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Bobby Fischer Online?

talilee writes "This story from AP (but I found it at SFGate.com) suggests that Bobby Fischer is playing online chess anonymously against champion level players. I'm glad to see that he has an opportunity to express his genius without having to deal with the overwhelming attention (and without exposing his, um, "eccentricities".)" The BBC has a slightly more informative story.

428 comments

  1. Also by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've beaten people at Internet chess before. I bet it was him. I am so good at chess. Take that, Bobby.

  2. Depressing in a way by q-soe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I dont know if its naive but i find it a bit depressing that someone with bobby's intellect has to exist anonyomously to avoid the public limelight and scrutiny just to survive - witness the media attacks that form against any succesful person in the public eye these days - depressing that freely available information means a loss of any right to privacy.

    --
    I refuse to argue with Anonymous Cowards - if you want a discussion get an account....
    1. Re:Depressing in a way by selan · · Score: 5, Insightful
      No one forced Fischer to become a recluse. He chose it for himself and has gone to extreme measures to stay hidden. Read Searching For Bobby Fischer by Fred Waitzkin for details. It's a fascinating read about the chess world, a father and his chess prodigy son, and the search for Bobby Fischer. Also was made into a decent movie.

      Regarding the rumor that Bobby is playing chess online, I've heard it before and I think it has been going around for a while. Could be true, but really total speculation.

    2. Re:Depressing in a way by NitsujTPU · · Score: 1

      Kinda like an AC posting something on a board (not necessarily /.) for fear of disdain from peers and the notice of corporations.

    3. Re:Depressing in a way by Allen+Varney · · Score: 1

      Possibly it's true that any successful person draws media attacks, but Fischer in particular has publicly espoused beliefs in a "Jewish conspiracy," a position that virtually guarantees hostile media reaction. Read the book Searching for Bobby Fischer by Fred Waitzkin, the inspiration for the fine 1993 movie directed by Stephen Zaillian. In the book Waitzkin, father of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, briefly chronicles Fischer's strange behavior following his rise to chess supremacy: living on the streets of Los Angeles, passing out anti-Jewish leaflets to passersby.... Depressing, in a way.

    4. Re:Depressing in a way by mother_superius · · Score: 1

      My guess is that it isn't the media; it's the government giving him 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine when they catch him for violating UN sanctions.

    5. Re:Depressing in a way by stripes · · Score: 1
      I dont know if its naive but i find it a bit depressing that someone with bobby's intellect has to exist anonyomously to avoid the public limelight and scrutiny just to survive

      On the other hand it is delightful that even in his self-imposed exile he has found a way to continue doing what he does pest, one one would imagine what he quite enjoys.

    6. Re:Depressing in a way by dragons_flight · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Intellect isn't everything.

      I know very little about Bobby Fischer so I'm speaking in general, not about him in particular.

      Intellect can do a lot, but there are other skills that one needs to be successful, especially in the public eye. These are things like stage presence, speaking ability, charisma, style, bearing and common sense, which are only tangentially connected to intelligence. A smart person might be able to develop them faster than your average Joe. On the other hand intelligence might hinder their development, especially if that person is arrogant because of their intelligence.

      To take a high profile example, by all accounts Al Gore is a pretty learned guy, but he still hasn't figured out what he wants his appearance to be, and the last election suggests that he has had only mediocre success connecting with the public. The stereotypical closed-in scientist (and I've known a few) can be far worse.

      Bobby Fischer is, at least to my limited knowledge, something of a one trick wonder. He is exceptionally good at chess, but clearly doesn't want to be a public figure, and perhaps he wouldn't be very good at it?

      The thing I wonder most about is what kind of a life is he living now? Chess isn't easy to make a profession of and it must be nearly impossible if you don't want people to know who you are. So does he program computers by day and trounce chess masters at night, or what?

      My name is also Bobby and I'm pleased to hear that Mr. Fischer might be having some fun. For my part I've grown to realize the value of that other skill set, and I'm ever so slowly trying to cultivate it.

    7. Re:Depressing in a way by uchian · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hmmm.

      "Rook to rook eight and here's a picture of a goat"

      Or

      "knight to queens-bish three and here's some ascii art of two people having sex"

      And never let AC's play as white - "hah hah! First move!"

    8. Re:Depressing in a way by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 1

      LOL...where are my mod points when I need 'em?

    9. Re:Depressing in a way by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not clear that he really chose it either. The stress of those matches he played were astronomical; IMO they may well have caused both players long term pschological damage which could easily cause him to become a recluse. (Or not... I don't know the guy, but it sounds logical.)

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    10. Re:Depressing in a way by sokoban · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Well, the American government kind of forced him to become a recluse when they demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes in 1992. If he had come back after the Spassky match, he would have been promptly arrested. That is why he moved to Argentina, to prevent being extradited. It would cost Millions for Fischer to return to tournament play. There would be the repayment of the US government, preparation time and money to be able to play at the top levels of chess in a real time setting (Pawn-push openings would be destroyed in over the board tournament play against GM's, but could be an interesting surprise in g/3) and then, why would Fischer want to play tournament games again. He already won the world championship in perhaps the most decisive manner ever. If he were to play again, it would require the current world champion to offer a match entirely on Fischer's terms. That would mean probably random piece starting placement (FischerRandom) and a closed playing hall (if not a virtual one).

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 is the magic number.
    11. Re:Depressing in a way by Bartab · · Score: 1

      The thing I wonder most about is what kind of a life is he living now? Chess isn't easy to make a profession of and it must be nearly impossible if you don't want people to know who you are. So does he program computers by day and trounce chess masters at night, or what?

      The BBC article points out he made 5mil in 1992. Figure half lost to taxes and you'd still get $10k per month in interest alone. Quite a livable sum. Bobby Fischer isn't doing anything he doesn't want to be doing.

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo.
    12. Re:Depressing in a way by philipm · · Score: 0

      Dude, The reason why he lives in random third world countries is very simple. He was a communist and the US on the 50s and 60s hated all communists like a mad dog frothing at the mouth with rabies. What reasonable person wouldn't rebel against that? Unfortunately he has an analytical mind, so the hippie option of sex drugs and rock and roll was denied to him.

      And he is not anonymous by any means. I'm sure he has normal healthy relationships with his neighbors like you do. Just because he thinks the US and its power structures are full of shit (like they obviously are/were) doesn't mean he is not having a happy life in some OTHER [GASP!] country.

    13. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The original poster wasn't saying it's depressing that Bobby Fischer can't handle the limelight, he was saying it was depressing that Fischer had the limelight thrust upon him without wanting it and as a result has gone into hiding.

    14. Re:Depressing in a way by Mahonrimoriancumer · · Score: 2, Informative

      It is really depressing to see that Bobby Fischer finally went over the edge mentally. In 1999 he accused Jews of causing all of his problems. Here is a transcript of the radio interview where he first talked about it.

      --
      So climate's changing. So what? It has always changed. The big news would be if it wasn't changing. - Dr. Philip Stone
    15. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      > The thing I wonder most about is what kind of a life is he living now?

      Well, a quick look in the article shows that he won $5,000,000 in a competition in 1992. If i remember the posters in my high school classrooms they showed that someone with a banchelors degree made an average of $2,500,000 in their lifetime. He is currently 58, also according to the article.

      Taking this in account, if he is decently smart about his finances i'm sure he can live the rest of his life off that 5 million dollars, at a better quality of life than the 'average person with a bachelors.' I dont know for sure, but the article didn't make him sound like the type to buy a million dollar house, super-expensive sports cars and such. I'm sure he's fine.

      Erik

    16. Re:Depressing in a way by leo.p · · Score: 1

      I dont know if its naive but i find it a bit depressing that someone with bobby's intellect has to exist anonyomously to avoid the public limelight and scrutiny just to survive...
      depressing that freely available information means a loss of any right to privacy.


      What the fuck does privacy have to do with Fischer? The guy is certifiably nuts. A paranoiac in the tradition of libertarians who see black UN helicopters around every corner. A lunatic. McVeigh on coke but without any firepower.

    17. Re:Depressing in a way by timster · · Score: 1

      Morning, Bobby. Funny coincidence, catching you here. Congrats on the 5. Am I one of those "stereotypical closed-in scientist" types you've known? :)
      To be on-topic, he has in the past made many millions of dollars in chess prizes, so if he's smart with his money he should have an easy retired life. He'll probably be like the chessmaster in Cowboy Bebop before long. If he's not that way already.
      I think it's natural for a mind that is highly developed in some area -- say, chess -- to care mostly about that narrow aspect of life and give little thought to the rest. We need minds like that, to give us things like advanced technology and games that we can care about. Even if the rest of us may choose to be more balanced.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    18. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      holy shit dude

    19. Re:Depressing in a way by Mahonrimoriancumer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't know why everyone keeps saying that he is hiding. He is not hiding, he just keeps a low profile. He is not very social. Maybe everyone thinks he went into hiding because he refused to defend the world chess title after he won it from Spassky.

      Also, the only reason he does not live in the U.S. is because he played in a chess tournament in Yugoslavia in 1992 after President Bush (the elder) said that any U.S. citizen would face criminal charges if they help the Yugoslavia economy, similar to the embargo on Cuba. The only reason Bobby Fischer was gone after was because of his high profile.

      --
      So climate's changing. So what? It has always changed. The big news would be if it wasn't changing. - Dr. Philip Stone
    20. Re:Depressing in a way by Jack_of_Hearts · · Score: 1

      It's not depressing in a way. For all of you who are unaware, Bobby is a *major* anti-semite, according to many, many reliable sources. To quote Mig Greengard from an article in "Illinois Chess Bulletin,"

      "As you might imagine, my excitement was short lived as it was clear from the outset that Fischer had disintegrated in dramatic fashion, even from his rather shaky state of 1992. I had heard rumors of his anti-Semitism and general paranoia, but this was far worse than that. He could be quite "normal" at times, talking about old games and such over dinner, and showed a real sense of humor and animation. But without fail things would take a sharp turn to ranting and glowering about "the Jews" and how they were doing everything to ruin his life.....Fischer clearly has serious mental problems."

      Do not idolize this man. Condemn him and get him some help.

    21. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      who cares? chess is too crap for my brain anyway but i dont no

    22. Re:Depressing in a way by blue+trane · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      To take a high profile example, by all accounts Al Gore is a pretty learned guy, but he still hasn't figured out what he wants his appearance to be, and the last election suggests that he has had only mediocre success connecting with the public. The stereotypical closed-in scientist (and I've known a few) can be far worse.


      I think Al Gore lost because he was trying to present himself as something he's not. His advisors told him to be "an alpha male" and aggressive and to act confident and all that crap, when really I think he is an introvert who would rather rely on the truth in an argument rather than what will play well to the audience. He should have just been himself, and trusted that the public would be able to overcome obsolete ideas of what makes a good leader (dating from more primitive times).


      Of course, Bill Bradley tried to be himself, and Al Gore's "alpha male" personna beat him. So being able to be yourself and get elected, if you're an introvert, may still be a ways off.


      sigh.

    23. Re:Depressing in a way by kilgore_47 · · Score: 1

      Figure half lost to taxes

      Thats just the problem... he wasn't so good with the taxes. In fact, I think he owes enough that coming back really isn't an option.

      --
      ___
      The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. --Ben Franklin
    24. Re:Depressing in a way by eFlashDash · · Score: 1

      Clearly, by your use of the English language and superb punctuation, chess would overwhelm you.



      Unless English is your second language, then I apologize...

    25. Re:Depressing in a way by tokar321 · · Score: 1

      Condemn him and get him some help ??

      If you believe he requires help and I assume you mean mentally ill, condeming him is hardly the words of a real humanitarian.

      If someone's ill you provide help and at worse pity but to condem and even worse hate only shows how in the end your no different to those you condem.

    26. Re:Depressing in a way by fishbowl · · Score: 2

      >No one forced Fischer to become a recluse.

      There may be a force of law. He was under a grand jury indictment at one point, and has admitted to tax evasion. I'd be in hiding too,
      in some country that does not have an extradition treaty with the USA...

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    27. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You figure half lost, because you don't expect (and in fact it is the case that he did not) someone to keep all of his many millions of dollars in accounts that can be siezed by the Government.

      He can't come here, but in Argentina he has no problems living a life a lot better than mine, and I live in the U.S.

    28. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Dude, The reason why he lives in random third world countries is very simple. He was a communist and the US on the 50s and 60s hated all communists like a mad dog frothing at the mouth with rabies.


      They still do...
    29. Re:Depressing in a way by QuietTimbo · · Score: 1

      I think that this is mainly by Fischer's choice. There are plenty of other people that survive out in the real world.

      I do think though that it is a great thing that he has the choice. The Internet allows him to continue to play and to enjoy his passion whilst remaining in private.

    30. Re:Depressing in a way by Sir_Real · · Score: 2

      Regarding the rumor that Bobby is playing chess online, I've heard it before and I think it has been going around for a while. Could be true, but really total speculation.

      I think it's a rumor that pops up every time a grandmaster gets spanked by an anonymous player.

      "I just got my ass handed to me by someone named "bob13" it must've been Bobby Fischer..." It's probably just some kid running a copy of chessmaster 3000... ;)

      Andrew

    31. Re:Depressing in a way by cavemanf16 · · Score: 1

      A friend was telling me a story similar to this last night. He's also a long time computer geek, and apparently, back about 5 years ago, his friend (who was a very good chess player) asked him to play a game via email with him. He just plugged all the moves into his Chessmaster game and emailed them back. Beat the guy in like 10 moves or something ridiculous! The guy, thinking he was playing a grand master champion, offered my friend a job and wanted to play him more! Needless to say, my friend turned down the job gracefully, seeing that his 'joke' wouldn't be so funny if the guy found out. Haha! They should have put that foot icon on this board because this was funny, not fact. ;)

    32. Re:Depressing in a way by Yaruar · · Score: 1

      One of the main factors in Bobby Fischers reclusivness is his mental stability. He suffered from a variety of disorder like a lot of gifted people. He was certainly depressed and to a greater or lesser extent scitzophrenic.

      I have no doubt, given Nigel Shorts pedegree in speed chess that it is Bobby on line, as this is exactly the sort of environment I cna see him thriving, like many people who face difficulties in the everyday world.

      --
      Working for the (other) man
    33. Re:Depressing in a way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Regarding the rumor that Bobby is playing chess
      > online, I've heard it before and I think it has
      > been going around for a while.

      I heard Thresh was online again, too, whomping ass as "Mary's Little Lamb", or, on Tuesdays, as "his gay lover".

    34. Re:Depressing in a way by Bobo+the+Space+Chimp · · Score: 1

      I did much the same thing, once, except for two differences. First, that instead of using a chess game, I played "put on too much makeup" vs. Pam Anderson and cranked the Cosmo Girl! Makeup program up to Master level.

      Second, she still won.

      --
      I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth.
    35. Re:Depressing in a way by Bobo+the+Space+Chimp · · Score: 1

      Even with the most powerful of computers, Garbage In, Garbage Out.

      --
      I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth.
    36. Re:Depressing in a way by Bobo+the+Space+Chimp · · Score: 1

      > They still do...

      And rightly so, although now we see the economic results of the communist "experiments", so a large scale return to that is going nowhere fast.

      --
      I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth.
    37. Re:Depressing in a way by kirkjobsluder · · Score: 1
      If he were to play again, it would require the current world champion to offer a match entirely on Fischer's terms. That would mean probably random piece starting placement (FischerRandom) and a closed playing hall (if not a virtual one).

      Which World Champion? The FIDE stripped Fischer of his title 25 years ago after he refused to defend it. For that matter, they stripped Kasparov of his title for the same reason which didn't stop Kasparov from staging his own world championship.

      I suspect that Fischer's secrecy is about the only thing that is keeping him famous.

    38. Re:Depressing in a way by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      The guy is certifiably nuts.


      Somewhat like Glenn Gould (look here), who make a big splash in the 50's with his performance of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" (I'm sure Fischer would find a Jewish influence in there...). His performance is hailed almost universally as pure musical genius. He was, however, somewhat eccentric.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    39. Re:Depressing in a way by Kintanon · · Score: 2

      Then your friend's friend sucks at chess. Even I can beat Chessmaster 3000 on a pretty regular basis and I'm nowhere near grandmaster level. I've been playing the game since I was 5 years old, and I'm good, maybe even excellent at it. But I don't even approach the level of Kasparov or Fischer. Most chess playing programs that will run on a PC are mindlessly easy to beat.

      Kintanon

      --
      Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
    40. Re:Depressing in a way by blue+trane · · Score: 1

      you're probably right, I was just going on some quote I read in a newspaper where gore described himself as an introvert and that woman who was in the news who was his advisor and told him to be an "alpha male". myself I didn't quite buy his "how you doin?" salesmanship, I think he's more thoughtful than that but was afraid to come across as "too intellectual" or "reserved" or whatever. instead I would have advised him to say "this is how I am, I don't think it disqualifies me from being a good president." undoubtedly the public isn't ready for that yet.

  3. Deep Fritz by L3WKW4RM · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'll bet he's controlling Deep Fritz via ICQ.

  4. Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wouldn't it be better to know who you are playing and who you are being spanked by instead of guessing? Just b/c his typing, his use of language, knowledge, etc reminds you of someone that does NOT mean it is.

    I am very happy for this man that he feels he played w/one of the best but honestly does it matter?

    Until the man reveals himself it doesn't really matter.

    I guess it would be like getting spanked by some incredible Quaker in a pickup game whos name was "Llama" ;)

    Great for the guy, not that wonderful for the rest of us.

    1. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What does being spanked have to do with playing chess?

      As for being spanked by Quakers, I thought they believed in non-violence.

      Pity...sounds fun...

    2. Re:Rounders. by whatever · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just b/c his typing, his use of language, knowledge, etc reminds you of someone that does NOT mean it is.

      From bbc :

      Despite his misgivings, Short eventually arranged to play the unknown opponent, and in October last year lost the first of their four confrontations 8-0.

      Now, my question is, how many people in the world can beat Short 8-0, and who can they be?

    3. Re:Rounders. by Have+Blue · · Score: 2

      Somebody please explain to me how to lose four games and end up with the score being 8-0.

    4. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The four confrontations refers to four separate series, and a total of fifty games. Read the BBC article.

    5. Re:Rounders. by floodle · · Score: 1

      Somebody please explain to me how to lose four games and end up with the score being 8-0.

      It did not say games, it said confrontations. Their first meeting out of four probably had eight games.

      Or, I could be wrong...

    6. Re:Rounders. by bmasel · · Score: 2

      They played 4 sessions. The 1st session consisted of 8 games. Syntax.

      --
      Ben Masel: 51,282 votes for US Senate in the Wisconsin Democratic Primary
    7. Re:Rounders. by chill · · Score: 3, Informative

      2 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss.

      If the opponent WON all 4 games, the score would have been 8-0.

      Championship chess normally has lots of draws.

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    8. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, that is definitely not how chess is scored! It's 1 point for a win, half for a draw, 0 for a loss. See other posts for the explanation.

    9. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Six of one, half a dozen of the other, hmm?

    10. Re:Rounders. by chill · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I was using the Intel floating point unit and it rounded up. :-)

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    11. Re:Rounders. by leo.p · · Score: 1
      Dude, he beat Nigel Short 8 speed games to zip. Nigel Short in his turn held Kasparov to a 6-6 tie in their speed match. Read this.
      The final "proof" that Short was playing Fischer in cyberspace came when the Briton asked: "Do you know Armando Acevedo?" - an obscure Mexican player. The response was immediate: "Siegen 1970." Fischer had played Acevedo in the Siegen Chess Olympiad of 1970. "The guy was obviously trying to tell me something," said Short.
    12. Re:Rounders. by ignatzMouse · · Score: 1

      I sure can't think of anyone besides Fischer, especially with the kind of psycho play he's been describing. Fischer has been advocating alternate forms of play like shuffle chess so this would seem right up his alley.

      --
      No artist tolerates reality. -- Nietzsche
    13. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss.

      How the hell did this post get modded up to a 4? It's completely wrong.

      Correct: 1 point for a win, 1/2 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss.

      Remember, Short said they had 4 confrentations, not 4 games.

      Actually, he did get one thing right--it is 0 points for a loss, but even a stopped clock...

