First, let me state the obvious: Bobby Fischer left something to be desired with respect to human relations. That is putting it mildly. However, as a professional chess player, he did more to advance chess as a profession than anyone else had prior to him. Had it not been for Fischer, prize funds would still be piteously low, FIDE would still be setting all the match conditions, and physical training for matches would still be in its infancy. Also, I think it's noteworthy that Fischer's notorious rants didn't begin until well after his era as WC. He was a complete professional otherwise, especially at the board, and the only criticism he expressed in the era leading up to the 1972 WC was that the Soviets conspired to cheat against Western players by drawing games between themselves and saving their energy for matches against non-Soviets. On this, my opinion is that he was correct. So bash him all you want, but give the man credit for what he did do.
Oh yes, there was a lot of pandering to Fischer. However, it is undeniable that he did quite a lot to advance the care teams and organizers took for their players from then on.
I think it's important to point out that Fischer didn't want a larger prize pool because he was greedy. He was very generous to friends and charities with money in his personal life, and lived quite modestly, especially considering his impoverished childhood. He wanted CHESS to get the recognition it deserved and he believed it should be held in much higher esteem. Unfortunately, economics were not his strong suit, so explaining to him that prize money has a direct correlation with audience size and consumer demand would have fallen on (Fischer's) deaf ears. It was the prestige that large prize money reflects that Fischer craved for chess. If the world championship was broadcast only on Pay-per-view at $50 per viewer they would have made around $10000 total, mostly from news outlets and perhaps clubs, because few very individuals wanted to see the match live that badly. It's not boxing Bobby :D Fischer outmatched Spassky at chess, but Spassky outclassed Fischer as a human being.
Very well put, and you make some good points here. He really worked hard for the recognition of the game as a legitimate profession open to anyone willing to put in the hard work to go pro. You're right too that he wasn't greedy or materialistic. One of the things he did after starting to earn real money at chess was to buy high-quality suits to wear - not to show off, but because he believed that a professional chess player should *look* professional. And yes, Spassky was pure class. Even Fischer himself said that, after Spassky famously stood up and applauded him for his brilliant win in game 6.
@@tome57a His rants already had started. He quit the 1967 Interzonal when he was winning. He almost couldn't play in the 1971 Interzonal, again because of his temper. He was already ranting about Jews. He was not a stable guy. It's true he got even worse later, to the point when he could no longer function in the chess world, but he was already pretty awful.
Finally ! Your series on Fischer has rekindled my interest in chess after 40 years. I followed this match in the US as it happened in 1972. I remember TV coverage with grandmaster commentary and a board of the game on the TV screen. Several times as we awaited a move the grandmasters was speculate what Fischer would play next. Also several times Fischer made a move No one considered. It was chess mania that our country had never seen before or since. Fischer was HUGE in the US after he became champion.
I was 17 at the time and heavily into chess then (I play mostly Go now). It’s true about the insane media coverage, and I’m in Canada. Must have been even crazier in the US. Even from people that never played before. I recall one radio talk show host discussing one of the games that was listed in the newspaper and asking the audience, “Does anyone know what Oh dash Oh means?”
Wonderful Analysis, loved the background on the series. It is amazing how you make such high quality videos. Was introduced to this channel a year ago from a random youtube video recommendation, watched almost every video since. No one can watch just one @agadmator video. Unreal Channel! Seeing the subscriber growth and comments I see that lots of people feel the same. Thank you improving our vast knowledge. Keep up the good work!
A Chicken Coup! Lol! I believe that Slater calling Bobby Fischer a chicken is what finally got Bobby to join the game. I also believe that chess’ global popularity would have not even be as popular today if not for Bobby’s tantrums and getting his way. It would’ve grown slowly over the years. It went from an exclusive game to an overnight sensation across the world during the 1972 World Chess Championship. The U.S. media covered the event blow by blow, as people watched with fervor. Even before the event was over, people around the world of every demographic class bought chess boards and it climbed in popularity exponentially from then. It could have gained in popularity slowly after the Cold War, coming out from being a Russian-centric game. But, its soaring popularity to where it is now would have seriously stunted and certainly not be considered the all-person’s global “sport” it is now. Chess’ current sensation’s roots derive exclusively from Bobby’s desire and then obsession for: “I want to beat the Russians” and altered everything.
I'm liking the backstory. I've seen the movie Pawn Sacrifice where a lot of this was played with, but thanks for your viewpoint and commentary Agadmator.
I am here for vast knowledge... Already know the game by heart ..if I ever listened to my lecturers with such concentration I would have been my.college topper
I absolutely LOVE this channel. I like chess but this guy makes me love it. His presentation and knowledge of the game motivates me to learn more and play more. To me he's as much an asset to the chess community as someone like Bobby Fischer. In a different way but just as significant.
