Flash move by grandmaster?
QUESTION
Did Bobby Fischer defeat many Grandmasters anonymously at blitz chess on the internet?
BoBBy FISCHER was a maverick U.S. chess player who, aged 15, became the youngest grandmaster in history. His creative vision and flair drew the U.S. public to the game.
In 1972, he became the first American to win the World Championship by defeating Russia’s Boris Spassky, making him a Cold War hero.
But he forfeited his title three years later, refusing to defend his crown under new governing rules. He played little competitive chess after this, retreating into isolation and paranoia.
From the late 1990s, he lived in Hungary, the Philippines and Iceland. Strange stories followed him around until his death in 2008.
Rumours began swirling that he would log on to the Internet Chess Club to play an incredible series of blitz speed chess games against random opponents.
The format supposedly played by Fischer was bullet chess, where each player has less than three minutes, based on a 40-move game.
The story goes that Fischer would make contact anonymously and then play a series of bullet games, using wild opening moves and thumping his opponents, who were sworn to secrecy so the games were seldom published.
In 2001, British chess grandmaster Nigel Short broke ranks and claimed that he had played 50 games of speed chess, over four sittings, against Fischer. The first time they played, Short lost 0:8.
‘I am 99 per cent sure that I have been playing against the chess legend. It’s tremendously exciting!’ he said.
Seeking proof, that he was indeed playing Fischer, Short asked his opponent: ‘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. In a 2002 interview, Fischer denied he was the mystery internet chess player, though he was an unreliable witness.
others point out he was always a gentleman at the board and would never play wild opening moves that might offend an opponent.
It has been suggested the erratic blitz chess player was a hoax using a computer program known as Deep Fritz.
Genevieve Allen, London SE12.
QUESTION
Is there evidence that before the 18th century it was more common to read a letter aloud than in silence?
AT A time when the vast majority of the population was illiterate, written material was designed to be read aloud.
Alberto Manguel’s A History of Reading claims St Augustine’s Confessions has the first definite instance of silent reading recorded in western literature.
A passage describes the reading habits of Ambrose, the 4th century bishop of Milan: ‘But when he used to read, his eyes were drawn through the pages, while his heart searched for its meaning; however, his voice and tongue were quiet.’ Scholars say this was remarkable for his time.
A famous example in Shakespeare is Lady Macbeth reading aloud the letter from her husband in which he relates the witches’ prophecy that he will be king.
From the 17th century, moveable type and the rise of vernacular writing helped usher in silent reading.
R. E. Stewart, Edinburgh.