Robert James Fischer, known as Bobby Fischer, was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. He was considered one of the greatest players of all time. Fischer showed great skill at a very young age, winning his first American Championship at the age of 14, becoming the youngest champion up to that point. He also won eight U.S. Championships and became an International Grandmaster in 1958 at the age of 15.
His world-renowned chess game, the "Game of the Century," took place in 1956 when Fischer was only 13. In this game, he famously defeated Donald Byrne, an International Master. The way Fischer conducted his pieces in this game is still considered a masterpiece of chess literature.
Fischer's biggest win came in 1972 when he took the World Chess Championship from the reigning Soviet champion Boris Spassky. This match, played during the Cold War, had international implications and was widely covered by the media. After his victory, Fischer stopped competing professionally for nearly two decades. He resurfaced in 1992 for a rematch against Spassky, which he won.
Despite his genius on the chessboard, Fischer had a reputation for being a controversial and enigmatic figure. He was known to make unconventional demands during tournaments, sometimes dropping out when his terms were not met. His unpredictable behavior, coupled with his solitude, made him a somewhat mysterious figure.
His criticism of American foreign policy and praise for both the September 11 attacks and Adolf Hitler, along with playing the unauthorized 1992 match in Yugoslavia, led to his becoming a fugitive.
In his later years, he used a modified version of chess called Fischer Random Chess or Chess960. He believed it was superior to traditional chess, as it required more skill and less memorization of opening sequences.
Fischer died in 2008 in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he had been granted citizenship in 2005, following issues with his U.S. citizenship related to the 1992 match. Despite his myriad controversies, Fischer's impact on the chess world remains undeniable.