Would you consider making chess openings videos? I know some already have them on TH-cam, but you explain things so clearly it would help thousands play chess better.
Deep opening theory is for 2200 fide rating level and above, where say the 11 moves needs to be accurate or it will be punished. For people below that rating work more on endgame theory, tactics and strategy. You will improve quite a bit that war. Learning opening tricks isn't really chess and only week players tend to fall for it.
30 min video but still love the whole of it.Never quit making intros like this.A video of yours without intro is really like a book without content.Congratulations for the great job
@@g3enzo544 same I've barely gotten back into chess only because of agadmator and I simple love the commentary he gives on the playing field and mindset involved. Helps as much as watching the game in a sense
I will swear by this until death; that your videos, especially with the players you love are always a joy to watch and incredibly educational. Thank you Agadmator
Fascinating presentation of one of the most famous matches in chess history. You do a tremendous job of providing critical and fascinating details and anecdotes. Always appreciated. One can criticize Fisher all one wants for his obstinate behavior, but one should never forget that the Soviet Union was a totalitarian dictatorship, that used chess as a key propaganda tool, and treated its grandmasters as prisoners of the state, punishing them for losing. Remember, no Russian chess player at this level traveled without strict supervision. I mean good grief, the Soveit's biggest fear was that one would defect! And the Soviets were experts at playing the the psychological warfare game, at ever level, at every opportunity.
I can’t possibly be the only one who came here after the new CoD Easter Egg hunt. I immediately searched these videos in search of the game that was referenced in the hunt
Fisher had a point about the money. The reason the Soviet Union was so good at chess was that there was massive political support for the game. America had a great talent in Fisher, but didn't really appreciate it, despite the fact that "beating the Soviet Union"" was a popular idea at the time. That's what the space race was about. At the Ali-Frazier fight a year before, each man was guaranteed $2.5m. But I guess hitting a man in the face is considered more valuable than outwitting him.
One, there's wits and tactics to setup the hitting with skilled fighters. Two, prizefighting has been lucrative throughout history. Mostly for the organizers and bookies but with so much revenue generated the fighters could negotiate a cut. Chess not so much. Three, fighters help the marketing aspect to the public increasing overall revenue. So, yes its more valuable. Trying to compare the difference in money is pointless. Very nice match until the bishop blunder btw. No one bats 1.000.
@@crackawood I agree with that,but we can't do shit about that.Generally speaking,people would like to be entertained more than to be safer ,live longer and with a better life quality on long term. If only the focus was more on science and education in general we would live in a much better place than it is right now.
Russia has always had a strong chess culture, before Soviet and after Soviet. They just love the game, same with India. Meanwhile in USA chess is not popular, little example - The United States Chess Federation had as much as 60,000 players in 1972 following the Fischer Spassky match, dropped in the years.
@@crackawood moving pieces around the board is as productive as putting balls in nets. Why the need to put down other sports to prop up chess? Besides, people like Ali are cultural icons apart from athletes. Life would be very drab if there were no boxing, no soccer, no olympics, no athletic endeavours in general, even if it all went to research.
I can't say how excited I am to be watching this. My first introduction to (real) chess was when my girlfriend's dad (now my father in law) loaned me his copy of the Evans/Smith book on this match. I read the entire book eagerly - the pictures after each move helped massively. Zoom ahead almost 20 years, and I was wondering what to watch on youtube one evening, and remembered this game called Chess. I searched around, found a few chess channels, and soon enough came to realise yours was by far the best. I've enjoyed your channel daily since then, usually in lunch hour at work - or sometimes in the evenings (my wife laughs at the sudden Hello Everyone when it arrives). So after a very enjoyable coverage of the lead-up series, I'm massively looking forward to enjoying this match over the next few weeks - bring it on!!
I was just thinking that the story at the beginning made this match so much more enjoyable to watch with the context on top of your usual amazing analysis.
I went this summer to Iceland and went to the hotel where Fischer stayed during the match in Reykjavik. They have a small exhibit at the hotel with posters, real chess sets used during the match, and a signed board under glass that you can play on! The Bobby Fischer museum and his grave are about an hour outside of Reykjavik in a small town I didn't get to go to, but that little exhibit is a must see for anyone going to Reykjavik. But for anyone going to Iceland who wants to take a detour, I highly recommend going to the Bobby Fischer museum
Impressive game Agadmator. I always love watching a Bobby Fischer game. Just to add I know they say he had a genius level iq. I don’t believe his intelligence could even be measured. His Iq would have been immeasurable.
