Was Bobby Fischer right about this?

No he wasn't

Thanks for the feedback. Thought for food. I think of it like: I could have spent untold hours on the court practicing basketball, but I NEVER could have equaled Michael Jordan. Genes + practice must necessarily defeat only practice. Just like I never could have been a successful pole dancer.

A far lesser grandmaster once said to a candidate master who just had failed to score his last required IM norm:
"I would make my dog an IM, if I could just teach him how to move the pieces."...

Attaining mastery in any field requires a monstrous amount of work and barely anybody is commited enough to pay that price. Any minute you spend on Chess detracts time you could invest in becoming the Draughts world champion, e.g.

@Harmonix Curiously, why do you think that is a relevant question for anyone other than Bobby Fischer?

Do you really think being socially isolated, insulting and pretentious is helpful to one's chess game?

I personally think that Fischer was a chess phenom despite his social and emotional problems, not because of them.

#15
"Do you really think being socially isolated, insulting and pretentious is helpful to one's chess game?"
I do not think Fischer was particularly insulting or pretentious: he behaved very correctly towards fellow chess players and when he said he was the greatest, he proved it on the board.
I do think being socially isolated is helpful to one's chess game: one needs time and dedication. Being socially isolated means being free of distractions and thus makes it possible to be dedicated to chess and spend much time on it.

You have to have contempt for your opponent. You have to hate them." == Bruce Pandolfini/

@tpr I agree that Fischer was very focused - and when he was an active player, he was usually very thoughtful and sportsmanlike in his interviews. However, he wasn't always respectful or considerate - especially later in life. I was mostly responding to him allegedly refusing to socialize with non-chess players and insulting weaker players. I don't think those traits are inherently positive for one's chess game.

While it's true that being anti-social might have afforded him more time to focus on chess, I don't think it was good for him in the long run. There are more sustainable approaches to focus and discipline that don't involve mental illness. The greatest criticism of Fischer was his lack of longevity and willingness to show up to face challenges later in his career. I think that was likely caused by his mental instability and tendency towards social isolation.

By the way, for what it's worth, he is one of my all-time favorite players.. quite likely the GOAT. And I don't think he was a bad person. I'm only criticizing specific behaviors and the potential impact those behaviors may have had on his career.

That's a great interview. Here is another great interview.. He seems like a genuinely nice guy with the "non-chess playing" guests - even taking time to explain basic piece moves.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIE3CFNpZ5Y