Mr. Ed Trice of GothicChess.com has just made an announcement on chess.fm that a Gothic Chess match between Fischer and Karpov WILL likely to take place.
The winner will receive $10,000,000 (10 million)!
The runner-up will receive $5,000,000 (5 million)!
Mr. Ed Trice and his team flew to Reykjavik for this negotiation. This has been an ongoing negotiation for nearly 2 years! But it looks like it will likely to happen! Stay tune for more details!
You can listen to the interview with Mr. Ed Trice on www.Chess.fm right now! The show is “Ask the Renaissance Man”, hosted by NM Dan Heisman. He is on LIVE right now! The show is opened to EVERYONE!
I will give $10,000 to the first person who can get me a ticket to this match. Serious inquiries post here and I will contact you.
What a bizarre coincidence! I was just browsing the web today for Chess variants (I’ve always been fascinated by the different forms of Chess) and stumbled across the web site for Gothic Chess, itself a variant of “Capablanca’s Chess.” And then I see this announcement. Weird.
Anyway, I hope this comes about. A battle between these two, even if in a variant of standard Chess, will provide just as worthy a claimant to the title of “Champion” as the current Kramnik-Topalov farce.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_chess
I was looking at this variant after hearing about this and I think it’s interesting. So the two extra pieces are an archbishop and a chancellor?
After the mess that is the World Chess Championship, all the former world champions including Kasparov will fancy their chances to claim the ultimate prize in chess. After all who can say if the winner of a Fisher-Karpov match is not as valid as the Kramnik-Topalov fiasco.
I will believe it when I see it.
Interesting, why not Fischer Random?
Well, it sounds like whoever is paying the bills was interested in Gothic.
Should it happen, I think Karpov will win. Fischer has been inactive for too long, and even a player with his latent genius must be rusty after all these years without a serious opponent.
Fischer will beat the socks off Karpov, you’ll see, no one can beat the man because he plays like an obsessed man. Look at the way he played in his candidates matches. Also, that assumption is based on the idea that Fischer has not evolved. He “originated” the idea of Fischer Random early on and predicted the high rate of draws a long time ago. The man is a genius with a few screws loose. Karpov is more of a businessman, though a great chessplayer– more like the gentlemanly Spassky.
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After all who can say if the winner of a Fisher-Karpov match is not as valid as the Kramnik-Topalov fiasco.
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Um… just about anybody?
Hey, who’s to say Ingemar Johansson couldn’t come out of retirement and kick Vlad Klitschko’s bottom. It could happen, right? Right?
If it happens, it’ll be the most interesting exhibition match of all time, granted, but as far as meaning something. Pffft.
But I understand on the day the match begins, Satan will be ice skating to work. A year ago the rumor was that Fischer was going to play Topalov.
Susan,
Whenever you get a chance, and we know how incredibly busy you’ve been lately, could you post a puzzle involving Gothic chess? Just a thought…
I don’t buy it.
$10,000 for a gothic chess match? Somehow, I don’t think so.
Karpov v Fischer playing classical chess would generate a lot of interest – and possibly sponsors. Of course, I think it’s too late to ‘prove’ anything but I’d still expect Karpov to win.
Gothic chess on the other hand is not even interesting to a large percentage of chess players, let alone the general public.
If someone is foolish (or interested) enough to pony up $10,000 for a somewhat obscure chess variant – Karpov certainly won’t say no, and who could blame him? Fischer might say yes, but as we know from bitter, bitter experience – that is no guarantee of anything…
>>Interesting, why not Fischer Random?
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Possibly because gothicchess.com is putting up the money? Just a hunch.
Susan you were mentioned as the 1st alternate to this Match vs Fischer and Karpov if someone were to drop out. Would you play if asked?
Yes, after the Great Potty Keruffle, what chess really needs to redeem it in the eyes of the public is a raving anti-Semitic lunatic.
babson the prize money isnt 10,000 dollars it is 10 million dollars to the winner and 5 million to the loser!!!
WELCOME BACK CHESS BOSS
This is crazy. Fifteen million dollars. Not to mention renting out every room in a hotel in downtown Manila for five weeks, which could be like five million more, depending on the hotel.
Let us know after Saturday if the money’s the same if Fischer backs out.
