Comments by "wvu05" (@wvu05) on "Thoughty2" channel.

He stopped because he was worried that he would lose. Karpov agreed to every demand but two. The one that was an absolute dealbreaker was that Fischer insisted that they play to ten wins, but that if he got to nine, that made him the champion. I think the other was about the share of the winnings where Fischer wanted more guaranteed money than the prize money for the tournament. I think one of his old friends in Bobby Fischer vs. The World explained it best: Bobby Fischer got to the point where he could not accept defeat, but the only way to ensure that would never happen would be to never play. Considering that he hadn't been at the board un the three years of the championship cycle, I think Karpov would have had a better than even chance. (Most people saw the "no draws" stipulation as Fischer wanting to play through the first few games to get his bearings back.)
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Getting to the top isn't the only measure of greatness. The true greats can hold it.
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@dububro Great boxer: Sugar Ray Robinson; greatest heavyweight: Joe Louis. Robinson won his first title in the 1940s, and lost his last in 1960. Louis was heavyweight champion for 11 1/2 years. Greatest basketball player is either Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell. They were both at the top of their field for over a decade. "Chess is a young man's game" And Kasparov held the title for 15 years. Karpov held it for a decade before that, and he was the top challenger for several years after.
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@dububro I don't know you if you don't understand how this works, or if you're just playing dumb to prove a point. Of course, no one holds it forever, but tell me this, how many times did Bobby Fischer defend his title? How many games did he win as World Champion? Compare that to the ones that I listed, and then tell me if you see a difference.
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