This article was originally published in my www.ChessCafe.com column in August 2004
Q&A about Fischer, Kasparov, Karpov and More
I have received countless amount of questions since the arrest of Bobby Fischer and it is only appropriate that I share some of them with you.
Question How did you meet Bobby Fischer?
Answer In 1992, Bobby played his second match against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia and was unable to return to the U.S. because of his defiance of economic sanctions. The organizer Mr. Janos Kubat arranged for my family to visit Bobby at a hotel in Yugoslavia, near the border of Hungary, in order to convince him to go to Hungary rather than being in a cramped hotel room in a small Yugoslavian village.
Bobby expressed his wish to meet me, but unfortunately I was in Peru at that time. I accompanied my family on the following visit and eventually the idea of moving to Hungary became more attractive to Bobby. Just to be sure everything was OK, we asked the border guards if Fischer could enter Hungary and they had no objection. With that assurance, Bobby moved to Hungary. At one point, he stayed in our summer home which is about one hour from Budapest. He was accompanied by GM Eugenio Torre from the Philippines and his bodyguard.
Question Did you play chess with Fischer while he was in Hungary?
Answer Yes, I played many Fischer-random blitz games with him and we also analyzed a lot. It was one of the most fascinating experiences in my professional chess career.
Question What is your opinion of Fischer?
Answer Well, I have mixed feelings. I respect his chess ability a great deal. He is one of the greatest world champions and is certainly in the same class as Kasparov and Capablanca, etc. Most importantly, his incredible impact is unrivaled. He transformed the game and created serious interest in the mainstream media. The Fischer Boom revolutionized chess in America and around the world. Look at how popular he remains, more than 32 years after his 1972 match with Boris Spassky. Thousands of articles have already been published about his recent arrests.
He was very friendly to me on a personal level. I enjoyed playing and analyzing with him. He is truly a genius on the chess board. On the other hand, he has very strong views that we all know about. I disagree with these views and even tried to change his mind. However, that does not diminish my admiration and respect for his chess. These are two totally separate issues.
Question Who is a better player, Bobby Fischer or Garry Kasparov? And who would win if they played a match?
Answer If the match was played when both players were at their prime it would be incredible. But if I have to pick, I would say Garry has a small edge because he was the first world champion that fully utilized chess databases and computer programs. That is how Garry raised his game to a whole new level and maintained it for so long. Without it, it is a major handicap, but both players are just phenomenal; two of the greatest world champions ever. I don’t think there would be a contest if they played today. Garry is still the strongest player in the world. He has stayed at number one for an unprecedented 20 years or so. It is very hard to imagine that Bobby could win such a match.
Question What do you think about Fischer-random chess?
Answer I love it! It is a wonderful game and a wonderful contribution to chess. It certainly returns chess to the days when opening theory did not extend twenty five moves deep. Fischer-random forces you to think for yourself from move one. Another great contribution from Bobby is the Fischer clock.
Question Should Fischer go to jail?
Answer I don’t think so, being in exile for 12 years is more than enough of a punishment. In addition, no one else involved in the 1992 match is being prosecuted. Why does Bobby deserve different treatment? I don’t agree with many of his views and he was totally out of line for saying things about 9/11. But he does not deserve to go to jail. Let him live out the rest of his life in peace. That is the least we can do for someone who revolutionized chess worldwide.
Question If Bobby played against Karpov in 1975, do you think he would have won?
Answer I spoke to Boris Spassky about this same issue and he believes that Bobby would have won in 1975, but that Anatoly would have won the rematch. However, Garry Kasparov has a different viewpoint. He believes that Anatoly would have won in 1975 and supports this opinion by demonstrating the quality of their games at that time.
This is what that makes chess so interesting. From all of the people I spoke to, the opinions split right down the middle with a small edge for Bobby. I think it would have been very close. However, Bobby would have had a small edge due to his greater experience at that time.
Question Is it true that there were discussions about a match between you and Bobby?
Answer Yes, but obviously it did not happen. There were also discussions about a match between Bobby and Judit. That, of course, did not happen either. I would have loved to play a Fischer-random match against Bobby. I would also love to play matches against the great world champions such as Bobby, Garry and Anatoly. I think it would be great for chess.
Question What was training with Garry Kasparov like?
Answer It was a thrill for me. His chess knowledge is simply phenomenal. He can calculate so quickly and accurately. I learned a lot from Garry.
Question What is Garry like as a person?
Answer Garry is a very pleasant and warm person. He jokes around and behaves just like anyone else. He is very well informed about many subjects and is also very confident about his views. Garry is also at the top the list in promoting and revolutionizing chess.
Question Is it true that you are playing a match against Anatoly Karpov?
Answer Yes, I am playing a historic chess match against 7-time World Champion Anatoly Karpov on September 18-19 in Lindsborg, Kansas. This match is organized by Mr. Mikhail Korenman of the Karpov School of Chess in Lindsborg, and Paul Truong, with the support of the state of Kansas and the city of Lindsborg, and is sanctioned by the USCF.