SEARCHING FOR BOOBY FISHER
LOOKS LIKE THEY FOUND HIM
Susan,
Thanks for the note! It should be interesting to see what happens as Ed’s negotiations continue. He said he will talk to you at your simul Saturday. I have some prior lessons planned so I can’t make it, so thanks for helping out with chess here in Philadelphia!
Best wishes
Dan H
FISHER SHOWS THE WAY AGAIN
NO PEANUTS FOR THIS MONKEY
Dear Dan,
Great show! I listened to your entire show. I am looking forward to promoting chess in Philadelphia this weekend and doing a 100 board simul at city hall.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Trice is getting the money from private investors who plan to sell the feed. Apparently, they plan to make most of their money in Europe.
EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT
FISHER’S BACK
there is an extradition treaty b/w the philppines and the u.s. but i hope it would still push through there and fischer would have immunity from it.
That would be so cool!
Fischer was the better player but Karpov is younger. I’ll pick Fischer but not an easy match.
“IF YOU WANT TO WIN A GAME
JUST PLAY E4″
FISHER 1972
Anyone who believes this needs their head checking, it sounds like a huge publicity stunt by Gothic Chess. 🙂
Love him or hate him, one has to concede two points:
1. Fischer was a great classical players (as was Karpov)
2. If this match goes off, Fischer is even better than Kasparov at generating personal revenue from chess.
You’ve got to hand it to him! Bobby even if he doesnt play, has caused more sparkle and more interest in one night than the entire (watergate) WCC!! LOL
I don’t think this is possible. Why offer 15 million when 150k would probably do the job anyway? Sounds like a joke. In any case, if you thought pottygate was controversial wait until there’s an extra 5 million for the winner. Get the laywers ready, haha.
I rather see Susan play Fischer instead of Karpov. Karpov has no personality. Susan also is a lot better with the media.
If the match does happen it will be a coup.I wish Ed much luck and success.
Early indications are that the estimates for potential gross receipts are vastly over estimated. given the opinions of some extremely media savvy people, if it does happen at all the best results will be to break even. Not a good deal for investors unless they simply want to write off a loss on their taxes.
What the heck is Gothic chess? Can anyone explain? Anyway, Fischer is to old and rusty to be taken seriously. He is a legend to be sure..but way past his prime.
Something, or everything sounds fishy, or fischey, about this announcement.
Total of $15 million? Even rich people do not have that kind of money to burn.
And why pay the players so much when they would almost certainly play for much less?
I find it impossible to believe that outside “sponsors” would pay $15 million for the “live feed” of this or any chess match.
Gothic chess? The world would be far more interested in traditional chess, tho Fischer would not play that. Fischer’s FRC (a.k.a. chess960) is far more established in the mainstream chess world (see ChessTigers.de) than is Gothic. FRC would be far more similar to traditional “chess1”, and so would generate more interest.
This match would definitely be better than nothing more from Fischer. But I will believe it when I see the first k3 pawn move 😉
IF it is all true, and IF the match happens, it will give Gothic chess a permanent exclamation point in the chess history books.
Mr. Trice will get the publicity he seeks for Gothic chess. In fact maybe he already has just by this announcement! Now, will Gothic really take root afterward?
Trice might have been better off doing something more like what Hans-Walter Schmitt has done for chess960. Schmitt has patiently built up an annual chess690 event into an institution, one that draws hundreds of title chess players, including many top 10 super GM’s. The prize fund necessary for this is far less than $15 million.
In any case, I wish Mr. Trice the best of luck.
Gene_M
http://CastleLong.com/
THE CHAMP IS BACK
THE CHAMP IS BACK
AND IT’S NOT ALI
They claim to have spent 2 years on this. come on get real. They can not get an agreement on $15,000,000 in 2 years then what will they have in 20 years. Exactly what they have now. NOTHING.
If Fischer was going to play they would have an agreement in a few weeks.
Ask me or you or someone like susan. Will you play a game of chess for $15,000,000. It takes about 2 seconds to get an answer. why 2 years.
Susan this blog is turning into Fruit Cake Haven. Maybe you should pass these topics to your psychiatrist before posting them.
Hello All,
A huge sum of money! I think such a match, between Fischer and Karpov, would be great for spreading interest in chess.
