# R.I.P Bobby Fischer -we'll miss you. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 18, 2008, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003 "2008-01-18T12:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/141 "2008-01-23T20:47:53Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Blessed are the peacemakers, **glee**. šŸ˜ƒ I will concede that Fischer wasnā€™t a good salesman, and that he suffered from a severe lack of tact and social skills, and that these shortcomings proved harmful to him when he made his demands. I will also concede that my own position (and the position of our group at the time) was outside the mainstream. But I maintain the right to hold my position, however eccentric it may be, and would appreciate the respect of others who hold a different position. I do not deserve to be dismissed with tired metaphors about taking balls home and abandoning the discussion. Is that okay? [/QUOTE] I spent a decent amount of time researching and writing responses to your position. I hardly think think counts as dismissing your positions. Youā€™re the one that dismissed mine with the ā€œIs that what Wikipedia saidā€. I still want you to respond to my arguments, but I donā€™t think you will. Instead, it looks like you are planning on taking offense and going off in a huff. Hence my take your ball and go home comment. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/142 "2008-01-23T20:58:17Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] At COSTCO today, I dropped off my Photog class assignment phots for printing, then got a book to read to while away the 15 minute wait time. With this thread totally\*\* out\*\* of mind, the book I bought is ā€œThe Eight.ā€ On the page just before the story begins, therre is a by Ben Franklin: Life is a kind of chess. Above that is a Bobby Fischer quote: Chess is life. It gets mixed reviews at > **[Amazon.com: The Eight: 9780345366238: Neville, Katherine: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Katherine-Neville/dp/0345366239)** > > Amazon.com: The Eight: 9780345366238: Neville, Katherine: Books [/QUOTE] A fascinating coincidence. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/143 "2008-01-23T21:42:15Z")
[QUOTE=glee] I agree that being unfit makes one a weaker player. [/QUOTE] This is a true statement, but physical fitness should be minimized as a factor in chess. If the Kasparov-Karpov match had been the traditional 24 game match, Karpov would have smashed Kasparov 5 wins to none. It seems to me that the extended nature of the match and Karpovā€™s ill health allowed Kasparov to come back. Thatā€™s not a satisfying result for me. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/144 "2008-01-23T21:49:14Z")
**treis** Just when I thought this thread was coming to a peaceful conclusion, you had to step in and _almost_ ruin it. How about starting a new thread and just letting this one end on a somewhat happy note. (F# perhaps šŸ™‚ ) ? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/145 "2008-01-23T22:54:28Z")
Itā€™s okay. Itā€™s understandable that passions can run high over a topic as rich as Bobby Fischer. \*\*Treis \*\* makes a good point that he spent a lot of time on this, doing research and formulating arguments. For me, though, itā€™s personal because of my involvement over time. I donā€™t deny that I brought my bias in here. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/146 "2008-01-23T23:13:16Z")
[QUOTE=treis] Uh hu. I smash your arguments and you take your ball and go home. Typical. [/QUOTE] Moderator interjection: **treis** , you know quite well that this kind of personal insult is not permitted in this forum. Please refrain. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/147 "2008-01-24T01:11:59Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] Moderator interjection: **treis** , you know quite well that this kind of personal insult is not permitted in this forum. Please refrain. [/QUOTE] Some day I will learn not to poke mods in the eye. But not tonight. Please sir, explain why that was an insult. Itā€™s an accurate observation of exactly what happened. Odd that Liberal linked to SkipMagicā€™s post in his warning. Somebody got warned about being a junior mod in that one, same as Lib should have been warned here, IMHO. Who will rid us of this meddelsome poster? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/148 "2008-01-24T02:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=treis] This is a true statement, but physical fitness should be minimized as a factor in chess. If the Kasparov-Karpov match had been the traditional 24 game match, Karpov would have smashed Kasparov 5 wins to none. It seems to me that the extended nature of the match and Karpovā€™s ill health allowed Kasparov to come back. Thatā€™s not a satisfying result for me. [/QUOTE] Certainly the fact that a world-class player can draw a lot (yes Peter Leko, I am looking at you!) means there is a risk of over-running in any ā€˜first to n winsā€™ match. Maybe Kasparov would have chosen different opening lines in a 24 game match? - itā€™s hard to say. And you canā€™t keep physical fitness out of international chess, because a single game can last up to 7 hours (and keep a player busy for another hour afterwards analysing it). ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/149 "2008-01-24T16:38:45Z")
**Liberal** , Iā€™m happy to disagree with you on some points of fine detail, for on one thing weā€™re most certainly of one mind: that Fischer was a giant of the game the memory of whose play deserves to live on as long as chess is played. Chess is the poorer for having been deprived of his talent when he ought to have had so many good years still in him, no matter whose fault this was, and I deeply regret his too-early meeting with the one opponent who has a win-loss record a hundred percent in his favour (even if he can never remember how the knight is supposed to move). ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003/150 "2008-01-24T17:42:20Z")
I appreciate your letting me know that, **Malacandra**. Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bobby-fischer-well-miss-you/434003.md?page=7)