Originally posted by der schwarze RitterNot always true...here are some exceptions
Show me an adult who is good at chess and I will show you someone with a misspent childhood.
-Howard Staunton, the world's leading player in the 1840s, took up chess at age 19 and didn't become a serious player until age 26
-Joseph Blackburne, the leading English player of the late 19th century, didn't learn the chess moves until he was 19. He learned the game from a two-pence chess book. Two years later he was giving blindfold simultaneous exhibitions
Originally posted by PatzergrlThese examples are from 19th century when chess training in childhood was not necessary to become world class player. In modern chess if you are not GM until 18 years then your chances to became world class player are not too high.
Not always true...here are some exceptions
-Howard Staunton, the world's leading player in the 1840s, took up chess at age 19 and didn't become a serious player until age 26
-Joseph Blackburne, the leading English player of the late 19th century, didn't learn the chess moves until he was 19. He learned the game from a two-pence chess book. Two years later he was giving blindfold simultaneous exhibitions
Originally posted by robbie carrobieI never said I doubted your post. I doubt whether Fischer was anywhere near the truth.
why do you doubt it, it was certainly his voice, and believe me i am no fan of the bbc, thought it was a great quote and certainly in harmony with his character.
Originally posted by curseknightsorry, my apologies sir, I completely misunderstood your post., please forgive, although I do think he must have said it at the height of his fame, whether it is true or not is of course entirely speculative given the vagueness of the occasion and the lack of historicity with which to evaluate his claims. He was of course just one of many great players, but his tenacity and determination one cannot but admire.😀
I never said I doubted your post. I doubt whether Fischer was anywhere near the truth.
2 edits
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterI forget who said that originally, but it is an amusing quote. I can think of only a couple of examples of people who have truly excelled in both chess and another field of study (mathematics) - Emanuel Lasker and John Nunn. Furthermore, because becoming great in chess is becoming ever more time consuming, the chances that we will ever see another individual who achieves significant accomplishments in both chess and another field of study is very small indeed.
Show me an adult who is good at chess and I will show you someone with a misspent childhood.
In John Hilbert's 2000 book titled "Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chess Master", Arthur Bisguier tells the story of Whitaker visiting the offices of Chess Review in New York, and Al Horowitz welcoming him, stating, “good morning, Norman, pull up an electric chair and sit down.”
OK, an admittedly obscure quote, but one you probably haven't heard a hundred times before.
Originally posted by Mad RookNever heard of him, interesting character:
In John Hilbert's 2000 book titled "Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chess Master", Arthur Bisguier tells the story of Whitaker visiting the offices of Chess Review in New York, and Al Horowitz welcoming him, stating, “good morning, Norman, pull up an electric chair and sit down.”
OK, an admittedly obscure quote, but one you probably haven't heard a hundred times before.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Tweed_Whitaker
Originally posted by Sam The ShamYeah, I'd never heard of him either, until I read the review of Hilbert's book. The Wikipedia article is pretty good. The Wiki article references Silman's review of the book, but it doesn't mention ChessCafe's review, which is a very in-depth one:
Never heard of him, interesting character:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Tweed_Whitaker
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review240.pdf
Also, ChessCafe posted an excerpt from the book:
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles139.pdf
And finally, Hilbert's web site has a discussion of his book:
http://www.chessarch.com/excavations/0026_whitaker/whitaker.shtml
Originally posted by AlboMalapropFoozerBotvinnik was a electrical engineer.
I forget who said that originally, but it is an amusing quote. I can think of only a couple of examples of people who have truly excelled in both chess and another field of study (mathematics) - Emanuel Lasker and John Nunn. Furthermore, because becoming great in chess is becoming ever more time consuming, the chances that we will ever see another ...[text shortened]... ieves significant accomplishments in both chess and another field of study is very small indeed.
Originally posted by AlboMalapropFoozerFor your information: Morphy was a lawyer (though he never practiced law); Tarrasch was a trained medical doctor; Alekhine graduated from the Sorbonne (either law or philosophy); Max Euwe was a mathematician, Reuben Fine was a psychologist; Reshevsky was an accountant, Taimanov was a concert pianist; Smyslov had a pretty good singing voice (opera singer); Botvinnik distinguished himself as an electrical engineer (computers and AI chess programs) and Kasparov continues to make a mark in the world of politics and writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal.
I forget who said that originally, but it is an amusing quote. I can think of only a couple of examples of people who have truly excelled in both chess and another field of study (mathematics) - Emanuel Lasker and John Nunn. Furthermore, because becoming great in chess is becoming ever more time consuming, the chances that we will ever see another ...[text shortened]... ieves significant accomplishments in both chess and another field of study is very small indeed.