[Weyland-Yutani]

In order to escape an already 9 month detainment in Japan for carrying an invalid passport.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,151343,00.html

(For "fair and balanced�")

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

(for a more recent story)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

(for the AP/CNN POV)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4374811.stm

(for the pinko commie version)



Apparently he's a fugitive in the USA and a bit nuts as well but he has some really funny comments that just fall out. Gems I tell you

� He called the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi "mentally ill" and a "stooge" of U.S. President George W. Bush.

� "The United States is evil. There's this axis of evil. What about the allies of evil -- the United States, England, Japan, Australia? These are the evildoers"

� About George W Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi "They are war criminals and should be hung".

� "I don't play the old chess," he said. "But obviously if I did, I would be the best."

.. and a bunch more! Sounds like he's really pissed off at his old homeland. Everyone else would be called a basket case of they talked like that in public but since he's a genius he's "eccentric"

Anything you'd like to add? Thoughts, quotes, memories?

[SimpleLife]

He must be Canadian. Or a Liberal. Or both.



Back on topic:

Is playing chess with excellence a trademark of genius only?

What is a genius?

Are there such things as geniuses? (And is there intelligent life on Earth might I add?)

Should we give credence to geniuses?

[Weyland-Yutani]

"Genius. It�s a word. What does it really mean? If I win I'm a genius. If I don't, I'm not. -- Bobby Fischer

"I give 98 percent of my mental energy to chess. Others give only 2 percent." -- Bobby Fischer

this may actually explain quite a bit

[zizban]

My father actually knew him when in high school. Said he was as psychotic and mentally disturbed as he is now.

[spacefreak]

If Bobby wants to still be considered a genius, he needs to step up and show us what he's got.

Yeah, he was great when chess was an underground game of sorts... when you had to have parents who could spend big $$$$ to train you and ship you around to the "elite" tournaments against other priviledged rich kids.

TImes have changed, Bobby. Computers and the internet have opened up the chess world. The talent pool today is thousands of times bigger. And opponents can play each other online. No more needing daddy to pay $20,000 to send you to Geneva to play the other 20 guys who could come up with the cash.

[budster101]

So, what has the 'genius' done with his life? Besides kick everyone's ass in chess?


He sounds like a one-dimensional asshole.

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
If Bobby wants to still be considered a genius, he needs to step up and show us what he's got.

He should have done this in 1975 when it was time for him to defend his title against Karpov.
The Fischer biography at wikipedia is quite interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer

Yeah, he was great when chess was an underground game of sorts... when you had to have parents who could spend big $$$$ to train you and ship you around to the "elite" tournaments against other priviledged rich kids.

TImes have changed, Bobby. Computers and the internet have opened up the chess world. The talent pool today is thousands of times bigger. And opponents can play each other online. No more needing daddy to pay $20,000 to send you to Geneva to play the other 20 guys who could come up with the cash.

That is grossly mischaracterizing chess. You never had to be rich to be good at it.

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
That is grossly mischaracterizing chess. You never had to be rich to be good at it.

To travel the globe and play in those world-reknown tournaments that garner accolades and rankings...yeah, one does need a large stash of cash.

Sure, one could be a great chess player and not have money. But I assure you that such a person would never appear in world or federation rankings, and nobody would ever hear of that person.

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer

I found this interesting...

(In 1962) he turned to the Worldwide Church of God for answers. For the next ten years, Fischer became more closely identified with that church, which had predicted the end of the United States by destruction in World War III starting in 1972. The church predicted the attacker would be a German-dominated United States of Europe, inspired by the Pope of Rome, who would become the Antichrist. This was the foundation of Fischer's belief system as he entered the "Match of the Century" in 1972. When the world did not end, Fischer was disillusioned with the church.

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
To travel the globe and play in those world-reknown tournaments that garner accolades and rankings...yeah, one does need a large stash of cash.

