I have been studying Bobby Fischer's life for a while. While he has not been diagnosed by a medical professional, there are views that he suffered from Asperger's syndrome mainly because of his lack of social skills, etc. But one symptom of this syndrome is hypersensitivity of noises, lights, and other stimuli. This may explain why he complained so much. But we can only speculate. None of this is supported by credible, empirical data - we may only draw inferences on what we know of him and on the limited information that is available to us.
Why did Bobby Fischer complain so much?
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stuzzicadenti wrote:
That being said, many top chess players today agree that Fischer's demands for improving playing conditions and pushing for higher salaries of chess players (whatever his motivations) were at least partly responsible for making chess more 'professional' and a more respectable pursuit, bringing it into the modern era.
Interesting comments. I think the fact that he never finsihed high school was something that bothered him. I think I heard in an interview once that he said he liked wearing good suits, and eating at fancy restaurants. This may represent a desire to 'break away' from his sort of low socioecionomic upbringing and unfortunate childhood where he did not have many friends. He wanted to fit in with the "cultured" chess world as you put it. And so this could have made him a little arrogant, self-wanting, etc.
Perhaps he was a master of psychology and wanted to distract his opponents through his demands on lighting, cameras, audience, and everything else. I think this is certainly an interesting theory to think about, especially given the obvious blunder in Game 2 (which even club-level players know to avoid). Unfortunately as with all of these theories there is little, if any, evidence to support them and so we can only speculate. These things could have genuinely distracted them and it could have been a genuine blunder. It's sad that we don't have that many interview records with Fischer. He was a really private person. There are so many questions we'd all love to ask him but he's no longer alive unfortunately.
I think Fischer did have a significant impact in improving chess conditions. More broadly, I think he revolutionised chess, popularising it and bringing it into the national consciousness, especially at the height of the Cold War. He inspired thousands of players both during and after the war to start playing chess, and even today's GMs look up to him, from Magnus Carlsen to Garry Kasparov. He was a huge influence for many people, but also a huge influence in terms of bringing professional chess into the "mainstream", at least to some extent.
I think what makes Fischer special is that he did it all by himself. He wasn't born into fame or privilege or wealth. He was a self-made man, standing against the might of the Soviet Union, with nobody behind him. His father left him when he was young, and he lived with his mother. He didn't have professional coaches, he didn't have multi-million dollar sponsorship deals, he didn't live in rich hotels, he didn't have computers, he didn't have money, resources and access.
These characteristics really distinguish him from every other player who has been dubbed best player in chess history.
Fischer captured the imagination of the chess world and continues to inspire people today.
alexm2310 wrote:
The whole "Fischer did it all by himself" thing just sounds like outdated Cold War propaganda. He played in a strong chess club with other masters, and competed in loads of rated tournaments, just like virtually every other strong player.
If you really have studied Fischer's life as you say, maybe you know more on this topic than I've mentioned here and you can correct me. If not though, the myth of Fischer's rise is sensationalist rubbish and we should stop repeating it
If you really have studied Fischer's life as you say, maybe you know more on this topic than I've mentioned here and you can correct me. If not though, the myth of Fischer's rise is sensationalist rubbish and we should stop repeating it
Well look at the objective facts.
He didn't have any friends. His father left him when he was young. He grew up in poor Brooklyn. He dropped out of school. He didn't relate to others. He didn't have a girlfriend.
These are all true. Compare this with any modern GM today and the difference will often be quite evident.
He complained because the conditions sucked.
I'm guessing he dropped out of school to pursue chess seriously. In that case, he must have spent a lot of time at a chess club. If spend a lot of time at a chess club, how do you not have friends? So dropping out of school, perhaps, was not that impactful. I don't see a strong connection between his social awkwardness and his complaining. Social awkwardness and shyness would be reason to avoid complaining.
Or maybe he was so embarrassed of losing that he always needed an excuse, a reason for it? That would explain why he forfeited his WC title.
Or maybe, having pulled himself up by his bootstraps and become a WC, he felt entitled to special treatment?
Lasker1900 wrote:
He complained for two reasons: He was hypersenstive about noise and lighting. There is little doublt that he was somewhere on the autistic spectrum, and people like him are often unusually senstive to distracting stimuli. But the second reason, as Chris Wainscott so elequently put it, was that coditions sucked. Chess tournaments were often played in shabby, second-rate venues for lousy prizes. Fischer loved chess and thought it should be treated with respect and dignity, and he fought tooth and nail for those things. Every professional player today owes him a vote of thanks.
I think this is most likely correct. The first reason would be the primary reason. Chess conditions were indeed bad as well but this was worsened by his hypersensitivity.
If the venue was dimly lit, if Burke had been there, Fischer could have borrowed a torch from him.
About tournament conditions, the playing hall, the chairs, the colors of the squares of the chess board, the cameras, etc.