Who and why?
The idea for this topic came from a remark made by Mike Nolan in a different thread. Thanks!
personal candidates:
Arpad Elo (immigrated as a child) (rating system)
Reuban Fine (play and books)
Bobby Fischer (play)
Paul Morphy (play)
Sammy Reshevsky (immigrated as a child) (play)
I excluded some purely due to immigrating after adulthood (such as Koltanowski and Steinitz) and had to exclude still living players.
How about Fischer and Spassky OTB?
Biggest impact on the world in Chess History.
Since the post office often does multiple stamps. How about the top 4?
My picks:
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Fischer - Spassky sitting at the 1972 World Chess Championship.
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Samual Reshevski
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Ruban Fine
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Paul Morphy
How about a photo of xplayer with a link to the the USCF website printed below?
It might be easier to get the US Postal Service to issue stamps with chess pieces on them. They would make nice sets for collectors. I agree that a stamp commemorating 50th anniversary of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match would be a good thing. It usually takes years to get the Post Office to go through the vetting and production process. They could be amenable to a stamp on correspondence chess, though I am not sure how that would be represented artistically.
If you must have people on the stamps, only Paul Morphy and Robert J. Fischer stand out for their national and international impact. You might also add Harry Nelson Pillsbury to the list.
Some of you have mentioned Fischer, Morphy, and Pillsbury as US citizens who the US Post Office could put on postage stamps. There is also Steinitz, a US citizen who was World Champion and who played three title matches in the US.
But, here’s a problem: Morphy went crazy. Fischer went crazy. Pillsbury went crazy. Steinitz went crazy.
Not a very pleasing image of chess players, unless you subscribe to the view that all publicity, even bad publicity, is a good thing.
Jackson Showalter , the first U.S. Champion.
Fischer and Spassky, 1972. Not Fischer alone, too controversial. Had he not done those 9/11 statements, maybe. But no way now. Besides that, Morphy, definitely. Sure he was crazy, but so what, so were probably most of our presidents (what normal person would want THAT job???).
I say Bill Goichberg, he’s been such a presence in US chess for a zillion years. How old is the guy, like 120?
I believe that under USPS rules a person qualifying to have his image put on a stamp must be deceased. That probably nixes a Fischer - Spassky stamp, as Boris, though in ill health, is still alive.
At least Pillsbury has a clear medical reason. It is said he contracted syphilis in 1895 during the St. Petersburg tournament. Although some effects of penicillin were known in 1895, Fleming’s discovery wasn’t until 1928, and it didn’t start tests as a treatment for any infection until 1930.
Pillsbury succumbed to his disease in 1906.
Would be ironic, Spassky, who defended the Communist system (whether he liked it or not) at the height of the Cold War, being on a USA postage stamp!
How about Max Judd founder and president of the St. Louis Chess Club. In 1890, Judd defeated US chess champion Jackson Showalter in a match in St. Louis (+7 -3 =0), but did not claim the title.
Was Fischer still considered a fugitive from US justice at his death?
If so, there is zero chance he’ll ever be on a US postage stamp.
If memory serves me correctly you can custom print postage stamps with anyone’s picture on it.
Not quite a zero chance, since IMO, there’s no eligibility ban for being a fugitive from U.S. justice at time of death (although it certainly increases the chance that someone with decision-making authority would veto the candidate).
about.usps.com/who-we-are/leader … mittee.htm
Some candidates that come to mind would be Native Americans who were declared as fugitives/enemies of the country at the time of their death. Others could be WWII or Cold War figures who were originally vilified, but whom declassified documents later revealed were working as agents (or double agents ) for the USA/Allies/NATO.
photo.stamps.com/Store/?sslr=true
However:
So I can make stamps of the flowers and birds in my backyard. 