Bobby Fischer

Born on 9 March 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, by his single mother Regina.

Learned chess at age six when his older sister Joan gave him a chess set. He quickly became obsessed, playing against himself and studying chess books voraciously.

Possessed a reported IQ of 181 and remarkable powers of concentration; he memorized hundreds of chess books in several languages and was only 13 when he became the youngest chess master in U.S. history.

His interest in chess became more important than schoolwork; "by the time he reached the fourth grade, he'd been in and out of six schools."

Attended Brooklyn Community Woodward and later Erasmus Hall High School (at the same time as Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond).

Dropped out of high school at age 16, the earliest he could legally do so, explaining: "You don't learn anything in school."

Subsequently taught himself several foreign languages, including Russian, so he could read foreign chess periodicals.

Eleventh World Chess Champion, reigning from 1972 to 1975.

Won eight U.S. Championships, all by at least a one-point margin.

In 1972, defeated Boris Spassky in the legendary "Match of the Century" in Reykjavik, Iceland, ending 24 years of Soviet dominance. Before meeting Spassky, he defeated Mark Taimanov 6-0, Bent Larsen 6-0, and Tigran Petrosian 6.5–2.5.

Refused to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov in 1975 and lost the title by default. He did not play competitive chess again until a 1992 rematch with Spassky in Yugoslavia (defying U.S. sanctions), after which he became an international fugitive.

Once defeated 21 grandmasters in succession — no other U.S. player had beaten more than seven in a row.

Fischer was famously uncompromising and difficult; he complained about playing conditions, lighting, camera noise, and prize money, often threatening to withdraw from tournaments.

His 1972 match against Spassky became a Cold War proxy battle, drawing global attention.

After 1972, he became increasingly reclusive and paranoid, making anti-Semitic and anti-American statements. He was arrested in Japan in 2004 and later granted Icelandic citizenship in 2005.

He died in Reykjavik in 2008.

"Chess is life."

"I don't believe in psychology. I believe in good moves."

"All that matters on the chessboard is good moves."

"You can only get good at chess if you love the game."

"I like the moment I crush a man's ego."

Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess (1959) — his first book.

My 60 Memorable Games (1969) — universally regarded as one of the greatest chess books ever written; contains his objective, self-critical annotations to games from 1957 to 1967.

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966) — a programmed-learning puzzle book co-authored with Stuart Margulies and Donn Mosenfelder.