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Bobby Fischer

65 quotes

“I was going to do a book about the first prearranged Karpov-Kasparov match, '84-'85. But the God-damn Jews have stolen my entire file on that.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Interview, January 27 2002
“Jews hate nature and the natural order, because it's pure and beautiful, and also because it's bigger and stronger than they are, and they feel that they can not fully control it. Nature's beauty and harmony stands in stark contrast to their squalidness and ugliness, and that makes them hate it all the more. Jews are destroyers. They are anti-humans.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Interview, February 19 2005 thumbnail|I studied that first Karpov-Kasparov match for a year and a half before I cracked it, what they were doing, and discovered that it was all prearranged move-by-move. There's no…
“I grew up with the concept of freedom of speech. So I'm too old, it's too late for me to adjust to the new world, the new world order.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview en-route to Iceland, March 24, 2005
“Bobby Fischer was asked about his arrest in Japan. He responded: "This was not an arrest. This was a kidnapping. This was all cooked up by Bush and Koizumi. They are all war criminals. They should be hung.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview en-route to Iceland from Japan, March 24 2005 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zproePFCgNw
“The United States is an illegitimate country, just like Israel. It has no right to exist. That country belongs to the Red man, the American Indian... It's actually a shame to be a so-called American, because everybody living there is a usurper, an invader taking part in this crime, which is to rob the land, rob the country and kill all the American Indians.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview en-route to Iceland, March 24 2005 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H6OwM8k5_g
“The United States is evil. The United States has this 'axis of evil', blah blah blah. What about the 'allies of evil' – What about the United States, England, Japan, Australia and so on? These are the evildoers.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Press conference in Iceland, March 25 2005 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARNSi0cPu60
“Kasparov is a gangster, he is a disgrace to chess, he is a disgrace to the human race. He is not something Russia should be proud of. He should join Khodorkovsky in prison. He has committed a terrible fraud with all these prearranged games and matches.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Interview, May 15 2005
“[Capablanca] wanted to change the rules already, back in the twenties, because he said chess was getting played out. He was right. Now chess is completely dead. It is all just memorization and prearrangement. It’s a terrible game now. Very uncreative.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Interview, October 16 2006
“Towards the end of his life, Fischer became interested in Catholicism. He bought his friend Garðar Sverrisson a copy of "Basic Catechism: Creed, Sacraments, Morality, Prayer" so Garðar could explain the religion better to him. According to Garðar, Fischer talked to him about transformation of society through creation of harmony and that "The only hope for the world is through Catholicism.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Brady, Frank (2011). Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness (1st ed.). Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-46390-6.
“Teach people to play new chess, right away. Why do you offer them a black and white television set, when there is a set in color?”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: in the only meeting with FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, responding to the latter advocating "step by step" changes mindful of the heritage of chess (between September 1, 1992 and 2002) Gligorić (2002), p. 71.
“You don't learn anything in school. It's just a waste of time. You lug around books and all and do homework. They give too much homework. You shouldn't be doing homework. Nobody's interested in it. The teachers are stupid. They shouldn't have any women in there. They don't know how to teach. And they shouldn't make anyone go to school. You don't want to go, you don't go, that's all. It's ridiculous. I don't remember one thing I learned in school. I don't listen to weakies. My two and a half years in Erasmus High I wasted. I didn't like the whole thing. You have to mix with all those stupid kids. The teachers are even stupider than the kids. They talk down to the kids. Half of them are crazy. If they'd have let me, I would have quit before I was sixteen.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Church members shouldn't let themselves be confused. They begin not trusting in their own judgment, and then they're finished. That's a terrible, terrible thing. First, they get conducted in with a nice sweet program, no money, everything free, free, free. And then they get sucked in, and suddenly a few lies get mixed in. They are told that their human nature is wicked and these nice people who gave them all these things wouldn't be lying to them, would they? And then I think once you start distrusting your own mind you're finished. From there you just get more and more confused. Once you think that your own mind is not your friend any more-your own conscience and your own mind is not your friend-then I think you are on your way to insanity. You have been stripped bare. All your defenses are gone.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't know when, but I think we are approaching that [the end of chess] very rapidly. I think we need a change in the rules of chess. For example, I think it would be a good idea to shuffle the first row of the pieces by computer ... and this way you will get rid of all the theory. One reason that computers are strong in chess is that they have access to enormous theory ... I think if you can turn off the computer's book, which I've done when I've played the computer, they are still rather weak, at least at the opening part of the game, so I think this would be a good improvement, and also just for humans. It is much better, I think, because chess is becoming more and more simply memorization, because the power of memorization is so tremendous in chess now. Theory is so advanced, it used to be theory to maybe 10 or 15 moves, 18 moves; now, theory is going to 30 moves, 40 moves. I think I saw one game in Informator, the Yugoslav chess publication, where they give an N [theoretical novelty] to a new move, and I recall this new move was around move 50. ... I think it is true, we are coming to the end of the history of chess with the present rules, but I don't say we have to do away with the present rules. I mean, people can still play, but I think it's time for those who want to start playing on new rules that I think are better.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Press Conference, (September 1, 1992)
“In chess so much depends on opening theory, so the champions before the last century did not know as much as I do and other players do about opening theory. So if you just brought them back from the dead they wouldn’t do well. They’d get bad openings. You cannot compare the playing strength, you can only talk about natural ability. Memorization is enormously powerful. Some kid of fourteen today, or even younger, could get an opening advantage against Capablanca, and especially against the players of the previous century, like Morphy and Steinitz. Maybe they would still be able to outplay the young kid of today. Or maybe not, because nowadays when you get the opening advantage not only do you get the opening advantage, you know how to play, they have so many examples of what to do from this position. It is really deadly, and that is why I don’t like chess any more.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Interview, October 16 2006
“Morphy and Capablanca had enormous talent, they are two of my favorites. Steinitz was very great too. Alekhine was great, but I am not a big fan of his. Maybe it’s just my taste. I’ve studied his games a lot, but I much prefer Capablanca and Morphy. Alekhine had a rather heavy style, Capablanca was much more brilliant and talented, he had a real light touch. Everyone I’ve spoken to who saw Capablanca play still speak of him with awe. If you showed him any position he would instantly tell you the right move. When I used to go to the Manhattan Chess Club back in the fifties, I met a lot of old-timers there who knew Capablanca, because he used to come around to the Manhattan club in the forties – before he died in the early forties. They spoke about Capablanca with awe. I have never seen people speak about any chess player like that, before or since. Capablanca really was fantastic. But even he had his weaknesses, especially when you play over his games with his notes he would make idiotic statements like 'I played the rest of the game perfectly.' But then you play through the moves and it is not true at all. But the thing that was great about Capablanca was that he really spoke his mind, he said what he believed was true, he said what he felt.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Interview, October 16 2006