Fischer, Bobby (1943-...), became the first American to win the official world chess championship. He won the title in 1972 by defeating defending world chess champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in the most publicized chess match ever. In 1975, the World Chess Federation took away Fischer's title after he refused to defend it by playing Soviet challenger Anatoly Karpov under federation rules. Fischer never played another tournament game. He did not play again in public until 1992, when he defeated Spassky in an exhibition match.
Robert James Fischer was born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago and raised in New York City. In 1958, at the age of 14, he won his first United States chess championship. Later in 1958, at the age of 15 years and 6 months, he became the youngest international grandmaster in chess history to that time. His My Sixty Memorable Games (1969) is regarded as a chess classic.
Robert James Fischer was born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago and raised in New York City. In 1958, at the age of 14, he won his first United States chess championship. Later in 1958, at the age of 15 years and 6 months, he became the youngest international grandmaster in chess history to that time. His My Sixty Memorable Games (1969) is regarded as a chess classic.
Playing chess does not make one an athelete. Maybe we need a distinction between a "competitor" and an athlete. Simply because whatever you participate in holds competitions does not mean that the participants are athletes. Not IMO anyway.
Are those Japanese guys on Food TV doing cookoofs athletes?
Is a spelling bee champion an athlete?
Are those Japanese guys on Food TV doing cookoofs athletes?
Is a spelling bee champion an athlete?
Maybe not the 20th century but Adrian Dantley
Two time All-American at Notre Dame, an Olympic gold medalist, the NBA rookie of the year in 1977, a six-time All-Star during the 1980s, one of the NBA's all-time leading scorers (his 24.3 points per game is 14th on the all-time list), rarely gets mentioned when people talk about the greatest of all time, or even of his time. I watched him make 28 straight free throws in a game one night at Thomas and Mack in Vegas. The Jazz used to play 8 games a year there in the 80's.
wil.
Two time All-American at Notre Dame, an Olympic gold medalist, the NBA rookie of the year in 1977, a six-time All-Star during the 1980s, one of the NBA's all-time leading scorers (his 24.3 points per game is 14th on the all-time list), rarely gets mentioned when people talk about the greatest of all time, or even of his time. I watched him make 28 straight free throws in a game one night at Thomas and Mack in Vegas. The Jazz used to play 8 games a year there in the 80's.
wil.
