Fischer, faith and the age of opulence

By Errol Tiwari On In Chess with Errol |
Contemplating his next move: Wendell Meusa played undefeated to win the 2018 Senior National Chess Championship recently. Meusa entered into a playoff with Anthony Drayton to decide who would be the National Champion. Meusa won handsomely in the two best-in-three playoff. In the background is Saeed Ali, one of the participants of the National Championship.
Contemplating his next move: Wendell Meusa played undefeated to win the 2018 Senior National Chess Championship recently. Meusa entered into a playoff with Anthony Drayton to decide who would be the National Champion. Meusa won handsomely in the two best-in-three playoff. In the background is Saeed Ali, one of the participants of the National Championship.

I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry for help, He pulled me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. He set my foot on a rock and made my steps secure. – Psalm 40: 1-2, Holy Bible, a prayer offered for, and by the 33 trapped Chilean miners in August 2010. A cross was erected on the site following their rescue.

In life no one understands everything. Take chess for example: there was a time when World Championship matches were contested for $1,000 purses. Nowadays, World Championship matches have entered the age of opulence and are played for million-dollar purses.

Until 1972, the situation of playing for unattractive finances, remained unchanged. Then American super-grandmaster Bobby Fischer arrived to play for the World Championship title and everything changed dramatically. Fischer was adamant he would not put his talent to the test for a mere $1,000 purse. When the dust finally settled after lengthy negotiations, Fischer was guaranteed US$250,000.