IM Anthony Saidy, Los Angeles:
“Tal called Fischer ‘the greatest genius to descend from the chess heavens.’ Comparing Fischer to Kasparov is like comparing a lone warrior armed only with his wits to the pampered general of an army.”
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Nice pic. I especially like Judith’s expression as she faces the distinguished IM.
Fischer had an incredibly retentive memory which compensated for this.
He soaked up everything like a computer, played like a computer, got his huge plus scores in the manner of a computer, and others feared him like they fear a computer and lost to him in the way they lose to a computer.
But, as with a computer, I am not sure that Fischer really understood the depths of chess in the way that Kasparov, Karpov and Petrosian did. This lack of understanding was exposed 2 or 3 times in the 1972 match (eg games 11 and 14) when Fischer was out of his opening books and in a type of position that was not ingrained in his memory banks.
This was one reason Fischer abandoned chess. He had to work harder than the others to stay on the same level – he was not able to rely on his natural talent as much.
Entirely agree with GM Saidy
thats the stupidest thing ive ever heard.. to say fischer played like a computer and had no natural talent is absurd..fischer’s strength was his strategy which allowed him to unleash his supreme tactics that even a computer wouldn’t see..computers rely on tactics and to a lesser degree strategy… fischer strategy was his greatest strength which is just the opposite of how a computer plays… this imbicile should understand the game before he makes absurd comments like that… it’s low level talent losers like this that lack any understanding about chess who actually believe the absurdity of there own comments.. they stick out there chest and bang there fists and with a loud voice proclaim there deep understanding of the game and therefor there ability to diminish a great like fischer…pal stick to bingo or tic tac toe and leave the chess player analysis to the pros..
Computers play like Fischer.
Pass it on.
When Fischer won a great match he was congratulated on his great play. Fischer replied ‘how would you know’ Exactly the same thing could be said to this player who commented on Fischer’s strategy in a World Champion match. Over the board, many a great player might not have time to fully understand a new position. Socrates said a wise man knows what he doesn’t know! Mark
Hey, wolverine2121, lighten up! There is no need for such personal abuse. Fischer was not God; you are acting as if what I said was blasphemy!
I don’t agree that Fischer’s greatest strength was strategy.
His great strengths were opening preparation (no player spent as much time and effort studying the openings as Fischer), calculating ability, tactical alertness, freedom from blunders, stamina and not agreeing draws (thus exhausting opponents, causing blunders on their part).
All admirable traits, but all strengths that computers have.
At Rovinj/Zagreb 1970, Korchnoi complained that Fischer was walking away with the tournament because so many of his white opponents were walking like sheep into his Najdorf Poisoned Pawn variation. Fischer was getting gift points – with black! Korchnoi was quite right.
In Game 11 in the 1972 match, confronted with an innovation that was actually harmless, Fischer did what any patzer is taught not to do – with almost nothing developed, Fischer opened the centre.
In Game 14, in a Queens Gambit Declined, Fischer did not get a pre-prepared position as in Game 6. In unfamiliar surroundings, Fischer
drifted cluelessly, getting a lost position in no time – with White!
I cannot believe that someone who was such a moron outside of chess as Fischer could have played that well just on intelligence.
Could Fischer have ever held down a real job?
Would an intelligent person have been sucked in by Herbert Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God?
What about the Sousse Interzonal 1967? The schedule was specially adjusted to accomodate Fischer’s ridiculous refusal to play Friday sundown to Saturday sundown (following Armstrong’s edict).
Mid-tournament Fischer then complains he has to play too many games close to each other (caused by the adjustments made specially for him!). He then withdraws from the tournament when leading because a further adjustment is not made for him!! Yeah, real bright, Bobby!
Fischer, who knew himself to be half-Jewish at the time, attacks Jews and thinks Hitler and the Holocaust were great. Is this intelligent? I don’t think so. Just moronic.
Fischer refuses treatment for his kidney problem, preferring to die instead.
Fischer never acquired the mental age of more than an adolescent, this being many times demonstrated by his behaviour.
Fischer may have had Asperger’s Syndrome – see Wlkipedia for what I mean. Perhaps then my comments will make more sense to you.
fischer’s iq was over 180 and if you know anything about iq tests it has nothing to do with memory… it just happens that on top of fischer enormous iq he also had a great memory…to bring up his points of view outside of chess has nothing to do with his chess abilities.. stick to the subject matter you moron..on top of this an opening will only get you an advantage but you still have to have a strategy out of the opening to win… many times fischer was in unclear territory and he still won with superior tactics and strategy…just look at his end game wins… they show a deep understanding of end game teqnique.. the last time i checked end game teqnique wins have nothing to do with an opening advantage..its just when he had a clear advantage out of the opening the game was over… when he didnt have a clear advantage out of the opening he still would win but he had to use his superior understanding of the game..i believe fischer also was one of the few to go for wins with black… where was his opening advantage with black… you dont even understand what your talking about… next time stick to the subject matter and also when sticking to the subject matter have at least a minimal understanding of the subject your discussing… not asking for alot but even a minimal understanding would give you more credibility than what you have which is zero…your a clown now back to your bingo imbicle