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That was a really fascinating 1999 UK documentary. I remember those days and how excited we were in my junior-high class. It’s too bad he never defended his title.
To Bobby Fischer fans:
He is no longer “American.” Our great nation has been insulted by this single racists’ comments. We do NOT claim him as our own…regardless of where the stork squirted him out!
How can any sane person defend the actions of such a paranooid, delusional, person that is a wanted felon? Robert J. Fischer is insane. Or, just a really, really, good actor. But, he has no talent beyond the chess board and even that no longer exists.
He never has been, nor ever shall be a true “world champion” to many, many Americans. Morphy and Pillsbury are our chess heroes!
Have fun in Iceland, Bobby. Hope you crawl across the Canadian border sometime so that the border guards will arrest you for being the traitor and anit-semitic bum that you are.
Without chess, you’re a bum. A complete bum waistoid. You should have stayed on your Risperdal medication.
For those MD’s reading…you know what this is.
Fischer is paranoid and delusional, but isn’t his main “felony” just playing a chess game in Yugoslavia?
That seems to me like a ridiculous thing to still persue him for. Yes, it was tehcnially illegal but it was a stupid law and the US government FREQUENTLY pardons people for breaking similar laws.
He never has been, nor ever shall be a true “world champion” to many, many Americans.
why? He was a true world champion when he was the world champion. Yes, he got crazier and crazier afterwards, but that happens sometimes. Don’t condemn his worthy success for his later failures.
Also, while I love Morphy, remember Morphy was called “The pride and sorrow of chess” and Fischer is known as “the second american sorrow” for a reason. Namely, Morphy also went crazy albiet in a differnet way.
anonymous person – you should chill out. We all know about BF’s rantings, etc. You should be commenting on the quality of the documentary or thanking someone for the link. No need to rant.
Calm down. We get it.
Like Sophia Polgar, seperate the chess from the man. Enjoy his games (or don’t).
There are alot worse human beings in the world you can worry about.
Also, did you watch the documentary? BF said he used to play chess against himself – alot. Good thing his mom thought to drag him to a chess club. The guy had a rough upbringing and no father figure. Ok, he’s disfunctional, but he’s not dangerous.
Insane Anonymous posting previously again…
These same ‘anonymous’ people will turn and praise an NBA star who rapes a woman in a hotel for his Basketball skills; will ignore the ‘idiosyncracies’ of criminals in sports jerseys as long as they can play the game and give them the rush only the big stars can give.
Of course, the same does not apply to Fischer; one of the biggest chess stars ever to grace the planet. We can’t seem to separate his chess from his insanity and racist rantings, although we should – they have nothing to do with each other.
God forbid we apply equal judgement.
to anonymous : chill out dude , Fischer is Jew himself , so don’t say he’s anti-semitic , his political views might be ridiculous or annoying or whatever , but accusing him of racism is prolly too much .
I don’t get why he ‘s a traitor , the guy wanted to stop chess after being world champion , you don’t know the effect of stress and problems he had during his chess career and how it affected his life and mental health , you can see in the documentary he was so strained that he was in a state of paranoia and terrible pressure , after all , since 13 years old under the spotlights , the guy gave all his youth to chess … and it affected his mental health ,i understand that he may have wanted to do something else in his life ..
Anyway , thanks for the link Susan , good documentary
In a rolling human evolution there is a mass of unknown minds, and some individuals, like Bobby. It’s great to live in his times. Like Nigel Short said: he is like Zeus, god of gods. No matter how excentric he is. It is just an extra rebalancing gift from God. Thanx Bobby.
I know this is a bit off topic, but Susan is it true that you played Gothic Chess with Ed Trice? Please answer when you have time. Thanks.
Thank you for the links. It is just a tragedy how things turned out.
Now with his rants on radio and his later action, one forgets how wonderfully engaging Fischer was, how his frankness was refreshing and how it made the whole thing exciting and interesting. He was telegenic and could have really established Chess as a major sport in the US had he worked in that direction.
It is just all too sad. Spassky who clearly could still play (see his later USSR championship run) had to go into exile and so ultimately there were no great “winners” from that match.
Here is the official Robert J Fischer website. Lets let people make up their own minds:
http://home.att.ne.jp/moon/fischer/
Susan,
You had posted this before.