The main reason for the match is to promote chess in the United States. This is the first time that the world champions from each gender are playing each other in an officially sanctioned match. In addition, the match will also help raise money for the Susan Polgar Foundation. I know that the Karpov School of Chess also raises money for its own projects.
Question How do you think you will do in your match against Karpov?
Answer That is an interesting question. The last time I played chess on the world stage was in 1996 when I played a world championship match against Xie Jun. After a long break to raise a family, I recently started to play again in the 2003 US Open Blitz Championship, the special Stillwater (Oklahoma) Women’s Olympiad event, and a few smaller local events. Even though the level of competition was different from what I was used to, I feel that I am in pretty decent shape.
Even though this is an exhibition, it is very important for promoting chess, especially in the United States. Karpov will be a very tough opponent. He is one of the great world champions, he dominated the chess world for more than a decade, and has one of the best tournament records in chess. He is a fierce competitor. His rivalry with Garry Kasparov is considered one of the biggest in the game. He beat Kasparov in their last exhibition match and is still rated about 2700 – three decades after wining his first world championship. I have a very difficult task, but I am up for it.
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/polgar26.pdf
What is the “Fischer Clock”?
Hey!
Wery interesting post!
Fisher clock and randomchess sage somethinks abaut how genius Fischer are,and still wery easy too see for all!
In 1988, Fischer filed for U.S. Patent 4,884,255 for a new type of digital chess clock. Fischer’s clock gave each player a fixed period of time at the start of the game and then added a small increment after each completed move. The Fischer clock soon became standard in most major chess tournaments. The patent expired in November 2001 because of overdue maintenance fees.
Have nice dayes Knightonranden.
Well….if the match in 1975 would have taken place, it is almost sure that Anatoly Karpov would have won it!!
And this is exactly why Fischer didn’t play the match. He was afraid of Karpov….
Yes, this is the sad truth…
Karpov is VERY strong!
Can’t agree with the idea that Fischer shouldn’t have gone to jail because he did good things for chess. Too many people think they’re too important to have to obey the rules that ordinary people do. “I’m too good a chessplayer” is a more novel excuse than “I’m too rich”, or “I’m too well connected”, but it doesn’t sit any better.
i think fischer would have easily beaten karpov. fischers rating of 2785 would be around 3000 elo today. this is considering that ratings have risen 100 elo points for every 10-15 years. I believe spassky was 1972’s equivelent of todays kasparov. he was around 2680 which would be say 2880 today. he was considered un beatable in match play similar to kasparov. bobby just destroyed him and it would have been worse but he forfeited a game. when I look at kasparovs game i think those are powerful moves but i can see what hes doing. just nothing can be done to prevent the mate. with fischer his moves seem arise out of nowhere leaving me speechless. your left thiking how did he just do that my eyes must be playing tricks on me. fischer is so good he makes some of the great players look like amatuers. so i think fischer is far better than kasparov. kasparov never came close to beating the top players 20 straight games.
wolverine
I don’t like the idea that sports or cultural accomplishments should act as a “get out of jail free” card.
I also don’t think that running, instead of facing a Jury, counts as “exile” or should count as a sentence served.
I think that, even if a person likes Fischer, and even if they don’t think violating sanctions against genocidal regimes should be illegal, it is still clear that it is wrong to evade the police for decades, instead of standing up for your views in court, and serving what would have been a short sentence, perhaps even probation and fines.
This is a case where he admits what he did, he takes pride in it, and he’d be better off if he had shown his defiance by pleading guilty and trying to claim the moral high ground. Given his popularity, lack of past record, lack of danger to the community, a guilty plea would have resulted in considerable leniency.
It is perhaps not too late even now for him to take these steps, though he’s probably better off in Iceland where people have more respect for being eccentric and private.
Susan,
Did Fischer totally object from playing you in a regular chess game so you had to settle for Fischer random?
Fischer has already spent a year in a Japanese prison while fighting extradition to the U.S. Now he is in exile in Iceland. Isn’t this punishment enough?
I agree people should not be above the law just because they are high profile. But we must look at the circumstances. Sometimes the law should not apply, even if some people are saying it should.
There was a UN embargo on Yugoslavia, that included sanctions on sporting events. So international politics decides to flex its muscle and disrupt a chess match.
That is like two adults who are fighting over household finances. Angry, Dad tells little Billy he can not play with his Nintendo anymore until Mom calms down and starts listening to Dad.
Granted, in this situation Billy (Bobby) made things worse for himself when he spit on Dad’s shoes (US Treasurary Dept. letter), which got him sent to boarding school (Iceland).
