Fischer in 1960 Full name Robert James Fischer Country United States Iceland (2005–2008) Born ( 1943-03-09)March 9, 1943,, U.S. Died January 17, 2008 ( 2008-01-17) (aged 64), Iceland Title (1958) 1972–1975 2785 (July 1972 ) Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess and the eleventh. Many consider him to be the. In 1972, he captured the from of the USSR in a match held in, Iceland, publicized as a confrontation, which attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.

In 1975, Fischer when an agreement could not be reached with, the game's international governing body, over one of the conditions for the match. This resulted in Soviet GM, who had won the qualifying Candidates' cycle, becoming the new world champion by default under FIDE rules. Fischer showed skill at an early age; at 13, he won a ' ' that became known as '. Starting at age 14, Fischer played in eight, winning each by at least a one-point margin.

At 15, Fischer became both the youngest grandmaster up to that time and the youngest for the World Championship. At age 20, Fischer won the 1963–64 U.S. Championship with 11/11, the only in the history of the tournament. His book, published in 1969, is regarded as a classic work of chess literature.

Fischer won the 1970 Tournament by a record 3½-point margin and won 20 consecutive games, including two unprecedented 6–0 sweeps in the. In July 1971, he became the first official. After forfeiting his title as World Champion, Fischer became reclusive and sometimes erratic, disappearing from both competitive chess and the public eye. In 1992, he reemerged to win an unofficial.

It was held in, which was under a at the time. His participation led to a conflict with the U.S. Government, which warned Fischer that his participation in the match would violate an imposing U.S.

Sanctions on Yugoslavia, and ultimately issued a warrant for his arrest. After that, he lived his life as an. In 2004, he was arrested in Japan and held for several months for using a passport that had been revoked by the U.S. Eventually, he was granted an Icelandic passport and citizenship by a special act of the Icelandic, allowing him to live in Iceland until his death in 2008. Fischer made numerous lasting contributions to chess.

In the 1990s, he patented a modified system that added a time increment after each move, now a standard practice in top tournament and match play. He also invented, a new known today as 'Chess960'. Bill Lombardy and Fischer analyzing, with Jack Collins looking on Nigro hosted Fischer's first chess tournament at his home in 1952. In the summer of 1955, Fischer, then 12 years old, joined the, the strongest chess club in the country. Fischer's relationship with Nigro lasted until 1956, when Nigro moved away.

Mentorship from Lombardy [ ] Nigro introduced Fischer to future grandmaster, and, starting in September 1954, Lombardy began coaching Fischer in private. 'We spent hours in our sessions, simply playing over quality games', said Lombardy. 'I tried to instill in Bobby the secret of my own speedy rise. And Total Immersion.' Based on a 1956 game Lombardy played against (in which he agreed to a draw offer after only 13 moves), Lombardy told Fischer: 'Do not accept draw offers.

For an ambitious and talented player, accepting a draw is death to a top result. Opponents fear an uncompromising opponent and thus make more mistakes. Act as I advise and do not copy my timidity.' Lombardy played a key part in Fischer's becoming World Champion. He was Fischer's aide at Portorož where they analyzed Fischer's games.

Carole Wade (Author),‎ Carol Tavris (Author),‎ Maryanne Garry (Author) & 0 more. CAROLE WADE earned her Ph.D. In cognitive psychology at Stanford University. In addition to this text, she and Carol Tavris have written Psychology; Psychology in Perspective; and The Longest War.

He was Fischer's second in Reykjavik, where he analyzed with Fischer, and helped keep Fischer in the match. The Hawthorne Chess Club [ ] In June 1956, Fischer began attending the Hawthorne Chess Club, based in master ' home. For years it was believed that Collins was Fischer's teacher and coach, even though Collins stated that he did not teach Fischer. It is now believed that Collins was Fischer's mentor, not his teacher or coach. Fischer played thousands of and offhand games with Collins and other strong players, studied the books in Collins' large chess library, and ate almost as many dinners at Collins' home as his own.

