Fischer had chess player's disease, paranoia. He is not alone among the great champions of chess in having this disease. It both derives from and contributes to greatness in chess. A chess player must always be on the lookout for the hidden attack. The great players see hidden attacks when they are hidden very deeply indeed. Patterns that appear innocuous to the less capable appear as deadly to the master. Those who devote their entire lives to chess and especially those who excel at it like no others have this ability and the obsession to use it deeply ingrained in their psyches. To the chess player, everything appears potentially threatening and requires deep analysis to determine if danger really exists in the position, and if so, what the true nature of the danger is. Eventually, with some at least, this obsession persists into real life. Unfortunately, reality is not as clear-cut as the chess board. It is not always possible to ascertain all the facts off the board and the frustration with trying to analyze every "position" ever deeper and deeper with only limited success makes the paranoid personality even more paranoid. It is a vicious circle, as they say.
Of course, growing up a Goyim in Brooklyn, where most of the other pre-teen boys went to class after school to learn the secret language and rituals of the great worldwide Jewish cabal, might have contributed to Fischer's condition as well.:)
In any case, it is sad that he became what he did and that the world did not have a chance to experience more of his unique talent and art on the chessboard.
Slashdot Mirror
Fischer had chess player's disease, paranoia. He is not alone among the great champions of chess in having this disease. It both derives from and contributes to greatness in chess. A chess player must always be on the lookout for the hidden attack. The great players see hidden attacks when they are hidden very deeply indeed. Patterns that appear innocuous to the less capable appear as deadly to the master. Those who devote their entire lives to chess and especially those who excel at it like no others have this ability and the obsession to use it deeply ingrained in their psyches. To the chess player, everything appears potentially threatening and requires deep analysis to determine if danger really exists in the position, and if so, what the true nature of the danger is. Eventually, with some at least, this obsession persists into real life. Unfortunately, reality is not as clear-cut as the chess board. It is not always possible to ascertain all the facts off the board and the frustration with trying to analyze every "position" ever deeper and deeper with only limited success makes the paranoid personality even more paranoid. It is a vicious circle, as they say.
:)
Of course, growing up a Goyim in Brooklyn, where most of the other pre-teen boys went to class after school to learn the secret language and rituals of the great worldwide Jewish cabal, might have contributed to Fischer's condition as well.
In any case, it is sad that he became what he did and that the world did not have a chance to experience more of his unique talent and art on the chessboard.
Yup, the original hacker.