Politics should not interfere with Chess or other sports. I doubt there is more than 5 people in Washington DC who know Linares just wrapped up..
kasparov will never give bobby fischer his due but what do you expect. this is a guy bobby calls a gangster and a complete crook. kasparov barely beat karpov in there matches and it would have been great to see fischer destroy karpov in 75 to leave no doubt as to who would have won. you cant take kasparov seriously in his analysis of bobby fischer. hes completly biased for his own fellow russian karpov. kasparov needs a reality check. 20 straight game against the best players in the world!!!! another thing people donttalk about is bobby didnt play between 68-70. he just came back out of two years break and started destroying the top grandmasters. lets see kaspraov even come close to that. i dont think so. bobby is undisputably the best.
wolverine
What is the “Fischer Clock”?
The computerized chess clock used today in tournaments, which enables added time per move, and other standard features today. Yes, Fischer invented it. He even had patent on it (which was not renewed at one point).
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Can’t agree with the idea that Fischer shouldn’t have gone to jail because he did good things for chess.
I can. Not only because he did good things for chess, but also the paper thin nature of his “crime”. I seriously doubt that the court system would have found 12 people who would have actually convict him. It would be different if he killed someone, or robbed a bank, or would have committed an ordinary crime. But he only played chess somewhere, where at the given time, based on an arbitrary (or real, doesn’t matter) political decision, he shouldn’t have.
And yes, it should matter if a person does something great for the world.
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Fischer would have probably defeat Karpov in 1975. Fischer’s road to his title was so lopsided that it wasn’t even funny. He got there by defeating Taimanov 6-0, Larsen 6-0 and Petrosian 6.5-2.5.
18.5 vs 2.5 against the best of his contemporaries? Then he wins the world title by 4 points. Who else could claim such a result? Definitely not Karpov.
Gabor
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“Fischer has already spent a year in a Japanese prison while fighting extradition to the U.S. Now he is in exile in Iceland. Isn’t this punishment enough?”
Nah. Since it’s self-imposed. If I rob a bank, I can’t hit myself over the head with a hammer to reduce my sentence. That’s dumb.
The pains you put yourself through trying to avoid justice don’t come off your sentence once you’re caught. Simple, undeniable fact.
In my opinion Fischer was the best. Why?
Basically he made his way to the chess throne alone. Against the whole soviet chess machine (Botvinnik, Keres, Tahl, Petrosian, Bronstein, Stein, Spassky, Smyslov, Geller, Korchnoi…). Also an impressive 6-0 against Taimanov and Larsen.
Blitz? Fischer won in blitz ahead of Tahl, when he was younger and stronger. Kasparov and Karpov lose against him when Tahl was old and ill (as I remember, was in the 80s when Mijail defeated Timman in the final of a blitz championship).
Kasparov was trained to be a champion. For that reason he has to work very hard, for that reason he prepared his openings ->in general, without advantage in the begining, he hardly can win (against the elite)(and this what happened in his match against Kramnik, where Vladimir had a better analysis team).
Susan, have you ever worked with Vesselin Topalov? Can you tell us more about him?
Fischer didn’t have State subsidy/ a national support system – as the Soviets had.
He didn’t have GM support / seconds (or even seconds near to his rarefied league) – as the Soviets had.
He thrived before the modern computer age…lots of the bloggers keep on about Fritz etc…a pre computer Kasparov and a Fischer would’ve been interesting but it’s a wishful exercise…
Fischer came up with new ideas, thinking (fischer random, etc)…saw the future (demise?) of chess as time went on (proliferation, advance of computers) much as Capablanca though of a different type of chess (Gothic-like?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capablanca_chess
The Yugoslavia thing seems odd; even Spassky (by then a french citizen), and the other participant in Yugoslavia, by that logic, broke the embargo too.
More to do with what Fischer said (free speech?) than anything about Yugoslavia…
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“He is a brilliant tactical player. However, he lacks schooling, compared to Soviet-taught players. His could develop his talent much more with proper training.”
http://www.chesscafe.com/misha/misha.htm
Pavel Eljanov on Vachier-Lagrave
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Fischer was a one-off…can’t see the US having anyone close (whether imported or no)…moreis the pity
Seems odd the fuss about playing a match in former Yugoslavia…has Spassky visited US of A of late? Has he had any hassle? Granted he’s french (ex-soviet) not icelandic (ex-american) as Fischer now is…but seems a lot of fuss…would think poor Bobby was that Karl Rove guy (or whatever his name is) with all the “escape from Justice” stuff..it was just a bit of saliva on a paper..talk about democracy!…wonder what’d happy to Johhny Rotten or the Sex pistols if they visited the “Birthplace of Democracy” / the greatest nation in history / the pearly gates / the US of A…
🙂
who’s that woman who claims Kasparov is better than Fischer.. where she have learned chess ?? everybody knows that Fischer is the best player of all the time.. and that Capablanca comes directly second ! even Kasparov says that about fischer !!!!!