| | [[File:Bobby Fischer smiling 1972.jpg|left|thumb|Bobby Fischer in [[Amsterdam]], Jan. 1, 1972]] | | [[File:Bobby Fischer smiling 1972.jpg|left|thumb|Bobby Fischer in [[Amsterdam]], Jan. 1, 1972]] |
| | [[File:Bobby Fischer 1972.jpg|right|thumb|Bobby Fischer in Amsterdam in 1972, around the time he won the world [[chess]] championship.]] | | [[File:Bobby Fischer 1972.jpg|right|thumb|Bobby Fischer in Amsterdam in 1972, around the time he won the world [[chess]] championship.]] |
| − | '''Robert James Fischer''' (1943-2008<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/obituaries/18cnd-fischer.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin</ref>), popularly known as Bobby Fischer, was the only [[United States of America|American]] to become the official world [[chess]] champion<ref>[[Paul Morphy]] of [[Louisiana]] was widely regarded as the #1 player in the world in the 1850s, but this was in an era before an official world champion was determined.</ref> when he defeated [[USSR|Soviet]] grandmaster Boris Spassky in a 1972 match in [[Iceland]]. Fischer's championship was the culmination of a record-setting 20 consecutive victories in qualifying tournaments, which included two 6-0 records in the "[[Candidates Tournament]]s" in 1971. He was by far the highest rated player in the first official FIDE ratings, as published in July 1971, and Fischer is the only person to win the U.S. championship with a perfect score (11 wins in 11 games, at age 20 in 1963-64). | + | '''Robert James Fischer''' (1943-2008<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/obituaries/18cnd-fischer.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin</ref>), popularly known as Bobby Fischer, was the only [[United States of America|American]] to become the official world [[chess]] champion<ref>[[Paul Morphy]] of [[Louisiana]] was widely regarded as the #1 player in the world in the 1850s, but this was in an era before an official world champion was determined.</ref> when he defeated [[USSR|Soviet]] grandmaster Boris Spassky in a 1972 match in [[Iceland]]. Fischer's championship was the culmination of a record-setting 20 consecutive victories in qualifying tournaments, which included two 6-0 records in the "[[Candidates Tournament]]s" in 1971. He was by far the highest rated player in the first official FIDE ratings, as published in July 1971, and Fischer is the only person to win the [[U.S. Chess Championship|U.S. championship]] with a perfect score (11 wins in 11 games, at age 20 in 1963-64). |
| | Fischer was also superb at [[speed chess]], and won the first unofficial world [[blitz chess]] title in 1970.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/nov/06/chess-magnus-carlsen-showboats-his-bullet-skills-with-11-straight-wins</ref> While growing up, he learned [[Russia]]n on his own, in order to study Russian chess literature. | | Fischer was also superb at [[speed chess]], and won the first unofficial world [[blitz chess]] title in 1970.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/nov/06/chess-magnus-carlsen-showboats-his-bullet-skills-with-11-straight-wins</ref> While growing up, he learned [[Russia]]n on his own, in order to study Russian chess literature. |