Bobby Fischer: Former Renowned Chess Child Prodigy

Bobby Fischer is a well-known name when it comes to the world of chess, but what’s unknown to most is the beginning of the tale.

Birth & early days

Born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, to Polish Jews, his mother, Regina Wender Fischer, was a US citizen. Born and raised while her mom was a single parent.
Bobby’s first-ever interaction with chess was at the age of six when he and his sister learned how to play chess using the instructions from a set bought at a candy store. Though his sister lost interest eventually and his mother couldn’t play with him as she was busy with her work, Bobby used to play along with himself.

Recognition of the Chess prodigy

Through a postcard to the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper, the bobby’s mother requested to seek similar children interested in playing chess with Bobby. However, the newspaper rejected it, but it gave Bobby a chance to play with Master Max Pavey, former Scottish Champion. Although he lost to the Champion, it was a wake-up to the recognition of Bobby.
Carmine Nigro, the president of Brooklyn Chess Club, saw Bobby’s potential and took him as a club member. Later on, just at the age of 12, Bobby attended his first chess tournament.
In June 1956, Bobby joined the Hawthorne Chess Club under the mentorship of Jack Collins. In the meantime, Bobby played many games with Jack and other strong players.

School and education

As his interest in Chase progressed, his attention to education diminished. When he reached the fourth grade, he changed school four times. Later he attended the Erasmus Hall High School. He was simultaneously attending Erasmus Hall High School as Barbra Streisand (An American Singer, Actress, and Filmmaker) and Neil Diamond (An American Actor, Singer, and songwriter). In 1952, Fischer got a scholarship based on his chess performance at Brooklyn community Woodward. At the age of 16, he dropped out his high school, the earliest to legally do so.

Contribution to the world of chess

Fischer was one of the greatest Masters in chess history. He was compared as a play to that of a computer, a player without noticeable weakness. He had excellent endgame technique. Bobby wrote a chess puzzle book named “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966)”, where the extent of Fischer’s contribution is being mentioned.

A statement was given by Kasparov as ” Fischer became the detonator of an avalanche of new chess ideas, a revolutionary whose revolution is still in progress.”

Prominent Achievements

1.July 1956 – US Junior Chess Championship
2. 1956 – US Open Chess Championship
3. 1957/58 – US Championship (Wins first US title)
4. 1958 – At the age of 16, finished equal fifth out of eight at the 1958 Candidates Tournaments
5. In 1958 – Munich Olympiad
6. In 1960 – Leipzig Olympiad
7. In 1962 – Varne Olympiad
8. In 1966 – Havana Olympiad
9. In 1970 – Siegen Olympiad
10. 1969–1972 – World Championships

Death

On January 17, 2008, as confirmed by a close friend Gardar Sverrisson, Mr. Fischer died due to kidney failure. Mr. Fischer was said to have been ill at home before being admitted to the National University Hospital of Iceland.

Also read: Franz Liszt: A Prodigious Composer and a Writer