GARRY KASPAROV: Fischer's Price

The Wall Street Journal ^ | July 19, 2004 | GARRY KASPAROV

[Maria S]

Was there much more to this article? I'd like to read all of it, but I'm not a subscriber.

[BenLurkin]

Bump for the world's greatest game:

[presidio9]

Two more paragraphs. Go to the news stand and read 'em without paying for the paper.

[rebel_yell2]

Who'd a'thunk we were rooting for the wrong guy back in '72. Fischer belongs behind bars or in the looney bin, not sure which.

[CanisRex]

http://www.opinionjournal.com

it's there for free.

[asgardshill]

GARRY KASPAROV: Fischer's Price

Hasbro been extradited back to the US yet? I'll never Mattel.

[BunnySlippers]

Bookmarking

[presidio9]

Trying to hard...

[asgardshill]

Guilty as charged. Text-based comedy is always best left in the hands of the professionals.

[Aegedius]

I believe that chess requires such concentration that one can affect the outcome of the game by being rude and obnoxious. If two equal players sit down for a game, and one leans across the table and spits into the face of his opponent, he will almost certainly win the game. So, I suspect that Spassky would have beaten Fischer in a straight-up match, but was distracted by Fischer's rudeness.

[KellyAdmirer]

I followed the games on PBS as a kid, too. Difficult to describe how exciting it all was. Fischer had his moment, nobody can take that away from him.

[Taliesan]

So, I suspect that Spassky would have beaten Fischer in a straight-up match, but was distracted by Fischer's rudeness.

You don't understand the game.

Read Kasparov's estimate of Fischr's genius again.

[dmz]

Taking the Soviet point of view on this, it seems.

They played 21 games over, what, close to a month. Seems to me Spassky had ample time to deal with Fisher (who I agree appears to be quite the nut case).

Were it a one game, winner takes all kind of championship, your point might be better taken.

JMO, though, I completely stink at chess.

[jpl]

It's really a shame that this guy lost his mind. My grandfather taught me to play by giving me the book Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess when I was a little kid. He could have been one of America's all-time great icons.

[Jack Black]

Isn't Go the worlds greatest game. After all the computers can only play go to the level of an advanced amature, where as they are now the best chess players.

[jpl]

Isn't Go the worlds greatest game. After all the computers can only play go to the level of an advanced amature, where as they are now the best chess players.

Go is definitely a great game. I would also put Bridge up there as well, and computer programs can't play that very strongly either.

[sharktrager]

This ranks with the guy yesterday who claimed that, despite 8 majors titles, and having won over 20% of the majors he's entered, Tiger Woods is actually just overrated.

[neuron2]

Last two paragraphs:

Despite the ugliness of his decline, Bobby Fischer deserves to be remembered for the great things he did for chess and for his immortal games. I would prefer to focus on not letting his personal tragedy become a tragedy for chess.

An entire generation of top American players learned the game as kids thanks to Mr. Fischer. Today's flourishing scholastic chess movement could be harmed as his woes and beliefs make headlines around the world. People may believe that this is what happens when a genius plays chess--instead of what happens when a fragile mind leaves his life's work behind.

[Poodlebrain]

Wrong, the world's greatest game is baseball.