    14. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In addition to the obvious suspects Kasparov, Kramnik, & Anand (all of whom are completely fluent in English), I'd add Adams, Leko, Morozevich, Rublevsky, Svidler, Grischuk, and Shirov.

      For all of these--and for Fischer at his peak--an 8-0 blitz result against Short would be a bit of a fluke. Like Fischer, Short is a former prodigy--the natural talents are generally phenomenally strong at blitz.

      Of all the folks named, Morozevich might be the one most likely to "spoof" Fischer in the fashion described. Who else would play 1.f3 ... 2.Kf2 ... 3.Ke3 ... 4.Kf4?

      But I'm 90% sure it's Fischer.

    15. Re:Rounders. by Starship+Titanic · · Score: 2, Informative

      Umm, no.
      That's 1 point for a win, 1/2 for a tie, 0 for a loss.

      --
      This is an EX-PARROT!
    16. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > As for being spanked by Quakers, I thought they believed in non-violence.

      Spare the rod and spoil the child? You're kidding, right?

    17. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      God knows nobody else who could club Nigel like a baby seal would have ever heard about that...

    18. Re:Rounders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, I'm not kidding. I went to a primary school that had a Quaker headmaster. In an era where corporal punishment was (rightly or wrongly) commonplace, e.g. as practiced by the previous headmaster, our Quaker friend was well known for never hitting a child.

      Of course, the kids ran riot... ;-)

  5. An alternative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An alternative of course is that this mystery player is a computer. (Although it could also be Elvis...)

    1. Re:An alternative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine a Be

  6. Re:First move! by blowy · · Score: 0

    chess mate!

  7. Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    without exposing his, um, "eccentricities"

    anybody have more info on what those eccentricities are?

    1. Re:Interesting by Raunchola · · Score: 5, Informative

      This should give you some background info on Fischer and his "eccentricities."

      --

      --
      The real Raunchola isn't cool enough to have any imposters
    2. Re:Interesting by philipm · · Score: 0

      Hmm. All these references to cuba and denying the holocaust make me think.

      Specifically they make methink that the jewish american mafia is out to get him. And I owuld know.

      Get his paranoid ass, Boris Goldman!

    3. Re:Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He is a a highly opinionated person with racial
      theories and an oddball ragbag of paranoid neuroses, or at least he was.
      All of us have our closeted views but bobby was a
      little more outspoken than a prudent person would be.

    4. Re:Interesting by SilentChris · · Score: 2
      It's particularly interesting to read that Fischer played until his ranking was significantly high enough to be deemed a Master, then fell off the face of the earth.

      I don't know how chess rankings are determined, but I know that in other ranking systems (for online games, for example) the rank is based on playing players of the same caliber or better. In a rudimentary example, if you are ranked 2nd and you beat the player who's ranked 1st, you become 1st.

      However, one of the problems of this design is that once someone becomes 1st, they no longer really have to play. Since no one can challenge their ranking, no one else can reach the top spot anymore. I've noticed people doing this in, of all things, Unreal Tournament. The top players win a few key matches against higher players, then sit tight for the rest of their stay at the top. The only thing that prevents them from staying on the top forever is that the records are purged quarterly.

      Again, I don't know how chess rankings work, but if they're similar one has to ask whether or not Bobby simply didn't want to play at the risk of losing.

  8. Anonymous Coward Online by pubudu · · Score: 2, Offtopic

    This story from /. suggests that Anonymous Coward is posting online against +1 bonus level posters. I'm glad to see that he has an opportunity to express his "genius" without having to deal with the overwhelming attention (and without exposing his, um, "eccentricities".)

    --
    ~~~~~~

    under-paid karma whore

    1. Re:Anonymous Coward Online by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're laughing, but you'd be surprised by the number of Nobel prize laureates who post as AC's on slashdot. It's an informal competition. At the end of each month, we compare the number of +5 posts we each have and update the ranking. It's great fun.

    2. Re:Anonymous Coward Online by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 1

      Please. Not all of us are ACs.

      Dancin Santa

    3. Re:Anonymous Coward Online by KFury · · Score: 1

      And not all of you get modded to 5 either. ;-)

    4. Re:Anonymous Coward Online by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 1

      :-) Not for quite a while, at least.

  9. I hate chess. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I constantly lose to chess programs. I hate that damn game.

    1. Re:I hate chess. by philipm · · Score: 0

      Hate the computer, not the game!

    2. Re:I hate chess. by bbh · · Score: 1

      Clearly not all Anonymous folks are grandmasters in disguise...

    3. Re:I hate chess. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hate their programmers, not the machines. Geeks are a blight on Humanity.

  10. proof by seanw · · Score: 5, Interesting

    of course there probably isn't any way to prove that this was actually Fischer, but I for one belive Short, the man who claims to have played him, for one reason: whatever happpened during these game, he seems absolutely moved, as though the moves themselves had a power and grandeur that transcenced the game. I guess it could be fake, but he sounds like these games wanted to make him cry.

    I wonder though if he wouldn't post the move lists the for games. that would tell us something.

    sean

    1. Re:proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd especially like to see the game where Short's opponent shifted all her/his pawns forward one square then kicked Short's ass. Whoever she/he is, she/he certainly has panache.

      In a related story, I just found Capablanca's remains buried in my backyard. What a coincidence!

    2. Re:proof by notext · · Score: 1

      Well he talks about the player making totally absurd moves that no grandmaster would ever make so the move lists probably wouldn't do much.

      This is also the reason I think he might be wrong. My guess is its someone using a very, very good chess program but he needs to pass himself off as someone known, no one could be that could without being known. His only option is someone who is hiding from the public, otherwise the truth would come out rather easily.

      Of course there is the chance it could be him. I just don't think so.

    3. Re:proof by sokoban · · Score: 1

      True, it is possible that someone could be faking as Bobby Fischer, but aganst a player such as Short who has without a doubt rigorously studied fischer's games, a fake would be harder and harder to pull off. Especially at speed and rapid games, a distinct style such as Fischer's would be easy to spot. I can only think of a few players that would be able to play like Fischer (Shirov perhaps?) and make it believable. A computer could possibly replicate a Fischer-like strategical fury, but it would be impossible to be certain without more games with full analysis. Also, Fischer is over 50 years old now, so I would tend to doubt his prowess at 3 minute. Short is strong, but I would rather see this mystery player match Shirov or maybe Kramnik.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 is the magic number.
    4. Re:proof by Bradee-oh! · · Score: 1

      While really, really good chess programs obviously do exist, I haven't heard of a single one that can play at a Grandmaster level in SPEED chess...

      The advantage computers have in chess is pure computational power and the reason they do so well in real tournaments is because they have minutes to process for each move. Speed chess games, that take a maximum of 6 minutes (3 minutes for each player) are not the strong point of any respectible computer chess program.

      --
      "This is Zombo Com, and welcome to you who have come to Zombo Com" - www.zombo.com
    5. Re:proof by looie · · Score: 1, Interesting
      The advantage computers have in chess is pure computational power and the reason they do so well in real tournaments is because they have minutes to process for each move. Speed chess games, that take a maximum of 6 minutes (3 minutes for each player) are not the strong point of any respectible computer chess program.

      This is backwards. It's much more difficult to beat a computer at speed chess than it is in a game at tournament time control. The reason is simple: the computer can analyze at a rate orders of magnitude more quickly than the human player. It's not uncommon for a computer in a 5-minute game to blitz off 20 moves in under a minute, something very difficult for the human player to do (just the mechanics of moving the piece are a significant time factor). The human player's slower thought process frequently will guarantee a loss on time even if he stays in the game.

      Computers don't do nearly as well in tournaments at standard time controls as they do at short time controls. The reasons are two: at the longer time control, the human doesn't give up the computational advantage -- her imagination can come into play; and the human can play a positional game, something at which almost all present chess computers still pretty much suck.

      mp

      --
      "The secret to strong security: less reliance on secrets." -- Whitfield Diffie
  11. Maybe it WAS him! by WickedClean · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I play chess online a good bit, and Bobby Fischer or not - there are some badass chess players out there. Sometime I can hold my own and other times those guys pull all kinds of weird stuff on me. My mother once found Omar Sharif playing bridge online.

    --
    ...All I can say is that my life is pretty strange...
    1. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by alexmogil · · Score: 5, Funny

      I know what you mean.. I was playing Bridge Builder online against someone who was making IMPOSSIBLE structures, yet he won time and time again. Later I found it to be I. M. Pei. Who knew?

      --
      A winner is you!
    2. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by Gogl · · Score: 2

      And maybe it was somebody using a computer...

      The problem with online chess, and online games in general, is people with nothing better to do sometimes give themselves ego boosts by using computer programs to trounce their opponents. While I'm not saying somebody out there has a BobbyBot, it is true that many of the "badass" players out there are cheating. Sad, but true.

    3. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by NMerriam · · Score: 2

      I played checkers with Jesus once on the MS Gaming Zone. I mean, talk about a stacked deck!

      --
      Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
    4. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by WickedClean · · Score: 1

      Well anyone who has played me would know I am not cheating. I got Chessmaster 8000, too...maybe I should give that a shot. Hmmmm.

      --
      ...All I can say is that my life is pretty strange...
    5. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

      Linux kernel hacker says anonymous 8" disk drive driver author was Bill Gates

      Sunday, September 9, 2001
      Breaking News Sections

      (09-09) 11:06 PDT LONDON (AP) --

      A British Linux kernel hacker is convinced that Bill Gates, one of computing's most legendary and elusive figures, is programming again -- anonymously for little-used Linux drivers.

      "I am 99 percent sure that I am getting driver submissions from the computing legend," Alan Cox told The Sunday Telegraph. "It's tremendously exciting."

      Gates, an American, fascinated the world by winning an epic battle against a Californian, Steve Jobs, in the desktop PC market in 1982. Then he disappeared, only to re-emerge from the Death Star in 1992 for a controversial rematch against Netscape in the Browser Market.

      Gates won, and then disappeared again after U.S. authorities accused him of violating sanctions imposed against monopolies by playing the match.

      He has remained out of the public eye and his whereabouts are unknown, although the Telegraph said he is believed to be living in cyberspace a la The Lawn Mower Man or Tron. Cox said he does not know where Gates is.

      Cox, who unsuccessfully challenged Linus Torvalds for world Linux core kernel functionality control in 1993 in the Klingon ritual of Mauk-to 'Vor, said rumors began circulating last year that the American champion was anonymously authoring Linux drivers in quick, three-line snippets of badly-written Visual Basic code on "alt.binaries.BSOD.screenshots". Cox said he was skeptical, even after his friend, Brazilian Kernel developer Rik Van Riel, claimed to have run a Bill Gates-authored Linux driver.

      "I could not help but burst into laughter, much as I would have done had my friend claimed to have seen the Loch Ness monster," Cox wrote in an article for the Sunday newspaper.

      A few weeks later, Cox said, he was approached by someone who identified himself as an intermediary for "a very strong Visual Basic programmer ... who wished to preserve his anonymity." The intermediary gave Cox a special code word and arranged a time for a future drive submission.

      "I thought that this 'intermediary' was almost certainly a fraud or a time-waster ... but on the off-chance of meeting the Loch Ness monster of world computer domination, I agreed," Cox wrote.

      When the prearranged time came, Cox was requested by the anonymous player to sign into "alt.binaries.BSOD.screenshots" anonymously instead of as himself. That way no one would know Cox was submitting, and his drivers would not be put under public scrutiny, as they normally are.

      Cox ran eight three-line Linux drivers for little-used peripherals in VB. Cox's machine was crashed.

      "I never confronted my submitter with the question, 'Am I using VB code authored by Bill Gates,' " Cox conceded. But during subsequent driver usage, Cox said he noticed comments in the VB code, and the comments all seemed like they could only come from one man.

      "He was obviously very familiar in a gossipy way with the major figures in the desktop PC world of the 1980s -- Gate's period of greatest activity," wrote Cox. "He was polite, he was funny, and clearly a Taelon, to judge from his spelling and pattern of conversation."

      Cox is convinced that the author of the 8" disk drive Linux driver was the legendary Gates, and he said that he will always treasure the drivers he ran.

      "To me, they are what an undiscovered Milli Vanilli symphony would be to a music lover," Cox wrote.

      "alt.binaries.BSOD.screenshots", based in Redmond, did not immediately respond to a post seeking comment on Cox's piece Sunday.

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    6. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I had mod points my friend...

    7. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by notsoanonymouscoward · · Score: 1

      now that my friend was a work of art.

      --
      I ate my sig.
    8. Re:Maybe it WAS him! by Yumi+Saotome · · Score: 1

      Yeah, definitely. Once, I met Garry Trudeau while playing bridge online. Damn, that man can play a good game of bridge!

  12. Interesting, hoax or not! by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I have to admit, the evidence that Fischer is really out there is much better than I expected it to be before I read the articles. Still, it is very hard to have any idea of who your opponent is in internet chess.

    Maybe it's an American Fischer fan who learned all the "Fisher-related facts." The only evidence against that is just the quality of play.

    Still--can we rule out it was a very powerful experimental chess computer or a very talented and reclusive chess star? Maybe Kramnik or Kasparov has an odd sense of humor and was making all the moves while his American buddy was doing all the typing.

    Unless it's one of the current greats incognito, this story is interesting even if the opponent really isn't Fischer. It sounds like there's someone out there with an incredible chess talent!

    1. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by AltGrendel · · Score: 1
      I don't think this was interesting or a good story for /. at all.

      I mean, there could be a vague connection to the Deep Blue stuff somewhere, but that's about it.

      --
      The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination

      - Douglas Adams

    2. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by rmull · · Score: 1

      Dude, chess is pretty nerdy - I think that's the qualifier.

      --
      See you, space cowboy...
    3. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      get a life

    4. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by Chrimble · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Unlikely it's Kasparov, seeing as Short drew 6-6 against him last time they played Blitz. According to Short, the anonymous player was a lot stronger, although sometimes inclined to make mistakes that a computer program wouldn't.

      I read the full article this morning (unfortunately I don't think it's online - but there are quite a few articles *about* the article), and it's really rather convincing - if not conclusive - but then he claims only to be 99% certain.

      Short even went so far as to speak about it with Spassky:

      • "When I said that, contrary to popular perception, he didn't sound mad, at all, Boris replied 'Of course he isn't'".

      Here is another quote from the article, to add a little more perspective:

      • "I have discovered three or four others with a similar story to tell - although the reliability of some people's evidence is complicated by the fact that, according to one of the ICC's administrators there are at least three Fischer hoaxers (two amateurs using computers and one grandmaster)"

      In all, I think that Short makes a good, if not entirely convincing case. If only he'd recorded the games... I'd have loved to have seen that eight-pawns by one-square game... 8)

      --
      Read my online journal: http://chris.carline.org
    5. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by JAVAC+THE+GREAT · · Score: 2
      Full article is here.


      On a related note, I just violated the posercomment compression filter. Comment aborted

    6. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by fishbowl · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >can we rule out it was a very powerful >experimental chess computer

      Probably. Many people make the assumption that
      the internet chess servers are filled with people who are using chess computers and
      software to cheat. They are there, but
      they are easy to spot. Very advanced players
      can easily tell when they are playing against
      a machine, and they can often tell you after
      only a few games which one they are playing against. People who try to cheat with computers, are in for a shock when they find out how easily it is detected. Kasparov claimed that Deep Blue was "insightful", but, that machine wouldn't play like Fischer. It may be insightful, but if it has a genuine sense of humor, it might pass the Turing Test... I really don't think a chess computer is going to fool a grandmaster into believing it's Bobby Fischer.

      >or a very talented and reclusive chess star?

      This isn't the first unconfirmed Fischer sigting. I'd say it is far more likely that a very talented person is out there, than someone has a machine that can fool even a recreational player (let's say 1700 level) into believing he is playing against a human. Whether that person Fischer or not is something we have to decide for ourselves, depending on how romantic we are about the whole thing. Consider there is no evidence presented. Let's see a double blind study, by chess historians and players, and find out if anyone else comes to the same conclusion.
      According to Mr. Short's story, that should be possible.

      I haven't noticed a ref to the specific games, which had better be recorded or else this is a ufo sighting (without the fuzzy photos even).
      I would find it unironic that the least of my lost-in-20-moves games is archived indefinitely on FICS, while Bobby Fischer is playing on some ICC server with no record of the games?!

      I hope for the sake of Mr. Short's reputation and his sanity, that he has recorded the moves in these games by the anonymous, enigmatic, ephimeral Bobby Fischer.

      One of my books covers all of Fischer's games from 1965 to 1972. In the preface, the author points out that "[Fischer's] carrer is still in its early stages..." Seems I need to add some more annotated games. I'd especially like to see the "odds-all-pawns-to-3" line.

      I have often wondered whether Fischer's, a.k.a. Robert D. James' reclusiveness originates not from being a primadonna, but from fear of the
      mindless bureaucracy of the US. During a time period when the FBI seemed to take special interest in celebrities, he publicly provoked the State Department by playing in Yugoslavia while US sanctions were in force, and even admitted publicly that he had not paid his income taxes, and wasn't going to.

      He is rumored to have had a number of run-ins with the police, and claimed to have been subjected to police brutality in Los Angeles, but that story may also be a hoax. Still, he has a dark enough history with Uncle Sam that maybe it's understandable he would want to live in seclusion, almost certainly outside the United States, its territories, assigns, and protectorates.

      As for the chess games he is said to be playing, I'm from Missouri, until the chess moves are shown to the community. If someone claimed to have found a lost Mozart piano concerto, it had damned well better stand up to peer review and the consensus process.

      Regards,
      James, who is lousy at chess (1300+)

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    7. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      moron.

    8. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by Alien54 · · Score: 2
      What is especially interesting is the style of play. Please note that this is speed chess. Apparently, after a certain point, he found that the opening was basically not important.

      the game mentioned in the BBC piece had the mystery opponent pusing the pawns all forward one row. and then kicking butt on the grand master.

      obviously someone of high skill messing with the minds of his opponents.

      - - -
      Radio Free Nation
      an alternate news site using Slash Code
      "If You have a Story, We have a Soap Box"

      --
      "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
    9. Re:Interesting, hoax or not! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dumbass.

  13. Shaky Evidence by Diplomat73 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I find this interesting since British Grandmaster Nigel Short has this theory just based on the style he played with that "person". Short said his adversary's style of play was very intriguing and something he had not seen before..
    "My unseen opponent began with some highly irregular, if not totally absurd, opening moves - shifting all his pawns forward by one square. These were moves that no Grandmaster(?) would ever play." Short said he immediately suspected a hoax, but became aware there was method in the apparent madness.
    If you ask me this evidence is very shaky and In my opinoin the thought of Bobby fisher playing is only a rumor

    --

    Diplomacy is the art of letting people have your way

    1. Re:Shaky Evidence by OblongPlatypus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Moderators, please read the articles before you do your thing..

      The articles both seem to say Short bases his theory on online conversations with the mysterious player, not on playing style. I'm not saying that makes it less shaky evidence, but let's at least stick to the facts of the article.

      --
      -- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
    2. Re:Shaky Evidence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But having said that, the implication is that even if it's not Fischer, there's some guy out there who's better at speed chess than Kasparov - so either way, the news is pretty amazing.

    3. Re:Shaky Evidence by stripes · · Score: 2
      The articles both seem to say Short bases his theory on online conversations with the mysterious player, not on playing style.

      I think it is based on both. If the play hadn't been top notch the talk wouldn't have mattered. The quality of the play and talk are both clearly part of it. The odd moves less so.

    4. Re:Shaky Evidence by Artagel · · Score: 2

      Actually, it is not weak evidence, it is strong evidence. Bobby Fischer has had hard feelings against the chess world since it took his title from him and handed it to Karpov. This unconventional approach is exactly the type of nose-tweaking that he would love. Having read books of his games, he loved the wide-open, inspirational, unexplored positions. He also loves his aura of mystery, and playing anonymously makes perfect sense.

      The odds that there is a world-class player, even speed chess player, that is totally unknown to Nigel Short is quite small. The number of inactive/retired players it could be is also small. Mr. Short may be wrong, but his belief has a lot of support.