Interesting also that Fischer took two seconds to Iceland for the match. [for people who are young in those days a second was totally allowed to analyse an adjourned position for you. ] One of the seconds was GM Lombardy. Naturally at least one of your seconds would always be an endgame expert because adjourned games after move 40 were almost always endgames. Fischer didn't believe in seconds in tournaments and usually did his adjournment analysis himself. But in Iceland he was convinced somehow to get a good night's sleep while his GMs worked it out. Spassky also had seconds - two of the strongest Russian GMs. There is a later adjourned game in this match where the seconds do some brilliant work and find some superb moves for both.
On my birthday agad decides to upload a 30 fucking minutes video, and it's none other than the first match between spassky and Fischer. Thank you universe
Since I've been watching your videos I've been playing Fischer/Tal moves with some real success and on Lichess I've gone up 150 elo! While I've still got a long way to go, just watching stuff like this gives me ideas that I normally wouldn't and I feel like it's giving me an edge on people.
For trivia buffs as well the referee in Iceland was the late German GM Lothar Schmidt. Later in life Schmidt became a brilliant correspondence chess player.
Honestly I understand Bobby's skepticism...the past 10 championships had taken place in Moscow, it probably began to feel that chess was becoming a Soviet sport...
Spasski had a whole army behind him to analyse Fischer's games. Fischer only had one or two guys to analyse Spasski's games. No one ever played and won a championship tournament in that way. In my opinion that makes Bobby Fischer the best chess player ever.
Lol fisher was himself a machine nowadays all the work is done by the computers for the GM's they just memorise the variations but the moves that fisher plays are the top choices of the top engines
I would like to see Agad cover more of Spassky's beautiful wins. Most of the best games I've seen of Spassky's are losses - several from this match, that loss against Karpov in their Candidates match (Karpov had white in a Sicilian, think it was game 5), Keres finishing Spassky off with a Queen sac at Goteborg 1955, Tal winning brilliantly with Black in Tallinn 1973 IIRC. The one win of his I'm even a little familiar with was his King's Gambit brilliancy against Bronstein.
That thought crossed my mind too. Did he want to mislead Spassky into thinking that he was a weaker player and that would make Spassky relax and not put much passion into the second match ?
correct. Fischer singlehandedly raised the status, the pay scale, and the public estimation of chess worldwide. Spassky himself, years after this match, thanked Fischer for acting as *chairman of the chess players union*, and raising the status of the chess playing profession.
As far as Fischer wanting more money to play, this is certainly true, but from what I read, Fischer was offered very lucrative sponsorships after becoming world champion, yet he turned them ALL down. Hence, if money is important to Fischer, why did he turn down the sponsorships?
He wanted more prize money so that chess would be on par with other professional "games" like boxing, baseball, football, etc. As you said, he wasn't a greedy person who wanted the money for himself, he just wanted the game of chess, and those who excelled at it, to be held in higher esteem. In his eyes, low prize money for the best players in the world equated to an insult.
It's always a pleasure to see that arrogant Fischer losing a game. I would enjoy very much a full playlist with all fischer's blunders and lost, I'd see it from the beginning till the end :). P.S. This guy on the videos made something similar but with a great player: Kasparov.
Baseball had Babe Ruth. Basketball had Michael Jordan. Soccer had Pele. And chess had Fischer. There’s always one icon. One player that was the iconic standard. One person that everyone in the world knew, loved, and most importantly learned from.
Ofcourse It is true that Fischer was a very strong player at that time and he was indeed proud of that , and when he agreed finally for match , it was not like that he was the only one on whom conditions were imposed , Spassky also had to agree most of conditions, I think it was bad that Fischer started making extra demands like chairs , audience,extra money , etc.which should not be done as he was the one who wanted to be world champion so , if most of the conditions are agreed on his side then he should have agreed it without making extra demands .Also it was really nice on Spassky's part to agree to all the stupid psychological conditions and also the last condition (which he should have definitely refused ) showing sign of true Gentleman . On one side Fischer is affected by small psychological things which were not in his favour and on other side there is his famous quote that"I don't believe in psychology , I believe in good moves"- A great contradiction.
But later Spassky regretted that agreed with most of Fischer demands, especially about small back room. He realized that it put him psychologically in disadvantage . They came back into big playing hall for game 4, but damage was already done. Fischer now believed that he was better player and confident Fischer all of a sudden had enormous playing strength Spassky was very proud person. Before game 3 in back room he never lost to Fischer, he had wonderful score against him on chessboard games : 4 wins, 2 draws + 1 win in forfeited game. He had every reason to believe he can beat Bobby and he wanted to beat him on chessboard. although Soviet authorities tried to convince him that forfeit win in match is good enough . After poor game 3 situation changed. Spassky`s confidence was shaken and ruthless Fischer delivered one crushing blow after another. If this was boxing match, it would win by KO .