There are other important news from Seirawan :
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3441
anonymous said
to bobby fisher fans
sounds like your descibing yourself..what squirted you out and left you there
Watching the documentary videos about the Fischer-Spassky match gave me an appreciation of the incredible pressure that players face in a World Championship match. Something we have just seen again in the Topolov versus Kramnich Match.
Spassky says the two players were never the same again after all that tension. Fischer arrived 7 days after the match was due to start. He was distracted by the noise of the movie cameras and demanded they be removed. As an aside, this is a constant problem for an Asperger’s student in a class I teach. I think the other kids play high frequency sounds on their mobile phones to annoy him. The sounds are too high-pitched for me to hear.
Down a loss and a forfeit, Fischer tried to leave Iceland, but one of his team, Lombardy, a Catholic priest, had disabled his car. That night Fischer got little sleep and turned up for the game looking like a ghost. He demanded that the game be played in a little back room. He won that game.
Then Spassky started to “sense things”. He demanded Fischer’s chair be searched for electronic devices. The tension never let up.
The central dilemma of championship matches seems to be that both players want to be at their peak when they play. If they sense that they are not in peak form, and (subconsciuosly) fear they are going to lose, then in “self-defence” their mind starts to lash out with accusations.
In a Championship Match there are only two players. In a tournament, the tension is spread amongst many players, and if one player drops out, the tournament still goes on. But with a Championship Match, all the tension is focused on the two players. There is nowhere to hide.
On the plus-side, the tension engrosses the audience. On the negative-side, we see it twist and distort the minds and perceptions of the players. If the players can look back and say, “Wow, that was excitement-plus”, then it is worthwhile. But if they are psychologically damaged by it all, then everyone loses.
Would Fischer have had a longer, happier chess career, if Henry Kissinger had not rung him up and said his country needed him to go and “fight the Russians”?
I do not think Fischer should be blamed for his madness.
If he was a clearly sane and responsible adult then his utterances would be despicable… but he is not “all there” and so we should not judge him.
It is clear that the chemicals used to destabilise Spassky-remember how BAD he played-had a bigger impact on the American.
I blame the CIA or whatever agency he was involved with at the time.He only has himself to blame.
What goes around…
anonymous Your statements that Fischer was involved with the CIA are completely ridiculous! If anything Fischer was probably often threatened by the Russian KGB! No wonder Fischer left chess and was frightened to fly in airplanes. The U.S.S.R. under Stalin murdered over 7 million of their own citizens! How many more lost all freedom and were jailed for decades under some paranoid suspicion not proven guilt! You are the one that is crazy!! Why dont you go look for Bin Laden and make a solid friendship!
No you are being ridiculous.
Why did Fischer refuse to play again…he was frighytened of the forces that helped him win the title.
Paranoia built upon his dealings with the CIA or whoever.
I don’t know if he really is “insane.” I think the world is better off with him in retirement. If he were to make a full comeback, he would would be an unstable element and probably do more harm to our sport than good.
Morphy was certainly troubled, also. Both are sad cases of great talent that was stopped by mental illness.
It seems, however, that if it were just an illness, that modern psychiatry could help him and possibly bring him out of his delusional state of mind.
Then again, how does anyone REALLY know what goes on in another person’s mind?
Even if he were to come back, he could not compete with the top 10 players in the world today. Yet, he could use his name recognition to bring in funds to help our sport.
But, this is just a big dream.
Good documentary, though.
Isn’t his brother a psychiatrist?
Thanks for the links. It was great to see that.
RJ Fischer has been outstanding chessplayer and chessgenious.
Nobody was able to do 2 times 6:0 and then 6,5:2,5 against players from top 10.
That he played in Yugoslavia with Spassky. Does no matter. He is a free man. That time some american companies were doing import from Yugoslavia (Informators of Chess) and nothing happened to them. Spassky has been not penalised, only Fischer for… being a genius.
Reg.
Dude’s clearly a complete and utter nut job. Whacko. Bonkers. Bats in the belfry. Toys in the attic. INSANE. And not in a pleasant way. He’s a hateful, bitter, paranoid, psychotic.
All you anonymous cowards defending him are defending a madman. In a cowardly way. Way to go.