Awe was always a fitting response to the sight of Bobby at play. Yet that picture leaves something out; it misrepresents not only the nature of genius, but also the nature of chess. For Fischer was not alone that evening. He was conversing not with Brady but with the players whose games he remembered and entered and challenged. Chess has a history; great players build on the ideas and plans of those who have gone before. Whether or not Newton’s modesty was sincere when he told his rival Robert Hooke that “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants,” the concession rings true. Even the loneliest and most independent genius depends on other people, living and dead, against and with whom he competes.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Genius (I'm Not the Only One, Turns Out)
Interesting article HERE about how maddening and distant genius can be:
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