A genius dead

[Skybird]

I should have been more precise, the tournament he did in Yugoslavia actually was a rematch against his old rival Boris Spasski whose world champion title he had taken in the 70s - the great cold war duel, only the collision between Kortschnoi and Karpov came close to raise that much of international interest - but only close.

Fisher won that rematch again.

[U49]

and the story starts maybe here ?...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer

ssshhhhht.. do not dististurb... I'm still reading

[joea]

Very sad, a great man and legend of chess.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by U49

and the story starts maybe here ?...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer

ssshhhhht.. do not dististurb... I'm still reading

Look at that strange, almost childlike handwriting of him on the scorecard! :hmm:

[XabbaRus]

Just reading about him on various sites about his life story, and though he might have ben a chess genius, when reading about the lists of demands he made for the competition with Karpov the phrase "spoiled brat" sprung to mind, which is my conclusion of what he is. Eccentricity is no excuse.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

Just reading about him on various sites about his life story, and though he might have ben a chess genius, when reading about the lists of demands he made for the competition with Karpov the phrase "spoiled brat" sprung to mind, which is my conclusion of what he is. Eccentricity is no excuse.

I think we can all agree that he certainly didn't have the greatest personality. I don't know about "spoiled brat", but between his unsportsmanlike behaviour and his downright paranoid and nasty attitude in later years - I think the least we can say is "antisocial"!

But again, I think what was going on in certain parts of his head was absolutely remarkable and worthy of recognition.

[XabbaRus]

True but I was reading about the match he was supposed to play against Karpov and he wanted the rules changed so if he drew 9:9 he would retain his title but Karpov had to win 12:8 to gain the title. Seems he wanted it sorted in his favour so it was even harder for Karpov to win.

[STEED]

He had an air of arrogance's about him, which was wasted in the world of chess. Off the chess scene, he made some very hurtful and insulting remarks which bought him trouble. America's only grandmaster to date who could had gone on in the world of chess without out his crass side that got the better of him.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

True but I was reading about the match he was supposed to play against Karpov and he wanted the rules changed so if he drew 9:9 he would retain his title but Karpov had to win 12:8 to gain the title. Seems he wanted it sorted in his favour so it was even harder for Karpov to win.

Xabba, that is no single case, it was the rule with many championships. The cionstant lobbyiong of the candidates friends for influencing the codntions in their favour gave us the not less eccentric battle around the match Kortschnoi and Karpo, and it ultimately led to the split of the chess federation, FIDE, or better: the new founding of a competing federation by Kasparov, which for soem years became the far more important than FIDE. It also was a question of Moscow-friendly party politics (FIDE, president Campomenes, and Karpov), and the rebellion against that (Kasparov, Kortschnoi (who was seen as a traitor for he turned his back on the USSR) ). fisher-Spasski was a chess duel with a poltiical diemnsion, but Kortschnoi and Karpov added to that another diemnsion: personal antipathy, even hate. they disliked each other on a personal basis for what they were representing, and for what they stood.

That has damaged Karpov's reputation, which is a shame, because he maybe plays efficient only and by that: unspectacular, but nevertheless must be seen as one of the storngest players there ever were.

You will find eccentric behavior and disputed tournament conditon regarding very, very many of the great chess players. It comes as part of pushing their chess skills to the extremes, like narcissism and lust for power are the shadow of almost every major politician.

If you are interested: it is an older book stopping after Fisher became world champion and leaving our Karpow, Kortschnoi, Kasparov, but it is a very accessible biography of the great world chmapion in the hiostory of chess, from Steinitz to Fisher "Harold Schonberg: Grandmaster'S of chess". I assume their are more modern volumes as well, but cannot recommend any by own reading, only the book by Schonberg. The duels between Karpof and Kortschnoi, and Kasparov, I followed en detail during my school age, that's why I know about them as well. Soimetimes, it was a marathon concerning match numbers - the battle for influencing match conditions in one player'S favour led to these absurd constellations.