Fischer, though probably not as good as he was back in the 70’s, is still, I’d bet 2500+ on the rating scale. He probably has the best computer chess software and plays against them. So, I’m confident that he, at least, has been playing chess…just not in tournaments or against other GM’s.
I don’t think he could defeat Karpov today. However, I suppose stranger things have happened.
I guess the match would have to take place in Iceland? Right? Fischer is still wanted by the U.S. and cannot legally come here without being arrested.
Can someone let me know if this is true?
Gotta admit…such a vast sum of money would set a record for the highest payout for a chess match in chess history!
How could either player pass up such an opportunity?
Sincerely,
T. Harris
Looks like Fischer agreed to play Random chess against Kasparov and now Gothic chess against Karpov: when will he find the time to play chekers against Korchnoi? 🙂
1. Interesting. A few months back I downloaded Gothic chess (program). I told about it to a chess player friend. He said:”why do you think chess variants don’t become popular? Because chess is plenty complex enough. Sure they can make even more complex game, but what’s the point?”
2. Surely you all know that Fischer still considers himself the world champion, saying that nobody ever beat him in a match after 1972. Imagine if now he beats Karpov in anything resembling chess.
3. Fischer was (is) a genius, he didn’t beat his contemporaries, he demolished them, but over the years he became a very unstable man, indicated by his totally irrational antisemitism (while he himself is jewish). Irrational to the point which seriously questions his mental status. Do we need the world exposure to such a person? I mean, would it be good for chess itself?
4. I have a hard time to believe that anyone would put up 15 million dollars. Chess has a hard time to be properly popularized.Who could hope to recoup such money? From the later sale of Gothic chess? I don’t think so.
Gabor
The Wikipedia article sounds like it was written by Trice…or possibly Alexis Skye, a supposed chessplayer I first heard of from her photos at the World Chess Beauty Contest site. Maybe that’s how she was recruited. I’ll believe in the match and the money when it happens.
At Gothicchess.com, the upcoming tournaments page lists a handful all with the date of October 2007! It seems amateurish to me. This is the first I’ve heard of this game and, at first blush, I have no interest in it, although Fischer and Karpov could change my mind, maybe.
Anyone who belives this gobbledygook should have their head examined or consider stopping smoking that stuff.
– Love your blog Susan
Mr. Trice, give me 1,000,000 $!! I need it more than these two guys!!
I will give $1 million to anyone who will give me a front seat ticket to the match.
I will contact you and pick up the ticket and send you the check by mail.
Do you really believe that this match is going to happen? You must be really naive to believe it. The goththicchess website looked like it was developed by the biggest amateur webmaster. Give me a break.
Susan…I don’t think you should have fallen for this hoax. It is clearly a try to promote that chess variant and that website.
Milot
This is stupid to play some weird kind of chess. Why is Bobby so afraid to play CLASSICAL chess? Fischerrandom, Gothic etc.
If he wants to play, play chess, not some cr@ppy variant.
i think Fischer is gonna win, because his combination capacity is great and These other types of chess favors tactics.
The Gothic Chess federation has been known to make statements which are contrary to reality. For example, they claimed to have a Gothic Chess tournament in 2003 at Bartle Hall (in Kansas) with over 3,000 players. Anyone who contacts the organizers of Bartle Hall (or does a Google search) will quickly realize that the tournament never happened.
I personally think Gothic Chess is a better game than FIDE chess. However, I refuse to believe anything the Gothic Chess federation claims without ironclad proof.
That said, I do hope that this tournament actually happens.
sigh
What will be the next? A match between Morphy and Philidor?
gotta love it, the magic of 64 square @ $234,375.00 per square. That’s a lot of real estate.
Bobby Fischer a tactical combinational killer chess wizard, vs, Anatoly Karpov an extreme positional perfectionist. One plodding, planning and precise, the other dynamic and intellectualy chess alert.
Both experts in their own styles of play, yet the greater player of a conquest of this magnitude, would be Fischer in the long haul. Karpov would win at most 3 games, once his game plan and style of play, along with his timing was known to Fischer, Karpov would be like putty in Fischer’s hands.
Fischer 6 – Karpov 3 – the rest draws.
