Who had the best opening, middle game and endgame ever?

Don't mean to harp on ulterior motives for Fischer's behavior but one other thing is worth mentioning (at least in my opinion:)

The media made a big deal out of Fischer accepting second board in the 1970 USSR vs. Rest of the World match after Larsen said he (Larsen) deserved first board based on his tournament successes and Fischer's inactivity. Everyone expected Fischer to object and for there to be a big fight, but Fischer quickly accepted having Larsen on first board, with Fischer on second board. The media praised Fischer for his behavior, but Frank Brady, a Fischer biographer, noted that Fischer would have faced Spassky if he played on first board and, on second board, he faced Petrosian. Brady hypothesized that far from being a magnanimous gesture, Fischer may not have felt prepared to face Spassky (he had never beaten him before) and wanted to play Petrosian instead (who he wound up beating 3.5 to 0.5.) That was the same match where Spassky crushed Larsen in a 17-move miniature after Larsen, who had white, got a little too creative in the opening.

I think Karpov probably would have won as well. Karpov had a big lead on Kasparov at one point in their match of unlimited duration but then started to slide and Kasparov picked up a few games. I think that's when the match was halted. Fischer's proposal for an unlimited match (draws don't count) wasn't really a good idea even though it was instituted for one of the Kasparov-Karpov matches (I think it was the first.) You can't tell how long a match like that will last and it's only natural that the less physically-fit player will start to suffer under all that stress.

4-0 to Karpov at after 31 games, if I remember right, and then Kasparov just transformed into this cat with nine lives, winning game 32, then drawing 15 games, then winning two more, by which time Karpov was close to a nervous breakdown. Greatest comeback in chess history. Maybe the greatest rivalry as well, though Botvinnik and Smyslov, Capablanca and Alyechin were great rivalries as well.

Best part of the Karpov-Kasparov rivalry, they were both so far ahead of the rest of the chess-playing world.

Either one would have been the undisputed best, if not for the other.

I too got pretty sick of this...although I am heartened to see that quite a number of chessplayers find the guy rather repellent as well (fortunately, the days when chess skill would absolve any flaw in one's makeup to the typical chessplayer seem to be over).

Not sure what to make of this...it is after all just a board game.

Of course we're the perfect ones to sit in judgment of him - and every other GM!

Well, that goes without saying...but it's never seemed to stop any of us from posting on these sorts of threads before. 

I'm shocked AndyClifton, truly shocked at your statement. Next you will say that Baseball is just a kid's game ? Oh wait a minute, it is just a kid's game. Never mind, carry on.

Yes, I'm as guilty as anyone:)

Have you guys heard of Boris Spassky. He was the best middle game player in history

Spassky had great tactics, in his youth. I wasn't as crazy about his later play.

In terms of middlegame tactics it is probably Nezhmetdinov 1st with Tal a close 2nd.(In my opinion anyway)

For endgames 1st Flohr 2nd Rubinstein/Kramnik 3rd Botvinnik

Before raising Nezhmetdinov above world champions, take a look at the games he lost. Nezhmetdinov played some spectacular games, but his constant search for brilliant sacrifices meant that he also lost some games in shockingly one-sided blow outs.

Morozevich and ivanchuk play in a similar style to Nezhmetdinov but both play better middle games.

Nezhmetdinov isn't anywhere near Tal.

Perhaps the closest we currently have to Nezhmetdinov today is Timur Gareev. Gareev is capable of playing incredibly beautiful and incredibly naive games. 

you in yet?

Lol