      I remember running a MUD. We could tell who the PERSON playing was by text message content alone, even when characters and IP addresses changed. It isn't THAT hard to identify individual style. Think about it -- it is not that hard to distinguish a Van Gogh painting from a Picasso. Even if you don't read the signature.

  14. Pawns shifted forward? by rokicki · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This seems incredible to me, that anyone playing someone of the caliber of Short can move all his pawns one square forward (giving Short 8 moves to develop his attack, essentially)---and still win!


    Any chess experts want to comment on this unconventional play?

    1. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Troll

      I think the fact is, that he was not a good chess player, but he was cheating. Anybody knows that on a given move, you can only move one pawn forward. Obviously he cheated by moving all 8. He probably cheated in other ways to go on and win too.

    2. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're really good you can do it without cheating.

    3. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by iabervon · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'd guess that he wanted to throw Short off (it sounds like that game was the first), and possibly get him to be careless, and also to make 8 quick moves at the beginning, saving his time for later. Also, while they're lousy moves to start with, they don't lead to any obvious attacks, so Short probably didn't have time to figure out how to take advantage of his ability to develop an attack without being bothered.

    4. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Short mentioned that his opponent gave him extra time on his clock so it could be more of a positional battle rather than a time-restricted one.

      Also, while i'm not a chess expert - clearly this unconventional move with the pawns could foul up most openings.

      Although I know this. Its is very rare for anyone (or anything) to take 8 out of 8 games from a grandmaster. If this is Fischer, perhaps he's been sitting around thinking up crazy ideas the past few years and wanted to try 'em out against some tough opponents.

      Tom

    5. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Here are his games, move by move.

      As you can see, he brings his king to the center of his board. Very wierd.

    6. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by groomed · · Score: 1

      I don't think he's really giving Short 8 moves. He's getting his pawns out of the way and throwing Short off balance. Given that most chess games will have two or three pawn moves in the first 8 moves, and given the obvious strategical import of moving all 8 (since he did win after all), you could say he didn't "give" Short any moves at all. Of course, I'm not a chess expert.

    7. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by phantumstranger · · Score: 1, Interesting
      Contrary to popular belief, or stated misnomers, pushing pawns forward does very little to upset an opponent. It may however give the opponent a sense of empowerment because while the only pieces you are developing are "measly pawns" you opponent is bringing out primary, or more useful pieces towards a strong(er) development.

      If I were to bring out all my pawns one square at a time that would not only "just" develop 8 points (1 point per pawn (P), 3 - 3.5 due to preference per bishop (B), 3- 3.5 due to preference per knight (N), 5 per rook (R), 9 for the queen (Q) while the king (K) has no given value because the game is lost without it.) it would also give my opponent time (time = to amount of time given for development) to develop anywhere from 16 - 25 points for pieces. Not only that, but would appear to be even more amateurish, it would also block my Q and B's past the second rank completely and limit my N to two seemingly inconsequential squares behind my pawns (D2 / E2 given I'm playing white).

      OTOH, while my seemingly lack of development is allowing my opponent to "take over the board" I am also given ample time to review the movements that my opponent makes and subsequently be in a better position to attack a weak line given the right time (time in development terms as well as actual minutes and seconds since this was a game of blitz). While it's not something I would suggest a novice do in competitive play (read: me) I can surely see how a GM, or higher in Fischer's case IMHO, would be able to capitalize it.

      I would love to see the notation to see just what level of genius this was. IIRC, Short lost, or in his words, "was crushed" in all 6 games; that's (excuse the language) fucking huge!!! I have no idea as to whether or not it was Fischer playing but I have to say that it's a much more intriguing mystery to me than the Loch Ness Monster.

      --
      "From of old, there are not lacking things that have attained Oneness." - Lao Tzu
    8. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Lac · · Score: 1

      Erm. You obviously do not know much about chess.

      to make 8 quick moves at the beginning, saving his time for later

      This is mostly non-sensical. "Quick moves" do not exist in chess. Moving is never slow... Thinking about it is. And for most games, world-class chess players do not have to think about opening moves. They can, but going through the Sicilian is no slower for them than moving all pawns sequentially.

      Also, while they're lousy moves to start with, they don't lead to any obvious attacks,

      Well, I don't know how obvious you want it, but for starters B3 is left unprotected if you move all of your pawns and nothing else. Plus, there are many different ways to check-mate in under eight moves. At the international level, wasted opening moves precisely lead to obvious attacks (obvious to the players). Giving away 8 moves is suicide.

      so Short probably didn't have time to figure out how to take advantage of his ability to develop an attack without being bothered.

      Not enough time? To win when someone throws away his first eight moves? He had three minutes. I'd have enough time! Do you have any idea what the man would do to you on a chess table even with just 30 seconds on the clock? The very thought sends shivers down my spine.

      And what do I think? Read between the lines. Get the general gist. Bobby didn't move A2-A3, B2-B3... H2-H3. He did a very cramped, Caro-Kann style development , had most or all of his pawns go through row 3 early in the game, and most of them stay there for a while. Or something like that.

      Or maybe you're right. Maybe Short got so confused, he let a dead-easy win slip through his fingers. What do I know? I'm no master, and I didn't see the game (nor would I really understand it if i did). But I don't think I could win a tennis match against Andrei Agassi... Even if I played bad enough, which I would.

    9. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Gorimek · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I wouldn't call myself an expert player, but I've played for 35 years, and I know a lot about it.

      I'm also stunned by this. I would have thought such a position was clinically lost. And it probably is in a real game, but in a blitz game Short has too little time to figure out this alien position, while Fisher has probably spent quite some time studying it and is aware of all the quirks of it.

      Still, had someone asked me if this was possible, I would have laughed at it. And so would probably Short,.

      I suppose it could be a computer or Kasparov on LSD, but it sure smells like Fisher. It's just the kind of thing he would do...

    10. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 3, Funny
      I think the fact is, that he was not a good chess player, but he was cheating.
      Someone grab a demo. I bet he was running a speedhack on his chess client.

      (sigh) Too much Quake this weekend...

    11. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by ignatzMouse · · Score: 1
      Damn, that's some wierd ass shit. I would have though it was some kind of transposition to the Grob that Basman had come up with to fuck with people's heads, until he threw in some side variations of the Roy Lopez and Slav. Wasn't the Slav his big surprise at the Spasky rematch in Yugoslavia?

      I can just see him sitting in some dirty hotel in Wien working on this opening for years. What a nut.

      --
      No artist tolerates reality. -- Nietzsche
    12. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Malcontent · · Score: 2

      I am not much of a chess player but that game three is some kind of voo-doo. In the beginning of the game he moves his king around but eventually the king ends up back where it started. I burst out laughing. If I was a GM, and someone did that to me, and I still lost the game I would be astonished (and maybe even ashamed). Insane and brilliant just awsome.

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    13. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by fishbowl · · Score: 2



      > This seems incredible to me, that anyone
      >playing someone of the caliber of Short can
      >move all his pawns one square forward (giving
      >Short 8 moves to develop his attack,
      >essentially)---and still win!
      ion, it sounds like

      I want to see this line. It makes all the difference in the world in what order he moved the pawns, and whether he could do it and win with either side. The loss in tempo and development is pretty obnoxious, but if you knew what to do next with the wall of pawns on the 3rd rank, it might be very interesting. You haven't developed anything, but the pawn moves give the pieces some space. By that time the opponent has utter control of the middle, has both his bishops and both his knights out, and probably has either the queen or a rook developed. But it's not as if you've given up 8 moves! It looks like a really bad position, but it might be salvageable.

      Here's Gnuchess getting a draw out of the situation (white opening with each pawn one square from A-H). But if your opponent knows what you're up to, and you open with different pawns at each move different lines of the reply possibilites exist. I really wish we could see and analyze these games.

      1. a3 Nc6 2. b3 Nf6 3. c3 e5 4. d3 Be7 5. e3 d5 6. f3 O-O 7. g3 Bf5 8. h3 e4 9. Kf2 Rb8 10. dxe4 dxe4 11. Qxd8 Rfxd8 12. Nd2 Ne5 13. f4 Nd3+ 14. Bxd3 exd3 15. Ngf3 Kf8 16. Bb2 Ra8 17. g4 Bd7 18. Ne5 Be6 19. Kf3 Rd6 20. f5 Nd7 21. c4 Bf62 2. Nxd7+ Bxd7 23. Bxf6 Rxf6 24. e4 Re8 25. g5 Rd6 26. c5 Rd4 27. Rae1 Bc6 28. Rhg1 Re5 29. Ke3 Rd7 30. Rc1 g6 31. f6 h6 32. gxh6 Rh5 33.Rg3 Rxh6 34. a4 Ke8 35. Rc3 Rh5 36. Rf3 Kd8 37. Rg3 Ke8 38. Kf4 Rh4+ 39.Ke3 Rh5
      {draw} 1/2-1/2

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    14. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by zbuffered · · Score: 1

      I've looked at several of these games, and I can't for the life of me figure out why white (Fontaine) resigned game 8 from the Fontaine matches. Why not just Ne5? Anybody?

      --
      Synergy is your friend
    15. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Lac · · Score: 1

      Replying to myself... Obviously, my chess skills are getting rusty.

      for starters B3 is left unprotected if you move all of your pawns and nothing else

      Of course, that is not true. B3 is protected by the queen... The pawn which is left wide open is actually G3, on the king's side. I remember a time when thinking about chess in bed meant going deeper than "Doesn't the queen start on D1?" Ah... The good old days.

    16. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Steeltoe · · Score: 1

      There is no Ne5, that knight is lost. Also, I can see no progressive moves for white but lots for black. I usually resign at such times too.

      - Steeltoe

    17. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Steeltoe · · Score: 1

      Look at the games. Sometimes he's moving 4 pawns and 4 king-moves in the first 8 moves, and wins. Wow. Now, the moves looks really solid when he plays it (especially against poor players like me), but he's definately giving out tempo. In a few games here and there, he's moving king back and forth, back and forth.. Both of these tactics should be inferior to castling to either side. Most of the games contains multiple opening king-moves by "Fischer".

      I have strong doubts he could get away with it in a standard game. But blitz games are usually more entertaining anyways. The problem is of course to take advantage of these unorthodox openings of his in such a short time. Thinking you have a superior position is often the #1 reason of failure in chess.

      - Steeltoe

    18. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by Crixus · · Score: 2
      This seems incredible to me, that anyone playing someone of the caliber of Short can move all his pawns one square forward (giving Short 8 moves to develop his attack, essentially)---and still win! Any chess experts want to comment on this unconventional play?

      I am by no means a chess expert. My USCF rating is around 1600. I have played white, while my opponent (a similarly rated player) did exactly this. Moved his pawns forward one square until they were all developed into that position.

      This is nowehere near "book" opening play, and for me it was very hard to develop a good attack against this opening (and it does have a name).

      We played 5 or 6 games in a row like this and I had very little success mounting a quick, early attack, despite the fact that he used this seemingly ridiculous opening.

      Rich...

      --
      Ignore Alien Orders
    19. Re:Pawns shifted forward? by iabervon · · Score: 2

      Obviously, even if his first 8 moves were to advance each of his pawns, he presumably did it in a relatively sensible order, and also didn't say beforehand what he was doing. Most of the ways to checkmate in under 8 moves (at least the really short ones) involve the loser blocking himself in significantly without any real defense; just moving all of the pawns around the king forward one makes it a bit less likely to lose quickly (although it makes it much more likely you'd lose eventually...).

      Short probably played a standard openning planning for a middle game win, discovered a few moves in that his opponent was doing essentially nothing, but Short hadn't planned for that particular situation, so he essentially got to put his pieces anywhere he wanted on his side of the board before his opponent started playing. It's not like anyone thinks about what they'd do if their opponent plays E3, G3, B3, D3, A3, C3, H3, F3; 3 minutes would probably be long enough to think of something, but if you only figure out what's going on after 4 moves or so, and you don't really know the person will play the next 4, you might not want to spend the time figuring it out, considering that, if you think for 3 minutes and then the person doesn't just move pawns, you won't have time to think later.

      I think he didn't exactly give up a dead-easy win, since he didn't know in advance that it would be like that. More that he got a huge positional advantage at the beginning and then lost anyway. I think that's somewhat plausible if he were playing someone as good as Fisher who had thought a lot about playing against a great positional advantage.

      I bet Andrei Agassi could beat you in a tennis match even if he just stood there for the first few games. Not that tennis is all that similar, not being positional, but still...

  15. hmm by Drath · · Score: 2, Funny

    Did they ever find that guy, last i heard they were still looking for him.

    Hilarious, Google Search: bobby fischer

  16. it's no big deal by bobby_fischer · · Score: 1, Troll

    When your as good as me

  17. Anonymous Hero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The name should be anonymous hero, but I am Bobby Fischer. Who da man!?!

  18. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by none2222 · · Score: 5, Informative
    . . . I've been following the chess world for the past few years, and though I've heard of Bobby Fischer a few times, I still don't know exactly who he is . . .


    I find it hard to understand how someone who has been interested in chess for the length of time you claim to have been, can be ignorant of Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest players of all time.


    Bobby was the youngest International Grandmaster ever. He won 8 US Chess Championships, and won basically every game he played between 1962 and 1972.


    Unfortunately, he has become a reclusive paranoid schizophrenic who rants about how the Jews and Russians are out to get him (it should be noted that Bobby is half-Jewish).


    By the way, in the future, perhaps you should try Google for queries like this.

    --
    If you have a problem with my views, REPLY, don't moderate!
  19. Oh, come on by ColGraff · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why does Short think this guy is Fischer? Because he whipped Short's ass and because he's familiar with obscure players from the sixties? Look, I'm really into computers from the 80s and late 70s. I could rattle off a large amount of obscure stats about Colecos, a bunch of z80 machines, early apples, including file systems, bus speeds - does this mean I'm Steve Wozniak or Bill Gates? I don't think so. Neither are all the other hundreds of people on /. with the same interest.

    As for this guy being a good chess player - good for him, it doesn't mean he's fischer. I'm sure there are people of world-class quality at chess who choose not to go pro for a variety of reasons - again, it doesn't make them bobby fischer.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    1. Re:Oh, come on by sokoban · · Score: 4, Insightful

      After studying hundreds of players styles and analyzing thousands of games like all modern grandmasters have, it is entirely possible for any of them to be able to identify anonymous opponents. Chess style is very much like handwriting, you can obscure your little nuances, but to the trained eye each person is unique. The random opening moves and the aggression with which this player played all suggest Fischer. Fischer was an advocate of opening deconstruction with his "Fischerrandom" variation of Chess. Also, pawn push openings and blitz play are definitely hypermodern ideas of which Fischer was the master. Really, though this has to either be a computer (which is insane considering the opening book it would be using), or a grandmaster since the preparation needed for top level play is far more than any non-professional could achieve. I would in fact be willing to wager that there is not a single amateur (meaning non-GM) player who could so thoroughly destroy a top level grandmaster such as Short.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 is the magic number.
    2. Re:Oh, come on by Have+Blue · · Score: 2

      A more proper analogy would be a mysterious stranger walking into Radio Shack, pulling random parts off the shelf, and building a functional Apple II out of them in 15 minutes. If that ever happened, it probably would be strong evidence that it was Woz himself.

    3. Re:Oh, come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As for this guy being a good chess player - good for him, it doesn't mean he's fischer. I'm sure there are people of world-class quality at chess who choose not to go pro for a variety of reasons - again, it doesn't make them bobby fischer.

      This is so utterly wrong it's difficult to explain to a non-chess-player just how wrong it is. It's like saying that there are plenly of basketball players just as good as Michael Jordan who choose not to go pro.

      To be world-class at chess requires years of hard work and study that consumes all your time. You cannot be an occasional player and be world class. And your opponents must also be world class. When Korchnoi angered the Russians, Russian grandmasters were instructed not to play him--the lack of world-class competition is probably what prevented him from improving his skills to the level required to be world-champion.

      There are probably three people in the world who could beat Short that badly in 3 minute chess; Anand, Kramnik, and Kasparov (and apparently Bobby Fischer). No other person on the planet could do it, unless Short was unconsciously throwing the games.

      Of course, chess programs are stronger than humans at fast time limits. Someone with a very good computer and a sense of humor might be able to pull it off, but you can usually tell a program by its playing style; I don't think Short could be fooled

    4. Re:Oh, come on by Our+Man+In+Redmond · · Score: 5, Funny

      Let's say you claimed to be Steve Wozniak. There are questions I could ask you -- about the design of the Apple II, about the members of the Homebrew Computer Club, about the Bay Area of the mid-70s -- that in and of themselves would not establish whether or not you really were The Woz, but could rule you out. For instance, if I created a ficticious member of the HCC and started asking you about him, if you went on about this guy's eccentricities you would obviously be a poser.

      Answer enough of these questions and you might not establish yourself to be Woz, but if you don't rule yourself out and show consistency both with your story and with the world as we know it, you COULD be Woz.

      In this particular story there is another, unique dimension to it -- the chess play. If you study the styles of the past masters enough, you might be able to look at a game and get a good idea of which players might have played it. For instance, it's been many years but I believe Fischer was partial to the Sicilian Defense. If Short's opponent used the Sicilian, and in particular lines that Fischer was known to favor, that would be yet another indication that he was indeed playing Bobby Fischer.

      The only credible alternative explanation I can come up with at the moment is that Short was playing a grandmaster-level player intimately familiar with Fischer's style -- someone perhaps like Larry Evans, who helped Fischer analyze positions during breaks in play. Few people would be able to pull something like that off, though.

      --
      Someone you trust is one of us.
    5. Re:Oh, come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Christ you people really need to get a fucking life. You're worse than those fat-ass couch potatoes who sit around on Sunday watching football commenting on it as if they were Tom Landry.

    6. Re:Oh, come on by brunes69 · · Score: 4, Funny

      It would also be strong evidence that the guy had the grace of God working for him, as I can hardly ever find blue LED's in stock at my Radio Shack, let alone parts to build an Apple II. All they like to carry nowadays are Cell phones and RC's.

    7. Re:Oh, come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're forgetting something though. If this guy IS Bobby Fischer and he wants to remain anonymous it's very easy to lie about your questions and mislead you. Take your example of Wozniak. I could easily go on about that guy and you would think I'm a liar. Hence, you'd rule I wasn't Wozniak and that would be that. I win. I'm anonymous but I still build your Apple II in 15 minutes so I'm an anonymous genius.

    8. Re:Oh, come on by GoofyBoy · · Score: 1

      >Someone with a very good computer and a sense of humor might be able to pull it off,

      That would be impressive. Its a 3 minute game and to win from a "move all pawns forward" position is quite impressive.

      At the very least it would be two people doing it.

      --
      The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    9. Re:Oh, come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's like saying that there are plenly of basketball players just as good as Michael Jordan who choose not to go pro.

      At a some BB courts (in NYC at least) there are guys known for playing great street ball. So great in fact that the pros really do come and get their asses beat by these amateurs.

      Why don't they go pro? God only knows, maybe the difference between street ball and NBA is too much, maybe they do drugs, maybe they can't play on an indoor court, or they just don't have the confidence to do it.

      Whatever, the point being that there are talented amateurs in any field that CAN BE better than real professionals, and don't go into it for a myriad of reasons.

      Part of being professional, of course, is being good enough EVERY DAY, not just when you feel like it. I've found in my field (art) that's the biggest distinction between professionals and great amateurs -- there are lots of folks who can do professional-level work but it takes twice as long and they have to be "in the mood". I can get up and have a cold and still make a professional piece (although it probably won't be my best work ever)...

    10. Re:Oh, come on by pedro · · Score: 1

      Let me add that to thoroughly impersonate The Woz, you'd need to know the *very* obscure details of the 82*** Signetics components he used in the Apple II design. IIRC, he used them because they were 'around'. Great parts, though, but DEFINITELY unlike the 74*** series components most TTL and CMOS hackers are used to.

      I know, 'cause I've used them. I could spot a faker a mile away.

      --
      Brak: What's THAT?
      Thundercleese: A light switch.. of TOTAL DEVASTATION!
    11. Re:Oh, come on by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 1

      Christ you people really need to get a fucking life. You're worse than those fat-ass couch potatoes who sit around on Sunday watching football commenting on it as if they were Tom Landry.