You should think about it more. He won the psychological warfare, and didn't want to now down to the Soviets. Plus, he is the one who allowed the greatest chess players to make a living with chess, it wasn't really the case before him and he fought for that
"Here we have a nice photo of this moment, it's not from this moment, might not even be from this game" :^D
koneksk8 hahahahahaha i laughed my ass off
yeah lol... I was like WTF
Hahahaha
A photo of this moment. This moment meaning the regular moment he post a photo when he presents a game.
and it's not even a photo
"but most of all Fischer demanded more money"
Bobby was America's champion through and through :')
ahahahaha
It was only fair for one of the best players in the world. Sports stars were earning far more.
@@thegorn sports stars earned far more money because they created far more money. Fair ain't got nothing to do with it.
juw through and through lol
@@Jacob-df5hr sports stars don't "create money" - the Federal Reserve does that lol you don't know anything.
First, let me state the obvious: Bobby Fischer left something to be desired with respect to human relations. That is putting it mildly. However, as a professional chess player, he did more to advance chess as a profession than anyone else had prior to him. Had it not been for Fischer, prize funds would still be piteously low, FIDE would still be setting all the match conditions, and physical training for matches would still be in its infancy. Also, I think it's noteworthy that Fischer's notorious rants didn't begin until well after his era as WC. He was a complete professional otherwise, especially at the board, and the only criticism he expressed in the era leading up to the 1972 WC was that the Soviets conspired to cheat against Western players by drawing games between themselves and saving their energy for matches against non-Soviets. On this, my opinion is that he was correct. So bash him all you want, but give the man credit for what he did do.
Oh yes, there was a lot of pandering to Fischer. However, it is undeniable that he did quite a lot to advance the care teams and organizers took for their players from then on.
well said. good summary
I think it's important to point out that Fischer didn't want a larger prize pool because he was greedy. He was very generous to friends and charities with money in his personal life, and lived quite modestly, especially considering his impoverished childhood. He wanted CHESS to get the recognition it deserved and he believed it should be held in much higher esteem.
Unfortunately, economics were not his strong suit, so explaining to him that prize money has a direct correlation with audience size and consumer demand would have fallen on (Fischer's) deaf ears. It was the prestige that large prize money reflects that Fischer craved for chess. If the world championship was broadcast only on Pay-per-view at $50 per viewer they would have made around $10000 total, mostly from news outlets and perhaps clubs, because few very individuals wanted to see the match live that badly. It's not boxing Bobby :D
Fischer outmatched Spassky at chess, but Spassky outclassed Fischer as a human being.
Very well put, and you make some good points here. He really worked hard for the recognition of the game as a legitimate profession open to anyone willing to put in the hard work to go pro. You're right too that he wasn't greedy or materialistic. One of the things he did after starting to earn real money at chess was to buy high-quality suits to wear - not to show off, but because he believed that a professional chess player should *look* professional.
And yes, Spassky was pure class. Even Fischer himself said that, after Spassky famously stood up and applauded him for his brilliant win in game 6.
@@tome57a His rants already had started. He quit the 1967 Interzonal when he was winning. He almost couldn't play in the 1971 Interzonal, again because of his temper. He was already ranting about Jews. He was not a stable guy. It's true he got even worse later, to the point when he could no longer function in the chess world, but he was already pretty awful.
Spassky is the biggest gentleman of all the chess players.
True, i heard he even wrote a letter to some officials saying that, Either you get Fischer out of jail or get me in with him. LOL
What a guy
He respected Bobby.
I love both Fischer and Spassky. Both legends. Times flies 😢😢 Spassky must have missed fischer
Wish you can say the same thing for Ol' Bobby 😆
"Once you push a pawn, you can never unpush it."
My 1 yr old niece defies all the chess principles
I've watch the great film Pawn Sacrifice and the Fischer documentary in preparation for this series
GJ_Jenko i have nothing to say to you
Congratulations. You are an excellent viewer.
Congratulations you are a great subscriber
I too rewatched Bobby Fischer Against the World while waiting for the series to start. I must check out Pawn Sacrifice - I never heard of it before.
GJ_Jenko, congratulations, you are a future pawn sacrificing grandmaster!
That " hello everyone" blew up my mind so energetic uff , i was using earphones
Niladri Biswas yes it is very loud and disturbing
@@rawandhamid6264 it's very triggering not annoying I kinda like it
I say "hello everyone" at the same time with him when I start the video, Haha
Finally ! Your series on Fischer has rekindled my interest in chess after 40 years. I followed this match in the US as it happened in 1972. I remember TV coverage with grandmaster commentary and a board of the game on the TV screen. Several times as we awaited a move the grandmasters was speculate what Fischer would play next. Also several times Fischer made a move No one considered. It was chess mania that our country had never seen before or since. Fischer was HUGE in the US after he became champion.
