Garry Kasparov

[Bigdaddydvo]

I apologize in advance if since this probably belongs in the Bobby Fischer thread below, but...

With GK now retiring after two decades atop the chess world at the relatively young age of 41, could we see an eventual move to poker?

I remember GK having a few ancillary interests, most notably a seat in the Russian Parliament a few years ago. With his mind (reputedly calculates 4 positions/second) and the proper instruction, I speculate he could play at a world class level in less than a year. There isn't the "Bobby Fischer psycho factor" either.

As a side note, I was always saddened that the chess world was never privy to a Kasparov-Fischer match...who many argue were the two greatest to ever play (myself included).

GK is the most technically sound player ever, but I argue that Fischer was the most creative. I'm reaching way back into my memory here (as I haven't played competitively in over 10 years), but there was a game from the 1960 U.S. Chess championship where Fischer played GM Byrne (sp?). The game was heavily analyzed throughout its play, and most kibitzing GMs thought Byrne was way, way, way ahead in positional advantage. Fischer found one move that almost instantly reversed this perceived advantage, and Byrne resigned a few moves later, leading everyone to conclude that BF had his opponent where he wanted the entire time.