Future grandmaster was also a mentor to young Bobby, often taking him to watch the play. Bobby enjoyed those treats and never forgot them; the two became lifelong friends. Young champion [ ] In 1956, Fischer experienced a 'meteoric rise' in his playing strength. On the tenth national rating list of the (USCF), published on May 20, 1956, Fischer's was 1726, more than 900 points below top-rated (2663). Championships [ ] Fischer played in eight U.S.

Championships, winning all of them, by at least a one-point margin. His results were: U.S. Score Place Margin Percentage Age 1957–58 10½/13 (+8−0=5) First 1 point 81% 14 1958–59 8½/11 (+6−0=5) First 1 point 77% 15 1959–60 9/11 (+7−0=4) First 1 point 82% 16 1960–61 9/11 (+7−0=4) First 2 points 82% 17 1962–63 8/11 (+6−1=4) First 1 point 73% 19 1963–64 11/11 (+11−0=0) First 2½ points 100% 20 1965 8½/11 (+8−2=1) First 1 point 77% 22 1966–67 9½/11 (+8−0=3) First 2 points 86% 23 Fischer missed the 1961–62 Championship (he was preparing for the 1962 Interzonal), and there was no 1964–65 event. Out of eight U.S. Chess Championships, Fischer lost only three games; to in the 1962–63 event, and in consecutive rounds to Samuel Reshevsky, and Robert Byrne in the 1965 championship, culminating in a total score of 74/90 (61 wins, 26 draws, 3 losses).

Olympiads [ ]. Fischer at the age of 17 playing against 23-year-old World Champion in Leipzig Fischer refused to play in the when his demand to play ahead of Samuel Reshevsky was rejected. Some sources claim that 15-year-old Fischer was unable to arrange leave from attending high school. Fischer later represented the United States on first board at four Men's Chess, winning two individual Silver and one individual Bronze medals: Olympiad Individual result Percentage U.S. Team result Percentage 13/18 (Bronze) 72.2% Silver 72.5% 11/17 (Eighth) 64.7% Fourth 68.1% 15/17 (Silver) 88.2% Silver 68.4% 10/13 (Silver) 76.9% Fourth 67.8% Out of four Men's Chess Olympiads, Fischer scored +40−7=18, for 49/65: 75.4%. In 1966, Fischer narrowly missed the individual gold medal, scoring 88.23% to World Champion Tigran Petrosian's 88.46%, even though he played four games more than Petrosian, faced stiffer opposition, and would have won the gold if he had accepted 's draw offer, rather than declining it and suffering his only loss. At the 1962 Varna Olympiad, Fischer predicted that he would defeat Argentinian GM in 25 moves.

Fischer actually did it in 24, becoming the only player to beat Najdorf in the tournament. Ironically, Najdorf lost the game whilst employing the very opening variation named after him: the. Fischer had planned to play for the U.S. At the, but backed out when he saw the poor playing conditions.

Both former World Champion Tigran Petrosian and Belgian-American International Master, the 'leader of the American team' that year, felt that Fischer was 'justified' in not participating in the Olympiad. According to Lombardy, Fischer's non-participation was due to Reshevsky's refusal to 'yield first board'. 1960–61 [ ] In 1960, Fischer tied for first place with Soviet star Boris Spassky at the strong Mar del Plata Tournament in Argentina, winning by a two-point margin, scoring 13½/15 (+13−1=1), ahead of David Bronstein. Fischer lost only to Spassky; this was the start of their lifelong friendship. Fischer experienced the only failure in his competitive career at the Buenos Aires Tournament (1960), finishing with 8½/19 (+3−5=11), far behind winners and Samuel Reshevsky with 13/19. According to Larry Evans, Fischer's first sexual experience was with a girl to whom Evans introduced him during the tournament. Pal Benko says that Fischer did horribly in the tournament 'because he got caught up in women and sex.

