Was Fischer that good?

The May 2008 issue of Australian Correspondence Chess Quarterly should be turning up in your mailbox today or tomorrow (for those that subscribe). Apart from the latest games from the Australian CC scene, there is an interesting letter from one of readers that challenges the accepted wisdom that Fischer was "the greatest chess player that ever lived". The correspondent (Michael Bedelph) ends his letter with the following paragraph

"Perhaps the underlying reason why Fischer chose not to defend his title was because he knew that Karpov would defeat him and there is no denying that, in 1975, Karpov was the stronger player"

I'm not taking a position for or against this claim and instead (like most magazine editors) would be interested in the views of others.

(Disclaimer: I am the editor of the Australian Correspondence Chess Quarterly, and while I receive no financial renumeration for this role it would be nice if more people subscribed. I've even placed buttons on the right of the screen to make it easier)