Contents
Bobby Fischer
Defeating Boris Spassky in 1972 to become world chess champion.
Eight US championships · My 60 Memorable Games
- Born
- 9 March 1943
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Died
- 17 January 2008
More people
Bobby Fischer
An American chess prodigy whose precise calculation and determined play carried him to the world title. His career combined dominant tournament performances and influential chess writing with long absences from competition.
Early life
Chicago to Brooklyn
Born in Chicago and raised mainly in Brooklyn by his mother.
Learning at six
Learned chess with his sister and developed his game through New York chess clubs.
Career
- 1956–1958
A teenage champion
Won the US Junior title, then the national championship; became a grandmaster at fifteen.
- 1959–1971
The world-title pursuit
Advanced through international tournaments and defeated three opponents in the 1971 Candidates matches.
- 1972–1975
World champion
Took the title in Iceland, then forfeited it after agreement on his defence conditions broke down.
- 1992
A brief return
Beat Boris Spassky in a rematch in Yugoslavia, his first competitive return since 1972.
Games & writing
The Game of the Century
Defeated Donald Byrne with a celebrated queen sacrifice while still thirteen.
Eleven wins from eleven games
Won every game at the US Championship, finishing without a loss or draw.
My 60 Memorable Games
Annotated wins, draws and losses to explain the decisions and mistakes behind his play.
Beyond chess
Later public statements
Made antisemitic statements and praised the September 11 attacks in radio interviews.
Final years in Iceland
After detention in Japan, received Icelandic citizenship in 2005 and lived there until his death.
Sources & photo credit
Biographical reference ↗US Chess: obituary, dates and career ↗FIDE museum: world championship and career ↗FIDE archive: the 1972 Cold War encounter ↗New In Chess: My 60 Memorable Games ↗Photo: Bert Verhoeff / Anefo, Dutch National Archives. CC0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