Afterwards, Fischer said he'd never mix women and chess together, and kept the promise.' Fischer concluded 1960 by winning a small tournament in with 4½/5, and defeating in an exhibition game in West Berlin. In 1961, Fischer started a 16-game match with Reshevsky, split between New York and Los Angeles. Reshevsky, 32 years Fischer's senior, was considered the favorite, since he had far more match experience and had never lost a set match.

After 11 games and a tie score (two wins apiece with seven draws), the match ended prematurely due to a scheduling dispute between Fischer and match organizer and sponsor. Reshevsky was declared the winner, by default, and received the winner's share of the prize fund. Fischer was second in a super-class field, behind only former World Champion Tal, at Bled, 1961. Yet, Fischer defeated Tal head-to-head for the first time in their individual game, scored 3½/4 against the Soviet contingent, and finished as the only unbeaten player, with 13½/19 (+8−0=11). 1962: success, setback, accusations of collusion [ ] Fischer won the 1962 Interzonal by a 2½-point margin, going undefeated, with 17½/22 (+13−0=9). He was the first non-Soviet player to win an Interzonal since FIDE instituted the tournament in 1948.

Russian grandmaster said of Fischer: I have discussed Fischer's play with Max Euwe and Gideon Stahlberg. All of us, experienced 'tournament old-timers', were surprised by Fischer's endgame expertise. When a young player is good at attacking or at combinations, this is understandable, but a faultless endgame technique at the age of 19 is something rare.

I can recall only one other player who at that age was equally skillful at endgames —. Fischer's victory made him a favorite for the in. Yet, despite his result in the Interzonal, Fischer only finished fourth out of eight with 14/27 (+8−7=12), far behind Tigran Petrosian (17½/27),, and (both 17/27). Tal fell very ill during the tournament, and had to withdraw before completion.

Fischer, a friend of Tal, was the only contestant who visited him in the hospital. Accuses Soviets of collusion [ ]. See also: Following his failure in the 1962 Candidates, Fischer asserted, in an August 20, 1962 article, entitled 'The Russians Have Fixed World Chess', that three of the five Soviet players (Tigran Petrosian, Paul Keres, and Efim Geller) had a prearranged agreement to quickly draw their games against each other in order to conserve their energy for playing against Fischer. It is generally thought that this accusation is correct. Fischer stated that he would never again participate in a Candidates' tournament, since the format, combined with the alleged, made it impossible for a non-Soviet player to win. Following Fischer's article,, in late 1962, voted to implement a radical reform of the playoff system, replacing the Candidates' tournament with a format of one-on-one knockout matches; the format that Fischer would dominate in 1971. Fischer defeated in a summer 1962 exhibition game in for Danish TV.

Later that year, Fischer beat in a team match against Poland in Warsaw. In the 1962–63 U.S. Championship, Fischer experienced his first single-game loss (to ) in round one.

Bisguier was in excellent form, and Fischer caught up to him only at the end. Tied at 7–3, the two met in the final round. Bisguier stood well in the middlegame, but blundered, handing Fischer his fifth consecutive U.S. Semi-retirement in the mid-1960s [ ] Influenced by ill will over the aborted 1961 match against Reshevsky, Fischer declined an invitation to play in the 1963 tournament in Los Angeles, which had a world-class field.

He instead played in the Western Open in, which he won with 7½/8. In August–September 1963, Fischer won the New York State Championship at, with 7/7, his first perfect score, 'ahead of Bisguier and Sherwin'.

In the 1963–64 U.S. Championship, Fischer achieved his second perfect score, this time against the top-ranked chess players in the country: 'This tournament became, as they say, the stuff of legend. The fact that Fischer won his sixth U.S.

Title was no surprise. The way he did it was spectacular.' 'One by one Fischer mowed down the opposition as he cut an 11–0 swathe through the field, to demonstrate convincingly to the opposition that he was now in a class by himself.' This result brought Fischer heightened fame, including a profile in magazine. Diagrammed each of the 11 games in its article, 'The Amazing Victory Streak of Bobby Fischer'. Such extensive chess coverage was groundbreaking for the top American sports' magazine. His 11–0 win in the 1963–64 Championship is the only perfect score in the history of the tournament, and one of about ten in high-level chess tournaments ever.

