Their personalities didn't affect their statistics, but did affect how admirable people found them to be. In some cases, it even affected statistics. One year Williams hit for the Triple Crown, but lost the MVP award because one midwestern newspaper left him completely off their 10 man ballot.>

That's still an active player in his prime.

The real question is: How many stories were written about Fischer's Jewish/and American views by 1972?

...probably little or none.

Words like brash, eccentric, loner, genius, were used.

...most "hate" displayed by Fischer was for conformity, the low standards for chess, and the Russians for "fixing" chess.

...because we've seen it all we forget what was going on.

"I remember reading about Fischer placing anti-Jewish pamphlets on cars at 4 in the morning way back in 1965."

Did you read that back in 1965 or was it written after 1975 when everybody and their dog chipped in with an opinion.

I always answer pre 1972 anti Jewish rants with -

Netanya (1968)

"The tournament commemorated the 20th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel."

That was 1968.

In 2005 we get:

"The United States is an illegitimate country, just like Israel. It has no right to exist."

Why not? Never happened. There is no evidence that Fischer ever did this.>

Fischer once said:
<... I like a waiter to wait on me.>

He probably would have someone "do" his pamphleting.

Hmmmmmmmm,
...did Fischer ever meet Lee Harvey Oswald?

Evidence of (arguably non-virulent) anti-Semitism dates back at least to the Ginzburg interview.

http://bobbyfischer.net/bobby04.html

Inaccuracies aside (I lost track after about a dozen or so), I liked Maguire's and Schreiber's performances, even though I thought Maguire's was somewhat over the top. But both captured Fischer's and Spassky's mannerisms very well, particularly Schreiber. And I recognize that many of the "inaccuracies" were deliberate both to enhance the dramatic effect and keep the movie to a reasonable length; e.g. it was fine to show Fischer resigning his first match game to Spassky after 29...Bxh2 30.g3. What would have been the point in waiting until the actual resignation on move 56? The majority of moviegoers wouldn't know the difference and it wouldn't make a difference to the movie either. As Alfonso Cuarón, the director of "Gravity" said, "If you want facts, go see a documentary." A documentary "Pawn Sacrifice" isn't.

Donner seems to have tagged Fischer pretty well. This was written in 1972.

"... it doesn't take much insight into human nature to predict that Fischer will not be world champion for long. His quirks, moods and whims will turn against him at the moment when he has reached the top. He'll hit out hard, but at nothing but thin air."

The keyword maybe 'whims' if he felt like he did in 1961 then why play in Israel in 1968...a whim?

The enigma of Bobby Fischer....I'm just grateful he left us those game.

And 3200-strength computers think they are strong....

150 moves....piece of cake.

We can do that if we class a move as a 'ply' so 150 moves made is 75 ½ moves by each player.

from here....

click for larger view

...we must assume no blunders and after 75 moves the game will be stopped.

Not by the 50 move rule, because in theory neither player is forced to claim it. But by the 75 move rule.

Rule 9.6b states:

"That if 75 consecutive moves have been made without movement of any pawn or any capture, the game is drawn unless the last move was checkmate."

This covers the possibility that neither player claims the draw after 50 moves and it is to stop them playing on forever and ever.

The game stops on move 75. It is illegal to go any further.

Not many people know that.

I've never tested it, but I wonder if computers STOP! on move 75 as per FIDE regulations and do not go any further.

150 moves....piece of cake.>