Victor Korchnoi on Bobby Fischer

Korchnoi shares some of his views on Chess' enigmatic legend.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Bobby
• Fischer
• korchnoi
• chess
• polgar
• capablanca
• spassky
• karpov
• kasparov

[tigranvartanovitch]

That is how Fischer got out of the accusations of being anti-Semitic. Although anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish are believed to be the same thing, strictly speaking, Semites are a racial group, and only about 10% of the world's Jewry are Semites. So when he was accused to being anti-Semitic, he could deny it with absolute sincerity.

[davidkesslerauthor]

@Brianjonestown He didn't have any confidence that he could beat Karpov after his three-year layoff. He preferred to quit while he was ahead.

[bdrasin]

@rat9836771834 Gee, perhaps because he was barking mad?

[emanemos1]

Anatoly Karpov, later World Champion, wrote in his 1991 autobiography that Korchnoi had complained in the Soviet Union, shortly after the 1962 Candidates' event, about not being included in the colluding group of Soviets.

[doctornoooo]

fischer could easily have made an offer to play Karpov had he wanted" there were plenty of backers to put up the money for a match: had Karpov refused Fischer would have called him the coward. He didn't. At bottom he was the coward, look at how then cravenly he comes back to play Spassky for money when it didn't count. If in 92 he dug up that kind break easily he could have done it with Karpov but guess what he didn't want to play deep down

[kevlarunderwear22]

@Nyctasia yeah, fischer wouldve won easily in 75, even karpov admitted that. I believe fischer wouldve dominated at least into the mid 80s, which is when a young kasparov emerged. its quite possible karpov wouldve been nothing more than a great challenger during this whole period. interesting to ponder

[rat9836771834]

@Brianjonestown So why didnt fischer play karpov? Can you answer that? Fischer was brilliant yes but he was eccentric, arrogant and least of all he never defended his title... The only world champion never to do so.....

[Migue261]

i think korchnoi broke when he lost to karpov

[Nyctasia]

Fischer would have probably beaten Karpov easily in 1975, but it would have probably have been closer by the 78-80 period as all chess played decline over time. The sad part is that he was a brilliant player, quite possibly the best ever, and we will never know what he could have achieved if he had kept playing. A sad loss to the game.

[AlanWattParrot]

@56richardcory but he did have something to prove -there was a lot of controversy, psychology & matters that far transcended chess surrounding the Fischer-Spassky match. He needed to hold on to the title for10 yrs, play & defeat Karpov twice while playing at the top of his game in between AS HE HIMSELF said he would (in an interview in the States after his defeat of Spassky he was asked what are yr plans to which he replied i'm gonna play a lot of chess. He let everyone down unfortunately.

[56richardcory]

Fisher had nothing left to prove. To himself or to the world. That's why he started playing chess. And that's why he stopped playing. Period. 

[Brianjonestown]

I don't think I've ever heard the "coward angle" you put forth here without evidence. Fischer submitted to FIDE a carefully delineated list of 179 demands the rejection of any one of which would result in voluntary forfeiture of his title. As to your vague "friends say he was a lazy shit his prep" etc, all that is known for certain is that Fischer carried on his person the entire Karpov canon of game scores during this period. So if a gutless exit was his plan, why go to all this trouble?