Bobby Fischer, the first U.S.-born chess player to become world champion, died yesterday in Iceland of an unspecified illness, the country's national radio said. He was 64, and had lived in secrecy and obscurity for decades.
Born in Chicago and raised in New York, Fischer became the youngest U.S. national champion by age 14 and a grandmaster a year later. In 1972, he defeated Russian champion Boris Spassky in a world championship match in Iceland at the height of the Cold War. The game became known as the ``match of the century'' and his win was a monumental event in a century which saw the sport dominated by Soviet players.
I was surprised to hear of his death, to say the least.
Sure, he clearly went around the bend in his final years with his anti-semitic rantings and strange habits. Still, in the realm of chess, his was a brilliance like a supernova.
Posted by Jvstin at January 18, 2008 7:38 AMIt should be noted that, ironically enough, the age at which Fischer died (sixty-four) directly corresponds to the number of squares on a standard chess board.