April 19, 2005
Fischer v. Kasparov
Speaking of Garry Kasparov, you have probably heard about the latest Bobby Fischer fiasco. Fischer is a fascinating subject, even for a chess imbecile like me. I could read for hours about his tremendous genius and success at fifteen, his victory against Spassky in 1972 (where his behavior already betrayed his creeping insanity), his retirement and subsequent rematch in 1992 (another victory, though not as one-sided), his rants against FIDE and the chess establishment (he now claims to only play "Fischerandom," where the back rank is scrambled before the match, but he is rumored to haunt various online chess sites), and, most tragic and intriguing of all, his rants against Jews, Israel, and the United States. A couple of years ago, the Atlantic featured a great article on all of this, available here to subscribers. (Sorry, I don't have a un/pw.)
Anyway, he was recently arrested and detained in Japan for having an invalid passport. He is wanted by the US for, ostensibly, violating international sanctions by playing the 1992 match in Yugoslavia. In an incredible demonstration of support, Iceland decided to extend citizenship to Fischer, apparently in gratitude for his 1972 match in Reykjavik. Iceland has an extradition treaty with the US, but it does not extend to Icelandic citizens. (Nonetheless, a Philadelphia grand jury is convening to indict Fischer this week.)
I know this is a very convoluted story, but I figure most of you know all of this already. Click the extended entry to read about when Bobby Fischer will play Garry Kasparov for the first time ever.
Okay, that was a tease. At least one writer has speculated that it is possible, but it seems like a pipe dream. Like Mr. Barden says, it wouldn't really be a fair matchup anyway with Fischer 62 (and batshit insane) and Kasparov a spry 42.
Two more things I wanted to mention about this. While browsing pages online, I came across Kasparov's book on Fischer--part of his "My Great Predecessors" series. According to the comments, it is a notably biased and narcissistic look at Fischer's career. One commenter says that the book is written to suggest that if the two played, Kasparov would be the victor. Kasparov is probably understandably defensive about his legacy; comparisons between the two are unavoidable, and chess nerds will never settle which was the better champion.
Lastly, and the reason I started re-reading about Fischer this week, I saw ESPN's broadcast of the Fischer press conference that took place late last month (Sportscenter is just showing the tape this week). Jeremy Schaap, an ESPN anchor, is the son of the late Dick Schaap, who was a friend of Bobby Fischer. Jeremy flew to the press conference to interview Fischer, and the two had a very tense exchange in front of the gaggle of reporters. Fischer called Schaap's father a "Jewish snake," Jeremy delicately objected, and Fischer asked Jeremy why Dick Schaap had said that he didn't have "a sane bone in his body." Jeremy responded by saying that Fischer hadn't done anything today to disprove what he had said. A really fascinating bit of tape, not least for the freak factor of just seeing Fischer in the flesh, frantically spouting all of that crap he used to preach from his Cuban radio broadcasts.
For other perspectives of the press conference: here and here.
Wow, Kasparov is only 42. But that must be old in chess years--consider that mathematicians typically peak in their late 20s-early 30s. In any case, his future in chess basically consisted of losing to supercomputers and eventually losing to a younger challenger. So I'm glad he has quit--especially to pursue such an important cause.
I think Kasparov at his peak would beat Fischer at his. It'd be very close, but Kasparov is a more complete player. Fischer could rely largely on innate talent (somewhat like Capablanca, though Fischer, playing in the modern age, had to study unlike Capa) and his incredibly clean, logical, tactical style of play. Kasparov, while equally talented, studied far, far more and tends to play more convoluted and positional games. In such an even match, preparation would make the difference, giving the edge to K. Kasparov also has the highest rating ever, higher than Fischer's at his peak.
I can't comment on who was the better player, but one thing is undeniable: Fischer may be a nutjob, but (according to the reviews on the Amazon link), Kasparov is a whiny bitch.