And called it 'the most remarkable achievement of this kind'. Fischer recalls: 'Motivated by my lopsided result (11–0!), Dr.

[Hans] Kmoch congratulated [Larry] Evans (the runner up) on 'winning' the tournament. and then he congratulated me on 'winning the exhibition'.' International Master recalled his last round encounter with the undefeated Fischer: Going into the final game I certainly did not expect to upset Fischer. I hardly knew the opening but played simply, and he went along with the scenario, opting for a N-v-B [i.e., Knight vs. Bishop] endgame with a minimal edge. In the corridor, Evans said to me, 'Good.

Show him we're not all children.' At adjournment, Saidy saw a way to force a draw, yet 'sealed a different, wrong move', and lost. Freddie The Goldfish Game At Carnival.

'Chess publications around the world wrote of the unparalleled achievement. Only Bent Larsen, always a Fischer detractor, was unimpressed: 'Fischer was playing against children '. Fischer, eligible as U.S. Champion, decided against his participation in the 1964 Amsterdam Interzonal, taking himself out of the, even after FIDE changed the format of the eight-player Candidates Tournament from a to a series of matches, which eliminated the possibility of collusion.

Instead, Fischer embarked on a tour of the United States and Canada from February through May, playing a, and giving a lecture in each of more than 40 cities. His 94% winning percentage over more than 2,000 games is one of the best ever achieved.

Fischer declined an invitation to play for the U.S. In the in Tel Aviv. Successful return [ ] Fischer wanted to play in the, Havana in August and September 1965. Since the refused to endorse Fischer's passport as valid for visiting Cuba, he proposed, and the tournament officials and players accepted, a unique arrangement: Fischer played his moves from a room at the, which were then transmitted by to Cuba. Luděk Pachman observed that Fischer 'was handicapped by the longer playing session resulting from the time wasted in transmitting the moves, and that is one reason why he lost to three of his chief rivals.'

The tournament was an 'ordeal' for Fischer, who had to endure eight-hour and sometimes even twelve-hour playing sessions. Despite the handicap, Fischer tied for second through fourth places, with 15/21 (+12−3=6), behind former World Champion Vasily Smyslov, whom Fischer defeated in their individual game.

The tournament received extensive media coverage. In December, Fischer won his seventh U.S. Championship (1965), with the score of 8½/11 (+8−2=1), despite losing to Robert Byrne and Reshevsky in the eighth and ninth rounds. Fischer also reconciled with Mrs. Piatigorsky, accepting an invitation to the very strong second (1966) tournament in. Fischer began disastrously and after eight rounds was tied for last with 3/8.

He then staged 'the most sensational comeback in the history of grandmaster chess', scoring 7/8 in the next eight rounds. In the end, World Chess Championship finalist Boris Spassky edged him out by a half point, scoring 11½/18 to Fischer's 11/18 (+7−3=8). Now aged 23, Fischer would win every match or tournament he completed for the rest of his life. Fischer won the U.S. Championship (1966–67) for the eighth and final time, ceding only three draws (+8−0=3), In March–April and August–September, Fischer won strong tournaments at, with 7/9 (+6−1=2), and, with 13½/17 (+12−2=3). In the Philippines, Fischer played nine exhibition games against master opponents, scoring 8½/9.

Withdrawal while leading Interzonal [ ] Fischer's win in the 1966–67 U.S. Championship qualified him for the next World Championship cycle. At the 1967 Interzonal, held at,, Fischer scored 8½ points in the first 10 games, to lead the field. His observance of the Worldwide Church of God's was honored by the organizers, but deprived Fischer of several rest days, which led to a scheduling dispute, causing Fischer to forfeit two games in protest and later withdraw, eliminating himself from the. Communications difficulties with the highly inexperienced local organizers were also a significant factor, since Fischer knew little French and the organizers had very limited English. No one in Tunisian chess had previous experience running an event of this stature. Since Fischer had completed fewer than half of his scheduled games, all of his results were annulled, meaning players who had played Fischer had those games cancelled, and the scores nullified from the official tournament record.