      As opposed to those buff love machines that comment on /. on Sunday nights.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    12. Re:Oh, come on by enkidu · · Score: 1

      And whoever this guy is, Short played him on several occassions (around 50 games altogether according to Short's post on usenet) and had his head handed to him every time. This wasn't just a couple of games.

      --

      There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself
      -Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye
    13. Re:Oh, come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have a look at this

      I believe this is still the case for GM's.

    14. Re:Oh, come on by Macaw2000 · · Score: 0

      Sokoban is right. I'm no great chess player but I spent some time today going over these games and it is either Fischer OR a computer.

      Pushing your pawns one at at time and moving your king out for a gambit is just insane. I mean it's truly mad. Had I only seen the just the game and not read the surrounding story my first guess would have been a computer (who doesn't think like a normal chess player) or someone way ahead of the field like Fischer.

    15. Re:Oh, come on by dotmaudot · · Score: 1

      I remain on the idea that it's easier that Short's opponent has been a computer. Three minutes for a whole play is a really short time frame, and starting with apparently random moves led probably Nigel to a loss, since he had to think at what to do in a novel situation.

      This is no problem for a computer, however: in its "judgement", it had just not no peruse its handbook of opening moves.

      As for the chat, why should Fischer give hints about being really him? Why should he care about this? It does not match his aura. It's true that on the 'Net nobody knows that you are a dog, and it's also true that a chess champion needs to play: but I am still skeptical.

      ciao, .mau.

    16. Re:Oh, come on by Artagel · · Score: 2

      Please. The idea that Larry Evans could whip Nigel Short repeatedly is silly.

  20. anonymous karma whore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Those of you who, like me, don't know why he's a fugitive, here' s the story in brief. (Warning: bad midi background music). To make short story really really short, he played a Yugoslavian dude for money during the cold war and the US government put out an arrest warrant.

    1. Re:anonymous karma whore by geomcbay · · Score: 2

      This story is crap. Bobby Fischer was hiding before that match as well. He's hiding from the publicity/media machine, and also because he's a bit of a paranoid. The US government may have been upset that he played in Yugoslavia at the time, but surely they wouldn't arrest him for that now (or even then).

  21. Seeing is believing by Null-A · · Score: 1

    To see what Short means about this moves
    check this games against FIDE rated
    masters on the ICC only Fisher could have done
    that ,besides my bother actualy talked with one of
    the fellows of that matches and confirmed him that Fisher was his opponent
    Fisher on ICC

    [http://www.chlodwig.com/Fischer/Fi_Games_ICC.ht m]

  22. Searching for Bobby Fischer by statik_24 · · Score: 1

    This DVD is a great movie about Bobby Fischer and his life as a kid, blowing away all the other kid chess players. =) Check it out. Good movie.

    1. Re:Searching for Bobby Fischer by bugg · · Score: 1, Redundant
      Haha. That movie is about the childhood chess career of Joshua Waitzkin, not Bobby Fischer.

      IM Waitzkin performed very well in national scholastic tournaments, and is still one of USA's top players.. but he's no Fischer! I'm sure if IM Waitzkin ever read this, he'd be laughing his ass off.

      --
      -bugg
    2. Re:Searching for Bobby Fischer by notext · · Score: 0, Redundant

      The movie has almost nothing to do with Bobby Fischer.

    3. Re:Searching for Bobby Fischer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While Searching for Bobby Fischer is a very good movie, it is not about Bobby Fischer as a kid, but about another child prodigy, Josh Waitzkin.

  23. the BBC article by stickb0y · · Score: 1

    The BBC has a slightly more informative story.

    ... such as these tidbits?

    Since then [Fischer's] whereabouts have remained a mystery and he has surfaced only once - in 1992 - for a 20th anniversary rematch in Siberia....

    The SFGate article and other sources say that the rematch was in Yugoslavia.

    Short ... lost the first of their four confrontations 8-0.

    Huh?

    1. Re:the BBC article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A match can consist of more than one game.

    2. Re:the BBC article by notext · · Score: 1

      And he also surfaced after the 1992 match, only he didn't play chess.

  24. Proper Link by Null-A · · Score: 1

    Hope this works now

    Fisher on ICC

    Woahh some lameness filter hoe this avoid it

    1. Re:Proper Link by Null-A · · Score: 1

      As a side note the score card with beber as my brother told me (an icc addict) is wrong beber only won 2 matches and the other 2 were disconections by fisher.
      Check those games is worth the time.

  25. Kissass! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Express his genius" ???

    You must be joking. What kind of kissass are you? Ok, he's a GOOD chess player, but c'mon. Get a grip here.

  26. Oh, now I understand by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Redundant

    Hot damn, that's why I keep losing all my chess matches online : Bobby, will you please STOP PLAYING AGAINST ME ?

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  27. You must be Jon Katz in disguise... by Colz+Grigor · · Score: 1
    ...because you obviously haven't seen the movie you're referring to. Okay, okay... I suppose that's unfair to Jon, because Jon does see the movies he critiques, but he just doesn't seem to understand them.

    Searching for Bobby Fischer [imdb.com] is supposedly a true story about a brilliant child named Josh Waitzkin who is aware of the negativity surrounding Bobby Fischer and chooses to not become another Bobby Fischer.

    You're right, it's a great movie, but how would you know since you haven't watched it?!

    ::Colz Grigor

    --

    1. Re:You must be Jon Katz in disguise... by statik_24 · · Score: 1

      I beg to differ. Have seen the movie, but it was some god-awful amount of time ago. I stand extremely corrected.

    2. Re:You must be Jon Katz in disguise... by Colz+Grigor · · Score: 1

      You know what? I didn't need to be nasty. Please accept my apology.

      ::Colz Grigor

  28. He was playing online, Until he was slashdotted by HanzoSan · · Score: 1



    Haha

    I bet hes reading this story now and knows everyones looking for him, i doubt he will play online anymore

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  29. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Small correction.

    Bobby Fischer gained the Grandmaster title at around 14-15 years old. This record stood for a couple of decades, but if memory serves me right it has been broken a number of times in the 90s by the following:

    Judit Polgar
    Peter Leko
    Etienne Bacrot
    Bu Xianzhi

  30. I think... by Colz+Grigor · · Score: 1
    ...you've got this backwards.

    Nigel Short was playing Deep Fritz anonymously. IBM wanted to give the computer a few practice rounds prior to the Kramnik matchup. And since IBM is an American company, of course Deep Fritz's conversation would sound American... all its AI training was done by American scientists! *wink*

    I think we ought to put Fritz through a Turing test.

    ::Colz Grigor

    --

    1. Re:I think... by jon+doh! · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think we ought to put Fritz through a Turing test.

      me: so, Fritz, how are you doing today?
      DF: rook 3 to queen's knight 2.

      :>

  31. 0riginal Usenet Post by elzahir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Short's full story was posted on usenet. A bit more information than in either of the press stories.

    --
    For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled - R Feynman
    1. Re:0riginal Usenet Post by cornflux · · Score: 1
      highly interesting, thanks for the pointer.

      by the way, his post was almost funny at one point: "However, some doubt remained in my mind: how did I know that this was not a hoaxer using a computer?"

      hax0r ???? :)

  32. ummmm by fjordboy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't know if you guys know this...but Bobby Fisher didn't really dissappear...being a chess guy, he lacked on some social skills and was a little shy.....he has been hiding under my couch for the last several years trying to avoid social confrontation...but now that I know he has been tapping into my internet connection for personal gain, I am forced to reveal him on slashdot. Bobby fisher is in my house in trout run PA. Tell CNN. They need to give me money before they come to look at him.

  33. Links with game scores and further commentary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The following links may shed more light on this whole thing:

    Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities, entry #134 -- which links to further stories at Chlodwig's chess page and Leonid's chess theory page.

    I, for one, tend to think that it is Fischer; the style of play is definitely not computer-ish at all, and as was pointed out, few and far between are the players who could expect to achieve these kinds of scores against strong grandmasters -- let alone with those kinds of garbage openings.

    And for the record, I'm a player of about 1750 USCF strength; by comparison, a rank beginner is about 800-1000, a weak master is rated 2200 or so, and a strong grandmaster would be 2600 or above.

  34. Re:Mod parent up please. by igbrown · · Score: 1

    Damn. That was pretty funny.

  35. Old news... by SomeGuyFromCA · · Score: 1

    This theory was advanced on 23 Aug here.

    Lameness filter officially lame, film at 11...

    --
    if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence / freedom of expression doesn't make it alright
  36. I have the movelists by HanzoSan · · Score: 4, Interesting


    http://www.chlodwig.com/Fischer/Fi_Games_ICC.htm

    This is no computer, NO computer would ever play a game like this.

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
    1. Re:I have the movelists by Xoro · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Those games are truly eye-opening. I'm not a great chess player, but charging out with the king like that is messed up. No wonder Short thought it was a bad joke after the first few moves, assuming it was the same "opening".

      That made me doubly sure it *wasn't* a computer. From what I know, computers use libraries for opening moves since the choices are too wide open to compute. But who knows? I like the mystery here, because all possibilities are cool:

      • It is Bobby Fischer
      • An amazing unknown has appeared out of nowhere and is demolishing grandmasters
      • There has been a major advancement in computerized strategic thinking

      I'll be watching this story.

      --
      Kill, Tux, kill!
    2. Re:I have the movelists by Bobo+the+Space+Chimp · · Score: 1

      > From what I know, computers use libraries for
      > opening moves since the choices are too wide open
      > to compute. But who knows? I like the mystery
      > here, because all possibilities are cool:

      Unless...the computer advancement is extremely major. There's the old saw about an infinitely powerful computer saying "checkmate in 12" before the game even begins.

      --
      I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth.
  37. A Computer cannot adapt with such speed. by HanzoSan · · Score: 1, Insightful



    When a Computer is playing chess, its not going to play games like that, at blitz speed.

    No computer ever has started with the kinds of openings seen in the movelists, and if its a blitz game theres not enough time for a human to be using the computer in the backround to help him.

    Not to mention this annoymous fischer has played fischer random chess as well and that style of chess no computer can properly play.

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  38. That might be true but Boris was charming and by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    then Fischer wipped the floor with him at Rekyavik. I think I would rather double date with Spassky but Fischer was amazing especially during the cold war where the nationalistism was at its hight.

    FYI: 5 million dollars can go along way and were I to be worth 5 million call me retired.

  39. Some things never change... by Robber+Baron · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    On September 1, 1992, Bobby Fischer came out of his 20 year retirement and gave a press conference in Yugoslavia. He pulled out an order from the U.S. Treasury Department warning him that he would be violating U.N. sanctions if he played chess in Yugoslavia. He spit on the order and now faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if he returns to the U.S. In addition, he most forfeit his $3.65 million to the U.S. Treasury and forefeit 10% of any match royalties earned.

    Some things never change. How many stories have we had now featuring the blockheaded American government foisting asinine rules on individuals? 10 years in prison and 3.8 million in penalties for playing chess??? They're lucky he only spit on the order...

    --

    You're using her as bait, Master!

    1. Re:Some things never change... by Rotten168 · · Score: 1

      Not that I agree with what happened to him, (I think it's bullshit) but it was UN Sanctions that he violated, and the US government was just enforcing those sanctions.

  40. I'm glad that Fischer still gets to play chess ... by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 1

    But damn, can't he lay off posting goatsex links as Anonymous Coward? Then again, it might be Kasparov trying to discredit Bobby, he's been bitter ever since the Big Blue Fiasco.

  41. I've seen the games, its not a hoax. by HanzoSan · · Score: 1



    Its Definately a Human playing these games.

    We dont know if its Fischer, but who else is it going to be? Fischer cant play games in person, whoever is playing these games just happens to live near where fiscer lives and likes playing fischer random chess

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  42. Deep Blue, part deux by A_Non_Moose · · Score: 1

    If it is the real deal, I wonder if he and Kasparov (sp?) could take on Deep blue together.

    Or, 3 grandmasters from around the world...humm.

    wonder what would happen.

    Moose.

    "It's called a sacrifice, only fools and computers don't understand it" -Field of dreams.

    --
    Have you read the moderator guidelines? Well, have you, PUNK? (and I want a Karma: Gnarly option)
    1. Re:Deep Blue, part deux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um, cooperative chess? That'll never work. This isn't starcraft.

  43. You just proved my point by ColGraff · · Score: 2

    You say that if I answered enough of your questions correctly about Wozniak, californial, etc, that I could pass for Woz. Man, that wold be challenging - very challenging - but certainly doable. Likewise, why couldn't a person simply have studied Fischer's playing style, and aped that? Such an impersonation would be research-intensive, but doable.

    Of course, once we start speculating about intentional imposters as opposed to honest mistake on Short's part, we need to haul out Occam's razor and ask ourselves which is most simple, and therefor most likely:
    1.) Fischer is actually playing anonymously over the internet, but it dropping pseudo-subtle hints that he is Fischer to a man he knows would catch on. This is happening after nearly a decade of complete seclusion, and after almost thirty years of "retirement" broken only by a single game.
    2. Someone is impersonating Fischer - perhaps a person, perhaps a computer.
    3. Someone, quite innocently, has acquired a vast knowledge of chess history and a playing style similar to Fischer's - perhaps by studying his old games simply in an effort to learn from him.
    4. Short is just misinterpreting the chess moves and conversation of the anonymous player.

    I don't know which of these is the most simple, but I suspect that #1 is not it.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    1. Re:You just proved my point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
      Occam's razor: If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck.

      You: If he plays like Bobby and talks like Bobby it probably is NOT Bobby.

      Huh?

    2. Re:You just proved my point by Malcontent · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You forget one thing.
      It's not enough to simply acquire a playing style similar to fischer. This is like saying "so and so aquired a playing style similar to Michael Jordan". Sure you can play like him but can you actually go on the basketball court and consistently beat Kobe Bryant?

      Whoever this is reoutinely beat the pants off of a grandmaster even after throwing away as many as eight moves. I seriously doubt any computer can do that and whoever did it must be a player of enormous talent not just some shmoe of the street who studies patterns of play.

      Really #1 is the most plausable theory. If it's not fischer it's somebody at least as good as him maybe better. I find it hard to believe somebody that good would play anonymously.

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    3. Re:You just proved my point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This reminds me of something I saw on TV. I saw a teenager beat Michael Jordan one on one. They started even so he didn't get lucky. This was at the peak of Michael's physical prowness so it wasn't like he was too old. Of course you could use the excuse the teenager was used to the wheelchair and Michael wasn't but why ;) ?

  44. No No he has it all wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    That wasnt Bobby Fisher .. that was ME!

  45. My game with Fischer! by leo.p · · Score: 0, Troll

    1. ... f6

    2. Bc4 a3

    3. Qh5 b5

    5. Qf7++


    Fischer still has a way to go before it can beat me and my gnuchess.

  46. Chessmaster Hex by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cowboy BeBop episode - # 14 - "Bohemian Rhapsody"

    The villian was of course a senile old man who played Chess with people over then net all day long. His name - Chessmaster Hex.

  47. Bobby Fischer and Jews by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny how one of the smartest men ever and best chess player ever simply hates Jews.

    http://queen.chessclub.com/philchess/bobby.htm

    Listen to him. Apparently the Jews stole his belongings, had him indicted, etc.

    Frankly, I'm inclined to agree. Jews control Universal Studios, lots of Media companies and the USA puts up with all of Israel's shit. Jews seem to be like any other group of human beings, and they play the pious role real well.

    Live on Bobby! We know who YOU are, and who the Jews aren't.

    1. Re:Bobby Fischer and Jews by philipm · · Score: 0

      Well, someone in the bureaucracy fucked him over really really bad. That's probably why he is so emotional.
      It maybe that the people he dealt with happened to be jewish, if so he would certainly be justified in making generalizations.

      There's nothing wrong with hating particular people. Its a good target and better than repressing your anger. The question is can you make excpetions and change your opinion based on what happens. After all most US people hate arabs. Protestants kill catholics, Jews hate palestinians, Palestinians hate Jews. Chinese hate japanese, turks hate ..

      Anyway it all comes down to dealing with failure and controlling your own happiness. Sometimes, even if you beat everyone else at chess, you haven't really won.

    2. Re:Bobby Fischer and Jews by keflex · · Score: 1

      Hey PhillipM

      Learning to deal w/ your anger (not repressing it) is preferable to expressing it through hatred of different groups of people.

      I would also like to add that perhaps 80% of the people out their who have ethnic, sexual and religious prejudices against others are not likely to change their beliefs, regardless of what events occur that are contrary to those beliefs.

      --


      My karma is -1 because I don't use AC posting. LOL.
    3. Re:Bobby Fischer and Jews by HanzoSan · · Score: 1


      Its never good to hate a large group of people, meaning millions of people

      Why? Hating anyone is BAD, Hate is always a BAD thing.

      Bobby doesnt know how to control his own fury.

      --
      If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
    4. Re:Bobby Fischer and Jews by philipm · · Score: 0

      "Learning to deal" is PCorrect bullshit terminology for repressing. You can not "deal" without expression. You are merely advocating for the guy not to be so loud.

      The way most human beings deal with stuff is they kill it or they fuck it. Pick your poison.

      Not everyone has access to $200 dollar an hour managed gradual repression (psychiatrist).

    5. Re:Bobby Fischer and Jews by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He (Bobby) hates people who steal from him. I would join him in that hatred. I would also like to kill people who steal my personal property, slowly, with battery acid. The stole his home, all his personal artifacts, the letters to him from US and Russian presidents, everything. And Hollywood stole his name for a movie title without his permission. I wouldn't know how to control my fury either.

    6. Re:Bobby Fischer and Jews by keflex · · Score: 1

      No, "dealing with it" is coming to terms with the situation. "Dealing with it" does not necessarily involve being expressive about it. A guy can secretly hate his job, but as long as he prevents himself from doing some sort of violent/unethical act, then he has "dealt with it".

      The same for any situation.

      A person who has come to terms w/ the situation, problem, etc. no longer has to be expressive about it.

      Uh, and no, people do not "fuck" or "kill" things to deal with them. That's just some kind of huge bullshit generality. People either deal with it, or they pop. If what you said were true, all blue collar workers would be bombing their work centers.

      Really, I wish you would actually make an intelligent comment.

      --


      My karma is -1 because I don't use AC posting. LOL.
  48. He's playing a computer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Short is playing a computer, pure and simple. A very good program running on a very fast computer or computers. In long games he could probably win, but in short games the computer has a huge advantage. Somebody is having fun with their new program and I'd like to know what it is.

    Mike

    1. Re:He's playing a computer by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 1
      Okay, then riddle me this.

      How do you program a machine to make such deranged opening moves, then spank one of the top players in the world repeatedly? If a computer has managed that, I fear we're closer to true AI than we realise. Run for the hills!

    2. Re:He's playing a computer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      easy. You run the first few moves yourself,
      then turn those positions over to the computer and let it do the rest for a while.

      It's easy to turn those positions into input for a program to look @.

  49. Re:Whoops by dragons_flight · · Score: 2

    Funny -- he's [Al Gore] the one that failed out of two college programs and one was divinity school (how do you fail "Jesus loves me this I know"?). ... If you knock Bush's grades (which weren't stellar), you can't praise Gore's (which were Fs).

    Perhaps I was just brainwashed by the common media impression and the fact he tries to pursue hard topics. His selection as VP and relative mastery of English when debating Bush do add a suggestion of intelligence.

    However, your facts to do appear to be correct as confirmed by this Washington Times Article (reprinted).

    Of course, grades aren't everything as Bush will attest.

  50. Conspiracy Theory... by jgrumbles · · Score: 1

    Perhaps IBM has unleashed a bigger, stronger, smarter Deep Blue AI upon the Internet. Its only task is to play chess and get rumour mills pumping.

  51. Re:do you people love me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I lust after you. But I confuse such obsessions with love all the time, if it makes you feel any better. Now drop them!

  52. I wanna play him!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wanna play him!!!
    Which server?!?!

    PLEASE!!!

  53. Re:A Snippet from an IRC Conversation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That conversation pretty much sums up IRC conversations between dumb faggots.

  54. celebrities on the internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More than a few celebrities use interactive stuff on the Internet under pseudonyms. You may have encountered a few of them. Guess who I really am.

