Was Bobby Fischer the only American to become officially world chess champion?
Yes no doubt Sir, but my question is about official chess world champion?
Wilhelm Steinitz was actually an Austrian-American while he was the first official World Chess Champion, though it should be noted this was pre-FIDE.
And technically, although he wasn't American when he was champion, Emanuel Lasker, champion after Steinitz, emigrated to the US from Germany.
Depending on the definition of the demonym 'American', Jose Raul Capablanca, born and raised in Cuba, was the third World Champion.
Paul Morphy is also in the question, very clearly the strongest of his time, but never recognized as an official world champion. Lived and died in New Orleans.
Bobby Fischer is the only American FIDE World Champion, and the only official world champion born in the US.
Wilhelm Steinitz was actually an Austrian-American while he was the first official World Chess Champion, though it should be noted this was pre-FIDE.
And technically, although he wasn't American when he was champion, Emanuel Lasker, champion after Steinitz, emigrated to the US from Germany.
Depending on the definition of the demonym 'American', Jose Raul Capablanca, born and raised in Cuba, was the fourth World Champion.
Paul Morphy is also in the question, very clearly the strongest of his time, but never recognized as an official world champion. Lived and died in New Orleans.
Bobby Fischer is the only American FIDE World Champion, and the only official world champion born in the US.
Brillant summary @barglegargle, many thanks from everybody who will learn something
So Bobby Fischer was indeed the only American to become World chess champion. An incredible performance especially when USSR was totally unbeatable and chess was the epitome of a country supremacy on other countries...
Will America have another native American Bobby Fischer or it is difficult to imagine?
Actually, "native American" means something different.
Wouldn't that be capitalised as "Native American" though?
Actually, "native American" means something different.
@magipi yes, it means -found on wikipedia- that you are born in America.
Actually, "native American" means something different.
@magipi yes, it means -found on wikipedia- that you are born in America.
I think he's talking about the indigenous peoples of the United States.
Americans are better at team sports even though their national character is more about individualism
Americans are better at team sports even though their national character is more about individualism
Or we don't like chess enough.
Americans are better at team sports even though their national character is more about individualism
I think Boxing is a bad example because they can cherry pick the opponents not to mention the dodgy judges and shady sanctioning bodies.
This just proves that the Lost Tribes of Israel ended up here in the United States. And one of their members went on to become the greatest Chess player ever.
I don't know why someone mentioned Cuba. When we say America we mean just the USA, not North America or the Caribbean. Russia is the only country I know of that has had multiple world champions, it would make more sense to ask why they have so many. India has only had one, and China so far has not had any despite their huge population. Ding Liren will be the first Chinese WC if he wins.
I don't know why someone mentioned Cuba. When we say America we mean just the USA, not North America or the Caribbean. Russia is the only country I know of that has had multiple world champions, it would make more sense to ask why they have so many. India has only had one, and China so far has not had any despite their huge population. Ding Liren will be the first Chinese WC if he wins.
The reason why Russia has had so many world champions is because the Soviet state was totally commited to being dominant in chess in order to show the world that it was intellectually superior to the what it saw as the decadent West.
I don't know why someone mentioned Cuba. When we say America we mean just the USA, not North America or the Caribbean. Russia is the only country I know of that has had multiple world champions, it would make more sense to ask why they have so many. India has only had one, and China so far has not had any despite their huge population. Ding Liren will be the first Chinese WC if he wins.
The reason why Russia has had so many world champions is because the Soviet state was totally commited to being dominant in chess in order to show the world that it was intellectually superior to the what it saw as the decadent West.
@huddsblue Perfectly true Sir.
Was bobby Fisher the only American to become officially world chess champion?
First of all Bobby Fisher isn't a world chess champion.
Bobby Fischer is XD
@iza78 FIDE Declared him world champion when he deafeated for the first time the USSR armada in the game of the century against Spassky in 1972. No American could repeat this tremendous achievement. Thank you.
If yes, why no other native American than him could become world chess champion?
In 1972 Fischer became the first native-born American to hold the title of world champion when he defeated Boris Spassky of the USSR in a match held Iceland. It was later called the match of the century!!!