The only reason Fischer became world champ

Amen. And the 50+'er chesslovers need to get over their infatuation. It's wearing on me. 

And Bonny ?....I'm growing to like you, but I hadta say that.

(Bud #207) The reason the 72' match was such an AMAZING victory for Fischer was because the Soviet masters were treated like rockstars by their government.  They were the highest funded chess players in the world, they had EVERYTHING at their disposal(literally everything). (they were just overconfident...but that changed quickly)  Fischer was 'more or less' a self-taught kid from a country who didn't pay him ANYTHING.  He didn't just beat Spassky, he beat the entire country of Russia, and he beat them alone, with basically ZERO funding or backing from the U.S.. (are you sure about that ?)

If you arent American it still shouldn't matter, Fischer didn't just win one for the U.S., he won one for the little guy.  And he did it with FEARLESSNESS, he slapped 'big ole mother Russia'(and her 'powers') in the face, pooped in their cornflakes,(well that's explicit) then he took their trophy.  Not for the U.S., but for chess itself.  He was a chess hero. (yes, for the aged....his time has come and gone....and that fact needs to be digested) 

@Ghostless

I'm pretty sure you might want to study up on JUST how well funded(and taken care of) the Russian chess program was in those days, and just how little funds U.S. players had.

And NO(your opinion of Fischer's greatness is wrong), Fischer is a timeless chess hero, no matter what year you were born.   His story is that of chess legend, and he will always be one of the first faces seen by anyone who studies chess over the next 400,000,000 years.

Bud, I'll tell you a story. I remember older ppl saying (including my parents) how good the band Beatles were. Ppl were saying Beatles Beethoven & Bach....Beatles Beethoven & Bach.

I'm sorry, but I cannot appreciate most of their music. Then one morning, outside of a Miami drinkstand, I heard a song called Martha Dear. I thought it was one of the best songs I'd ever heard. It sounded like 1780 Mozart - except for the electric instruments. I loved it ! (to this day I prefer to call it Mozart's Memory) Other than that, there's maybe 10 songs I would ever want to hear again. They say they were great. I believe them....altho' I don't quite feel it. I do see their creative achievement. 

You say BF was great in his day....I hafta take your word for it. I don't quite get the creative contribution part tho'.

So, I'm either discussing something w/ ppl that are too old or chess is less art-filled than I had hoped.

Hear, hear !!

Let's not go there....the part where chess is a sport.....it's a board game. Wait. I take that back. It's not even really a board game. You don't need a board to play it.

ROFL!

[By then he will be a trilobite. Just who were the great trilobite board game players?]

Chess history will always be what it is, and any speices studying where chess came from(over the next 75 Vigitillion years)  will see his picture in the begininings of the Chess' history.

He pooped in their cornflakes too ??

Brilliant!

Then he rode off into the sunset, having finished his demolition job.

Spassky should have eaten more Greasy Prawns.

normal conditions - a technical term that means whatever conditions prevailed whenever Spassky wasn't busy losing to Fischer.

Normal conditions for GreasyPrawnEater would be Fischer forfeiting the first 11 games.

Stavros_34 wrote: You know Benko was not just a typical chess player who happened to be there at that time as a another American who looks for his dream to participate in a World chess final. Paul Benko was one of the few American players who understood the injustice in what Fischer deserved to be. He was the first after the Olympiad final in 1962 Varna when Fischer draw the game unfairly against Botvinnik loosing the first place, who went to hough Bobby while he was crying! You see...the Russians invented a time break between the match so they can have the ability to gathering and discuss how to survive from Fischer's nails. Eventually Petrossian gave the idea to go for a safety rook ending which Botvinnik accept it. All this have allready being spoken from Korchnoi who defected in U.S in 1975 I believe so. Benko took he's revenge through Fischer...he didn't make any favor to him! He did what he had to do!   

Well stated!!!   Botvinnik being world champion needed the help of Geller to draw against Fischer.

.........then years later Botvinnik gave the adjourned position to one of his young students with the homework assignment of finding a draw.   Kasparov found another way !

Russians were great at the vote chess and tag team chess variants, before they were ever even declared a variant. You weren't just playing one Russian, you were playing Russia.

As a kid we had a popular song we sang to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey."

On top of old Smokey all covered with sand

I shot Mr. Khrushchev with a red rubber band.

I shot him for pleasure, I shot him for fame

And if I ever see him, I'll shoot him again.

the Russians were also brilliant at adjournments. They'd have hundreds of GMs all analyzing a position for their boy.

GreasyPrawnEater attracts only flies.

>the game is just too much plagued with ill feelings.<

Hah! Bobby was the King of Ill Feelings. A terrible human being, the Shame of Chess. 

That's a little much, don't you think ?