    1. Re:celebrities on the internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hitler? Is that you?

    2. Re:celebrities on the internet by philipm · · Score: 0

      How could you! Making fun of the jewish anonymous cowards like that. That was clearly Lenin.

    3. Re:celebrities on the internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lenin and most of the orginal communists were in fact Jewish and had the lasts names changed.

      Zion created the CCCP. Thanks!

  55. Celebrity sightings by tpledger · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Flying back from Lubbock, I saw Jesus on the plane.
    Or maybe it was Elvis. Y'know, they kinda look the same.
    -- Don Henley, "If Dirt Were Dollars"

    --
    You have received this message in error.
  56. Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by dispensa · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Bobby Fischer is an interesting case study in differences among these. I suspect he was a smart guy, but could he really find the String Theory equations in physics, write the next Hamlet, or solve P == NP? The inverse is an interesting question, too: could Richard Feynman have beaten Bobby Fischer if he had dedicated his life to chess in the same way Fischer did? Doubtful IMHO, due to the thing Fischer had that Feynman ostensibly did not have: a remarkable aptitude for chess.

    There's also an interesting analogy in sports. The strongest, fastest player does not necessarily lead to the best player. To be the best, you have to have some natural talent, i.e. aptitude.

    Effectiveness, i.e. being really good at something, requires both intelligence and aptitude. Intelligence, of which I'm sure Fischer had his share, helps get you to a certain level, just as being fast and strong helps in sports, but to be truly great requires aptitude, which is altogether different.

    By the same token, being really good at something like chess does not necessarily mean you're particularly intelligent. Maybe, but not necessarily.

    1. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      or solve P == NP?
      Easily! In 1 step:

      N = 1
      AC ducks for cover from the assaulting math majors and the hordes of pitchfork waving CS type dudes =)
      Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo

    2. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by illaqueate · · Score: 1

      "Aptitude" is so vague. Likewise "natural talent". You might as well claim that a wizard flew down from the sky and cast a spell on him.

      Read some Herbert Simon. With practice normal people have digit spans of 70+. Place pieces randomly and a grandmaster is as bad as the novice placing them from memory. Place pieces in meaningful positions and the grandmaster can play 20 games at once blindfolded.

      The sport analogy you make ignores the social multiplier. Watch some NBA games from 15 years ago. Terrible by today's standard. Natural aptitude can't explain that.

      Id est, aptitude is not an argument. You have to be more specific. For example, you could maybe argue that a person has "aptitude" genetically, and developmentally rather than from previous experience and preparation. But then you'd have to give some evidence from statistics, cognitive psychology, or whatever.

      Just remember when you think about it that you're venturing into "nature" vs. "nurture" territory. :-)

    3. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by Legion303 · · Score: 1
      Fischer's IQ was rated about 180 while he was still in school.

      -Legion

    4. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by illaqueate · · Score: 1

      Here we go.

      http://web.cs.ualberta.ca/~jonathan/Papers/Paper s/ simon.ps

      Just get rid of the space slashdot puts in.

    5. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by Theodore+Logan · · Score: 1
      Capablanca (ex World Champion, called "the Mozart of chess", and generally hailed as one of the absolutely greatest ever) once became even more famous by uttering
      • To play chess requires no intelligence at all

      Capablanca himself never read chess books and claimed to make moves solely based on intuition, and never on analysis (and most people believe he actually did). Whether chess requires or does not require intelligence is one of the great controversies in the chess community.
      --

      "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance" - Derek Bok

    6. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IQ is almost as usless a measure of intelligence as chess rating.

    7. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness by jlowery · · Score: 1

      And what, exactly, is 'intelligence'? You seem to indicate that it is quantifiable or measurable somehow. An IQ score only measures problem-solving under test conditions. There are more kinds of intelligence than you can shake a stick at.

      --
      If you post it, they will read.
  57. Link to Longer explanation by Short by Acceleration · · Score: 1

    Longer discussion by GM: Full Article on Usenet
    Preceeding found on Page from Internet Chess Club (ICC)

  58. A problem with the evidence by e_lehman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wanted to test my antagonist further so I thought of a number of tricky questions as we gossiped. For example, I asked him: "Do you know Armando Acevedo?" Senor Acevedo is an obscure Mexican player, not remotely of Grandmaster strength.

    My opponent's reply came instantly, if cryptically: "Siegen 1970". Now if you look in the tournament book of the Siegen Chess Olympiad of 1970 you will find that Bobby Fischer played a certain Armando Acevedo in a preliminary round. He was obviously trying to tell me something.

    Typing "Fischer Armando Acevedo" into Google turns up a reference to the 1970 Siegen match on the 3rd link. (The 2nd link is a consequence of Short's article.) It's in Spanish, but the exact phase "Siegen, 1970 appears explicity next to the first occurrance of "Fischer". See for yourself. The point is that one need not have access to a thirty year old tournament book, as Short suggests, to quickly generate the reply that he received. Thus this particular piece of evidence is a lot weaker than it appears.

    1. Re:A problem with the evidence by RovingSlug · · Score: 1
      "My opponent's reply came instantly, if cryptically..."

      Cut+pasting "Fischer Armando Acevedo" into Google, scanning for relevant information, and cut+pasting the information back into the chat window doesn't exactly mesh with "My opponent's reply came instantly...".

      Your particular piece of counter-evidence is a lot weaker than it appears.

    2. Re:A problem with the evidence by cosmol · · Score: 1
      First of all, you really don't know how "instantly" he got the reply.

      I know I could do it PDQ considering that you don't even have to click through to the spanish page because google shows the lines that match the search term.

      What... it would take about 10 seconds to type the search terms, 3 to get results, and 3 more to cut n' paste. That's pretty close to "instantly"...

    3. Re:A problem with the evidence by RovingSlug · · Score: 1

      They were just playing speed chess. Their concept of "instantly" at that time would have been well below 16 seconds, which is an eternity.

    4. Re:A problem with the evidence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This assumes he's using the primitive tools you have at your disposable... it could happen much quicker even with a second person on a second computer and the first person typing it in.. this probably works less well because of the complicated spelling but this can be overcome

      The only real evidence here is the play.. and its totally convincing... playing poor opening moves would be a dissability beyond repair to a computer... computers can only beat the superstar grandmasters because of opening books... and computers are much worse at blitz chess then regular chess...

    5. Re:A problem with the evidence by SashaM · · Score: 1

      >computers can only beat the superstar
      >grandmasters because of opening books... and
      >computers are much worse at blitz chess then
      >regular chess...

      It's true that computers benefit from vast opening books (they also benefit from vast endgame databases), but actually, they're much better, not worse in blitz than regular chess (relative to humans of course) because in blitz, tactics, the area where computers are best, is a much more important factor than positional (strategical) thinking (the area where humans are best).

    6. Re:A problem with the evidence by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      What... it would take about 10 seconds to type the search terms, 3 to get results, and 3 more to cut n' paste. That's pretty close to "instantly"...


      Especially if he's running Linux, and he's typing from a CLI. Things go a lot faster like that than mousing around.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    7. Re:A problem with the evidence by cosmol · · Score: 1
      How do you know that this chat session happened during a game? or even during the person's turn?

      Don't act like an expert if you don't know all the facts...

  59. Bobby isn't a duck by ColGraff · · Score: 2

    What if we knew for a fact there were only a few ducks left in the world, but that many people had dogs that looked and sounded very much like ducks? Wouldn't occam's razor then state that the "duck" is really probably a dog? There's only one, highly reclusive and wacko Bobby Fischer, but many people could have learned to imitate his playing style and talk about things he would have known about.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    1. Re:Bobby isn't a duck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "but many people could have learned to imitate his playing style and talk about things he would have known about."


      Only a handful of people alive could imitate his style and beat a chess player the caliber of Short so handily.

    2. Re:Bobby isn't a duck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Poor analogy.


      "but that many people had dogs that looked and sounded very much like ducks? Wouldn't occam's razor then state that the "duck" is really probably a dog?"


      There are not many people who can beat Short so easily. He tied Kasparov the current world champion and some anonymous guy on the internet beat him eight to nil their first set. You are suggesting that it is more likely that someone imitated Fischer's style of play, researched into Fischer's background and beat him so easily. That is not very probable.

    3. Re:Bobby isn't a duck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Colgraff who the hell do you have modding your posts up? Numerous people have pointed out large holes in your arguments yet they are consistently modded up.

  60. Yeah, right. by Carnage4Life · · Score: 5, Insightful
    As for this guy being a good chess player - good for him, it doesn't mean he's fischer. I'm sure there are people of world-class quality at chess who choose not to go pro for a variety of reasons - again, it doesn't make them bobby fischer.

    You're kidding right? This player beat Short a lot worse than Short has been beaten anyone in the world including Garry Kasparov. The likelihood that there is someone out there able to defeat the best players in the world who happens to be so good he plays up to 8 bad moves at the beginning of the game and still defeats them who has never revealed himself is so unlikely as to be absurd.Maybe you'd feel better if you saw exactly what Short had to say about the incident.


    The time limit was three minutes per player, per game. My unseen opponent
    began with some highly irregular, if not totally absurd opening moves -
    shifting all his pawns forward one square. These were moves that that no
    Grandmaster would ever play. I immediately felt that I was the victim of an
    elaborate practical joke. But then I became aware of something else.


    From this deliberately unpromising position emerged moves of extraordinary
    power. In this first game I was totally crushed. I took a little more care
    in the second game, but met with the same result. His openings became even
    more cocky - 1....f6 followed by 2...Kf7 and 3...Ke6, exposing his own king
    to immediate assault - was one of his bizarre and unprecedented gambits. It
    was as if he was deliberately trying to handicap himself. However, I was
    beaten again.


    I played the man I believe to be Bobby Fischer on a couple of further
    occasions - a total of 50 games, the last time in May - never getting
    remotely close to scoring 50 per cent. By comparison, I scored 50 per cent
    (six points from 12 games) the last time I faced Garry Kasparov at blitz
    chess, in France in 1995.


    I was going to keep this story a secret, but it has become obvious that
    Fischer's activity on the ICC is slowly becoming known. (The English
    Grandmaster Jim Plaskett has told me that he, too, has played Fischer on the
    ICC. Jim also found that his opponent played fantastically weak openings in
    order to create a level playing field, or rather chess board. Alas, Jim,
    like me, was crushed like a beetle.) It was only a matter of time before
    someone else published something.

    1. Re:Yeah, right. by digitaltraveller · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You're kidding right? This player beat Short a lot worse than Short has been beaten anyone in the world including Garry Kasparov. The likelihood that there is someone out there able to defeat the best players in the world who happens to be so good he plays up to 8 bad moves at the beginning of the game and still defeats them who has never revealed himself is so unlikely as to be absurd.Maybe you'd feel better if you saw exactly what Short had to say about the incident. [google.com]

      It's possible this is Fischer, but probably not. Fischer is a recluse's recluse, he's not dumb enough to give away clues to his identity (eg. speaking in American english) unless he wants his opponent to know who it is.

      I used to spend alot of time on ICC before I became aware of their co-opting of GPL'ed software of which they violated the spirit of, if not the letter of the law, using the ASP loophole. After that I stopped playing there.
      I did spend about 3 years there as a serious player at the time I was rated around 2200 OTB and significantly higher on ICC (around 2500). Alot of excellent players (GM's/IM's/FM's) play there, also alot of marked computers AND unmarked computers. ICC is and was a haven for troublemakers who liked to run unmarked computers like Fritz and Crafty, and other chess engines against top players for reasons of ego. Sometimes it was obvious, other times less so. Some "cheaters" as they are called on ICC are dumb enough to follow the ICC computer Howto exactly, which involves setting certain variables for computer players. It was also pretty obvious to me, for example, when I got a message from PimpBoy rated 1600 begging me to play him. Immediately after getting beat, you'd get a message from him that said "U R weak". My rating isn't the highest, but I've drawn GM's and beat IM's. It's unlikely that a player rated 1600-ICC (probably 1400-OTB) would be able to beat me. I and any one of thousands of players rated over 2000 could easily play Nigel with a copy of Fritz in the background, make a few ridiculous moves at the start, let Fritz play for awhile and occasionally interrupting Fritz to play a "human" move so that post-game analysis wouldn't make the use of a computer too obvious. The evidence is shakey at best. Nigel probably just wants some attention now that his rating is so low and the chess press no longer reports on his silly little idiosyncracies. Like dying his hair odd colours before matches. Nigel BTW, really dislikes Garry.
    2. Re:Yeah, right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All kinds of companies violate the spirit of the GPL and live up to the letter. I think you're being a little oversensitive -- they're just keeping the software in-house.

    3. Re:Yeah, right. by Malcontent · · Score: 2

      In one of the games the mystery player (black) moves
      1.e4 e6 2.d4 Ke7 3.Nc3 Ke8 4.Nf3 Ke7 5.Bc4 Ke8
      In essense throwing away his first five moves. In those five moves white proceeds to gain what seems like an impressive control of the center of the board. Despite this seemingly overwhelming advantage he loses. If he was me I could understand but he is a grandmaster and I really don't understand that.

      Also in the next game playing white our mystery player quits after a few moves when the board does not look that bad to me (not that I would be a keen judge). Considering how he overcame much worse positions to win in earlier games it seems daffy. Certainly not something a computer would do.

      Are computers that good that they can beat grandmasters after throwing away five moves?

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    4. Re:Yeah, right. by an+ominous+cow+ward · · Score: 1

      Are computers that good that they can beat grandmasters after throwing away five moves?

      At Blitz chess, where you have a limited amount of time to move, the answer is yes. Good computers dominate and have a strong advantage (especially with good opening and endgame books). There are a few Masters who play on FICS (the Free Internet Chess Server), and regularly lose to computers there.

    5. Re:Yeah, right. by an+ominous+cow+ward · · Score: 1

      I agree with you, and I think that's exactly what's going on here. In fact, I bet you could even figure out what program is being used. Set up Fritz/Gnuchess/Crafty to start in a position exactly like the eighth or ninth move in these games, and see what it happens. Play Short's moves or play it against another computer and vary the time to make up for possible differences in computing power.

      In a fast game, computers can easily find and exploit human weaknesses. Positional play is less important. Even the best players can lose to mediocre computers at blitz, because a computer is capable of thinking so much faster, and seeing more possible outcomes much further ahead than a human could.

      In his heyday, Fischer was a player who relied on strong openings and played to his opponents weaknesses. It was his middle or endgames that were often surprising.

      One other big clue to me that this is not Fischer is that the opponent gave more time. That would be very uncharacteristic of Fischer. At this point, Fischer should have known what the outcome was going to be.. why prolong it? It sounds more like someone who either a)felt guilty or b)wanted to see how it would turn out. Fischer was never one to be generous to an opponent, he was very competitive.

      My question is what program and what kind of computer are they using? My guess is Fritz on an Athlon.

    6. Re:Yeah, right. by Steeltoe · · Score: 1

      I disagree. I believe it was Aliens from Outer Space. What other explanation could there possibly be? ;-)

      (What I find so amusing is how people can believe that Fischer has NOT YET played on the Internet! How probable is that?)

      - Steeltoe

    7. Re:Yeah, right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >>Set up Fritz/Gnuchess/Crafty to start in a position exactly like the eighth or ninth move in these games,

      Aha, no-one else thought of this, and you're the smartest guy on Earth.

      No, wait, they did do it and found no match, and you can't read.

    8. Re:Yeah, right. by Malcontent · · Score: 2

      I am not disputing the fact that computers can win games from grandmasters in speed games. What I am saying is that they most likely can't when moves 2 through 4 are simply moving the king back and forth.

      I looked at some of the games and these games are nuts. First of all you have a computer who seems to feel that castling is for wimps, that the king should be moved early as possible so that castling is impossible, that the king ought move towards the center of the board early and then retreat to the sidee of the board when attacked. In one game after eight moves or so all the major pieces were at their starting positions! Only the king had made a move and ended up back where it started. Only the pawns had made any progress whatsoever. He still won!. Whoever this guy is he is most definately not a computer. Did you look at the games? They are insane and brilliant at the same time. No way a computer did that. No way a computer would beat a GM when handicapped to that degree.

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    9. Re:Yeah, right. by Bobo+the+Space+Chimp · · Score: 1

      Well, chess programs, like any game program with a large search space, will keep track of the best moves it finds, and the longer it searches, the better it moves.

      I don't know the programs here, but they might (or could be changed to, if source is available) record all the best moves it finds within, say, 30 seconds, and then compare those (assuming it isn't in the billions.)

      Quite frankly, if you set aside the disbelief at such a good program (which is something chess posters here think is good enough to beat GM's in quick games) then this sounds exactly like someone is playing around.

      When Win 3.1 was out, it came with a Reversi game. I put that game on hardest, and "played" it against the Mac Othello shareware, also on hardest. It handily defeated the MS version.

      Next game, I put the Mac on wimpy, and let the other run on hard until only about 15-50% of tiles remained. Mac was losing badly. I jammed it up to "hard", and, lo and behold! It pulled it out against MS on "hard".

      Some of these "dumb" initial moves (IANAGM) sound just like someone is goofing around, seeing how bad they can make the situation before letting the computer take over.

      --
      I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth.
    10. Re:Yeah, right. by an+ominous+cow+ward · · Score: 1

      I've played thousands of games of chess on FICS against humans ancd computers, and it's my opinion that only a computer could win against a Master in this situation. In fact, this is just the type of situation where a good computer program would excel.

      Also, on FICS, computers are typically rated 200-300 points higher for blitz games than standard. That means the same computer program is much tougher to beat in a fast game than in a slow one.

  61. Bah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You people are desperate to believe it's him, so you do. Slashdot comments and intellectual integrity rarely meet.

  62. it's a hoax, started by the Internet Chess Club! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "For only $20/year you too have the chance of getting thrashed anonymously by Bobby Fischer!"

  63. Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagree by FallLine · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I couldn't disagree more about Gore. Gore is at most a mediocre intellect. His is most certainly greater than most of the American public, but he's positively mediocre when compared with other well educated individuals. His speaking abilities are pretty marginal. His use of diction is absolutely uninspiring, in fact, he repeats himself too much. His analytical abilities show no spark of insight. He is not that well read and, for what it's worth, he wasn't even a good student.

    Frankly, I don't see why certain people choose to ascribe the word intellect to Gore. The man is essentially a geek and not much more. By this I mean, he puts a lot of energy into what he does. He memorizes lots of facts and figures and he's capable of blinding people with bullshit when absolutely necessary. Perhaps this trait impresses some, but not me, I do not call that intellect.

    The bottom line is that I see little reason to think of Gore as being any more intelligent or intellectual than what is seen in Washington, company executives, and the like. If there's any good reason to believe otherwise, please point it out to me.

  64. It's Deep Blue in Disguise!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those ppl @ IBM must have gotten really bored & programmed Bobby Fisher as Deep Blue.

  65. US is great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am so glad the US is full of a bunch of FUCK HEADS!!!

  66. Extra information by The-Pheon · · Score: 2
    There is an article about this on the internet chess club page here.

    1. Re:Extra information by slashdot_commentator · · Score: 1


      Wonderful article.

      Isn't the article missing something about him getting married in the '90's to some Yugoslav woman?

      Doesn't anyone know how he manages his money, given his mental illness? The guy was a functional basket case in his late youth to early adulthoood.

      --
      There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, General Electric, and Exxon
  67. What would be more surprising... by sunset · · Score: 1

    ... is Fischer not playing chess online. Like how else could he get up a good game?

  68. dumb question.. by pedro · · Score: 1

    I haven't played chess in YEARS, but my assumption about blitz play is that if white goes queen's pawn things get really hairy real fast.

    I had a friend who played that way, and it was super difficult to develop strategy, as he had the agressive high ground from the get-go. One mistake as black, and you were dead meat.

    I get the notion that Fischer preferred Kings pawn. Are there more opportunities for severe error with a queen's pawn opening?

    Just asking.. (grin)

    --
    Brak: What's THAT?
    Thundercleese: A light switch.. of TOTAL DEVASTATION!
  69. bobby fischer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...COMES OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE!

    (snicker, noontch)

  70. Bobby Fischer Dead At 58 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Grief struck the chess community today when genius player and infamous recluse Bobby Fischer was found dead in his Japan condo at the age of 58. He is remembered in the United States chess community as undoubtedly the strongest American chess player to ever live.

