Bobby Fischer biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Born Robert James Fischer in Chicago, Illinois, on March 9, 1943, Bobby Fischer became the youngest grandmaster of chess in history in 1958. Fischer's youthful intemperance and brilliant playing drew the American public to the game of chess, particularly when he won the world championship in 1972.

Fischer learned the moves of chess at the age of 6. At 16, he dropped out of high school to devote himself fully to the game. In 1958, he won the first of many American championships.

Chess Champion

In world championship candidate matches during 1970 and 1971, Fischer won 20 consecutive games before losing once and drawing three times. The sudden stop of his hot streak came at the hands of former world champion Tigran Petrosyan of the Soviet Union, ending a final match won by Fischer.

In 1972, Fischer became the first native-born American to hold the title of world champion when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a highly publicized match held in Reykjavík, Iceland. In doing so, Fischer won the $156,000 victor's share of the $250,000 purse.

In 1975, Fischer refused to meet his Soviet challenger, Anatoly Karpov, and the Fédération Internationale des checs deprived him of his championship and declared Karpov champion by default. Fischer then withdrew from serious play for almost 20 years, returning to defeat Spassky in a privately organized rematch in 1992.

Later Years and Death

After defeating Spassky, Fischer withdrew into seclusion, in part because he had violated U.S. restrictions on participating in events in Yugoslavia. On July 13, 2004, he was detained at Narita Airport in Tokyo after authorities discovered that his U.S. passport had been revoked.

Fischer fought deportation to the United States, where he faced criminal charges for violating sanctions against the former Yugoslavia. On March 21, 2005, Fischer was granted Icelandic citizenship and within days was flown to Reykjavík, the site of his world-famous encounter with Spassky.

Bobby Fischer died on January 17, 2008, in Reykjavík, Iceland.

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