I Dream That I Was Playing Chess With A Legendary Grandmaster

[Bartmanhomer]

Last night I dream that I was playing chess with the legendary grandmaster, Bobby Fisher. I play white and Bobby was black. On my first opening I was going schoolmate Bobby with the four-move checkmate, but he countered it. Bobby Fisher beat me by 10 moves. It was an epic slaughterhouse for losing the game but it was the best dream I have in years.

[Aedilred]

Last night I dream that I was playing chess with the legendary grandmaster, Bobby Fisher. I play white and Bobby was black. On my first opening I was going schoolmate Bobby with the four-move checkmate, but he countered it. Bobby Fisher beat me by 10 moves. It was an epic slaughterhouse for losing the game but it was the best dream I have in years.

Don't use this opening. Just don't. It's cheap, lazy, easy to counter, and leaves your pieces terribly developed. If it doesn't work, you're screwed. It's also kind of rude, since it demonstrates a contempt for your opponent's abilities. Even if it does work, what have you accomplished? Is there any satisfaction to be gained from winning a game that way?

[Murk]

Don't use this opening. Just don't. It's cheap, lazy, easy to counter, and leaves your pieces terribly developed. If it doesn't work, you're screwed. It's also kind of rude, since it demonstrates a contempt for your opponent's abilities. Even if it does work, what have you accomplished? Is there any satisfaction to be gained from winning a game that way?

To be honest, winning from a professional such as Fisher would be satisfactory, even if it was in the most silly way possible.

[Lethologica]

Fischer would play the Sicilian against 1. ...e4, wouldn't even think about the Scholar's Mate, and would effortlessly cover f7 with ...e6 or ...Nf6 if the need arises. It's not really about whether the win looks silly.

[blunk]

Yeah man, don't you even dream of using that opening against Bobby Fischer

[Bartmanhomer]

In all fairness, Bobby wasn't really offended when I use the schoolmate opening. He was actually surprised and give me some chess advices, one of the advices was never to use the queen early in the game which I thought it was a wonderful idea at first but now I know better never to use that opening ever again.

[blunk]

Ha! You don't remember knowing to not use your queen early, before this dream? Or was he just reiterating something you already knew?

[Bartmanhomer]

I think it was both.

[goto124]

Yeah man, don't you even dream of using that opening against Bobby Fischer

[Bartmanhomer]

OK last night dream was a rematch. I was black this time and Bobby was white. I used the two knight opening instead of the Scholar Mate opening. I improved much better but I still lost. He beat me about 30 moves.

[Peelee]

Fischer would play the Sicilian against 1. ...e4, wouldn't even think about the Scholar's Mate, and would effortlessly cover f7 with ...e6 or ...Nf6 if the need arises. It's not really about whether the win looks silly.

I think he would just start complaining about the Jews in Icelandic.

[Aedilred]

I think he would just start complaining about the Jews in Icelandic.

More likely in English. He ended up in Iceland, but he was American and I don't know if he actually spoke Icelandic.

[Peelee]

More likely in English. He ended up in Iceland, but he was American and I don't know if he actually spoke Icelandic.

Huh. I just assumed he would learn the language of what would become his permanent home until death. So I looked it up.

Before playing the match with Spassky in Reykjavik, in 1972, Fischer toured Iceland for a few days to get the feel of the land. One morning he telephoned his old friend Frederick Olaffson, Iceland's only grandmaster. Both Olaffson and his wife were out of the house, and a little girl answered the phone. Fischer said, "Mr. Olaffson, please." Olaffson's daughter explained, in her native Icelandic, that both her mother and father were out of the house and would return in the early evening for dinner. Fischer does not know a word of Icelandic and had to hang up with an apology. Later that day, talking to another Icelandic chessplayer (who did speak English), Fischer remarked that he had tried to reach Olaffson. "It sounded like a little girl on the phone," he said. He then repeated every Icelandic word he had heard over the telephone, imitating the sounds with perfect inflection, so well, as a matter of fact, that the Icelander translated the message word for word.

No other word on whether or not he actually learned Icelandic, but that's a damn cool story.

[Wardog]

Don't use this opening. Just don't. It's cheap, lazy, easy to counter, and leaves your pieces terribly developed. If it doesn't work, you're screwed. It's also kind of rude, since it demonstrates a contempt for your opponent's abilities. Even if it does work, what have you accomplished? Is there any satisfaction to be gained from winning a game that way?

I'm not sure its fair to criticise somone for the tactics they use in a dream.

I mean, a few nights ago, I dreamt I was trying to investigate and take down a cult/terrorist cell, with the assistance of Paris Hilton armed with a laser rifle.