Robert J. "Bobby" Fischer : 1943 - 2008Bobby Fischer passed away today at the age of 64. Cause of death was said to be kidney failure, and fittingly, it is rumored that he refused to be treated for his illness because he didn't believe in Western medicine.
Fischer's life has the feel of that of a mythological Greek tragi-hero.; something akin to the stories of Sisyphus and Tantalus. The Gods, in their humor, granted him the greatest chess-mind ever; then cursed him by leaving him utterly unable to comprehend anything beyond the 64 squares of the chessboard.
He will be remembered for his total commitment to trying to win chess games; for his unsurpassed performance on the road to winning the world championship in 1972; and for his contributions to theory in the Najdorf Sicilian (for both Black and White),the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation; and the King's Indian Defense.
Alas, he will also be remembered for his anti-semitism (even though his mother was Jewish); his xenophobia; his paranoia; and his lack of caring about anything and anybody other than himself and chess. Although my taking up the games of chess coincides with his ascendancy, I can't say he was ever my hero or my inspiration.
There is a theory that Fischer was the reincarnation of another American world chess champion & nutcase - Paul Morphy. If so, then like the Tibetians and their Dalai Lama, we Yanks await the next incarnation of this troubled spirit.
Farewell, Bobby Fischer. May your soul find peace and rest after a lifetime of turmoil.
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