Happy Birthday Maestro Karpov and thank you for all the great games.

Hi Joshka:

I just noticed this:

"You write in your bio a meeting with Karpov for over an hour!! Wow.....what time period was this? I met him in Miami around 2004 was able to ask him questions about Fischer and what he was preparing and what not. thanks in advance!"

It was 1984. I never mention Bobby. Figured he must have been asked that a lot.

We were too wrapped up in chess history. He was impressed with the signatures we had in the visitors book...Alekhine, Capa, Blackburne...etc and etc.

The walls were covered in b/w pictures of the old masters. He like a collage of about 20 b/w pictures we had made up of the old guys.

He knew most/all of them think I had to point out who was who just once.

Showed him the pieces the boys used to analyse the 1825-1829 corres match on and the letters from London.

Then he was gone..... I felt like I had just spent an hour with the Pope.

Karpov's 'The Spanish' probably meant he had things up his sleeve as Black v Fischer's 1.e4. Maybe have to look at his and Geller's Black Lopez's after 1975 to see if any stunners were unearthed.

Know Karpov used the Zaitsev as Black so maybe (and this is just a guess) he had an improvement in Fischer vs Stein, 1967

(sorry for taking so long in replying.)

I respect your opinion and I know this is Karpov's page . But ! lol .. You really rate Karpov that high ? And Bobby that low ??

Bobby's main enemy was Bobby. Purely chess I think he was a better player than Karpov.

Karpov is a very great chess player. He's part of my youth in getting into chess . For a time in the early 80's he developed a mystique which only the very , very best chess players do ... and it took quite possibly the best chess player of all time to topple him ..

https://www.365chess.com/tournament...

Considering he was about 45 at the time.

As some people in this page (and elsewhere) opined, I think Bob Fischer would have beaten Anatoly in 1975 but as someone (was it Boris Spassky?!) said, the matters would have become too unfavourable to Bob in 1977/78, provided Anatoly Karpov challenged him again. Of course there is little doubt that Karpov would have become the challenger for the second time.

This is not to belittle Bobby Fischer, but the above could be a realistic picture. Fischer's games are of high quality, but there is a gaping hole of lack of sufficient quantity.

No, the myth of Fischer has been exploded. He had great talent but lost interest once he won. There was a psychological weakness in himself. He knew it. Karpov played both great positional games and some beautiful attacks.

Had they played a match in 1974? The outcome is uncertain. Fischer was already showing signs of instability. He was suffering inside. Karpov just played chess and had a fairly even temperament.

It is a pity though that Fischer didn't get psychological or psychiatric assistance and then play Karpov. Fischer's main weakness was himself (and his rather limited opening repertoire).