Second semi-retirement [ ] In 1968, Fischer won tournaments at, with 11½/13 (+10−0=3), and, with 11/13 (+9−0=4), by large margins. Fischer then stopped playing for the next 18 months, except for a win against Anthony Saidy in a 1969 New York Metropolitan League team match. That year, Fischer (assisted by grandmaster Larry Evans) released his second book of collected games:, published by Simon & Schuster. The book 'was an immediate success'. World Champion [ ] In 1970, Fischer began a new effort to become World Champion. His dramatic march toward the title made him a household name and made chess front-page news for a time. He won the title in 1972, but forfeited it three years later.

Road to the World Championship [ ]. Fischer's from his round 3 game against in the 1970 in, Germany The 1969 U.S. Championship was also a zonal qualifier, with the top three finishers advancing to the Interzonal. Fischer, however, had sat out the U.S. Championship because of disagreements about the tournament's format and prize fund.

Benko, one of the three qualifiers, agreed to give up his spot in the Interzonal in order to give Fischer another shot at the World Championship. 'When it was suggested to Fischer that Benko was considering the gesture based on a large sum of money to be paid to him, Bobby replied that Benko would not give up his berth for money alone. It was a matter of honor'. 'Lombardy, who was next in line with the right to participate, was queried as to whether he would also step aside.

'I would like to play,' he answered, 'but Fischer should have the chance. ' In 1970 and 1971, Fischer 'dominated his contemporaries to an extent never seen before or since'. Before the Interzonal, in March and April 1970, the world's best players competed in the match in, Yugoslavia, often referred to as 'the Match of the Century'. There was much surprise when Fischer decided to participate: Fischer had not played competitive chess for eighteen months, and many thought he would never return.

Then, to general surprise and delight, he agreed to participate in the Soviet Union vs. The Rest of the World in 1970 in Belgrade. With Evans as his second, Fischer flew to Belgrade with the intention of playing board one for the rest of the world. Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen, however, (due to his recent tournament victories) demanded to play instead of Fischer, even though Fischer had the higher.

To the surprise of everyone, Fischer agreed. Although the USSR team eked out a 20½–19½ victory, 'On the top four boards, the Soviets managed to win only one game out of a possible sixteen. Bobby Fischer was the high scorer for his team, with a 3–1 score against Petrosian (two wins and two draws).' 'Fischer left no doubt in anyone's mind that he had put his temporary break from the tournament circuit to good use.

Petrosian was almost unrecognizable in the first two games, and by the time he had collected himself, although pressing his opponent, he could do no more than draw the last two games of the four-game set'. After the USSR versus the Rest of the World Match, the unofficial World Championship of Lightning Chess (5-minute games) was held.

'[The Russians] figured on teaching Fischer a lesson and on bringing him down a peg or two'. Petrosian and Tal were considered the favorites, but Fischer overwhelmed the super-class field with 19/22 (+17−1=4), far ahead of Tal (14½), Korchnoi (14), Petrosian (13½), and Bronstein (13). Fischer lost only one game (to Korchnoi, who was also the only player to achieve an even score against him in the double ).

Fischer 'crushed such blitz kings as Tal, Petrosian and Vasily Smyslov by a clean score'. Tal marveled that, 'During the entire tournament he didn't leave a single pawn!' , while the other players 'blundered knights and bishops galore'. For Lombardy, who had played many blitz games with Fischer, Fischer's 4½-point margin of victory 'came as a pleasant surprise'. Main article: Fischer heavily disparaged chess as it was currently being played (at the highest levels). As a result, on June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fischer announced and advocated a variant of chess called Fischerandom Chess (later known as Chess960).

