Here’s a cheer for those people who not only talk the talk but also can walk the walk.
Late in 1971, my chess mentor Hal Milner, took a few of the boys from his chess club at
Holmes Jr. High to see Bobby Fischer speak at the Atlas Chess Club in Los Angeles.
Fischer was preparing to play the very strong Soviet champion Boris Spassky for the world
championship in a 24-game match the following July.
Anyway, Fischer lectured the crowd of about thirty people and described how he was going to wipe the floor with Spassky. This was no idle boast as Spassky had most recently defeated another very well-known Soviet, Tigran Petrosian, for the title, and was considered a huge favorite.
But Fischer had chutzpah, major league chutzpah, and we all left that night, after shaking his hand, thinking what an arrogant SOB he was.
The rest is history. Fischer defeated Spassky seven games to two (with eleven draws and one forfeit) to take the world championship. The Man walked the walk.