Greatest Chess Photos

old bobby had at least one friend from the USSR.  what a different type of personality too!  tal drank, smoked and chased after women, fischer...well i really dont think fischer drank smoked or chased girls...tal would sac just because it looked fun, fisher would calculate everything he could...but im glad these two giants were well aquainted

Probably the best forum topic I've perused, ever!  I particularly enjoyed the Tito photo.

These are my two favorite players, Fischer and Tal.  Brilliance, personality, and controversy, what else can you ask for. 

It's getting hard to find interesting pictures but here is one I think, at least for the Reti fans (of which there are many). Reti, as young as I've ever seen him, and skinny, in the group photo for a 1907 tournament, likely in Bohemia. It would be quite a few years before he would establish himself among the world's best players.

Will Smith playing chess...

Here's another rarely-seen Fischer pic from his 6-0 sweep of Larsen in the 1971 Candidates match in Denver. Last game, game 6.

A plastic Dreuke set, which was not uncommon in US tournaments, and an Anri wooden board. I still have my Anri.

I don't quite understand how the spectators were so close considering Fischer's penchant for pushing them back. A little telephoto must have been used by the photographer.

Great photo goldendog. But the position on the board in the picture never occurred in the match. I wonder what this is really a picture of?

This probably also answers your question of how it is the spectators are so close. This isn't an actual game! It's just staged for the photo.

Competition, trophy for the winner.

Can anybody ID this? The position on the board is a clue?

Isaac Rice. What's the trophy?

Well done, sent!

And I think that he is in his batcave (a chess room beneath his home, carved from natural rock).

 Good detective work. It never occured to me to check the position!

It must be the post-mortem of game six, as I compare the position on the board with the actual game score? Or it could be a staged promo shot, as you suggest.

In a post-mortem I'd expect the players to be hunched much closer over the board.

@ Gabrielconroy

that pic of the abnormal set is really great. I'd sure love to have that. Fantastic collector-type item.

And is the chess on a rollercoaster?? haha

Fischer at the 1960 Olympiad. First, he and Tal play to a draw.

In the second Bobby looks to be enjoying himself in an offhand game at the Olympiad.

Fischer won the bronze medal for 1st board, and the USA took 2nd place after the powerhouse USSR.

Reshevsky wasn't there as he was unwilling to play 2nd board to the 17 year old US Champion Fischer.

Even with my ultra-limted knowledge of the German language I realize that Grossmeister (on Fischer's name tag) means Grandmaster. However, I've never seen the title "Weltmeister" that Tal is identified with. Can anyone clarify that?

Thanks.

Weltmeister = World Champion

It means World Champion, (Tal was world champion in 1960).

Thanks! crispy and luis3141

You've diddled crisy out of his thank you ;)

sorry crisy! that was totally unintentional. thank you.