Fischer is a traitor and should be abhorred. Read this…
Sunday, April 17, 2005
BOBBY FISHER APPEARS RAILS AGAINST FORMER ‘FATHER’ – ‘Typical Jewish Snake’
Tonight on ESPN, Jeremy Schaap reported on the re-appearance of Bobby Fischer. He appeared in Iceland after years of seclusion. He was in a detention center in Japan, as the US attempted to extradite him on charges of tax evasion, playing in Communist Yugoslavia as well as others.
Jeremy’s father, Dick Schaap, (a lifetime sports reporter who passed away a few months after 9/11/01 at 67) befriended a very young kid by the name of Bobby Fischer from Brooklyn in the 50’s. He became a surrogate father to the bewildered young genius – a father he didn’t have. He watched over the young boy, took him to Knicks games and escorted him home to Brooklyn afterwards. Fischer, despite his 180+ IQ, had trouble finding his way. Dick’s son Jeremy had not yet been born. Dick remained close to the young prodigy as he rose to eventually become the best chess player in the world.
In 1972 at the height of the Cold War, Bobby Fischer flew to Iceland to take on Chess Champion Boris Spasky and the USSR. The match garnered worldwide attention and after Fischer soundly defeated the Russian, he became an American hero.
Fischer later appeared at Dick Schaap’s house for a party in his honor. Jeremy at the time was 3 and Fischer only 29. Shortly thereafter Fischer disappeared and became a recluse. He joined a religious cult and later renounced his title. He then emerged spewing anti-semitic tripe, as well as railing against the US and the game of chess – whose Grandmaster matches he said were Jew controlled.
Fischer re-appeared briefly in the 80’s to play a rematch against his old nemesis, Spasky. At a press conference he spit on a letter from the US urging him not to play in Communist Yugoslavia and then spouted various anti-semitic invectives. He soundly defeated Spasky and once again disappeared. Dick would later state off handedly ‘there wasn’t a sane bone left in his body’.
After 9-11 Bobby appeared in an interview on Philippine radio to say – “F*** the US they deserved it and they should be taken down, etc…”
After Iceland agreed to grant him citizenship Fischer departed Japan. As his plane arrived in Iceland a few hundred reporters awaited him. Included in that group was ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap. The next day a shaved, but still disheveled looking Fischer appeared for a press conference. Age had turned the old chess champion into an even more cantankerous and angry human being. The anti-semitic and anti-US tripe continued. However, what stood out above all was how he continuously over and over went after the son of his former benefactor/father, Dick Schaap. In a room filled with reporters Fischer time and again picked out Schaap. Jeremy despite the attacks against him and his father and their status as ‘Jews’ remained dignified and polite.
Here is a recap –
Fischer says – Who are you? (Jeremy) Jeremy who?
Schaap – Jeremy Schaap
Fischer – Dick’s son?
Schaap Yes
Fischer He was Jewish?
Schaap Yes………. pause…………. as are you.
Fischer (angrily) No I am not. I wrote a letter to the Judaica library in Jerusalem 20 years ago and told them that I am not nor have I ever been a Jew. And they gave me a ‘clean bill of health’ Did you read that letter? Did you read that?
Schaap What does that mean Bobby?
Fischer It means that they will no
longer list my name in the library as being a Jew.
………………………………
Fischer You know the US is controlled by the Jews.. They say there’s only 6 million Jews in the US but I know its more like 25-30 million.
Schaap How do you know this?
Fischer Well, I’ve researched and studied it.
Schaap How would you study this?
Fischer Well you know from all of the reading I’ve done. I’ve read a lot of books.
Fischer later You know your father banged me pretty hard saying I didn’t have a sane bone in my body.. I didn’t forget that.
Schaap He said a lot of things about you (Fischer interrupts) I didn’t read the statement but I am aware he said it and I don’t think he meant it literally.
LATER FISCHER GOES BACK TO SCHAAP SEVERAL MORE TIMES
Fischer I hate to keep ‘banging on a guy’ but I’d like to go back to this………… what’s your name again? (Jeremy) Yeah, his (Schaap’s) father took me in at one time and was nice to me…. (Jeremy – he took you to Knick games, you were 12) and became a father figure to me and then like a typical Jewish snake he wrote vicious things about me.
Schaap I have to object to that…
Fischer Well he said it.
