Validation- originally posted 01/26/2008

It's nice to receive compliments and encouragement for my writing, and I appreciate the many kind words I've gotten over the years. Sometimes, though, a compliment can be given to me without the giver even knowing it.

Recently, after Bobby Fischer's death at the age of 64, I was moved to write a blog about the great genius. I was particularly pleased with my inspired reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet at the end of it.

Imagine my surprise when I opened up the latest (January 28, 2008) issue of Sports Illustrated. The issue included a feature on Fischer's death (see pages 16-17) by William Nack, who has written in SI on Fischer in the past. The article, containing a factual howler (a plea by Henry Kissinger was NOT the reason Fischer finally played the 1972 match in Reykjavik against Spassky) and a poor analogy typical of someone trying to help non-chess fans "relate," featured the following quote: "...Fischer's death brought the curtain down upon a story that had the arc of an American tragedy. The tale begins with a lonely boy of six learning to play chess by himself in his Brooklyn apartment; traced his rise to the summits of world chess, where he captured the world championship from the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky; and then followed him, fatally flawed as he was, on his slow descent into reclusion, paranoia, and international flight- to that final, terrible madness which owned him to his death. Fischer was no Prince Hamlet (my boldface), but his brilliance was utterly undeniable, just as his demons were many,..."

Now, here is my writing: "The quote Horatio said as Hamlet was dying at the end of Shakespeare's greatest play, 'Good night, sweet prince,' is so appropriate this evening." I like my allusion a bit more, since it really captures the tragedy of Fischer's death to those who knew a great deal about the man, but it's still nice to read a professional writer think like me. I consider that an indirect compliment.