Penniless fame

Shelby Lyman on Chess: Chess a Guarantee of Poverty?
Sunday, February 21, 2016
(Published in print: Sunday, February 21, 2016)

As a teenager, I was told repeatedly by adults around me that chess was a waste of time. Even worse, it was a guarantee of poverty.

Wilhelm Steinitz, the Austrian world champion from 1886 to 1894, died penniless. “Fame, I have already,” he said. “Now I need the money.”

Sammy Reshevsky, one of the strongest players of the 20th century, was a full-time accountant, only occasionally sallying out to play in a major tournament. Supporting a wife, three children and himself, it was a sacrifice he made, but grudgingly.

In the beginning, Bobby Fischer often played for paltry amounts despite a charismatic presence that enhanced any event in which he played. Gradually, the tournament prizes and appearances fees he received rose. His method was simple: Pay him what he asked or he would withdraw his services.

It was for this reason, and an insistence on professional playing conditions, that his rival and friend Boris Spassky called him the game’s “No. 1 trade unionist.”

Full article here.