    1. Re:Bobby Fischer Dead At 58 by RavinDave · · Score: 1

      Paul Morphy was stonger -- even Fischer concedes that. But nice troll anyway.

  71. Re:comments by philipm · · Score: 0

    Oh my god! Is that you Bobby?

  72. Congratulations to whoever did this by Our+Man+In+Redmond · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Whoever wrote this program, please step forward. You're a genius. The program has passed the Turing test with flying colors.

    --
    Someone you trust is one of us.
    1. Re:Congratulations to whoever did this by dumbunny · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's a joke, right? The program played chess; it was the operator who answered Nigel's questions.

  73. Fischer vs. Kasparov? by Schwarzchild · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I keep hearing tales of how Bobby Fischer was the best player ever and that he is probably a better player than Kasparov who seems to be the best player in recent times.


    Anyone know if someone has done any analyses of how Fischer's ability compares to other Grandmasters? If this online Fischer can trounce Short in speed chess whereas Short can hold his own with Kasparov then does this necessarily mean that Fischer can trounce Kasparov?


    Also why didn't Fischer play Kasparov back in 1992 and what is Fischer Random play?

    --

    "sweet dreams are made of this..."

    1. Re:Fischer vs. Kasparov? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Fischer was much better among his contempory chess players then Kasparov is among his.But the top level of play has advanced since Fischer's time. And many believe that without tournament level practice that a Kasparov-Fischer match would be decidedly favorable to Kasparov. Also because Fischer is 58.

      I don't believe this. Fischer never spent a long time playing grandmaster level play before he was the best. Its likely Fischer is able to maintain a high level of play without actually playing games. Only playing against himself.

      Fischer lives inside the chess board. He remembers every move in every game by every player he ever saw or himself played in. Which makes him able of playing how many current computers play(from GM game database.) as well as applying his extensive theory on the game.

      Fischer played Spassky in 1992 because it was a rematch of his classic cold war world championship match. The odds were decidedly in his favour because of spassky's age, the fact that he was always better then spassky to begin with, etc. Also there was a great deal of money offered for the match which its likely fischer needed because i can't see him flipping burgers or working any other job.

      Just because one player can beat another doesn't neccessarily mean superiority to all players the other can beat. It depends on the style of play. But it is a very good indicator of the likely outcome.

      Kasparov and fischer are both super aggressive. Fischer even more so.

      Fischer Random is just that the pieces are placed somewhat randomly on the board as opposed to the usualy mirrored armies setup. This allows you to judge a players actual strategy as opposed to their opening book knowledge. Most beginners can't beat experienced players of equal chess skill just because the experienced player knows the many good beginning moves. Most GM level chess games actually start around move 12 or so because each player has played all moves up to that point from memory.

    2. Re:Fischer vs. Kasparov? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      >Also why didn't Fischer play Kasparov back in 1992

      I didn't know he was offered the chance.

      Fischer walked away from a world championship match against Anatoly Karpov in 1975 (he didn't agree with the match terms - details href="http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/7375$wix.htm ">here), and forfeited his title. It would have been an interesting match because Karpov at the time was a formidable player.

  74. Re:Whoops by Tyler-Durden255 · · Score: 1

    MBA? Ha HA!

    This is slashdot, made up of engineering types. Don't we all know this is the "special" degree they have to make management feel educated and proof positive 95% of the time that the holder is probably scientifically and mathematically illiterate and logically impaired.

  75. Full Article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's the full story...

    Courtesy of Google

    Apparrently I'm lame because the "Lamesness filter" was encountered during this post. You'll have to cut and past of course...

  76. Fischer vs. The Rest Of the World by Crixus · · Score: 2

    Why couldn't this be Bobby Fischer? This seems like the best way for him to interact with people.

    He seems to hate being in the limelight, and there's no reason to believe he's no longer active in chess on any level. So why not?

    Sounds like an ideal forum for him to play, to me.

    If any of you want to learn more about Bobby and his antics, read a book called 'Bobby Fischer vs. The Rest Of The World'. It's genius.

    I used to have a local chess club (formed in 1991) called "The Bobby Fischer Memorial Chess Club", but then one year later he re-appeared. But we didn't rename the club since we knew he'd disappear again. The club's motto? "Not dead but what has he done for us lately?"

    Rich...

    --
    Ignore Alien Orders
  77. On being a recluse by dannywyatt · · Score: 5, Insightful
    So it's way too late for anyone to read this, but I'll post it nonetheless.

    This is from Thomas Pynchon, when CNN tracked him down and filmed him--and maybe, sort of, in a way, "threatened" to show the film.

    "my belief is that recluse is a code word generated by journalists ... meaning, 'doesn't like to talk to reporters.'"

    And this from a reporter who previously stalked him:

    "He shops at neighborhood stores. He lunches with other writers. He spends weekends in the countryside with his family,"

    http://www.cnn.com/US/9706/05/pynchon/

    Just because someone's not in the news, doesn't mean he or she is a shut-in. Of course, this may be different for Bobby Fischer, but it's a perspective we need to keep.
  78. Re:Whoops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    MBA? Ha HA!

    This is slashdot, made up of engineering types

    Engineer, eh? And your boss and his boss and his boss are engineers? EE/ME? Or are they perhaps MBAs?

    Face it. You owe your job to the lowly MBA.

    Ha, HA!

  79. Eccentric? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is someone who hates jews "eccentric"? Are they a racist?

    Examine any group of people, who band together for any reason, and you will find some skeletons in the closet.

    Often, those skeletons are bad enough to make some people hate that group.

    As I get older, I'm very concerned about the political correctness sweeping the world. I'm against violence, but if someone feels so strongly about a group that they (literally) hate them, I think they are quite possibly entitled to that opinion; I don't think it's anyone elses business, and I think it's unfair to call them "racist paranoics".

  80. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by pbm · · Score: 1

    Though Fischer is one of the greatest chess players ever he DIDN'T win EVERY game ("basically" or otherwise) between 1962 and 72.

    But true enough, on his way to the 1972 title he did destroy Taymanov and Larsen, both 6:0, almost unbeleivable...

  81. Re:Whoops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You need to work on your english.

  82. Boris Spassky on Fischer's sanity by bryanbrunton · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This bit of text in the usenet article was interesting:

    ---
    Boris considered it highly probable that I had come up against the elusive genius. When I said that, contrary to popular perception, he didn't sound mad, at all, Boris replied "Of course he isn't."
    ---

    Boris isn't exactly a mental health expert. This is the same Boris Spassky who during the matches in 1972 broke down and accused Fischer of having mind-altering electronics installed in his arm chair.

  83. Turing Test by dstone · · Score: 2

    All I can say is keep this Mr. Short guy away from the judges panel at any future Turing-like tests. He's too easily impressed by textual responses in terse conversations that include facts easily found thru Deja or Google. (ie, the 1970 mexican reference)

  84. Re:Whoops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's a tip: number-crunching isn't everything. The reason why something like an MBA exists is because 75% of the time engineers and math-geeks are too socially inept to know how to have an engaging face-to-face conversation, or to have good personal hygiene, for that matter. There are multiple varieties of intelligence, most of which have other applications besides pure mathematics. And don't even get me started on wisdom. If most of you "engineering types" had wisdom you'd get outside and live your life for what its worth rather than boxing yourself up inside your computers and your rigid perceptions of "The Way Things Are".

    Jeez that's flame-bait but you pushed my buttons. :/

  85. A kind of Von Neuman test by spineboy · · Score: 1

    If it were a computer playing...

    Still it'll be fun to watch

    --
    ..........FULL STOP.
  86. damn government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ah yes, what other institution would try to punish someone for playing chess? Politics is lovely...

  87. ishipress by crisco · · Score: 2

    I'll let you make your own judgements, cause mine aren't worth too much, but read some other stories on that site before you take that version as gospel. Personally, I've have found ishipress.com to be somewhat entertaining in a slightly twisted way.

    --

    Bleh!

  88. Could be just some Otaku... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean c'mon, doesn't this remind anyone of the Cowboy Bebop episode "Bohemian Rhapsody"? It's Chessmaster Hex (was that his name?) all over again...only in real life.

  89. Hilarious! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I (a reasonably strong player but nothing special--around USCF 2100) just logged on to ICC and played 6 games as a guest at 3 0. In 5 of the games, I spoofed Fischer--got embarrassed to play dreck against a strong player and played real chess. I went 6-0!! (Note that two wins were on time--I was lost on the board once.) The fourth game is my masterpiece :-)

    I think the psychological burden on the player facing such garbage can't be discounted. 1.f3 ... 2.Kf2 is a classic weapon of chess hustlers.

    Here are the five silly games.

    [Event "ICC 3 0 u"]
    [Site "Internet Chess Club"]
    [Date "2001.09.10"]
    [Round "-"]
    [White "guest209"]
    [Black "guest976"]
    [Result "0-1"]
    [ICCResult "White forfeits on time"]
    [Opening "R\\'eti opening"]
    [ECO "A04"]
    [NIC "QP.11"]
    [Time "01:43:55"]
    [TimeControl "180+0"]

    1. Nf3 f6 2. e4 Kf7 3. d4 g6 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 b6 7. a3 Bxc3 8.
    Bxc3 d6 9. e5 Bb7 10. exd6 cxd6 11. Be2 Ne7 12. O-O Nd7 13. Re1 Re8 14. b4
    Nf8 15. Qb3 Kg7 16. d5 e5 17. Bd3 Rc8 18. Qc2 Qc7 19. Bd2 Nd7 20. Nh4 a6 21.
    Nxg6 hxg6 22. Re4 Nf8 23. Rg4 f5 24. Rg5 Qd7 25. h4 Nh7 26. Rg3 e4 27. Be2
    Nf6 28. h5 Rh8 29. hxg6 Qe8 30. Bc3 Nxg6 31. Bxf6+ Kxf6 32. Qc3+ Qe5 33.
    Qxe5+ Nxe5 34. Rc1 Rcg8 35. Rxg8 Rxg8 36. Kf1 f4 37. f3 e3 38. Rd1 Rh8 39.
    Ke1 Rh1+ 40. Bf1 a5 41. Rd4 axb4 42. Rxf4+ Kg5 43. Re4 Nxc4
    {White forfeits on time}
    0-1

    [Event "ICC 3 0 u"]
    [Site "Internet Chess Club"]
    [Date "2001.09.10"]
    [Round "-"]
    [White "guest976"]
    [Black "guest209"]
    [Result "1-0"]
    [ICCResult "Black forfeits on time"]
    [Opening "Gedult's opening"]
    [ECO "A00"]
    [Time "01:38:00"]
    [TimeControl "180+0"]

    1. f3 d5 2. Kf2 e5 3. c3 Nf6 4. Ke3 Bc5+ 5. Kd3 e4+ 6. Kc2 Bf5 7. d3 exd3+
    8. exd3 Nc6 9. Qe1+ Be7 10. Kd1 O-O 11. Be2 Re8 12. Bf4 Bc5 13. Nd2 Bxd3 14.
    Bxd3 Rxe1+ 15. Kxe1 Qe7+ 16. Ne2 Re8 17. Kd1 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Kc2 c6
    20. Rae1 Qd6 21. h4 Be3 22. h5 Bxd2 23. Kxd2 a6 24. h6 g6 25. Nd4 Rxe1 26.
    Rxe1 c5 27. Ne2 b5 28. Kc1 c4 29. Bc2 Kf8 30. Kb1 Ng8 31. Nd4 Nxh6 32. g4
    Ng8 33. g5 Ne7 34. f4 Nc6 35. Nxc6 Qxc6 36. Re5 Qd6 37. Bd1 f6 38. gxf6 Qxf6
    39. Rxd5 Qxf4 40. a3 Ke7 41. Ka2 Qc1 42. Rd4 a5 43. Rd5 b4 44. cxb4 axb4 45.
    axb4 Qe3 46. Ra5 c3 47. bxc3 {Black forfeits on time} 1-0

    [Event "ICC 3 0 u"]
    [Site "Internet Chess Club"]
    [Date "2001.09.10"]
    [Round "-"]
    [White "guest695"]
    [Black "guest976"]
    [Result "0-1"]
    [ICCResult "White checkmated"]
    [Opening "Barnes defense"]
    [ECO "B00"]
    [NIC "VO.17"]
    [Time "01:34:18"]
    [TimeControl "180+0"]

    1. e4 f6 2. Ne2 Kf7 3. Ng3 e5 4. Be2 g6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nd5 c6 7. Ne3 Be6 8. h3
    Bg7 9. b3 Ne7 10. c4 Rf8 11. d4 Nd7 12. Bb2 Nb6 13. d5 cxd5 14. Nxd5 Nbxd5
    15. exd5 Bd7 16. O-O Kg8 17. Bg4 Qc8 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. Ne4 Bh6 20. Nxf6+
    Rxf6 21. h4 Raf8 22. h5 Nf5 23. hxg6 Rxg6 24. g3 Qg7 25. c5 Nxg3 26. cxd6
    Ne2+ 27. Kh2 Bf4+ 28. Kh3 Rh6# {White checkmated} 0-1

    [Event "ICC 3 0 u"]
    [Site "Internet Chess Club"]
    [Date "2001.09.10"]
    [Round "-"]
    [White "guest976"]
    [Black "guest695"]
    [Result "1-0"]
    [ICCResult "Black forfeits on time"]
    [Opening "Gedult's opening"]
    [ECO "A00"]
    [Time "01:28:55"]
    [TimeControl "180+0"]

    1. f3 d5 2. Kf2 Nc6 3. Kg3 e6 4. Kf4 Bd6+ 5. Ke3 Nf6 6. Kf2 Nh5 7. e3 O-O 8.
    Ne2 f5 9. d4 f4 10. c3 Qh4+ 11. Kg1 e5 12. Na3 fxe3 13. Bxe3 e4 14. Bf2 Qf6
    15. Ng3 Nxg3 16. hxg3 exf3 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Rxf3 19. Kg2 Rf8 20. Bb5
    Ne7 21. Rae1 Nf5 22. Nc2 c6 23. Bd3 g6 24. Ne3 Nxe3+ 25. Bxe3 Bf5 26. Bxf5
    Rxf5 27. Rhf1 Raf8 28. Rxf5 Rxf5 29. g4 Rf8 30. Rf1 Rxf1 31. Kxf1 a5 32. Kg2
    a4 33. Kf3 b5 34. g5 Kg7 35. a3 Kf7 36. Kg4 {Black forfeits on time} 1-0

    [Event "ICC 3 0 u"]
    [Site "Internet Chess Club"]
    [Date "2001.09.10"]
    [Round "-"]
    [White "guest755"]
    [Black "guest976"]
    [Result "0-1"]
    [ICCResult "White forfeits on time"]
    [Opening "Queen's pawn"]
    [ECO "A40"]
    [NIC "QO.17"]
    [Time "01:19:59"]
    [TimeControl "180+0"]

    1. d4 f6 2. c4 Kf7 3. Nc3 Ke6 4. e4 d6 5. d5+ Kd7 6. Be2 Ke8 7. f4 g6 8. Bg4
    Bg7 9. Be6 Nh6 10. h3 Nf7 11. Bd2 c5 12. Qg4 Na6 13. O-O-O Nc7 14. f5 g5 15.
    h4 h6 16. hxg5 hxg5 17. Rxh8+ Nxh8 18. Nf3 Kf8 19. Nxg5 fxg5 20. Bxg5 Bxe6
    21. fxe6 Kg8 22. Rh1 Qf8 23. Bh6 Ne8 24. Bd2 Nf6 25. Qe2 Qe8 26. Nb5 Qg6 27.
    Nc7 Rc8 28. Nb5 a6 29. Nc3 Qg4 30. b3 Qxe2 31. Nxe2 Rf8 32. g4 Nxg4 33. Ng3
    Be5 34. Nf5 Ng6 35. Rg1 Rxf5 36. exf5 Nf4 37. Rxg4+ Kf8 38. Bxf4 Bxf4+ 39.
    Rxf4 Kg7 40. Kd2 Kf6 41. Ke3 b6 42. Kf3 a5 43. a3 Kg7 44. Kg4 Kf6 45. Kh4
    Kg7 46. Kh5 Kf6 47. Kh6 Ke5 48. Rf1 Kf6 {White forfeits on time} 0-1

  90. Connection to AFX? by omega9 · · Score: 1

    On this page of photos of Fischer, there's a comparison of signatures at the bottom. Why is Bobby being compared to Richard D. James? Are they trying to say he's Aphex Twin?

    --
    I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
    1. Re:Connection to AFX? by piscine · · Score: 1

      In his 1982 pamphlet "I Was Tortured in the Pasadana Jailhouse!", Fischer signed off as follows:

      Sincerely,

      /s/ Robert D. James

      Robert D. James (professionally known
      as Robert J. Fischer or Bobby Fischer,
      The World Chess Champion)

      ...and you thought Michael Jackson was weird.

      --
      Delete "_annihilate this_" to reply by email
    2. Re:Connection to AFX? by omega9 · · Score: 1

      I get it. Problem is I screwed up in the first place. AFX isn't Robert D. James, it's Richard D. James.

      --
      I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
  91. Re:Chessmaster Hex (SPOILER) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wasn't he beaten by Ed in that episode? Doesn't that mean that it's just some 1337 hax0r behind all this?

  92. Re:Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagr by The+Mayor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My wife's adviser for her PhD in geology was called to testify on global warming to some government committee a few years ago. In this, he was questioned by a number of respected individuals in the science field, many of whom were geologists (although not of the same specialty as my wife's adviser). At the end, Gore came in for a short 5-minute Q&A period. My wife's adviser said that the questions Gore put forth were the most intelligent and thought provoking of the bunch. Obviously he had been well briefed by his aides, but my wife's adviser says that it was clearly his own thinking (follow-up questions to his answers and such). He would most surely disagree with your opinions about Gore.

    Oh, yes. My wife's adviser is a conservative southerner from Alabama. Most definitely not a Gore supporter.

    You can be quite intelligent and now be an excellent orator. In fact you can be quite intelligent and not be very good at English. Don't put down Gore's intelligence. In fact, all the democrat presidents (and Gore) from the last half century stack up as wonderfully intelligent. However, most of them performed as president very poorly. Intelligence is not strongly correlated with the quality of one's presidency.

    --
    --Be human.
  93. Draft Bobby by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Okay, Slashdotter's, who's up for starting a collection to pay Bobby Fischer, wherever he is, to represent humanity this October against Deep Fritz? I'll send a buck! Somebody should do a "Draft Bobby" webpage or something...

  94. Ohh, shut the hell up!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yeah, yeah...he's an anti-semite..who gives a flying ****?

    Any comment against jews is criminal but fair game for other religions, right?

    I believe in that every religion should be treated equally, so if you get offended about something said against jews, you better get offended if the same thing is said against, let's say, Iraquis.

    Case in point, when a Rabbi in Israel says that the sight of a cross during the Xmas holidays reminds him of the swastika, no one calls him a racist but if someone made that comment about a synagogue or jewish artifact, all you whiny
    twerps would get all in a tizzy..."Ooh, he's anti-semite."

    The hell with your Politically Correct mentality.

    There are thousands of ethnic putdowns here and I never see anyone get upset at french jokes.

  95. One knows the lion by the stroke of his paw by enkidu · · Score: 2, Insightful
    "There's only one, highly reclusive and wacko Bobby Fischer, but many people could have learned to imitate his playing style and talk about things he would have known about."
    That's like saying there's only one Wayne Gretsky but many poeple could have learned to imitate his playing style and talk about the Oilers and the NHL of his era. They may imitate, but that doesn't mean that those people are going to score hat tricks in an NHL game with the style and grace that Wayne played with. Imitating is one thing; doing is another. And this guy is doing.

    After looking at some of the games, I, for one, think it's him.

    As Bernoulli said on seeing Newton's solution to the falling body problem (in which he also invented the calculus of variations): "On reconnaît le lion à son coup de patte", "One knows the lion by the stroke of his paw." This lion definitely has struck some great players.

    --

    There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself
    -Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye
    1. Re:One knows the lion by the stroke of his paw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The parent post should be modded up.