Wow after 40 years ! That's a long time not play chess ! Good thing your interest is back ! Cheers mate :)
Wow that's amazing I was born in 1996 but your comment gave me great insight on how it really was, Thanks!
I was 17 at the time and heavily into chess then (I play mostly Go now). It’s true about the insane media coverage, and I’m in Canada. Must have been even crazier in the US. Even from people that never played before. I recall one radio talk show host discussing one of the games that was listed in the newspaper and asking the audience, “Does anyone know what Oh dash Oh means?”
@@ccosta55 haha that’s classic
I could listen to Bobby Fischer antics literally for my entire day
Wonderful Analysis, loved the background on the series. It is amazing how you make such high quality videos. Was introduced to this channel a year ago from a random youtube video recommendation, watched almost every video since. No one can watch just one @agadmator video. Unreal Channel! Seeing the subscriber growth and comments I see that lots of people feel the same. Thank you improving our vast knowledge. Keep up the good work!
Sanket Sabnis has
Totally agry. Thans Sanklet for put it into words. Thanks Agadmator fot your videos!
But he takes more than 11 minutes to get to the game..
23:05 I don't think because 23:07 there no comment after Kd5?? move ıf Bobby plays a6 this game is would be epic draw
Bobby Fischer is one of my favorite players
That was quite a coup to convince Bobby to play. Or as Jim Slater might have said, a chicken coup.
Ooooof.
A Chicken Coup! Lol! I believe that Slater calling Bobby Fischer a chicken is what finally got Bobby to join the game. I also believe that chess’ global popularity would have not even be as popular today if not for Bobby’s tantrums and getting his way. It would’ve grown slowly over the years. It went from an exclusive game to an overnight sensation across the world during the 1972 World Chess Championship. The U.S. media covered the event blow by blow, as people watched with fervor. Even before the event was over, people around the world of every demographic class bought chess boards and it climbed in popularity exponentially from then. It could have gained in popularity slowly after the Cold War, coming out from being a Russian-centric game. But, its soaring popularity to where it is now would have seriously stunted and certainly not be considered the all-person’s global “sport” it is now. Chess’ current sensation’s roots derive exclusively from Bobby’s desire and then obsession for: “I want to beat the Russians” and altered everything.
The background knowledge enriches the story so much. Best chess commentary ever on this channel
I have never finished a whole 30mins video for 2 years thank you I realy enjoy it you are realy good at telling story
cool boy I never look at how long it is... doesn’t matter, really, we love ‘em short, long and everything in between... :D
I'm liking the backstory. I've seen the movie Pawn Sacrifice where a lot of this was played with, but thanks for your viewpoint and commentary Agadmator.
I am here for vast knowledge... Already know the game by heart ..if I ever listened to my lecturers with such concentration I would have been my.college topper
I absolutely LOVE this channel. I like chess but this guy makes me love it. His presentation and knowledge of the game motivates me to learn more and play more. To me he's as much an asset to the chess community as someone like Bobby Fischer. In a different way but just as significant.
Would you consider making chess openings videos? I know some already have them on TH-cam, but you explain things so clearly it would help thousands play chess better.
The more you'll play urself the more will ur openings knowledge increase
Deep opening theory is for 2200 fide rating level and above, where say the 11 moves needs to be accurate or it will be punished. For people below that rating work more on endgame theory, tactics and strategy. You will improve quite a bit that war. Learning opening tricks isn't really chess and only week players tend to fall for it.
he talked 10+ minutes about Fischer's opening trick. "I need more money, I need this, I need that..."
Opening matters at a high level (above 2100). At a low level (below 2100), if makes little difference.
Dude! The key to master chess is not to know any openings theory.
30 min video but still love the whole of it.Never quit making intros like this.A video of yours without intro is really like a book without content.Congratulations for the great job
Why dislike long videos? Just don't get the idea behind it...
@@timmykenny717 there are some guys who are blaming for the intros.. me,personally, i totally love them
Συμφωνώ πατριώτη!
@@dimitrioskyriazis3817 Αγόρι μου!!
@@g3enzo544 same I've barely gotten back into chess only because of agadmator and I simple love the commentary he gives on the playing field and mindset involved. Helps as much as watching the game in a sense
I will swear by this until death; that your videos, especially with the players you love are always a joy to watch and incredibly educational. Thank you Agadmator
Bobby always retreating with bishops and saving them. Love it.
*Absolutely love* the fact that you can pull up a video from a year ago and the "Hello everyone" will be the *same* as it is today.
