Bobby Fisher said he hated chess!

I saw an interview with Fisher,later in his life,where he said he hated the game and it was a waste of time!

From what I remember,he said the game was either initial seting up,memory of lines and "then" creativity.He felt the creative aspect of the game took a back seat,with the development of computers......I got the impression that he felt computers figured out everything,so why bother.

Just thought some of you folks could give your opinions on this.

The interview I had seen,was way later than 1972....It took place on a plane and he was quite old at the time....Bearded and rather disheveled.....He was quite articulate.

Yeah....I remember all that. Even him winning the World Title......I'm that old.-

Thanks LLama......From your profile,you'd have given him a good game.-

What about Beth Harmon?-

In all honesty,his comments were a disappointment to me,because even though I knew he was a bit off his rocker,I respected his achievements.....I can't see Roger Federer saying tennis was a waste of time,when he decides to pack it in.

I've heard Hikaru say on stream that he hates chess too. Although he said it in a half joking way because he was frustrated with a puzzle being difficult to solve.

You can love something and hate it at the same time.

Excellent response!......Admittedly,I was a little bummed out by his comments,because I really want to delve into the game,knowing full well how much work it takes.I certainly don't aspire to anywhere near a master level,but it's nice to know that my enjoyment of study won't eventually be a waste....For whatever that means.

Thx

Yeah Mathew,I hear that from my wife often.

It may be a waste of time but it's fun.

Fisher had already an unstable psychology which is a bit normal for masters, they are different with some obsessions and such. But the competition between USA and Russia drove him crazy. He was contained in a house to prepare for world championship and was living under surveillance. Government put heavy pressure on him, he became more than an obsessive person with suspicions of being spied.

He lived a like prisoner and no wonder why he hated chess. Once he said he is not the best player but he knows the chess better than anyone else. I think he means that he was forced to study more than anyone else.

All in all, I respect his knowledge and ability but I don't respect his thoughts, since I always believed he wasn't happy and lived in a strange life. bad for psychology.

All I was saying,as I began this thread,was that in the interview I saw a person who felt that "computers" were going to take away creativity from the game.

He knew what the future could bring and felt players were going to memorize lines and that creativity was taking a big back seat.....I think he was right,based upon so many players mentioning theory and going to the engines in their streams....I'd love to be wrong.

On his deathbed in Iceland, Bobby Fischer was reported to have said (as his final words) "Nothing is as soothing as the human touch".

He was made, perhaps tragically, a mythical hero as the legendary icon of democracy against the evil communist regime, but in his personal life he was a sad lonely individual.

He never disliked chess, but he hated how he had wasted his life on only chess.

Another one of his quotes as an old man: "In the game of chess I may be a winner, but in the game of life I was always a loser".

“Now is the winter of our discontent.” Apropos for 12/21 and the end of very sad and lonely man. 

Well Llama.....You definitely reinforce the assumption that you have to be smart to play chess.-

Just like andre agassi. He's written that he hated tennis.

 

Fischer had many friends: Saidy, Gligoric, Hort, Spassky, Torre, Polgar...
In Reykyavik 1972 he even had 2 girl friends. Later he had a girl friend in the Philippines and a wife in Japan.
Fischer did not play any chess in 1969 and he even was reluctant to play Spassky in 1972 so he almost did not become world champion.
Morphy and Fine also quit at the height of their careers.

Bobby said a lot of stupid things

I’ll summarize it all in one phrase: Sour Grapes.
At the time he made those comments, he was a good 30 years past his prime. Knowing full well the unbelievable amount of work and sacrifice he had to do to become the best in the world in his youth, he was at this point just ranting against a game in which he knew he couldn’t dominate anymore.
By this time, strong chess engines were readily available for aid in analysis to both professionals and amateurs alike.
This makes it THAT much harder to study and prepare for tournaments, because there is no more “Secret” preparation. Opening preparation becomes a very objective search for truth.
He not only was not capable of his powerful youthful single focus and concentration.
He was also not willing to try. If he couldn’t compete in the game anymore, he was gonna make sure that we ALL knew it was not worth playing that game anymore.
This was of course, wrong. But typical for people with a pathological desire to feel they are the best.
If they can’t win, it’s not their fault but the game itself is flawed and unfair.
I worry about Carlsen and the current generation of players trying to replace classical chess with blitz once they can no longer compete in the grueling classical time controls. Blitz evens the playing field between old and young players.
We need to learn to discern and read through the BS that fading players try to fee us in order for them to remain relevant.

Well stated.