BBobby Fischer

For those of a similar name, see Bob Fisher (disambiguation).

Bobby Fischer

Fischer in 1960
Full name Robert James Fischer
United States
Country
Iceland (2005–08)
March 9, 1943
Born
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
January 17, 2008 (aged 64)
Died
Reykjavík, Iceland
Title Grandmaster (1958)
World Champion 1972–75
Peak rating 2785 (July 1972 FIDE rating list)[1]
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American World
Chess Champion. Many consider him the greatest player of all time.[2][3][4]
At age 13 Fischer won a "brilliancy" that became known as The Game of the Century.[5] Starting at
age 14, Fischer played in eight United States Championships, winning each by at least a one-point
margin. At age 15, Fischer became both the youngest grandmaster up to that time and the
youngest candidate for the World Championship. At age 20, Fischer won the 1963–64 U.S.
Championship with 11/11, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. Fischer's My 60
Memorable Games (1969) remains a revered work in chess literature.[6]
In 1970 and 1971, Fischer "dominated his contemporaries to an extent never seen before or
since".[7] During that period he won the 1970 Interzonal Tournament by a record 3½-point margin
and won 20 consecutive games, including two unprecedented 6–0 sweeps in the Candidates
Matches.[8] In July 1971, he became the first official World Chess Federation (FIDE) number-one-
ranked player, spending 54 total months at number one. In 1972, he captured the World Chess
Championship from Boris Spassky of the USSR in a match held in Reykjavík, Iceland, publicized as
a Cold War confrontation which attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship
before or since.[9]
In 1975, Fischer refused to defend his title when an agreement could not be reached with FIDE over
one of the conditions for the match. Afterward, Fischer became a recluse, disappearing from the
public eye until 1992, when he won an unofficial rematch against Spassky. It was held in Yugoslavia,
which was under a United Nationsembargo at the time.[10][11][12] His participation led to a conflict with
the U.S. government, which sought income tax on Fischer's match winnings, and ultimately issued a
warrant for his arrest.[13]
In the 1990s, Fischer patented a modified chess timing system which added a time increment after
each move, now a standard practice in top tournament and match play, and created a new variant of
chess called Fischer Random Chess or Chess960.[14]
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Fischer lived in Hungary, Germany, the Philippines, Japan, and
Iceland, and made increasingly anti-American and anti-semiticremarks on various radio stations.
Possibly as a result, his U.S. passport was revoked.[15][16][17] Fischer, unaware of his passport's
revocation, traveled to Japan, where he was arrested by Japanese authorities[18] and detained for
over eight months (in 2004 and 2005)[19] under threat of deportation. In March 2005, Iceland granted
Fischer full citizenship,[20] leading Japanese authorities to release him from prison.[21] Fischer flew to
Iceland, where he lived until his death on January 17, 2008.[22]

obby Fischer
For those of a similar name, see Bob Fisher (disambiguation).
Bobby Fischer

Fischer in 1960
Full name Robert James Fischer
United States
Country
Iceland (2005–08)
March 9, 1943
Born
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
January 17, 2008 (aged 64)
Died
Reykjavík, Iceland
Title Grandmaster (1958)
World Champion 1972–75
Peak rating 2785 (July 1972 FIDE rating list)[1]
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American World
Chess Champion. Many consider him the greatest player of all time.[2][3][4]
At age 13 Fischer won a "brilliancy" that became known as The Game of the Century.[5] Starting at
age 14, Fischer played in eight United States Championships, winning each by at least a one-point
margin. At age 15, Fischer became both the youngest grandmaster up to that time and the
youngest candidate for the World Championship. At age 20, Fischer won the 1963–64 U.S.
Championship with 11/11, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. Fischer's My 60
Memorable Games (1969) remains a revered work in chess literature.[6]
In 1970 and 1971, Fischer "dominated his contemporaries to an extent never seen before or
since".[7] During that period he won the 1970 Interzonal Tournament by a record 3½-point margin
and won 20 consecutive games, including two unprecedented 6–0 sweeps in the Candidates
Matches.[8] In July 1971, he became the first official World Chess Federation (FIDE) number-one-
ranked player, spending 54 total months at number one. In 1972, he captured the World Chess
Championship from Boris Spassky of the USSR in a match held in Reykjavík, Iceland, publicized as
a Cold War confrontation which attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship
before or since.[9]
In 1975, Fischer refused to defend his title when an agreement could not be reached with FIDE over
one of the conditions for the match. Afterward, Fischer became a recluse, disappearing from the
public eye until 1992, when he won an unofficial rematch against Spassky. It was held in Yugoslavia,
which was under a United Nationsembargo at the time.[10][11][12] His participation led to a conflict with
the U.S. government, which sought income tax on Fischer's match winnings, and ultimately issued a
warrant for his arrest.[13]
In the 1990s, Fischer patented a modified chess timing system which added a time increment after
each move, now a standard practice in top tournament and match play, and created a new variant of
chess called Fischer Random Chess or Chess960.[14]
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Fischer lived in Hungary, Germany, the Philippines, Japan, and
Iceland, and made increasingly anti-American and anti-semiticremarks on various radio stations.
Possibly as a result, his U.S. passport was revoked.[15][16][17] Fischer, unaware of his passport's
revocation, traveled to Japan, where he was arrested by Japanese authorities[18] and detained for
over eight months (in 2004 and 2005)[19] under threat of deportation. In March 2005, Iceland granted
Fischer full citizenship,[20] leading Japanese authorities to release him from prison.[21] Fischer flew to
Iceland, where he lived until his death on January 17, 2008.[22]