tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post1442876508524941727..comments2023-12-28T02:11:22.501+00:00Comments on The Streatham & Brixton Chess Blog: When we were Kings IVTom Chivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850710685193416732noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-65013013951860497992009-11-25T04:43:43.156+00:002009-11-25T04:43:43.156+00:00Hello there. Actually I didn't intend to stop ...Hello there. Actually I didn't intend to stop by the other day, rather I just clicked on a random bookmark to tickle the wireless. But as usual your blog is just too interesting and the random click cost me a couple hours of sleep. And here I am again!<br /><br />At this point I don't know anymore what to make of the Spassky anecdote. Would Kazic have been helping Spassky?<br /><br /><i>I certainly feel that whether a person 'believes' or not and the impact of that belief upon them are much more interesting subjects than debating "truth" in some abstract sense.</i><br />With this I could only agree in the case that the supposed phenomena are not real. If however the phenomena are based in fact, and at least one person is made aware of that truth, then the set of interesting subjects is rather different.<br /><br />As I said, I think influence exists but not in a directly controllable way. Maybe someone *was* trying to hypnotize Korchnoi, but would Spassky really agree to be a medium during a high-stakes match? Sounds very low-percentage on the anti-Korchnoi benefit side, and on the other side it would be bound to worsen Spassky's play, probably to sub-patzer and beyond. So for me the big knock against Korchnoi is that his explanations don't add up. Just because someone is trying to get you doesn't mean you are not paranoid.an ordinary chessplayernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-86767282385805516052009-11-24T16:22:13.087+00:002009-11-24T16:22:13.087+00:00Hello O-CP.
I certainly feel that whether a perso...Hello O-CP.<br /><br />I certainly feel that whether a person 'believes' or not and the impact of that belief upon them are much more interesting subjects than debating "truth" in some abstract sense.<br /><br />Very interested to hear of your memories of the match when it was played - especially since I wasn't interested in chess at the time (and wouldn't have appreciated or understood what was going on anyway) so I have no contemporary memories of my own.<br /><br />The Bondarevsky thing was a joke? Maybe of course - although clearly Korchnoi believed it to be the truth. Still, that's the problem when you have only one source to go on. K may think it the truth by Spassky might have been joking all along - or just trying to be plain antagonistic.<br /><br />I didn't think the idea was that Bondarevsky was trying to sabotage the match btw. The way K tells it Bondarevsky was trying to help Spassky.<br /><br />Nice to hear from you again.<br /><br />JJonathan Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00293162543015231439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-68542354326292702012009-11-23T05:16:27.199+00:002009-11-23T05:16:27.199+00:00People like to give the wink/wink nudge/nudge when...People like to give the wink/wink nudge/nudge when discussing Korchnoi's paranormal fixations. I for one am a firm believer in "influence" at the chessboard, having experienced it myself numerous times. I won't bore y'all with details because I wouldn't expect anyone but me to be convinced by my experiences. Suffice to say that *I* am convinced. On the other hand, I am pretty sure these influences cannot be directly controlled by *most* people (I have played against only one such, to my knowledge). <br /><br />On the other other hand, that wouldn't have stopped the Soviet apparatus from *trying*, as surely both Korchnoi and Spassky would know. My own impression of the match back then was that Korchnoi saw ghosts everywhere, and Spassky made a cynical attempt to exploit that. The later Bondarevsky comment was just a joke at Korchnoi's expense. If Spassky's second wanted to sabotage the match, there were lots more effective means than trying to block Nf5 by hypnosis. Anyway, I thought the Soviets wanted Spassky to win!an ordinary chessplayernoreply@blogger.com