Never clicked on a notification faster in my life
Good to know.
Fascinating presentation of one of the most famous matches in chess history. You do a tremendous job of providing critical and fascinating details and anecdotes. Always appreciated. One can criticize Fisher all one wants for his obstinate behavior, but one should never forget that the Soviet Union was a totalitarian dictatorship, that used chess as a key propaganda tool, and treated its grandmasters as prisoners of the state, punishing them for losing. Remember, no Russian chess player at this level traveled without strict supervision. I mean good grief, the Soveit's biggest fear was that one would defect! And the Soviets were experts at playing the the psychological warfare game, at ever level, at every opportunity.
After about a year of watching your channel I improved my chess.com ranking from 1300 to 1600!!!! All I can say is THANKS Antonio!
use an engine
@@justabeardedguythatisahero9848 that's not how this game is supposed to be played. What would be the point?
Great.
You are setting the gold standard for a youtube channel.
Continued best.
I can’t possibly be the only one who came here after the new CoD Easter Egg hunt. I immediately searched these videos in search of the game that was referenced in the hunt
Bro it seems not a lot of cod players watched this video
I did the same!
@@cravingnuts791 I know about the Easter egg but I am watching this video because I'm interested
Fisher had a point about the money. The reason the Soviet Union was so good at chess was that there was massive political support for the game. America had a great talent in Fisher, but didn't really appreciate it, despite the fact that "beating the Soviet Union"" was a popular idea at the time. That's what the space race was about. At the Ali-Frazier fight a year before, each man was guaranteed $2.5m. But I guess hitting a man in the face is considered more valuable than outwitting him.
One, there's wits and tactics to setup the hitting with skilled fighters. Two, prizefighting has been lucrative throughout history. Mostly for the organizers and bookies but with so much revenue generated the fighters could negotiate a cut. Chess not so much. Three, fighters help the marketing aspect to the public increasing overall revenue. So, yes its more valuable. Trying to compare the difference in money is pointless. Very nice match until the bishop blunder btw. No one bats 1.000.
@@crackawood The same could be said about the athleticism and physical abilities of former world chess champions...
@@crackawood I agree with that,but we can't do shit about that.Generally speaking,people would like to be entertained more than to be safer ,live longer and with a better life quality on long term. If only the focus was more on science and education in general we would live in a much better place than it is right now.
Russia has always had a strong chess culture, before Soviet and after Soviet. They just love the game, same with India. Meanwhile in USA chess is not popular, little example - The United States Chess Federation had as much as 60,000 players in 1972 following the Fischer Spassky match, dropped in the years.
@@crackawood moving pieces around the board is as productive as putting balls in nets. Why the need to put down other sports to prop up chess? Besides, people like Ali are cultural icons apart from athletes. Life would be very drab if there were no boxing, no soccer, no olympics, no athletic endeavours in general, even if it all went to research.
Fun fact : Fischer told Spasky that he was late because of traffic while shaking his hand
I can't say how excited I am to be watching this. My first introduction to (real) chess was when my girlfriend's dad (now my father in law) loaned me his copy of the Evans/Smith book on this match. I read the entire book eagerly - the pictures after each move helped massively. Zoom ahead almost 20 years, and I was wondering what to watch on youtube one evening, and remembered this game called Chess. I searched around, found a few chess channels, and soon enough came to realise yours was by far the best. I've enjoyed your channel daily since then, usually in lunch hour at work - or sometimes in the evenings (my wife laughs at the sudden Hello Everyone when it arrives). So after a very enjoyable coverage of the lead-up series, I'm massively looking forward to enjoying this match over the next few weeks - bring it on!!
You should include the important note that Pal Benko was the one who gave up his spot to let fischer compete in the Interzonal
Wow
I was just thinking that the story at the beginning made this match so much more enjoyable to watch with the context on top of your usual amazing analysis.
Finally...
Thanks agadmator 💖
I went this summer to Iceland and went to the hotel where Fischer stayed during the match in Reykjavik. They have a small exhibit at the hotel with posters, real chess sets used during the match, and a signed board under glass that you can play on! The Bobby Fischer museum and his grave are about an hour outside of Reykjavik in a small town I didn't get to go to, but that little exhibit is a must see for anyone going to Reykjavik. But for anyone going to Iceland who wants to take a detour, I highly recommend going to the Bobby Fischer museum
"What a blunder", Nepo 2021: "Hold my beer".
Even in 2023!
Man! I am just stunned after that blunder Fischer took this game to the endgame where he had a little bit chance of draw
Impressive game Agadmator. I always love watching a Bobby Fischer game. Just to add I know they say he had a genius level iq. I don’t believe his intelligence could even be measured. His Iq would have been immeasurable.
