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| Bobby Fischer at work in his prime. |
We even had one member we had not seen in a while [because of his work schedule] Ken L. Nice to see you Ken.
Just a reminder, our Club Championship - Round 4 returns next Monday. But there will be casual chess too. So come on by.
Now for a little history:
It is a well known fact that losing a chess game .....hurts. Bobby Fischer said he always felt like he "died a little" with any loss.
The question was asked of GM Larry Evans, Bobby's Olympic teammate and second at many of his chess matches, including his match with Boris Spassky: "How did Bobby look when he resigned? Was he ever known to throw pieces or do anything outrageous?"
GM Evans answered this way:
"They say there are two kinds of losers; bad sports and good actors. Bobby rarely lost, but when he did, his manners were impeccable.
When he lost to Boris Spassky at the Olympiad in 1970, he shook hands and had already shrugged it off by the time we had dinner.
But he also never gloated when he won and usually reviewed the game with his opponents.
His reaction to winning Game 6 against Spassky and seeing Spassky's reaction to the loss left him in awe.
When Spassky resigned, he extended his hand and they shook hands. Spassky then rose from his chair and joined the audience in the applause for the brilliance of the game.
Bobby was so moved by this gracious gesture that he later told us on his seconds team; 'I had to go away.'
Fischer was afraid he would lose his killer instinct by feeling any sympathy for his opponent.
In the car back to the hotel, Bobby said over and over again, "Did you see what Spassky did? Did you see him applaud? That's real sportsmanship. That shows he is a true sportsman."
There is a lesson there for all of us. Sometimes you just have to tip you hat to your adversary. They are trying to win and play the best game they can. Sometimes they succeed.
Be gracious when that happens.
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