fabelhaft wrote:
Fischer's opinion on Karpov and Kasparov were that they were dogs, cheaters, criminals etc though and that sounds a bit worse than Kasparov's opinions on Fischer...
Fischer wasn't mentally sound...
Why didn't Fischer play Karpov
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Jan 13, 2017
0
#103
There was no scenario of Karpov beating Fischer 10:9. The match would be drawn with Fischer keeping the title in the event of a 9:9 tie.
The reason Fischer did not play Karpov is that he [Fischer] felt he had too much to lose and not enough to gain if he played Karpov.
"There was no scenario of Karpov beating Fischer 10:9. The match would be drawn with Fischer keeping the title in the event of a 9:9 tie"
Or rather, Fischer won the match with 9 wins while Karpov needed 10 wins to win it.
Fischer didn't refuse to play a title match in 1975, he refused to play chess 1972 onwards, otherwise he could have played any event to show how much better he was than the "pre-arranged" Karpov.
"He argued that this was more advantageous to the challenger"
He just wanted to improve the chances for his Soviet challenger...
Jan 13, 2017
0
#108
fabelhaft wrote:
Fischer didn't refuse to play a title match in 1975, he refused to play chess 1972 onwards, otherwise he could have played any event to show how much better he was than the "pre-arranged" Karpov.
True and that's yet another indication that his fears and inner demons - whatever their nature - weren't caused by Karpov specifically. Had he feared Karpov only, he would have avoided playing the 1975 match but continued to play chess after 1972. But as we all know he stopped playing altogether.
Jan 13, 2017
0
#110
At that time, the time when these events happened I was under the impression that all was about money. That Fischer wanted the money he tought (and I don´t say he was not right) he deserved. The maximum amount of money he tought he could get from the Championship match.
Today I think different. Of course he wanted more money but, above all, he was afraid of losing. Not because of Karpov. It would be the same if the challenger was any other. He was afraid of having his ego hurt. After all, he was the best chess player...how could he lose to any other human?
This match never happened. The loser was Fischer, for not playing, for not having the courage to try to keep his title. Also, Karpov did not won as he won the title without playing. However, by keeping the title for so many years afterwards, Karpov has to be seen as a real World Champion.
For me, Fischer (a brilliant player) was not a real World Champion. He just won a tournament for the world title.
Saludos.
Jan 13, 2017
0
#112
I think Fischer would have won... But probably not in the spectacular way he won the championship... Fischer likely feared looking vulnerable....
I'm sure there were other reasons... But the specter of a lackluster title defense probably dominated Fischer's mind...
I'm sure there were other reasons... But the specter of a lackluster title defense probably dominated Fischer's mind...
Jan 13, 2017
0
#113
fabelhaft wrote:
"There was no scenario of Karpov beating Fischer 10:9. The match would be drawn with Fischer keeping the title in the event of a 9:9 tie"
Or rather, Fischer won the match with 9 wins while Karpov needed 10 wins to win it.
Fischer drew the match with 9 wins, not won it. He would remain the champion though.
To wrest the crown from Fischer, Karpov had to reach 10 wins before Fischer could reach 9.
Jan 13, 2017
0
#114
ironbasicb wrote:
Fischer objected to the "best of 24 games" championship match format that had been used from 1951 onwards, claiming that it would encourage whoever got an early lead to play for draws. Instead he demanded that the match should be won by whoever first won 10 games, except that if the score reached 9-9 he should remain champion. He argued that this was more advantageous to the challenger than the champion's advantage under the existing system, where the champion retained the title if the match was tied at 12-12 including draws.
I tend to agree with that premise made by Fischer. However, it does seem that Fischer was looking for any possible pretext to avoid playing the 1975 Championship.
For a good reason, too. By 1975 he was already a hobo - if not yet in the fullest sense of the word, then at least mentally.
He was in no mental shape for the grinder that is the chess championship of the world.
Any half-respectable way out would do - and he made sure that he would gain one, by his ceaseless provocations.
This is a man who already gave the chess world enough provocations earlier - most notably leading to the 1972 Championships and during them.
In 1972, the chess world at large wanted to see him play, but by 1975 the pendulum swung the other way - his act simply got old.
richie_and_oprah wrote:
“In his book Chess Duels Yasser Seirawan has drawn attention to the fact that the legend of the apparently lone fighter Fischer is a myth. In reality Fischer had all the relevant people from the US federation behind him for support. Leroy Dubeck, president of the USCF from 1969 till 1972, had agreed with the executive director Edmund Edmondson that all the resources of the federation should be gathered for the project ‘Fischer plays for the World Championship’. For this purpose they also used all membership subscriptions of the USCF. In addition Fischer had the support of Fred Cramer, also from the federation, as his legal adviser. Amongst the chess players on whose help Fischer could count were the grandmasters Bill Lombardy, Lubomir Kavalek as well as Fischer’s close friend the international master Anthony Saidy. A special role was played by Lina Grumette, who was a sort of mother substitute for Fischer and whenever necessary offered him refuge in her house.”
People always bring this up.
Here's the thing: the support of all of US chess did effectively amount to "nothing" in that era. Lombardy, Kavalek, and Saidy? There were no US players that could be called peers of the team of GMs working with Spassky.
P.S. OP, it's a weak troll that has to bump their thread every time it languishes a day or two...
Jan 13, 2017
0
#117
Fischer was right though, draws are boring so one has to fight to win a game.
Jan 13, 2017
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#118
I would be very happy indeed to reach a level where draws with the top players of the world bore me. Just saying.
Jan 13, 2017
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#119
I think he just didn't care anymore. Saying Fischer was scared is typical chess player nonsense. People say the same thing about Josh Waitskin and anyone else who would dare quit playing their infallible boardgame... Fischer was a fighter and would play against anyone even if he did think he wasn't a favorite. And it's hard to believe that he wouldn't see himself as a favorite anyway.
"What Fischer wanted was a return to the nineteenth century Steintz position of a conclusive match play win by the challenger"
What Fischer wanted no one knows with any certainty, but it is difficult to see his demands as meaningful. To still be the World Champion if Karpov beat him 10-9 would maybe have been practical, but no one would have found that a satisfying outcome of a match that could take a year thanks to Fischer's other demands, that FIDE amazingly agreed to :-)