Interesting also that Fischer took two seconds to Iceland for the match. [for people who are young in those days a second was totally allowed to analyse an adjourned position for you. ] One of the seconds was GM Lombardy. Naturally at least one of your seconds would always be an endgame expert because adjourned games after move 40 were almost always endgames. Fischer didn't believe in seconds in tournaments and usually did his adjournment analysis himself. But in Iceland he was convinced somehow to get a good night's sleep while his GMs worked it out. Spassky also had seconds - two of the strongest Russian GMs. There is a later adjourned game in this match where the seconds do some brilliant work and find some superb moves for both.
What a great transition from the story to the game! Amazing video as always
On my birthday agad decides to upload a 30 fucking minutes video, and it's none other than the first match between spassky and Fischer. Thank you universe
Spiderman and Sabretooth playing chess against each other is pretty cool
I am more than thankful for your efforts to teach a class about this.
Ever child knows bishop is trapped!!
Since I've been watching your videos I've been playing Fischer/Tal moves with some real success and on Lichess I've gone up 150 elo! While I've still got a long way to go, just watching stuff like this gives me ideas that I normally wouldn't and I feel like it's giving me an edge on people.
Spassky was simply a gentleman.
For trivia buffs as well the referee in Iceland was the late German GM Lothar Schmidt. Later in life Schmidt became a brilliant correspondence chess player.
Honestly I understand Bobby's skepticism...the past 10 championships had taken place in Moscow, it probably began to feel that chess was becoming a Soviet sport...
A very instructive video with all this background informations, many thanks to agadmator!
Spasski had a whole army behind him to analyse Fischer's games. Fischer only had one or two guys to analyse Spasski's games. No one ever played and won a championship tournament in that way. In my opinion that makes Bobby Fischer the best chess player ever.
too many cooks spoil the broth
Nobodeh DontNeedToKnow I respect your opinion but CRUSHING him? 🤨 no way
Lol fisher was himself a machine nowadays all the work is done by the computers for the GM's they just memorise the variations but the moves that fisher plays are the top choices of the top engines
And what are the top grandmasters doing in fisher random ????? They are out of the world by seeing the Orientation of the pieces
And all of that army were only as good as Spassky was strong, end of..
please do more long intros of history and context behind matches whenever possible, this is easily my favorite video of yours! thanks for the content
Just a bad day at the office. Sun comes up next day and life moved on.
Had to come and see agadmator’s commentary on this series of games after watching Pawn Sacrifice. Love it.
Uploaded 26 seconds ago? Hell yeah!
The story is widely known ofcourse but I believe this video is one of the best introductions (hoping to have more videos in the future) to the story!
#suggestion I’d like to see more Spassky games - all I really know about him is his game against Fischer and the ‘92 rematch!
I would like to see Agad cover more of Spassky's beautiful wins. Most of the best games I've seen of Spassky's are losses - several from this match, that loss against Karpov in their Candidates match (Karpov had white in a Sicilian, think it was game 5), Keres finishing Spassky off with a Queen sac at Goteborg 1955, Tal winning brilliantly with Black in Tallinn 1973 IIRC.
The one win of his I'm even a little familiar with was his King's Gambit brilliancy against Bronstein.
I'm addicted to this channel waiting for game 2
They said that Bobby was distracted about the noise of the audience.
Love how much story was in this video!
Can you please add some kind of notation in the title or # tag what opening is in game? I would love to filter these games by opening
I remember these events pretty well. This was a good historical description.
Watched this video
Search bobby fischer
Found PAWN SACRIFICE
watched full movie
Again watching this video
Feels amazing
This is not chess this is war..
Thanks for the background story. I was a kid when this match happened and it actually got me into chess! Thanks again!
Fischer on Move 29: "Why settle for a draw when you know that you are able to create a losing position?"
This is one of your best videos i think ❤ Your knowledge and passion really show, can't wait for the rest of the games!
yes this is the Bish You Were Here game
Best half hour spent this week
We all know Bobby knew what he was doing by getting his bishop trapped. He wanted Boris to gain some confidence.
That thought crossed my mind too. Did he want to mislead Spassky into thinking that he was a weaker player and that would make Spassky relax and not put much passion into the second match ?
@@mayateola4732 maybe..
yeah by giving him a 2-0 lead?
he only lost one other game...Boris' best game of the match game 11...nb1!!
From KSA, Thank you.... you have been very helpful.... love you man
Man I respect Fischer so much, he knew his worth and was fighting for that.
Who knows if chess would be as big as it is now if it wasn't for him?
correct. Fischer singlehandedly raised the status, the pay scale, and the public estimation of chess worldwide. Spassky himself, years after this match, thanked Fischer for acting as *chairman of the chess players union*, and raising the status of the chess playing profession.
