Who would have thought that someone could take the game of chess and bring it to the world stage, and yet that's what former world chess champion Bobby Fischer did.
Today the former chess champ died at the age of 64 from kidney failure in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Fischer was more than a great chess player, it was one of the unique figures in the world at the time, and brought the game of chess to an extraordinary level during his relatively short time in the spotlight.
There's no doubt about it, Bobby Fischer was strange and eccentric. I remember watching him and his actions he used to upset opponents and get them distracted from their strategies. Probably the most familiar one was in relationship to lighting, which over and over again he would want adjusted to his specifications.
Part of the fascination with Fischer was his emergence during the cold war, and the strength of the Soviet chess players at the time. The matches became the vicarious extension of the two superpowers, the major reason it drew so much attention and interest.
In spite of his character flaws, which were many, Bobby Fischer was truly a chess genius. Some of his records include being the youngest player to win the United States Junior Championship, which he did at the age of 13. A year later he won the United States Open Championship at 14, and went on to win it seven more times.
Possibly the greatest accomplishment of his youth as it related to chess, was is title of international grand master at the age of 15, the youngest to ever achieve the title.
The problem with Fischer, was he was a double edged sword for the game of chess. What he gave by bringing his skill and unique personality to the game, he took away with scandalous statements and unusual eccentricities.
Either way, he was fascinating and captured the attention of the world in an extraordinary period of its history. For better or worse, there probably won't be anybody like him again.
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