Bobby Fischer was the troubled American chess genius who became a Cold War icon.
In 1972, the same year Canada defeated the Soviet Union in the classic hockey series, Mr. Fischer shattered the myth and the might of the Soviet chess system when he defeated world champion Boris Spassky in a thrilling drama played out in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik."His importance was huge, his influence was huge," said Hal Bond, president of the Chess Federation of Canada. "When he played Spassky, it was an American named Bobby playing a Russian named Boris and every other stereotype was true. He was the maverick American playing against the establishment Russian. He showed up in Iceland on his own, Spassky arrived with a state-sponsored entourage. Fischer was the American-dream kind of player who achieved everything through his own intense effort."Chicago-born, Brooklyn-raised, Mr. Fischer began playing chess when he was six years old and was the first American-born chess master to become world champion. He was 29 when he defeated Spassky in "the match of the century," but refused all conditions to defend his title. He did not play a competitive game for 20 years, but instead hit headlines for increasingly bizarre behaviour -- most notably anti-Semitic and anti-American rants.After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, he appeared on Filipino radio claiming the attacks were "wonderful news. It's time to finish off the U.S. once and for all."Mr. Fischer died from kidney failure Thursday in Iceland, his adopted home.Mr. Fischer, whose parents separated when he was two, was raised by his Jewish mother and dropped out of high school to pursue his obsession with chess.In a statement to the New York Times from France yesterday, Mr. Spassky said he was "very sorry" to hear of his famous opponent's death. The two men had remained in contact and on friendly terms since 1972.Canadian federation president Mr. Bond, who has met Mr. Spassky several times, said the Russian always spoke positively about Mr. Fischer."They had known each other for a long time and they respected each other," said Mr. Bond. "Spassky never spoke ill of him."Mr. Fischer, who was said to have had an IQ greater than Albert Einstein's, became the youngest U.S. national champion at 14 and a grandmaster at 15."The gap between Mr. Fischer and his contemporaries was the largest ever," fellow grandmaster Garry Kasparov wrote in the Wall Street Journal in 2004.Mr. Fischer developed a reputation for unpredictable chess tactics, rarely repeating specific opening strategies and displaying a genius for attack. But he was eccentric, unpredictable and petulant.Mr. Fischer told interviewers his favourite moment was when opponents began to feel they would lose. "I like to see 'em squirm," he once said.During the 1972 Spassky match, he constantly demanded changes to tournament conditions and provisions for the players. It was a pattern of behaviour that made him a celebrity, unnerved opponents but alienated him from all but a few in the international chess fraternity.
In 1972, the same year Canada defeated the Soviet Union in the classic hockey series, Mr. Fischer shattered the myth and the might of the Soviet chess system when he defeated world champion Boris Spassky in a thrilling drama played out in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik."His importance was huge, his influence was huge," said Hal Bond, president of the Chess Federation of Canada. "When he played Spassky, it was an American named Bobby playing a Russian named Boris and every other stereotype was true. He was the maverick American playing against the establishment Russian. He showed up in Iceland on his own, Spassky arrived with a state-sponsored entourage. Fischer was the American-dream kind of player who achieved everything through his own intense effort."Chicago-born, Brooklyn-raised, Mr. Fischer began playing chess when he was six years old and was the first American-born chess master to become world champion. He was 29 when he defeated Spassky in "the match of the century," but refused all conditions to defend his title. He did not play a competitive game for 20 years, but instead hit headlines for increasingly bizarre behaviour -- most notably anti-Semitic and anti-American rants.After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, he appeared on Filipino radio claiming the attacks were "wonderful news. It's time to finish off the U.S. once and for all."Mr. Fischer died from kidney failure Thursday in Iceland, his adopted home.Mr. Fischer, whose parents separated when he was two, was raised by his Jewish mother and dropped out of high school to pursue his obsession with chess.In a statement to the New York Times from France yesterday, Mr. Spassky said he was "very sorry" to hear of his famous opponent's death. The two men had remained in contact and on friendly terms since 1972.Canadian federation president Mr. Bond, who has met Mr. Spassky several times, said the Russian always spoke positively about Mr. Fischer."They had known each other for a long time and they respected each other," said Mr. Bond. "Spassky never spoke ill of him."Mr. Fischer, who was said to have had an IQ greater than Albert Einstein's, became the youngest U.S. national champion at 14 and a grandmaster at 15."The gap between Mr. Fischer and his contemporaries was the largest ever," fellow grandmaster Garry Kasparov wrote in the Wall Street Journal in 2004.Mr. Fischer developed a reputation for unpredictable chess tactics, rarely repeating specific opening strategies and displaying a genius for attack. But he was eccentric, unpredictable and petulant.Mr. Fischer told interviewers his favourite moment was when opponents began to feel they would lose. "I like to see 'em squirm," he once said.During the 1972 Spassky match, he constantly demanded changes to tournament conditions and provisions for the players. It was a pattern of behaviour that made him a celebrity, unnerved opponents but alienated him from all but a few in the international chess fraternity.
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