  96. You suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're a dumb fucking prick. Your analysis is childish, at best. YOu is not smart and should be pleased to no more posting on this forum.

    THANKS!!

  97. denied the holocaust by tobi_pinkjuice.com · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/fi scher.htm
    says Robert James Fischer denied the holocaust of the Nazis in an interview to Baguio Radio in the Philippines on On January 14, 1999. If he did that, it's higly wrong, disgusting, and evil. I'm sad such a person is considered worthwile discussing as a "chess legend"; his denying the holocaust clearly makes it impossible to just talk admiringly about his chess skills.

    --
    peace, love, respect
    1. Re:denied the holocaust by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who gives a rat's ass about the holocaust or what his or your thoughts about it are? It's irrelevant to the fact that he's a chess legend.

    2. Re:denied the holocaust by mimbleton · · Score: 1

      What is wrong with denying the holocaust?

      As long as it is done in the frame of questioning historical event then everything is ok.
      After all, this is what historians do ...

    3. Re:denied the holocaust by SlippyToad · · Score: 2
      What is wrong with denying the holocaust?

      The same thing that's wrong with letting it happen again. I'm afraid, however, it's too late for that.

      --
      One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel / the next it's rolling over me / I can get back on / I can get back on
    4. Re:denied the holocaust by mimbleton · · Score: 1

      Oh really, so now we are required to follow certain interpretation of the history ...

      Please, whatever you learn in your history schoolbooks was written by the victors and surely reflects their biases. Trying to deny or even prosecute any other view does not make it more believable.

    5. Re:denied the holocaust by SlippyToad · · Score: 2

      You know, the day I wrote my reply I expected some brian-rot in respone from you, and I had a big essay composed in my head. Now I've just got this: You're charting the path on a short trip to hell. I've read your other posts on this forum and I have taken the measure of your character. You are clearly a bigot filled with irrational hatred. Go ahead and take your trip. Just keep your shit the fuck away from me. Whatever capacity I had to politely tolerate filth such as yourself went up in flames on tuesday.

      --
      One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel / the next it's rolling over me / I can get back on / I can get back on
    6. Re:denied the holocaust by mimbleton · · Score: 1

      That is amazing how your love-filled heart had no problem linking me with the events on Tuesday.
      I am sick of humanitarians of your kind who leave absolutely no room for others.

  98. DEEPER blue by cryptophiliac · · Score: 1

    They should hook Deeper Blue to the net, and set up a game, inviting Fischer to play. I'd be very intrigued to see who won.

  99. Someone mod this up (+5 funny) by JPMH · · Score: 1

    Classic.

  100. King movement by jtdubs · · Score: 3

    My favorite game was the one where he pushed his two bishop pawns and then proceeded to walk his king around, move his queen out of the way, replace it with the king, and effectively swap his king and queen in 10 moves. LOL! What unique and effective gameplay. Amazing stuff.

    Justin Dubs

  101. Armando Acevedo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    The most decisive "proof" came when Short asked his opponent if he knew of Armando Acevedo, an obscure Mexican player.

    I am not obscure!!

    Armando Acevedo

  102. There's an easy way to solve this mystery by an+ominous+cow+ward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Was he ranitng on about how the Jews are out to get him? From recent interviews, it doesn't seem as if Fischer can go for more than a few minutes before reverting to paranoid delusions.

    Bobby's got some real issues, and he needs the people in his life to get him help. It seems everyone would rather just take advantage of him, like that guy the movie Shine was about.

    I think it's silly to still lionize someone who's so clearly insane. He had the gift for chess.. what happened to him? I'd sooner believe this was a computer than Fischer. He was one of the greatest players who ever lived, but it's doubtful that he could still be so great, given his current mental state. He's much more obsessed with the Jewish conspiracy thing than he is with chess.

    Anne, Celestia and Bobby should all get together and have a nice chat.

  103. Hey, my specialty... by migstradamus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > Fringe murmurs hit the major media this weekend when Nigel Short declared that he believes he has been playing Bobby Fischer online. (Another report of the report here from AP.) Rumors of Fischer playing internet chess have been going around for months now and have caused a furor amongst the usual fans and foes. Most of these stories go as follows: 1) Mr. X insists that both players log on as guests and all communication is handled by way of an intermediary. 2) Mr. X plays crazy openings, often moving his king back and forth to intentionally waste time. 3) Despite this, Mr. X destroys top GMs in these blitz games, making virtually no errors. 4) The games are never published, Mr. X never says he is Fischer or makes comments suggesting he is. 5) Mr. X occasionally answers trivia questions about Fischer's life.

    You don't need to be Johnny Cochran to know the difference between concrete and circumstantial evidence, and what we have above is a wheelbarrow full of the latter. Nigel Short, speaking in the Sunday Telegraph Review article that is also devoid of substantiation, says that he is "99 per cent sure" he has "been playing against the chess legend." This is based on four sets of games, none of which are given or commented on, other than to say that Short lost the first set 8-0. (The article also says Short went 6-6 in a blitz match with Kasparov in 1995. From the context of Short's actual words these were apparently casual games.) The Telegraph doesn't call the evidence circumstantial, it calls it "overwhelming." Johnny Cochran would be proud.

    Short was also impressed by Mr. X replying "Siegen 1970" when the Englishman asked him if he knew Armando Acevedo. Well, I not only know of him, but I met the simpatico Mexican master in the flesh 10 years ago. But that's another story. Acevedo lost to Fischer in the 1970 Siegen Olympiad. That many a Fischer fan and anyone with a database would also know this seems to have been overlooked in this latest continuation of the rampant desire to believe Fischer is not only alive and well, but just biding his time before coming back to take his rightful crown at the age of 58. (It is not as if the person playing these games, Fischer or not, would be unaware of the intense speculation that has been ongoing in the chess community. Fischer was the only Grandmaster the Mexican faced, at least as far as his published games are concerned.) Who is qualified to ask Fischer a question that only Fischer would know? Not many people, and probably not Nigel Short. (Here's one for Bobby: Buenos Aires, 1996. What did you say Mickey Kantor was too busy doing to protect your rights? The rude comment the interpreter wouldn't translate, but you caught her and repeated it several times? But most people at that press conference would know this one...)

    Personally I have no problem at all believing Fischer plays online anonymously. Despite the obvious decline in his mental health, he was still very animated by chess when I met him in 1996. I do not doubt that if he played into shape he would be a tough opponent for the top 10 today and more than a match for Armando Acevedo. But acting as though he would be an invincible demigod after 30 years of almost complete removal from competitive chess is silly. He played a few dozen games against Spassky in 1992 and the rare flashes of brilliance only glimmered brighter due to the thick layers of rust on his game. His knowledge and insight helped Peter Leko several years ago when the two would meet in Hungary, this we know. We cannot imagine a Fischer who has left chess behind.

    As I said above, if you have good arguments you don't need junk. A master playing with strong computer assistance would have little trouble demolishing a top GM in blitz, we know this from experience. Even in rapid games humans make too many mistakes to compete successfully against CPU power on a consistent basis. I'm quite willing to believe that Bobby Fischer is "out there" and playing blitz online, but it will take published games, and more than just a few, to make this into anything more than a rumor.

    1. Re:Hey, my specialty... by CyberDruid · · Score: 1

      Oh great... Now we have another mysterium. Is Miguel Greengard, the legendary commentator, really reading Slashdot (and posting without somebody modding him up)? Or is it some elaborate hoaxer with a Mig-AI...

      --

      Opinions stated are mine and do not reflect those of the Illuminati

    2. Re:Hey, my specialty... by migstradamus · · Score: 2, Informative

      No really, it's me. Send me an e-mail if you like. I've been reading /. for a long time. I was taking networking seriously long before chess. Actually I was only going to post the first paragraph of that, which is from my article that went up at KasparovChess yesterday, and the link, but my mouse ran amok in my sleep-deprived, sunburned state and I clicked submit. Really. Anyway, here's the link to the full article. Only the last bit is about Fischer.
      KasparovChess article about Fischer online.

    3. Re:Hey, my specialty... by jlowery · · Score: 1

      I think it's Duncan Suttles they've been playing.

      --
      If you post it, they will read.
  104. Some serious comments by CyberDruid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    OK, I have been competing in chess for most of my life, so I am a pretty decent player (not a GM or anything). Most of the comments here have clearly been by patzers. Here comes my take on the whole thing.


    I played through the alleged Fisher-games against the IMs (unfortunately Short's games are nowhere to be found), I also read the full Google Groups article that someone posted.


    The opening moves that "Fischer" used are not a "secret weapon" that he has been working on all these years. They are simply designed to give the opponent an advantage. They are also absurd enough to give quite the psychological advantage if your oponent does not exploit them. Psychology is important in chess. More than most players realize. If you get your ass kicked from some unknown guy who plays such an opening, you are going to be unsure of yourself and play much, much weaker than when you are on a streak. (see for example Kasparov vs Deep Blue)


    A computers are notoriously good at shorter timelimits (programmers reading this ought to understand why throwing more time at an exponential problem leads to marginal increase in playing strength). This could very well be some bored IM or something, that is playing some weird moves in the opening and then uses the computer to defend super-humanly, confusing the opponent and finally winning simply because there are so much messy tactics on the board (which a computer will always like).


    Fortunately there are good statistical tests, used for checking for people cheating with computers. These are based on the fact that most programs make the same moves in the same position. If Short were to show his games, they could be analyzed by the standard ICC-algorithm.


    The knowledge that "Fischer" showed in the chat between the games could have been generated with fast google-searches, as has been previously stated.


    However... The games against the IMs are pretty damn impressive. And 8-0 against Short?! A guy manually operating a computer would most likely be too slow to manage that. The improbable thing about this story is not that Fischer plays chess on the internet (why would he not?). The improbable thing is that he would still be that good. I know that he is an american legend, but is it humanly possible? Short gives it a 99% probability because his ego is involved, because he really wants it to be true and because he probably is not aware of how easy it is to use the internet to get information fast (such as the 1970-thing). I just don't know what to think. I think that my final verdict is that Short probably did play Fischer, but that the excitement and psychology of the strange openings made him play less well than he normally would. I cannot believe that Fischer would still be the best chess-player in the world.

    --

    Opinions stated are mine and do not reflect those of the Illuminati

    1. Re:Some serious comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well, he lost to Fool's mate in one of them, that for me is enough to prove that that game was not in any way connected to RJF.

      I'm pretty sure that the published games are the first few moves played by a human, then giving to a computer.

      Short's games may be totally different however. Only he knows.

    2. Re:Some serious comments by HanzoSan · · Score: 1


      Fools mate? Perhaps he was just beaten.
      If Fischer is rusty, its not hard to imagine.
      And these are blitz games, and he was using random openings!

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      If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  105. Re:Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would have to say that none of us are equipped with enough experience with Al Gore to properly ascribe a label to his intellectual capabilities.

    Secondly, you can't use 'image' and public 'diction' to conclude these things. You must keep in context that Al Gore is a politician, and as such, much of his PR thinking is done by other people whose jobs include deciding what people want Al Gore to be. His vocabulary is thus also limited to match the expected level of the population of this country, that is likely to vote.

    I'd say that Al Gore likely lacks much for real social skills, and so he didn't have what I'd say is a sufficient ability to determine what crap from his PR aids made sense and did not make sense, and as such you saw an Al Gore that's probably closer to the real thing (boring, suit wearing, ...) to some nerdy guy wearing ugly shirts. Add this with the psychological effects of having the media constantly telling people that Gore neither knew who he wanted to be, nor had any sort of 'warmth,' and you see precisely the same simple-minded analysis you're rehashing from your daily listening of NPR during the election.

    Al Gore is most likely far from being a one in a billion sort of fellow, but I suspect that he would easily score in the top 5 percentile.
    Of course this is purely assumption based upon questionable observational information.

    Also note that I have very little in common, politically, with Al Gore, so your crazy libertarian/bible thumping conservative hiney can rotate on a bottle.

  106. Re:Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagr by Vann_v2 · · Score: 1

    Just like Thomas Jefferson, who had a well known fear of public speaking? Boy, *that* guy was a moron!

  107. Re:Whoops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The 'worth' of one's life is subjective.

    If I give no value to socializing with retarded people I don't like, then doing so will not make me happy, or to put it in terms of worth, will have no value to me.

    If I give no value to drinking, automobiles, drugs, lusting over n+1 women, ... then doing these activities is absolutely meaningless.

    Thus to conclude, I could just as easily say, "please stupid mathematically challenged retard, if you had wisdom you'd spend your time living it to its worth of rotting in the ground so plants can grow to feed me."

  108. No bobby, sorry by MotyaKatz · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Unfortunately, Bobby Fischer was made the "Elvis of chess" by many frustrated American chess fans who feel even more uncomfortable that their own national team mostly consists of Soviet born and bred players.

    Fischer was vas a very strong player, but mostly psychologically superior to his opponents during 2 years only (1970-72), outside that time his successes were not outstanding. The dominations of Lasker between 1896-1914 (and possibly 1923-24), of Alekhine (1927-1933) and Karpov (1975-85) are more remarkable in my opinion.

    I saw the games mentioned in the article. Computer was used by someone who also understands chess. It could possibly be Fischer using a computer, though.

    He is a very dangerously sick schizo, and it is good for the chessworld and the whole world that he is hiding somewhere, not propagating his ideas instead.

    --
    -- "If you had fallen into a shit pit during a battle, lick yourself off and move on." - Jaroslav Hasek
    1. Re:No bobby, sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fischer may be a sick schizo, but as far as I know he hasn't been shooting any palestinian kids in the head or engaging in the slave trade.

  109. Re:Whoops by khuber · · Score: 1

    You're right. Engineers need bean counters and
    someone to keep the office supplies stocked.

    -Kevin

  110. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by evilviper · · Score: 1
    Unfortunately, he has become a reclusive paranoid schizophrenic


    Two problems with your statement...

    1) Schizophrenia is a genetic trait... You don't just 'become' schizo... You are born that way.

    2) What almost no one has ever come forward and said, is that schizophrenia and other mental diseases seem to be the CAUSE of incredible aptitude in the first place. This is likely why extremely talented people often commit suicide (Kurt Cobain comes to mind) OR are known as 'eccentric.' You imply it's unfortunate that he is so skilled yet crazy, but I believe he wouldn't be so skilled if he wasn't crazy.

    Schizophrenia is an amazing thing. I openly admit I am schizophrenic, (although it is under control) and can easially spot others with the same condition. I believe it is benifital far more than detrimental.

    I can think of no more perfect example of schizophrenia than "Only Happy When It Rains" by Shirley Manson. The deep depressions and other emotions she discusses in the song (and in real life) are the most common indicators of the condition. Also, the character played by Catherine Zeta Jones in "The Haunting" is a fair example of schizophrenia as well (she mentions sleep disorder, and creativity, and not wanting to get rid of it... but that character she describes is not the same one portrayed throughout the rest of the movie).

    One last thing I'd like to mention. It is much better to be overly paranoid, than less paranoid than appropriate. When was the last time you a headline like "Paranoid Man Shot in Back" ? Schizophrenia yeilds creativity everywhere I've seen it, and serves the person well in moderation.

    Oh, don't confuse hearing voices (dementia) for schizophrenia.

    --
    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  111. useless fact by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Q -- What does these 3 people have in common?
    1)Bobby Fischer
    2)Henri Poincare the mathematician
    3)Albert DeSalvo who claim he was a serial killer called "the Boston strangler"

    A -- Three of them have photographic memory, also called eidectic memory.

  112. Re:I'm no chessplayer, but lemme ask a dumb questi by dhamsaic · · Score: 2

    The pieces are identical, but the layout is somewhat different. If you're white, the queen is on the left side of the king. If you're black, the queen is on the right side of your king. So the queens are opposite each other, the kings are opposite each other... the layout isn't symmetrical. Given that white moves first as well, white is generally the preferred side of the board to be on.

    --
    Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
  113. Possible to be anonymous online? by totallygeek · · Score: 1
    I am baffled that you can remain anonymous for long online. I have always wondered how celebrities can get online without ISPs selling them out. Do celebs have to get their help to sign up for Internet accounts, or do they do everything under small companies owned by their corporations?


    People talk about privacy like it can be achieved. I certainly have not seen it possible.

  114. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by kaisyain · · Score: 2

    I think the original poster was using game in a more widely used sense of the word than you are. He meant "match", but I think only chess and tennis call them that and apply "game" to a different unit of play.

  115. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by Montag2k · · Score: 1

    I have all the respect in the world for you to be able to go out into the world and function as a schizophrenic. However, in the Abnormal Psychology class that I recently took we learned that while schizophrenia may be around for a person's entire life, it doesn't surface until a person is in his or her early 20's.

    I agree with you about the talent part though. We were shown different pieces of art that were created by people with schizophrenia and they all looked amazingly complex and beautiful.

  116. Urban Legend. by gdr · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Seems to me like Short is deliberately continuing an urban legend (Fischer playing chess online). Note that the only record of the moves played is in Short's hands and he refuses to make this public. We only have Short's word that he was beaten after his opponent effectively threw several moves away.


    Note how he gives an excuse as to why he will not be able to acquire additional evidence in his original article because Fischer will probably not play him anymore.


    Several times in the article Short teases us with amazing evidence which he wishes he could share with us, but alas ...


    I think Short is having a bit of fun with us, chess GMs can have a sense of humour you know. :-)

  117. You must be joking. by jotaeleemeese · · Score: 1

    These are 3 minutes blitz games. You play fast or you are toast. You don't have time at all to fire search engines and find such answers while at the same time defeating a GM.

    --
    IANAL but write like a drunk one.
  118. He is a 1st rate nut case, not 'a great itellect' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry, but I don't equate playing chess really well with 'intellect', it is a skill. You don't have to look very hard at this life to see that he is a few bricks short of a load, and there is nothing outside of chess I would take any advice from him on.

  119. How easy is to use the Internet? Try it. by jotaeleemeese · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Common, time yourself and find a meaningful answer to the question using whatever tools you have. How long didi it take you? 10 sec? 15 sec? (I tried several times, gave up after 30 sec).

    We are talking about 3 minutes matches.

    Perhaps having a complete database with all the biographic details (all of them including games against unknown players) of Fisher would help, but still, how long does it take you to type "Acevedo Mexico" and copy a meaningful answer to the chat program while at the same time thinking how to defeat a GM that can stand his ground against Kasparov in blitz games???

    --
    IANAL but write like a drunk one.
    1. Re:How easy is to use the Internet? Try it. by CyberDruid · · Score: 1

      They were obviously talking between the games. Also this is sort of a famous game, since Fisher lost. A Fisher-fan would know that.

      --

      Opinions stated are mine and do not reflect those of the Illuminati

  120. Please mod down the parent....Re:Rounders. by jotaeleemeese · · Score: 1

    It is 1 for a win
    1/2 for a draw
    0 for a lost.

    This lad won 8 games in a row ....

    --
    IANAL but write like a drunk one.
  121. Radio Shows... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fischer did some radio shows a few years ago. Search around the web and you may find them. These convinced me that he is probably insane, suffering from schizophrenic paranoia. He is also an extreme anti-semite. Note a nice character at all.

  122. Nonetheless by FallLine · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    My wife's adviser for her PhD in geology was called to testify on global warming to some government committee a few years ago. In this, he was questioned by a number of respected individuals in the science field, many of whom were geologists (although not of the same specialty as my wife's adviser). At the end, Gore came in for a short 5-minute Q&A period. My wife's adviser said that the questions Gore put forth were the most intelligent and thought provoking of the bunch. Obviously he had been well briefed by his aides, but my wife's adviser says that it was clearly his own thinking (follow-up questions to his answers and such). He would most surely disagree with your opinions about Gore.
    In that particular situation, I could see Gore performing well. However, that does not really demonstrate a significant intellect. I would not at all be suprised if Gore were very prepared for this meeting. Firstly, he's very good at spitting out facts and figures. Secondly, environmental policy is his meat and potatoes. While I don't agree with him, I can see combination of his conviction to the issues and his familiarity as being impressive to some. Thirdly, as you indicated, the man would have, presumably, already heard all the arguments. Gore may have said something that your conservative fellow may not have heard before, that may have impressed him, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Gore really thought of it or even that he understood it. Fourthly, the man is a career politician, he has a great deal of practice in that kind of environment.

