Bobby Fischer: Genius or Mad Man?

The chess world was stunned to hear this morning that eccentric chess genius Bobby Fischer died at the age of 64. Now some may take exception to my calling him a genius but it's the only appropriate means I can think of to describe the man who single-handedly changed the face of chess in America and not just because he was full of bluster and gusto. Fischer came to the forefront in the height of the Cold War when he began challenging Russian world champions in chess and began defeating them with apparent ease. Chess had long been the ruling domain of Europe and for an upstart independent American to come along and rock the chess world in this way was something unprecedented. Of course Fischer was not without what one could term 'faults'. Brash and outspoken, he often found himself in the middle of controversy due to comments he made regarding Jews and the United States in general. He lived the last years of his life in Iceland, away from the limelight.

Some termed his behavior during matches, which began fairly early in his career as being more for show and psychological advantage than for actual complaint. He showed up to matches days late or complained incessantly about the conditions in which he was expected to play. He railed against television coverage of his matches but used them to gain futher notereity. He soon became an unwilling pawn (excuse the pun) in the propoganda Cold War as well. Every victory by Fischer came to be viewed as a victory of American democracy over Soviet communism. It was a stretch to be sure but what was the difference between using that versus later versions of the same analogy with Sylvester Stallone beating communism as both Rocky Balboa and John Rambo? It all ended up being a case for propoganda meant to bolster support for the Cold War funding needed to 'defeat' communism. Perhaps it was his being used in this way that bothered Fischer and ultimately soured his attitude towards his native country.

Still, his behavior, though seemingly irrational may have been a carefully plotted strategy as well. By unnerving an opponent by constantly bickering about lighting conditions or the amount of shine emmanating from the chess table could have been carefully orchestrated to distract an opponent. Some may call this an underhanded way of defeating an opponent but is it really? The great and legendary Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto did much the same in his matches against opponents. When fighting in what was ultimately his penultimate match he showed up late so that when he arrived on the beach designated for his battle, the rising sun was at his back which properly illuminated his opponent waiting on the beach but blinded his opponent who faced the rising sun. Again, this could be termed as cheating but the precepts of war state that you use whatever advantage you may have in order to defeat an opponent who may be much better than you.

Ultimately, that is what chess is all about... the principles of war. Any student of military history knows that chess is the foundation for many military strategies out there all through the course of history. Though he was never really credited as a commanding general in the Cold War, Fischer unwittingly became one. His understanding of the game was deep and unparalleled and even today, there are many who play chess who study his games in order to gain insight into how good a master he was. Gaining a Grand Masterhood at an early age, Fischer was naturally gifted in the game but it was likely his personality that made him stand out. After all, there are hundreds of chess masters in the world today though the general public is largely unaware of them. Why? Because chess is not in the collective conscience of many people anymore. The Cold War is over and there are no chess tournaments held between terrorists and American democracy's champions of chess so who is there to defeat now? Fischer was a product of his time and elevated himself to the ranks of legends through his extraordinary gameplay and eccentricities. It is yet to be seen whether someone else will come to claim the mantel left by Fischer. There may be others out there with the same level of talent, if not more so, but there may never be anyone quite like Fischer ever again.