Bobby Fischer: Story of a controversial Myth
Chess was not only owned by Sovietic players in the second half of the XXth century: Nobody can ignore Robert James “Bobby” Fischer, one of the most invincible players who could build a Myth and destroy it quickly!
The legend started when he was 14, he became the youngest US champion, defeating Reshevski in a very memorable attack against Sicilian Dragon, and therefore became the most famous American player. Fischer used to hate Soviet team, in spite of the FBI suspicions that he could be a Soviet spier!
Fischer, who has an IQ of 180, was known of his nervosity and inunderstood behavior. He interrupted the Interzonal in Sousse (Tunisia) in 1967, probably because of tiredness, but the excuse was because the organizers scheduled his matches during his religious holidays and Sabbath. However, although he was Jewish, Fischer agressively declared many times his antisemistism, that he wished “To expose the Jews for the criminals they are, the parasites they are, the liars they are, the thieves they are, the niggers they are …. Jews were always bastards throughout history. They are liars, they are the worst pieces of shit in the world. They mutilate their own children.”, these attacks became frequent after September 11, 2001… He renounced being Jewish to enter to the Worldwide Church of God that he represented as ambassador; later, he left the church because he had to devote his time, money and health.
Fischer became the Champion of the World in Reykjavik in 1972, after the Game of the Century against the Sovietic Boris Spassky, the victory was widely used as a US propaganda at the time; however, it was the last Fischer’s official match! It was a pity because he could finish his career as a hero, instead, he has not participated in any tournament after, and when in 1974, he had to defend his title against the Sovietic new star Anatoly Karpov, he required strange suggestions of modifying the system of playing, which was to his favor, as Max Euwe, the president of International Chess Federation, did not agree, he refused to play and got disappeared.
It’s in 1980 that people heard about Fischer, but it was not about chess: he was wrongly accused of robbing a bank; he declared that he was tortured, the first days they left him without eating or drinking!
20 years after the famous games, Fischer appeared again for a revanche, 1992, Fischer - Spassky, this time it was in Yugoslavia; everybody can understand his accept because of the $5,000,000! Fischer won the match but became a fugitive: The US Treasury Department warned him that his participation was against the law, and he would be arrested. Fischer lived in Hungary, where he taught the Polgar sisters, later he was offered an Icelandic alien’s passport after his arrest by the Japanese authorities and his renouncement of the US citizenship.
Fischer did not really contribute to chess theory, except the counter attack in the Sicilian Najdorf (Qb6), besides, he suggested a very interesting timing control which consists of adding some extra seconds for each move; Fischer has also invented the Random Chess game, which consists of placing the pieces randomly, and thus, nobody can get the advantage of knowing opening theories.
Irrational, controversial, fuzzy, Fischer nevertheless remains one of the players who offered the most to chess, to its evolution and the only person who could break out the Sovietic legend.
Reference: Wikipedia