Schaap “yes Bobby and you’ve done nothing today to disprove anything my father ever said about you.”
There is then silence and a pause…. as he looks at Fischer. Fischer becomes speechless for once and Schaap eventually turns around and leaves.
Schaap narrating notes he left feeling more sorry for Fischer than anything else. He states he and other reporters never got answers to the questions they sought – why he stopped playing, why he disappeared and what happened to him. Schaap notes that we’ll never know because what became clear is that the Bobby Fischer that was is no longer.
He concludes by saying though perhaps in the end it’s still the same lost kid trying to find his way to Brooklyn.
the above comment RUBBISH YOU SICK MORRON
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the above comment RUBBISH YOU SICK MORRON
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Exactly. That’s the whole point. Glad you agree. But why blame this guy for what Fischer said? Makes no sense. You’re distraught and not thinking clearly.
“Warpdrive said…
What the heck is Gothic chess? Can anyone explain?”
Can you explain why you’re unable to just go to their website and see for yourself?
I emailed Trice at GothicChessInfo@aol.com to ask some pointed questions. The money is from the casino environment. Trice said he approached them because their day in and day out business was managing high risk. Seems a logical way to get money. He said it is not 2 years in the making, it’s 19 months in the making. What’s taking so long? Setting up international escrow accounts that are Patriot Act Compliant. Apparently if any one of the businesses that want to air the match had an employee who gave Osama 50 cents for lunch money, then that whole company is not allowed to transact any business with the USA under the Patriot Act since they ‘support terrorism!’ An exaggerated example but you can understand why it would take so long to screen all of this.
About getting tickets to the match.
Trice said why do you think they’re buying out every room in the hotel, you think they are not going to fill the hotel with spectators! So, it looks like there will be tickets available!
Fischer is Fischer and hated losing a single game in chess and is paranoid as ever. I can’t see him playing a match. He is only stroking his ego and seeks gratification and loves the attention. (Keeping people hanging indinitely) Meaning he likes to be worshipped like a King. Karpov is much older and now considerably weaker. Perhaps Fischer now thinks that coming out of retirement he can difinitely beat him. Why will he do it now? He has US$3m sitting in his bank account. He doesn’t need the money or fame and it will only tarnished his reputation as the greatest player in the history of chess if he loses. The only thing Fischer loves more than chess is his ranting and raving like a lunatic about the global anti-semitic conspiracy. I hope the sponsors gag him and dock his pay cheque every time he mentions his favourite word Jew. Fischer would never play anyone of Jewish ancestry so Karpov is a logical choice. I imagine if Karpov starts to win a few early games Fischer will not be a sportsman and lose graciously. He will resort to cheating and probably pull out of the match.
I know one secret about Fischer and he is a fanatical workaholic in chess and has studied probably every game of chess Karpov has in ever played in his life in classical chess. I remember an obscure game Karpov played where he had a winning position in a Sicilian and Fischer never hides behind pseudonym submitted for analysis in publication (US chess magazine) prior to his forthcoming match in 1975 with Karpov; a fantastic refutation whereby his opponent could have won the game and Karpov would have been the loser.
It will never happen, Fischer is too much of a coward. Too afraid thathe might lose, he will just stall and stall until interest subsides and then go back into hiding like the chicken he is.
Any news? Seems Gothic Chess doesn’t have an online feed anymore. No website. Did they fold and go out of business?
Duh BlueHorseShoe, of course Gothic Chess is still in business! My college just had the Gothic Chess College Championship 2 weeks ago and one of my friends is in the Fall 2007 issue of Gothic Chess Review.
http://www.GothicChess.com is the website.
And aren’t you banned from the Gothic Chess blog? It seems you are the one called a “troll” on their site:
http://gothicchess.blogspot.com/2007/11/troll-alert-bluehorseshoe-moron.html
Well?
My program is playing in the 2007 Gothic Chess Computer World Championship which starts next week so I know they are alive and well.
There was a documentary on TV about this which is now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54I8wqm2NeE
Seems the company is alive and well to me also.
BlueHorseShoe I am a Gothic Chess instructor for our school. We bought 20 more Gothic Chess sets in October 2007. We’ll be buying more in 2008 since we’re close to topping out again. Your comments about them not being in business is dead wrong.
To save everyone the suspense … they do not play.