That's nonsense. Every tournament is officially ranked, even internal club championships of each and every chess club. You don't have to travel at all to get an official ranking. If you're pretty good in chess your club will pay for expenses when you play in national club championships.

Sure, one could be a great chess player and not have money. But I assure you that such a person would never appear in world or federation rankings, and nobody would ever hear of that person.

And where do you have this knowledge from?

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
That's nonsense. Every tournament is officially ranked, even internal club championships of each and every chess club. You don't have to travel at all to get an official ranking. If you're pretty good in chess your club will pay for expenses when you play in national club championships.

Yeah, I know that even you and I can get a ranking if we really want one. I meant to refer to world top-10 (FIDE) rankings. If your position is that in 1965-ish, Fischer would have achieved a top-10 or even top-50 ranking by staying in Brooklyn, that's great. But my position is no friggin' way.

Let's look at where some of Bobby's tournaments were on his way to a top ranking:

NYC, Nebraska, Philadelphia, Wisconsin, New Jersey San Francisco, Cleveland, Santa Monica, Michigan, Cuba, Montreal, Argentina, Curacao, Iceland, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Michigan.

As for expenses, you're right. In a lot of endeavors, an elite performer can usually find financial assistance. And I realize chess clubs will cover some expenses. I guess the key is in one's ability. For instance, me and my weak-ass chess game wouldn't get me anywhere in asking a chess club to pay for me to travel to Argentina and Switzerland for some matches.

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
Let's look at where some of Bobby's tournaments were on his way to a top ranking:

NYC, Nebraska, Philadelphia, Wisconsin, New Jersey San Francisco, Cleveland, Santa Monica, Michigan, Cuba, Montreal, Argentina, Curacao, Iceland, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Michigan.

And if you look at it you see that he played pretty much in the New York area in his early career except for one tournament in Cuba where the journey was organized by his chess club. By the time he played in international tournaments he was already a very strong player and US champion.

As for expenses, you're right. In a lot of endeavors, an elite performer can usually find financial assistance. And I realize chess clubs will cover some expenses. I guess the key is in one's ability.

Sure it depends on one's ability. Money is not a requirement for chess.

For instance, me and my weak-ass chess game wouldn't get me anywhere in asking a chess club to pay for me to travel to Argentina and Switzerland for some matches.

If your chess is "weak-ass" than you can improve it by playing within that chess club. You don't have to participate in international tournaments.

[macintologist]

Does our State department have anything better to do with their time?

Just let go of it.

[Chuckit]

Originally posted by macintologist:
Does our State department have anything better to do with their time?

Just let go of it.

Wait, whose state department? I didn't know you were Icelandic or Japanese, but I didn't see any other countries doing anything...

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
If your chess is "weak-ass" than you can improve it by playing within that chess club.

About 10 years ago, I lost a match to a friend while I was teaching him the game for the first time. We're making moves, and I'm explaining some concepts to him when he interrupts me and says "hey... I think I won". I froze for a second, scanned the board, and sure enough he had me.

[Weyland-Yutani]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
About 10 years ago, I lost a match to a friend while I was teaching him the game for the first time. We're making moves, and I'm explaining some concepts to him when he interrupts me and says "hey... I think I won". I froze for a second, scanned the board, and sure enough he had me.

Chess is fun like that

I admit when I'm teaching chess I let my guard down. One needs TOTAL concentration if one is to have a prayer at winning.

The really good players are always 2 or 3 moves ahead of you. More if that good player is Fischer. He's a genius.

[spiky_dog]

Originally posted by Chuckit:
Wait, whose state department? I didn't know you were Icelandic or Japanese, but I didn't see any other countries doing anything...

uh, you must have missed that little bit about his being detained in japan because the u.s. state department has a warrant out for his arrest, stemming from his playing a match in yugoslavia at a time when this was officially frowned upon

and about fischer's chess ability, i read in a chess book a tale of how after a tournament fischer recited every move from the 21 (i think it was 21) games that he played.

[Ω]

I found this story to be interesting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1533946.stm