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[[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. Chess Championship|U.S. championship]] with a perfect score (11 wins in 11 games, at age 20 in 1963–64); one of his wins received the Brilliancy Prize.<ref>See [[Fischer v. R. Byrne]], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMDJebpc4oQ</ref>

'''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 dramatic 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); one of his wins received the Brilliancy Prize.<ref>See [[Fischer v. R. Byrne]], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMDJebpc4oQ</ref>

Fischer was a devout member of an evangelical church through his championship years, refusing to play chess on the [[Sabbath]] (which resulted in his withdrawing from a tournament in 1967 in which he had an enormous lead<ref>"Fischer withdrew from the 1967 Sousse Interzonal tournament in the 1966–1969 World Championship cycle, after leading with 8½ points from the first 10 games," due to a dispute resulting from his Sabbath observance and request for additional rest days. [https://www.dailychess.com/forum/spirituality/bobby-fischer-believed-in-god.144860]</ref>) and [[tithe|tithing]] a half-million dollars of his earnings.<ref>https://tartajubow.blogspot.com/2012/06/bobby-fischer-and-worldwide-church-of.html</ref>

Fischer was a devout member of an evangelical church through his championship years, refusing to play chess on the [[Sabbath]] (which resulted in his withdrawing from a tournament in 1967 in which he had an enormous lead<ref>"Fischer withdrew from the 1967 Sousse Interzonal tournament in the 1966–1969 World Championship cycle, after leading with 8½ points from the first 10 games," due to a dispute resulting from his Sabbath observance and request for additional rest days. [https://www.dailychess.com/forum/spirituality/bobby-fischer-believed-in-god.144860]</ref>) and [[tithe|tithing]] a half-million dollars of his earnings.<ref>https://tartajubow.blogspot.com/2012/06/bobby-fischer-and-worldwide-church-of.html</ref>

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.

He forfeited his title to Soviet Grandmaster [[Anatoly Karpov]] in 1975 when he refused to defend his title, unable to agree on any proposed conditions for a match with Karpov. He did not publicly play [[chess]] again until 1992, when he played and won a return match in [[Yugoslavia]] in violation of a [[United Nations]] embargo against that country at that time.  The [[Deep State]] prosecuted him on that technicality in his absence, and revoked his passport without notice to him such that he was seized at an airport in [[Japan]] and imprisoned for 6 months there before granted asylum by [[Iceland]].<ref>Guðmundur G. Thórarinsson, who was both a former Icelandic Parliamentarian and former president of the Icelandic Chess Federation, wrote: "The only person in the world to have been indicted for a violation of this regulation – a regulation that has long since ceased to be in force, and a violation committed in a country that no longer exists – is Robert James Fischer. This case is an example of a barbarous violation of human rights." [https://en.chessbase.com/post/bobby-fischer-six-months-in-jail Chessbase article]</ref>

He forfeited his title to Soviet Grandmaster [[Anatoly Karpov]] in 1975 when he refused to defend his title, unable to agree on any proposed conditions for a match with Karpov. He did not publicly play [[chess]] again until 1992, when he played and won a return match in [[Yugoslavia]] in violation of a [[United Nations]] embargo against that country at that time.  The [[Deep State]] prosecuted him on that technicality in his absence, and revoked his passport without notice to him such that he was seized at an airport in [[Japan]] and imprisoned for 6 months there before being granted asylum by [[Iceland]].<ref>Guðmundur G. Thórarinsson, who was both a former Icelandic Parliamentarian and former president of the Icelandic Chess Federation, wrote: "The only person in the world to have been indicted for a violation of this regulation – a regulation that has long since ceased to be in force, and a violation committed in a country that no longer exists – is Robert James Fischer. This case is an example of a barbarous violation of human rights." [https://en.chessbase.com/post/bobby-fischer-six-months-in-jail Chessbase article]</ref>

Fischer set several records in the 1960s for winning every game in a tournament, which is otherwise unheard of.  He also invented a type of chess clock and created a variation on chess which is very popular today, known as Chess960.

Fischer set several records in the 1960s for winning every game in a tournament, which is otherwise unheard of.  He also invented a type of chess clock and created a variation on chess which is very popular today, known as Chess960.

== Famous moves ==

== Famous moves ==

Bobby Fischer is legendary for brilliant, unusual winning moves which no other grandmaster would have made.<ref>https://www.chess.com/video/player/bobby-fischers-top-five-moves</ref>  He is considered one of the finest players ever at the endgame.  In particular, he is renowned as the master of bishop endings.

