Bobby. Fischer was molested badly, but Spassky ( as a french citizen ) got away with it without a scratch.

just as Spassky said, at that time fischer would win, but karpov would win the return match by a small margin, if fischer would let him

You attack me for things I didn't say, then proclaim victory. Brilliant. 

Fischer's run was great. Spassky underestimated Fischer and lost. Spassky made some horrible blunders and forgot his analysis. That doesn't detract from Fischer's brilliant Candidates' run, but it does suggest that another opponent could give Fischer more trouble, especially in the openings. Petrosian had managed to get some nice positions against Fischer out of the openings too. Neither Kramnik nor I showed any disrespect for Fischer's historic accomplishments in 1970-1972.

Karpov didn't underestimate Fischer and was known for his work ethic. His preparation in the 1974 Candidates was stellar. Karpov would have really challenged Fischer's opening preparation.

Karpov was more ready to face Fischer than Bobby was. Anatoly in 1974 recruited besides his main coach Furman, Elfim Geller as an opening specialist to work his weaknesses because Karpov had inaccurate moments in his opening preparation back then and also he recruited Yuri Balashov as the Fischer expert since he had finish at this moment the academy school that specialized on Fischer's games.

Fischer had decided to stop his chess career long before 1975. I think the discussions for this game were took place for reasons has nothing to do with the actually game between them, but more for other things. The 5 $ M prize for this game was the biggest in chess history! and when the game was finally cancelled those money went to Zair : The rumble in the jungle.

Perhaps Fischer was trying to make some easy money?! Who knows?

More Kasparov on Fischer-Karpov:

So what in fact was Fischer's key problem? In my view it was that, always working alone, he was simply unable to adapt to the new demands of preparation, dictated by the opening revolution. The complexity of the resulting problems demanded other methods of working, another way of thinking and, which was especially important, the presence of critics. And, hypothetically comparing the pre-match preparations of Fischer and Karpov, one must mention not only the challenger's advantage in the number and quality of specific prepared variations, but also, in particular, his obvious superiority in the all-inclusive, wide-ranging extent of this preparation.

It is quite probable that Fischer, with his keen chess feeling, even before the KarpovSpassky match clearly realised: a new era had arrived and he had to reject his customary methods of working. With his own eyes he saw the fruits of the revolution he had generated, and he was aware that it was no longer possible to prepare properly on his own.

Invite some helpers? But he had always worked alone, not trusting his helpers even to analyse adjourned positions!

This is what Fischer said of Petrosian:  

Bobby Fischer

"Petrosian is great at seeing and tackling a threat 20 moves before it materializes! I was stunned by his uncanny ability to keep improving a position that was already very strong. He is definitely a very subtle player. " 

Kasparov opinions of Petrosian: 

Kasparov

"Petrosian was brilliant at creating positions full of harmony and life, with a colossal potential behind a bland façade and seeming lack of dynamism, where even the smallest changes were immediately noticed and dealt with, often in a series of strategic moves that left the opponent completely at a loss. The profundity of Petrosian’s style stems from his clarity of thought and his rare gift for understanding not just the overall situation on the board, but also of every nuance of tactics and strategy of the game." 

Kramnik spoke of Petrosian with great admiration: 

Vladimir Kramnik

"Petrosian was the Defender in chess. He was the first grand master to demonstrate that almost any position could be defended. He showed that chess is a game with lots and lots of resources. Petrosian’s style was very sophisticated and hard to understand. There was something very mysterious about him…" 

Fischer didn't beat patzer but very strong grandmasters, Fischer just made it seem easy: this makes Fischer is one greatest player. 

Karpov and Kasparov had problems beating old Petrosian, and Bobby figure how to beat the unbeatable young Petrosian on his own. Garry was having so trouble with Petrosian that he needed to ask Spassky how to beat Petrosian, with Fischer, he had no one to help him beat such a great player, this makes Fischer more talented than Karpov and Kasparov  because they needed help. 

 Karpov was not well prepare in the opening, playing in the candidate match 1974 against Korchnoi, Petrosian told Karpov there is something wrong with his queen's indian defense, Anatoly ignore Petrosian and receive one of his worse defeat in his life, he lost in 19 moves against Korchnoi. So all those who say Karpov was well prepare in the opening is untrue, the problem everyone can have an opinion without facts, Karpov was just lazy. Karpov had team of GMs and still he could not put away Korchnoi, how can he beat Fischer who was very diligent in his opening preparation and if Bobby was able to get you out of your prepare line, God help you because you were lost, this happen with Spassky and this will happen to Karpov too.

Ofergawd's sake. Karpov was not lazy. He just wasn't perfect.

Same with Fischer, who had problems with Geller and with the French Defense. Fischer also had a lousy record with Spassky until the 1972 match.

It's no good cherrypicking the weaknesses in a player's record and insisting that player be judged by them.

I would say Fischer's greatest weakness was that he didn't know how to ask anyone for help.

  Tigran and Bobby

ipcress12 wrote:

Invite some helpers? But he had always worked alone, not trusting his helpers even to analyse adjourned positions!     

Sir, imagine being the best in your craft and you have no one to really rely on, how can you delegate responsibility to your subordinates, when your skills is far superior: this was Fischer and his insight to a position he was able to navigate through complexities and find the right pass to what is hiden to most players; this happen in 7th game against Spassky, Fischer was able to outplay Spassky in very complicated Najdorf of the poisoned pawn variation, it was a blend of defends and attack, pure pecfert harmony; no one can play chess this way like Fischer, in unprepare lines Fischer had no equal.