Chess: A look at Bobby Fischer’s handwriting
July 15, 2007
“At the Leipzig Chess Olympiad in 1960 Miguel Najdorf asked for Bobby Fischer’s autograph. Bobby agreed, but for one dollar.” —Yugoslav journalist Dmitrije Bjelica
This tale may be apocryphal, but it made me wonder how much Fischer’s signature is worth today. Recently the bulletin cover of Bled 1961 signed by him and most of the other players sold at eBay auction for $2,025 according to Lawrence Totaro in a recent, beautifully illustrated 57-page booklet, “Fisching For Forgeries,” where the author set himself the task of separating fact from fiction.
Handwriting analysis. Prices for Fischer memorabilia have soared on eBay — but buyers beware. Sheila Lowe, a psychologist and noted graphologist, contributed a chapter diagnosing him based solely on samples of his handwriting. Many people consider the interpretation of squiggles and slants hocus pocus, but thousands of companies worldwide now use graphology as a factor in weeding out unsuitable job applicants. Here are some of her comments:
His name as a chess genius was the full extent of what I knew about the man. The consistency and quality of the writing tells us that he has remained much the same over time, and that the many experiences and events he has undergone over more than 45 years have not touched him deeply at the core. He is still the person he always was.
His handwriting suggests someone who has the ability to strip away any non-essential data and is able to see through to the bottom line of an issue. He is not the sort who will sit and listen to a lengthy explanation of whys and wherefores of something that doesn’t interest him. He just wants to know what is.
Here is the full article.
He had some interesting chess skills…
Too bad he never played the match with Karpov! :((
That would have been interesting!
…but he was afraid of Karpov, and of himself.
“His handwriting suggests someone who has the ability to strip away any non-essential data and is able to see through to the bottom line of an issue.”
Maybe someone can say that he can penetrate deeply into the essentials underlying a complicated or a seemingly simple chess position …
“He is not the sort who will sit and listen to a lengthy explanation of whys and wherefores of something that doesn’t interest him. He just wants to know what is.”
I can imagine him reading a chess book going “skipping this garbage, skipping another garbage, skipping garbage, oooh this is nice…, skipping garbage, skipping garbage, ooh, this is nice–now, next is book number 473…”
Just curious: Is the included image that of a painting or a (modified) photograph?
If it’s a painting, who’s the artist?
ya fisher cuts through the bullshit and gets to the bottom line. i can buy that. who needs frivilous information that has no meaning.