    Furthermore, even if this man had every reason to believe Gore was as intellect from this meeting, it was just ONE 5 minute meeting, I've personally seen and heard of many examples contrary to his supposed intellect that I simply refuse to believe Gore is a "real" intellectual, let alone intelligent. Also, most people have not had the opportunity to see him personally like that. I really don't see how the general public _honestly_ develops that perception of him.

    The real reason, in my opinion, is because the media has a very definite liberal bias and because Bush is not impressive intellectually. Gore is arguably more intellectual than Bush (However, I would say that he's overall less intelligent than GW, despite the fact that many would disagree.) Another major reason is because a lot of people do not truely understand what intellect is. They confuse the ability to recite facts and figures with intellect, conviction with comprehension, preparation with insight, and so on. Nonetheless, I do not believe that makes a really convincing picture for most the public.

    The press says Gore is intellectual and few individuals take the trouble to see through it. The press says he's intelligent and intellectual, because he's the best choice to further their politics, given the fact that the other Democratic candidates were un-ellectable and that GW is a Republican.

    You can be quite intelligent and now be an excellent orator. In fact you can be quite intelligent and not be very good at English. Don't put down Gore's intelligence. In fact, all the democrat presidents (and Gore) from the last half century stack up as wonderfully intelligent. However, most of them performed as president very poorly. Intelligence is not strongly correlated with the quality of one's presidency.
    I agree very much with you on the fact that intellect doesn't necessarily equate with intelligence and that neither necessarily equate with being a capable leader. This is part of the reason why I voted for Bush. This is also the biggest reason why Gore would be one of the last candidates on my list, even if I were a Democrat; Gore, at best, has an average intellect and he has little else to offer.
    1. Re:Nonetheless by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      The real reason, in my opinion, is because the media has a very definite liberal bias and because Bush is not impressive intellectually.


      Or maybe Gore's just smarter than all the run-of-the-mill mediots? His environmental wonkishness (is that a real word?, and his access to the halls of power, puts them in thrall to him.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    2. Re:Nonetheless by The+Mayor · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Just out of curiosity, how do you come up with this opinion? It really flies in the face of the conventional wisdom of Gore's and Bush's relative levels of intelligence and intellect.

      Also, it sounds like you've got more first (or second) hand experience with Gore. Have you or these folks you know spent much time with him? More than 5 minutes? I want to know--if I should change my opinion of Gore, I want it to be substantiated on something other than heresay.

      And don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say intellect != intelligence. I said that oration skills != intelligence. I'm not sure I understand your distinction between intellect and intelligence.

      --
      --Be human.
    3. Re:Nonetheless by 17028 · · Score: 1

      Who gave this posting moderation points?? It makes no sense. He basically says that the media says Gore is intelligent, because they want him to be, and then he himself says that Bush is intelligent, because he wants him to be. I asume he doesn't have any first hand knowledge of either.

    4. Re:Nonetheless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I care less and less what you think every time I happen to see one of your posts on the matter. You are truly an expert on intellect, given your obvious lack of ability with the English language. Based upon this, I conclude that you are "less intelligent" than George W. Bush.

    5. Re:Nonetheless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you make the claim that Gore isn't really an intellectual, that he's simply good at spouting figures, but you don't back up your arguments with even anecdotal evidence. Face it, moron, Gore may be a make-up wearing weirdo, but he's still 5 times smarter than your boy W., no matter how you define intelligence.

  123. Perhaps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He was just a playing an 8 year old who doesn't know any of the "authentic" opening moves he's supposed to use when playing against a grand master. The anonymous player is clearly a youngster, who has nothing to lose and just goes for it, thus rattling the head of the person he's playing.

    And of course since he got beat, it couldn't have been the 8 year old accross the street. Those moves weren't just random, they were genius! It had to be Bobby Fisher!

  124. Borg, duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This poster seems to be making the same wacky mistakes as most other chess players. For some reason it seems inconceivable to them that someone would just edit xboard into a borg client or somesuch. Instead we get the preposterous notion that it would take someone too long to play with computer assistance. What are they doing, punching paper tape and taking it to the supercomputer in the other room between moves?

  125. Bobby Fischer Challenges Deep Blue by HanzoSan · · Score: 1



    He says He'd play any machine in this interview.
    http://queen.chessclub.com/philchess/rjfischer2. rm

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  126. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by dstone · · Score: 2

    Schizophrenia is a genetic trait... You don't just 'become' schizo... You are born that way.

    Yes, but since it frequently doesn't show up until someone is 25 or 30, it's reasonable to think they're "becoming" schizo. You're right though -- more people need to know that this condition is genetic and/or occurs during fetal or early brain development. (We think.)

    I openly admit I am schizophrenic... I believe it is benifital far more than detrimental.

    Well, duh. You're schizo! Of course you're going to have wacky beliefs like that! ;-) Seriously though, make the most of your condition, whatever it is...

  127. game 20 guest71 - Beber by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is a fool's mate.

    Fischer's no fool, case closed IMHO.

  128. oh yeah... by yellowjacket03 · · Score: 1

    Reminds me of the time that Colin Powell kicked my ass at Total Annihilation.

  129. Fischer Turning Test by kwclark · · Score: 3, Interesting

    > I never confronted my opponent with the
    > question, "Am I playing Bobby
    > Fischer?" I did ask him, however, who was the
    > strongest blitz chess-player
    > he had ever played. His response was, "If I am
    > who you think I am, I would
    > answer Mikhail Tal."

    New definition of intelligence: can you convince Nigel Short you are Bobby Fischer.

    Ken

    1. Re:Fischer Turning Test by Atomic_Furball · · Score: 1

      Apparently, it's not that difficult.

      My money says it's some high-school chess team... all 15 of them crowded around a computer and having a collective laugh at Mr. Nigel Short(sighted)'s expense.

  130. Re:Whoops by Aexia · · Score: 1

    Gore graduated with honors. That doesn't look like F's to me.

    He attended divinity school briefly for a few classes. Later, he attended another college but left to go run for a Congressional seat that had just opened up. Neither case qualifies as "failed", IMHO.

    As for his ability to connect with voters, the media is constantly praising Bush's "way with people" but last time I checked, Gore got half a million more votes than Bush nationwide.

  131. Re:Aptitude vs. Intelligence vs. Effectiveness [OT by sedawkgrep · · Score: 1

    As with other replies to this post, I disagree.

    When athletic ability reaches its highest level, improvement comes from intelligence. Anyone who is a "student of the game" will be better than one who is not, given approximate level of physical skills.

    The same thing applies to almost everything else. I really don't believe in this esoteric idea of a aptitude. To me, aptitude is just having more understanding of a subject than the person making the assessment.

    sedawkgrep

    --
    Is that a salami in my pants or am I just happy to be me?
  132. radio show link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here is a link to Bobby Fischer in a radio interview.
    http://www.ishipress.com/bobby.htm

  133. check it out! by nikster · · Score: 1

    the moves in the link are indeed very unconventional. i think that's good evidence: weirdo moves, and strong enough skills to beat one international grandmaster 7 - 0, the other one 16 - 4.

    also, the maches look like the anonymous player (who might have been BF) wanted to refine and explore his tactics - he is consistently moving all the pawns forward one and the king to the center of the board. if he had just wanted to win by 'throwing off' his opponent, he would have changed the strategy in game 3 at the latest. but nooooo.. he continued on, letting his opponent adjust and take advantage of his strategy. despite giving his opponent a huge advantage, he still pulls off most matches.

    another theory would be that this is an international grand master training to defeat computer programs. these moves are in no opening library. if i was a grand master and had refined these new strategies against machines, i would want to try them vs 'real' opponents as well.

    1. Re:check it out! by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 1
      another theory would be that this is an international grand master training to defeat computer programs. these moves are in no opening library. if i was a grand master and had refined these new strategies against machines, i would want to try them vs 'real' opponents as well.

      Wow, now there's an interesting idea! Hmm... lemme see... are there any very good players about to have a big match against a computer?

      But that would fit too well. If I were Kramnik I too would get a big kick out of starting and perpetuating the rumor that the ghost of Bobby Fischer has returned.

      Let's just see how he opens against Fritz!

  134. Re:Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > I couldn't disagree more about Gore. Gore is at most a mediocre intellect.

    What else would you call someone who got worse grades than Dubya, and not at Yale, but at some state U, and a so-so one at best?

  135. Deep Blue is expensive! by HanzoSan · · Score: 1


    Do you really think Nigel Short could be beaten by a Weak Computer?!

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    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  136. Compared to Bush, he's a frickin' genius! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Talk about poor public speaking!

  137. Holy shit by kypper · · Score: 1

    What a screwed up technique! It's... crazy... and brilliant at the same time.

  138. The games speak for themselves... by dmccarty · · Score: 2
    I'm surprised that all the comments thus far have been related to whether or not the player in question is Fischer, and the playing style has been glossed over. The fact that someone--Fischer, anyone--could compose such a record against the IM's that he played is nothing short of amazing.

    I haven't played much chess in a while, but a quick viewing of some of the games posted show that Fischer (let's assume that it's him) exploits two commonly held notions of modern chess: early castling and protecting the king at all costs. It seems (to me) that he assumes that his opponent will castle and builds a pre-determined offense based on which corner his opponent will put the king, perhaps using his "useless" pawn moves watch his opponents strategy build. Common themes include disrupting the side pawns (even sacrificing a knight to do it) and putting bishops on b2 and g2 to control the long diagonals.

    He also uses his king as an offensive weapon! Amazing! Instead of locking him in the left or right corner dungeon he freely moves him around the board, protecting him to some degree but using him more as a weapon than a protected piece.

    One immediate side affect of the strategy is that all pieces get pushed up. In effect, Fischer builds a fortified position in his opponenet's territory, sometimes leaving a blank row or two on his own end. This not only cramps his opponent, but forces him to attack in unorthodox ways, something he is probably not used to.

    Personally, I think it's either insane or brilliant, maybe both. Perhaps when his opponents get used to him moving his king in a circle to taunt them during the first five moves they'll figure out a way to beat him. Or perhaps he's opened a new era of chess strategy. Either way, I'm going to start playing again.

    --
    Have fun: Join D.N.A. (National Dyslexics Association)
  139. Interesting history... by Polo · · Score: 2

    So I was looking around and found some
    interesting interviews. I guess he's a chess outlaw.

  140. Re:Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagr by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
    Just like Thomas Jefferson, who had a well known fear of public speaking? Boy, *that* guy was a moron!


    I think, when all is said and done, when you stack up Jefferson's writings against _Earth in the Balance_, history will conclude that Al Gore was some monstrous freak who emerged from the soup of Love Canal.

    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  141. Then by all means... by ColGraff · · Score: 2

    ...get an account, Mister Anonymous Coward, and mod me down when your time as moderator comes. Attaching a name to your work can be very satisfying - you should try it sometime.

    By the way, I'm glad to have to people replying to my comments, both good and bad - and I don't give a rat's ass about karma.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
  142. Re:Al Gore, an intellect by all accounts? I disagr by jpostel · · Score: 1

    I must challenge your challenges. You make the statement "Gore is at most a mediocre intellect." You then site examples such as his "speaking abilities", "use of diction", "analytical abilities", and the ever popular "he wasn't even a good student."

    Those are all well and good statements, but I must ask who would have a good intellect? Bobby Fischer(the subject of this thread)? Bill Gates? Alan Turing? Walt Disney? Mozart?

    I don't consider myself to be an intellectual, but I do consider myself to be among the educated elite. I was having a conversation about tax breaks for poor people with a Princeton physics PhD, a geologist, a BFA graphic designer, and myself (materials engineer). I brought up the point that although we may have all been poor at some point in our life, we have very little perspective when it comes to issues like welfare.

    My point is that I have spoken in front of several hundred peers on several occasions. It is not easy and once I even said, "Oh shit" into the mic when my first slide of a presentation was backwards. I had the balls to stay up there and continue. I even pulled a couple of jokes out of my ass. Life in the spotlight is not easy. Gore and Bobby Fischer should be looked upon with amazement that they can do what they do since 99.9999% of the people could not.

    --
    Ummm, Jon, aren't you supposed to be dead...? - Otter(3800)
  143. How to be anonymous online, for a price. by Nonesuch · · Score: 1
    Privacy can be achieved, if you are willing to spend money, it's trivial to conceal your identity.

    Celebrities usually already have at least one 'shell corporation', and don't have any issue with the slightly higher price to purchase dedicated 'business' connectivity.

    I am baffled that anybody on /. would be unable to remain anonymous online for long. You need only find an ISP that accepts payment by other than credit card, and that does not require ID to register a new account.

    Now pre-pay your account fees for 6-12 months in advance, using a money order (or cash). The ISP might suspect you of being a spammer, but that won't stop them from taking your money.

    So long as you do not intentionally 'out' yourself (never personalize your PC or web site settings), don't buy things online, and don't do anything to get the Feds interested, your identity should remain private.

    What about cookies?

    You mean you don't have a PC dedicated to web browsing, upon which you never keep any personal files? You don't regularly blow away the hard drive, upgrade the ethernet card (new MAC, new GUID, etc), and change the visible IP address?

    You say 'I'm too poor to afford such extravagance!' ?

    Then you're probably also not interesting enoough for anybody to go to great efforts to invade your privacy.

  144. Yeah. And I played Pong with Aristotle yesterday. by Atomic_Furball · · Score: 1

    I just heard a story on NPR about this Bobby Fischer thing...

    Nigel Short (the man claiming to be playing against Bobby Fischer) has no evidence whatsoever, just blind & hopeful inferences.

    He hasn't even done something as simple as asking his opponent "Are you Bobby Fischer?" His 'evidence' seems to be that the opponent's style of play is sort-of like Fischer's... And the opponent is "very polite."

    That's brilliant!! Using the same methodology, I can prove that all the polite squirels on this planet are actually reincarnate-clones of Humphrey Bogart! Cool!

    The profound idiocy of the human race astounds me on a daily basis. ...and that fact that it's coming from Short - a chess grandmaster - just makes it even more depressing.

  145. Re:I'm no chessplayer, but lemme ask a dumb questi by phantumstranger · · Score: 1
    All the pieces are identical but black has more of what's called "pawn islands."

    Because of the positioning of the queens (Q) black has two more safe spots for pawns (P) to reside on. Safe being explained that there's a greater chance of protecting a P with other minor pieces - ie. other pawns - than black does. Because of this (and I forget the math to explain it) white goes first to even it out.

    I'll look through my books for the math / averages.

    --
    "From of old, there are not lacking things that have attained Oneness." - Lao Tzu
  146. Short Hoax by DocBones · · Score: 1

    I haven't seen the games, but this is an obvious hoax by Short and others. Rumors were abounding about Fischer so they made him appear.

    When I was playing about twenty years ago there was a fad of opening f3, kf2, ke3, kf4, kg6, kf2 as early as possible in speed games. The object was to demonstrate how incredibly bad your opponent was, when he couldn't beat you after that farce of moves.

    When Short was about to play Kasparov for the world title, he said (approximately) his opponent:

    1) Had an unpleasant personality.
    2) Couldn't get along with normal people.
    3) Looked like an ape.

    Short likes to jerk the chain.

    [When Kasparov was informed of Short's comments he said that was good, Short was trying to build up the gate, like at a Heavyweight Boxing Championship.]

    Doc

  147. No Grandmaster would play a game like this by kms1 · · Score: 1

    > This is no computer, NO computer would ever play a game like this.

    The odd openings mean nothing, as a computer will play any moves which are in its opening book. It would be fairly easy for someone with the time to construct an opening book which uses these openings.

    Whats more difficult to determine is why a sensible human would ever play moves like these, assuming they are playing to win. The self-handicapping argument doesn't seem right to me. 3 minute blitz is an area in which computers perform quite favorably as compared to humans, even grandmasters. I believe that even with this 'handicap' a fast SMP computer running fritz would probably make butter out of any human at this time control. The whole thing seems like a hoax to me.

    -KMS

  148. Why the hell is this comment at 0? Mod this up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As the subject says: Why the hell is this comment at 0? Mod this up! It surely shouldn't be sitting in the same echelon as hoax death reports and goatse.cx crap...

  149. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by pbm · · Score: 1

    If the original poster meant "match" that doesn't make a lot of sense because in 60's the majority of chess activity was on tournaments, NOT matches. There use to be only a final match to decide who will face the current champion (if I remember correctly). Beofore 3 matches Fischer won for the 1972 title (Taymanov, Larsen, Petrossyan) he either played no offical matches, or if he did, he lost them.

    Anyway, Fischer won a lot of games and a number of tournaments but he DIDN't WIN every game nor
    every tournament. And before sometime in late 60's he was just ONE of many good players...

  150. A serious chess player responds... by ergonomia · · Score: 1

    I am a very serious chess player. I looked through all of the games - every single one, purported to have been played by Fischer. Going into it, I was VERY skeptical; my initial reaction to the story was that it is most likely a hoax done with a strong computer. As many have stated, computers can play world class chess at fast time controls.

    The unorthodox openings, at first glance, might lead one to believe that it wouldn't be a computer. However, someone could create a special opening book with these moves, plug them into a program, and accomplish this feat. The (intentionally) poor opening moves, therefore proves nothing one way or the other. It is even quite plausible that a strong computer would be able to defend such inferior positions. I kept looking for tell-tale signs of computer play. It's not that simple to discern. I believe there are clues that this is a human, however. Nonetheless, I could be wrong. Moreover, even if it is a human (which I rate at 80 percent probability), it may not be Fischer.

    The clues are subtle... one thing to look for is the likelihood that a computer will make the same or very similar moves in identical positions. Although, again, this too can be overridden by a human operator.

    One occasion jumped out at me - one of the few (and possibly the ONLY - more on that later - legitimate loss that "Fischer" played). You will note that "Fischer" was black when "he" lost. Note that the very next game, "Fischer" is again black (one of the few games in which they didn't alternate colors). This strikes me as a very, very human (read "egotistical") reaction - e.g. you just beat me as black, I want a rematch as black for revenge and I'll play the same opening and play an improvement. Note, the next game's opening is the same (although there is a transposition of move order - another sign that it is probably a human), "Fischer" deviates on move 12, plays an improvement, and proceeds to win the game. This, I consider very, very, VERY strong evidence that the player is human.

    The other losses (2) of "Fischer" were, in my estimation, instances of "Fischer" intentionally losing. One was a simple, well-known mate (the fastest mate possible) in which "Fischer" intentionally sets himself up for mate - this was most likely a human with a sense of humor allowing this to happen (known as "help-mate"). I don't see that any computer would have a sense of humor, nor allow this simple mate, so it was either done by a human or a human operator (if there was a computer in the loop at all). The other loss, "Fischer" resigns when there is no compelling reason (he had fought out of many, much worse positions to the one in which he resigned) - I have no explanation, perhaps he wanted a different opening and wasn't interested in that particular position.

    The remainder of the play was, in my opinion, human. However, it is somewhat difficult to tell at times. I believe that a computer would, in general, be more materialistic, especially in blitz, than the play exhibited by "Fischer". I saw no evidence of the famous "horizon effect" which computers are known to suffer from; however, this was blitz and many times humans aren't able to exploit this type of thing in fast play.

    I cannot say for sure, but I'm pretty damned confident that it wasn't a computer. There are probably a handful of humans who could pull this type of thing off - Fischer is one candidate. Kasparov another. Indian GM Viswanathan Anand maybe, though doubtful. GM Karpov, doubtful, though one couldn't rule him out. The aged but legendary GM David Bronstein - maybe, just maybe, but he's a bit old, however this is definitely his style of play. I'd say Fischer could be the man behind the moves. I mean, really, it would be surprising if Fischer wasn't playing chess on the internet, the only question is: are these his games?! I say "probably" so.

    1. Re:A serious chess player responds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you saw the games against the two IM's?

      sure didn't look like Fischer to me.

      and Fischer deliberately walk into a mate in 3 moves?
      nothing like the Fischer who used to play on and on in a position that was a draw and slowly grind out a win when he was 5-0 up anyhow just to crush the other guy's ego.

      If it was Fischer, he's changed a hell of a lot.

  151. Re: Who is Bobby Fischer? by balthan · · Score: 1

    You think Cobain is talented? Ok, I believe you're schizo.