Just finished reading it, and have no doubt this impressive work by I. M. Donaldson will be the standard by which all other Fischer books will be judged. It contains an impressive collection of previously unseen notes, photographs, letters, and scoresheets that gives Fischer fans fresh insight into the life and mind of this chess genius.
Upon finishing this book my assessment of Fischer moved up a notch or 2; though I still think of him as a spoiled punk in a grown mans body, much of this was not really his fault, due to his mental problems that only grew worse with age, in addition he made it clear on several occasions his demands for perfect playing conditions was not solely for his benefit, but for his opponents, and others in the tournament halls as well.
This book left me with the impression of a man with a strong grandmasters understanding of chess, and a 12 year old's understanding of the world around him. His fight for more prize money and excellent playing conditions, though noble, were totally unrealistic considering how few people played or followed chess at all.
Donaldson spent relatively few pages on what he described at Fischer's "dark years" that period between the late 70's to the early 90's when Fischer dropped out of site for the most part. It would have been easy for the author to dwell on Fischer's mental ill's and his ridiculous statements such as believing Yasser Seirawan was a Jew and the games in the 2 Karpov - Kasparov matches were prearranged by the Soviet government, though they were briefly mentioned for the sake of historical accuracy, Donald took the high road and focused primarily on his tournaments, and contributions to chess.
The only minor drawback to this otherwise brilliant work, would be Donaldson's format of including Fischer's games (with annotations) among the biographical text, rather than placing them in the back of the book. Chess players will no doubt prefer Donaldson's format, but for those wanting simply a biography of Bobby Fischer, this will not be an easy read. Overall though, I'd give this one an "A" 🙂
@c-i-v saidthe only thing Fischer ran from were his demons
Did the book mention the part where Fischer ran away from Karpov?
he just had enough of the Russians
he was better than Karpov and he knew it
it's impossible to pursue chess at it's highest level and deal with a mental illness at the same time
but
who knows?
He was a narcissist who ran away because he could not handle the inevitable defeat of his title.
His only goal was to be the best but once you reach the top their is only one way to go and that's down.
In today's time we have chess champions who are mentally stable who can handle losing the title and keep playing chess.
In the old days a lot of the best players were a little off mentally.
@c-i-v saidI don't believe Fischer feared anyone over the board
He was a narcissist who ran away because he could not handle the inevitable defeat of his title.
His only goal was to be the best but once you reach the top their is only one way to go and that's down.
In today's time we have chess champions who are mentally stable who can handle losing the title and keep playing chess.
In the old days a lot of the best players were a little off mentally.
he trounced the best the Russians had
my opinion of course
in the end he was nothing but an old fool
@c-i-v saidI remember that event, but don't recall reading about it in the book (though I may have missed it among those 600+ pages) As I stated, Donaldson preferred to take the high road, and dwell mainly on Fischer's games and his contributions to chess.
Did the book mention the part where Fischer ran away from Karpov?
IMHO by the mid 70's Fischer's mental demons were getting the better of him, and was fast becoming a creature more to be pitied than reviled.
@schlecter saidAlekhine never lost the title.
Before Fischer every world champion lost the title.
Every single one, but they didn't become mental impaired or crazy
Losing for the Soviets players wasn't too much drama
He died.
Fischer is the only one who ran away 😆
@c-i-v saidIt's only the Americans who keep bringing him up 🙄
I can't wait for the next American champion so everyone can stop hearing about old booby Fischer.
It's only the Americans who keep bringing him up 🙄
CIV - I apologize deeply for "bringing him up" as I'm sure the subject is dull to you. The only defense I can offer sir is the fact that there are many in the world (yourself excluded of course) that would be interested in seeing the previously unreleased documents and photos on Fischer that have only recently seen the light of day.
I too would like to see the next American champion, but cannot see the value in trampling on the grave of the last one, any more than those of Tal, Alekhine, or Capablanca, especially since much of Fischer's behavior and beliefs were the result of mental illness.