Chess legend Bobby Fisher made headlines around the world when he won the World Championship match chess title in 1972 from Boris Spassky. Bobby Fisher, who dominated chess in a way no one had done before for two years, is probably the best known chess player ever to live, a genius, and obviously a very talented man. But his life, which ended at the age of 64 on January 17, 2008 was anything but sublime.
Let’s take a look at who Bobby Fisher was, and what made his life so controversial.
Chess Legend Bobby Fisher was a High School Dropout
Bobby Fisher dropped out of high school in 1969 at the age of 16 (Wikipedia), but had an IQ higher than Albert Einstein’s (AFP 2008).
Bobby Fisher taught himself how to play chess by locking himself in his room as he played chess matches against himself for days on end.
Chess Legend Bobby Fisher Had Legal Problems
On July 13, 2004, Bobby Fisher was taken into custody in Tokyo for travelling on a passport that had been revoked by the U.S. Government (Blomberg).
Chess Legend Bobby Fisher was Anti-Semitic and Hated Other People as Well
In spite of the fact that Bobby Fisher’s mother was Jewish, he spewed hatred toward the Jewish people at every opportunity. He used broadcasts on radio stations to spread his message of hate, saying that the Jews were responsible for everything from his own legal problems, to a plan to kill off elephants (AFP 2008).
Jews were not the only ones Bobby Fisher hated. During his detention in Japan, he became engaged to Miyoko Watai, the head of the Japan Chess Association. According to Watai, Bobby Fisher hated the nation of Japan and Japanese people (AFP 2008).
When the United States was mourning the events of September 11, 2001, Bobby Fisher called a Filipino radio station and on the air praised the attacks as being wonderful news and then launched another verbal attack on Jews (AFP 2008).
According to the AFP (2008), Bobby Fisher said, “The Jew-controlled United States is evil. They talk about the axis of evil. What about the allies of evil? What about the US, England, Japan, Australia and so on? These are the evil doers.”
Chess Legend Bobby Fisher Had Grandiose Ideas and Made Unreasonable Demands in His Chess Matches
Bobby Fisher was clearly an eccentric man. Although his theatrics caused a lot of buzz and made him a celebrity, and also worked to unnerve his opponents, they also resulted in him just not fitting in with other people. He was alienated from all but a very small group of friends.
During Bobby Fisher’s September 11, 2001 Filipino radio tirade, he also stated “nobody has single-handedly done more for the US than me” by making it seem “as an intellectual country” (AFP 2008).
Chess Legend Bobby Fisher Lived in Various Countries and Despised the United States
Bobby Fisher was born in the United States, in Chicago Illinois, on March 9,1943 (Wikipedia), but also lived in many different countries, including Hungary. Most recently, he lived in Iceland two years, after spending eight months in prison in Japan (AFP).
Although he was born in the U.S. and was asked by Henry Kissinger to play for the U.S. Bobby Fisher repeated said that he despised his own country (AFP 2008).
Bobby Fisher hated his own country so much, he gave us his U.S. citizenship.
Conclusion
Although many people in the world of chess only want Fisher to be known for the great chess player he was, it is hard to ignore his hate-filled speech toward the Jews, and many others as well, including his own nation, the United States of America.
Sources
AFP, January 18, 2008 Chess genius Bobby Fischer, from American hero to paranoid fugitive
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipPnMftO6Dja1SmVVMDlhgP1i0Eg
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer
Blomberg, Bobby Fischer, First U.S. World Chess Champion, Dies (Update6) By Robin Stringer
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid;=aNHv_FpaLjTI&refer;=home