Although seeing the match for like the 20th time.....
Kudos on your analysis which was by far the best.
"pawn sacirfice" tobey meguire as bobby Fischer
I would’ve never been as good at chess without agadmator channel. I know this video is two years old and you will never see it but thanks anyway!
As far as Fischer wanting more money to play, this is certainly true, but from what I read, Fischer was offered very lucrative sponsorships after becoming world champion, yet he turned them ALL down. Hence, if money is important to Fischer, why did he turn down the sponsorships?
He wanted more prize money so that chess would be on par with other professional "games" like boxing, baseball, football, etc. As you said, he wasn't a greedy person who wanted the money for himself, he just wanted the game of chess, and those who excelled at it, to be held in higher esteem. In his eyes, low prize money for the best players in the world equated to an insult.
It's always a pleasure to see that arrogant Fischer losing a game. I would enjoy very much a full playlist with all fischer's blunders and lost, I'd see it from the beginning till the end :). P.S. This guy on the videos made something similar but with a great player: Kasparov.
Who is here rewatching after Nepo Fischer'd himself at the World Chess Championship?
Didn't quite Fischer himself seeing as he lost the whole match lol
@@lamestudiosinc418In 2023 too
Great story at the beginning of the video oh my
The most poisonous pawn ever!!
Finally i was waiting for this!! Thank you agadmator
3:55 special guest star : the dog
I remember I downloaded and watched this entire saga when I didn't have WiFi on a road trip fun times
Play like Bobby, behave like spassky
I love when he increases my knowledge thanks agadmator
Such a great video. I know Fisher won but I dont know the final score. I really want 23 more videos on this series that will last for 30 minutes.
Wonderful! Can’t wait for the rest of this series...
Love the research man! You're the best!
I remember when this match was being played. I rooted heavily for Fischer.
Baseball had Babe Ruth. Basketball had Michael Jordan. Soccer had Pele. And chess had Fischer. There’s always one icon. One player that was the iconic standard. One person that everyone in the world knew, loved, and most importantly learned from.
The king of chess channels: agadmator! This was better than the final episode of season 7 of GoT!
i have seen the story of bobby fischer and he is good at playing chess but all of those demands were really out of hand. :/
Yeah...why pay chess players when players who put balls in holes deserve the millions.
30 minutes - I love it
So, you’re also here after Carlsen vs Nepo, Game 9?
22:15 I think a crucial bit that's missing here is the line after h3 instead of Ke7
Fischer, the worker class chess genius who managed to double wages by threatening a strike on the world championship.
19:40
Worst blunder in world championships?
Nepo proved you wrong with a similar blunder
Ofcourse It is true that Fischer was a very strong player at that time and he was indeed proud of that , and when he agreed finally for match , it was not like that he was the only one on whom conditions were imposed , Spassky also had to agree most of conditions, I think it was bad that Fischer started making extra demands like chairs , audience,extra money , etc.which should not be done as he was the one who wanted to be world champion so , if most of the conditions are agreed on his side then he should have agreed it without making extra demands .Also it was really nice on Spassky's part to agree to all the stupid psychological conditions and also the last condition (which he should have definitely refused ) showing sign of true Gentleman . On one side Fischer is affected by small psychological things which were not in his favour and on other side there is his famous quote that"I don't believe in psychology , I believe in good moves"- A great contradiction.
you watch a few youtube videos and think you can psychoanalyze fishers actions 50 years ago.
But later Spassky regretted that agreed with most of Fischer demands, especially about small back room. He realized that it put him psychologically in disadvantage . They came back into big playing hall for game 4, but damage was already done. Fischer now believed that he was better player and confident Fischer all of a sudden had enormous playing strength
Spassky was very proud person. Before game 3 in back room he never lost to Fischer, he had wonderful score against him on chessboard games : 4 wins, 2 draws + 1 win in forfeited game. He had every reason to believe he can beat Bobby and he wanted to beat him on chessboard. although Soviet authorities tried to convince him that forfeit win in match is good enough .
After poor game 3 situation changed. Spassky`s confidence was shaken and ruthless Fischer delivered one crushing blow after another. If this was boxing match, it would win by KO .
Love this game ❤❤
The opening of this video really made me think a lot less of Fischer... Like a spoiled little brat he is.
You should think about it more. He won the psychological warfare, and didn't want to now down to the Soviets. Plus, he is the one who allowed the greatest chess players to make a living with chess, it wasn't really the case before him and he fought for that
Really liked the story in the beginning of the video.
hey #agadmator, can you show some famous chess games played by women during the 20th century after this series!!
My vast knowledge just went through the roof. Thanks Agadmator!