RIP Bobby Fischer

[Gwylan]

He might have ended up as a crazed anti-semite but his games with Spassky made chess front page news and utterly engrossed me for weeks.

I remember playing through every game of that meeting and being astounded by his genius and flair.

I feel sad for the person he became but remember that for a brief period he made chess the coolest game on the planet.

 

[RexCathedra]

The match with Spassky was historic, but Fischer's run of 20 straight wins -- no draws, between grandmasters, is unthinkable -- against Taimanov, Larsen, and Petrosian in '70 and '71 will never be equalled, not by any mere mortal.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Know little about him, but was he living in Iceland or did he just die there? Seems a strange place for a yank (presume he was American) to live.

 

[Race]

not sure how he died. i'll just have to check mate!

 

[Frutos]

Know little about him, but was he living in Iceland or did he just die there? Seems a strange place for a yank (presume he was American) to live.

He was living in Iceland (and was in fact given Icelandic citizenship) to avoid being extradited to the US (he pissed them off by playing a match in Yugoslavia when the US had sanctions in force against them).

 

[Everest]

not sure how he died. i'll just have to check mate!

 

[RexCathedra]

Kidney failure.

Fischer was in the same homeroom in high school (Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn) with Barbra Streisand, IIRC, and they used to swap comic books....

 

[Questions]

I still remember his Queens Gambit in 1974.

Bloomin nutter.

 

[The Auditor]

his games with Spassky made chess front page news and utterly engrossed me for weeks.

I remember playing through every game of that meeting and being astounded by his genius and flair.

.

Is it my imagination but didnt he concede the first game or two by refusing to play and then when he did turn up he completely smashed Spassky

 

[Gwylan]

Is it my imagination but didnt he concede the first game or two by refusing to play and then when he did turn up he completely smashed Spassky

He lost the first game after a beginner's error on move 29, capturing a pawn but losing a bishop. I can still remember my shock at such a move.

He then concededed the second game after making a long list of demands. It's even more incredible then that he trounced Spassky after gifting him a two-game start.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I like the game, but making chess sexy is certainly an incredible achievement. I'd rate it up there with whoever managed to sell fishing as a TV sport to Sky.

The question is, would he have beaten Kronsteen in From Russia With Love?

 

[Eggmundo]

Have been attempting to learn the game with the aid of ChessMaster 10th Edition and it's bloody hard!