The goal of Fischerandom Chess was to ensure that a game between two players is a contest between their understandings of chess, rather than their abilities to memorize opening lines or prepare opening strategies. In a 2006 Icelandic Radio interview, Fischer explained his reasons for advocating Fischerandom Chess: In chess so much depends on opening theory, so the champions before the last century did not know as much as I do and other players do about opening theory. So if you just brought them back from the dead they wouldn't do well. They'd get bad openings. You cannot compare the playing strength, you can only talk about natural ability. Memorisation is enormously powerful.

Some kid of fourteen today, or even younger, could get an opening advantage against Capablanca, and especially against the players of the previous century, like Morphy and Steinitz. Maybe they would still be able to outplay the young kid of today. Or maybe not, because nowadays when you get the opening advantage not only do you get the opening advantage, you know how to play, they have so many examples of what to do from this position. And that is why I don't like chess any more. It is all just memorization and prearrangement. Legacy [ ] Kasparov calls Fischer 'perhaps the most mythologically shrouded figure in chess'. Some leading players and some of Fischer's biographers have ranked him as the greatest player who ever lived.

Other writers have said that he was arguably the greatest player ever, without reaching a definitive conclusion. Wrote, 'Most experts place him the second or third best ever, behind Kasparov but probably ahead of Karpov.' Some grandmasters compared Fischer's play to that of a computer; a player without noticeable weaknesses. Although international ratings were introduced only in 1970, (a website that uses algorithms to rank performances retrospectively and uniformly throughout chess history) determined that Fischer's peak rating was 2895 in October 1971—the highest in history. His one-year peak (1971) average was 2881, the highest of all time.

His three-year peak average was 2867, from January 1971 to December 1973—the second highest ever, just behind Garry Kasparov. Fischer was ranked as the number one player in the world for a total of 109 different months, running (not consecutively) from February 1964 until July 1974.

Fischer's great rival praised him as 'the greatest genius to have descended from the chess heavens'. American grandmaster Arthur Bisguier wrote 'Robert James Fischer is one of the few people in any sphere of endeavour who has been accorded the accolade of being called a legend in his own time.'

Former World Champion Tigran Petrosian stated that Fischer put more time into chess than the entire Soviet team. Biographers David Edmonds and John Eidinow wrote: Faced with Fischer's extraordinary coolness, his opponents [sic] assurance would begin to disintegrate. A Fischer move, which at first glances looked weak, would be reassessed.

It must have a deep master plan behind it, undetectable by mere mortals (more often than not they were right, it did). Grandmaster Robert Byrne labeled the phenomenon 'Fischer-fear'. Grandmasters would wilt, their suits would crumple, sweat would glisten on their brows, panic would overwhelm their nervous systems. Errors would creep in. Calculations would go awry. There was talk among grandmasters that Fischer hypnotized his opponents, that he undermined their intellectual powers with a dark, mystic, insidious force. Kasparov wrote that Fischer 'became the detonator of an avalanche of new chess ideas, a revolutionary whose revolution is still in progress'.

In January 2009, reigning World Champion described him as 'the greatest chess player who ever lived'. Serbian grandmaster called Fischer, 'A man without frontiers. He didn't divide the East and the West, he brought them together in their admiration of him.' German grandmaster wrote: Fischer, who had taken the highest crown almost singlehandedly from the mighty, almost invincible Soviet chess empire, shook the whole world, not only the chess world, to its core. He started a chess boom not only in the United States and in the Western hemisphere, but worldwide. Teaching chess or playing chess as a career had truly become a respectable profession.

After Bobby, the game was simply not the same. Fischer was a charter inductee into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. After routing Taimanov, Larsen, and Petrosian in 1971, Fischer achieved a then-record of 2785. After beating Spassky by the score 12½–8½ in their 1972 match, his rating dropped to 2780. Louis philanthropist offered a $64,000 Fischer Memorial Prize for any player who could win all nine of their games at the 2009. By the fifth day of the championship, all 24 participants became ineligible for the prize, having drawn or lost at least one game. Taylor Serial Killer more.

Head-to-head record versus selected grandmasters [ ] (Rapid, blitz and blindfold games not included; listed as +wins −losses =draws.) Players who have been World Champions in boldface.