Bobby Fischer is legendary for brilliant, unusual winning moves that no other grandmaster would have made.<ref>https://www.chess.com/video/player/bobby-fischers-top-five-moves</ref>  He is considered one of the finest players ever at the endgame.  In particular, he is renowned as the master of bishop endings.

=== Bobby's Trap ===

=== Bobby's Trap ===

Fischer often signed his name as “Robert James” and demanded to be excised from a Jewish encyclopedia, for several reasons including that he was uncircumcised.<ref>https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer</ref>  According to Grandmaster Larry Evans, Fischer had once told him that he admired [[Hitler]] because "he imposed his will on the world."  At a 1992 press conference, Bobby Fischer called communism, rightly enough, “a mask for Bolshevism,” but he then stunned his audience by calling Bolshevism “a mask for Judaism.”  On January 14, 1999, during an interview on Filipino radio, Bobby Fischer said, “You know they [Jews] invented the [[Holocaust]] story. There’s no such. There was no Holocaust of the Jews in [[World War II]].”  Bobby Fischer also admitted to belief in a “giant conspiracy of the Jewish world government.” Yet, despite, Bobby Fischer's openly anti-Semitic remarks, he had several close Jewish friends. According to the American Jewish master Ron Gross: "Bobby says we’re all victims of the conspiracy."

Fischer often signed his name as “Robert James” and demanded to be excised from a Jewish encyclopedia, for several reasons including that he was uncircumcised.<ref>https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer</ref>  According to Grandmaster Larry Evans, Fischer had once told him that he admired [[Hitler]] because "he imposed his will on the world."  At a 1992 press conference, Bobby Fischer called communism, rightly enough, “a mask for Bolshevism,” but he then stunned his audience by calling Bolshevism “a mask for Judaism.”  On January 14, 1999, during an interview on Filipino radio, Bobby Fischer said, “You know they [Jews] invented the [[Holocaust]] story. There’s no such. There was no Holocaust of the Jews in [[World War II]].”  Bobby Fischer also admitted to belief in a “giant conspiracy of the Jewish world government.” Yet, despite, Bobby Fischer's openly anti-Semitic remarks, he had several close Jewish friends. According to the American Jewish master Ron Gross: "Bobby says we’re all victims of the conspiracy."

On [[September 11, 2001]], during the terror attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, Fischer said in a radio interview, "this is all wonderful news. It’s time for the f******  US to get their heads kicked in. It’s time to finish off the US once and for all. Yes, I applaud the act. . . . F*** the US. I want to see the US wiped out."<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1364118/Bobby-Fischer-speaks-out-to-applaud-Trade-Centre-attacks.html</ref>

On [[September 11, 2001]], during the terror attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, Fischer said in a radio interview, "this is all wonderful news. It’s time for the f******  US to get their heads kicked in. It’s time to finish off the US once and for all. Yes, I applaud the act. . . . F*** the US. I want to see the US wiped out."<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1364118/Bobby-Fischer-speaks-out-to-applaud-Trade-Centre-attacks.html</ref>

== Bobby Fischer and exercise to increase mental performance ==

== Bobby Fischer and exercise to increase mental performance ==

But Fischer was body as well as mind. A teacher, at a summer camp the prodigy-to-be had attended as a child, told me that he had been the best underwater swimmer at a summer camp he attended.

But Fischer was body as well as mind. A teacher, at a summer camp the prodigy-to-be had attended as a child, told me that he had been the best underwater swimmer at a summer camp he attended.

It is hard to think of a sport that Fischer did not try at one time or another. Tennis, baseball, weight-lifting, pingpong and walking (at a world-class level, as a trainer described it) come to mind, in addition to swimming.

It is hard to think of a sport that Fischer did not try at one time or another. Tennis, baseball, weight-lifting, ping pong and walking (at a world-class level, as a trainer described it) come to mind, in addition to swimming.

His physical efforts complemented his apparently natural high level of energy and stamina. At his best, a glow of health and physical strength seemed to encompass him — the aura probably intimidating many who would oppose him on the chessboard.

His physical efforts complemented his apparently natural high level of energy and stamina. At his best, a glow of health and physical strength seemed to encompass him — the aura probably intimidating many who would oppose him on the chessboard.