Bobby Fischer - Chess Player Bobby Fischer Home Bobby Fischer Bobby Fischer (1943 – 2008) became World Chess Champion in 1972, after beating the defending champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland. Taking place during a very chilling part of the Cold War, this match where a U.S. player challenged a Soviet Union one became highly publicized and was dubbed “Match of the Century”. Background Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA on March 9, 1943. He learned to play chess when he was six years old, and eventually started playing at the Brooklyn Chess Club and Manhattan Chess Club. At the age of 14, he became the youngest player to win the U.S. Championships. At the age of 15, he became an International Grandmaster, breaking the old age record for youngest international Grandmaster. Chess career After becoming an International Grandmaster, Bobby Fischer continued to play both U.S. Championship matches and World Championship matches. In the early 1970’s, he achieved a 20-game winning streak.

In 1972, he defeated the reigning World Chess Champion Boris Spassky from the Soviet Union in a highly publicized event in Reykjavik, Iceland. Bobby Fischer was now the World Chess Champion – the first one ever from the United States. In the mid 1970s, Anatoly Karpov had earned the right to challenge the reigning World Chess Champion, but Bobby Fischer refused to play against him unless a long row of demands were fulfilled. The International Chess Federation stripped Fischer of this title and gave it to Karpov. After many years of living a turbulent life, Fischer agreed to play Boris Spassky in a $5 million rematch in Yogoslavia on the 20th anniversary of their championship match in Reykjavik. Fischer won the match, but found himself in a heap of legal trouble afterwards. Because of the ongoing Yugoslavian war, United States citizens were not allowed to visit Yugoslavia without special permission, and Fischer would now face criminal charges if he returned to the US. Fischer therefore remained in exile. In the 1990’s, Fischer invented and patented a modified chess timing system, where a time increment was added to the player’s time after each move.

This chess timing system is today used in virtually of the top tournaments. Fischer has also created a special variant of chess called Fischer Random Chess or Chess960. In 2004, he married Japanese chess player Miyoko Watai, who is a Woman International Master. In 2005, Fischer moved to Iceland after being granted Icelandic citizenship. In January 2008, he died of kidney failure in Reykjavik after refusing medical treatment for a urinary tract blockage. – A – Boris Spassky 1937 - 10th World Champion, 1969 - 1972 Boris Vasilievich Spassky was born in 1937 in Leningrad, Russia. He learned chess as a youngster in the Urals where he lived during the Second World War. He became international master in 1953, and junior world champion in 1955 and received his grandmaster title in the same year. He won the World Championship against Tigran Petrosian in 1969 and became one of the most popular of all champions with his naturally polite, friendly disposition.

In 1972 American Bobby Fischer challenged Spassky for the title of World Champion which was held in Reykjavik, Iceland. This most publicized world championship in chess history took place during the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. As a consequence both players were under considerable pressure to win. When Fischer defeated Spassky, 35 years of Soviet domination of the world championship also ended. Spassky returned to his homeland in disgrace. After this match Spassky continued to play at top level and won the 1973 Soviet championship and other international tournaments. He still plays occasionally today and is a frequent participant in the annual Ladies vs. Veterans competitions. Vladek Sheybal as Kronsteen in From Russia with Love The game is in fact Spassky-Bronstein, Leningrad 1960 which you can view below! Boris Spassky vs. David Bronstein USSR Championship Bobby Fischer - Author, Chess Player - Biography.com Bobby Fischer Bobby Fischer was a record-setting chess master who became the youngest player to win the U.S. Chess Championship at 14, and the first American-born player to win the World Chess Championship.

IN THESE GROUPS Bobby Fischer Synopsis Bobby Fischer was born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. Fischer first learned the game of chess at age 6 and eventually became the youngest international grand master at the age of 15. In 1972, he became the first American-born world chess champion after defeating Boris Spassky . An eccentric genius, who was believed to have an I.Q. of 181, Fischer became known for his controversial public remarks in his later years. He was granted Icelandic citizenship in 2005, following legal trouble with the United States. He died on January 17, 2008. Early Life Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 9, 1943. Fischer's parents divorced when he was a toddler, and he began learning chess at the age of 6 after his older sister Joan bought him a chess set. He continued to hone his skills as a youngster at the Brooklyn Chess Club and Manhattan Chess Club. Fischer had a strained relationship with his mother, who supported his chess endeavors, but preferred that he pursue other areas of interest.

A brilliant, highly competitive player who lost himself in the game, Fischer earned a place in the record books at age 14 when he became the youngest player to win the U.S. Chess Championship. Then in 1958, at 15, he became the youngest international grand master in history by winning the related tournament in Portoroz, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). Match of the Century During the early 1960s, Fischer continued to be involved in U.S. and world championship matches, but was also making a name for himself with his erratic, paranoid commentary. After having a 20-game winning streak in the early 1970s, Fischer once again made chess history in 1972 with his defeat of the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky at the Reykjavik, Iceland world championships, thus marking the first time an American chess player had won the title. Fischer's defeat of a Soviet opponent, which became known as the "Match of the Century," took on iconic proportions in the midst of the Cold War and was seen as a symbolic victory of democracy over Communism. Fischer's historic win also made chess a popular game in the United States.

Controversial Figure Despite his global popularity, Fischer's controversial behavior continued to make headlines. In the mid-1970s he refused to play Anatoly Karpov, the challenger to his title, and was thus stripped of his championship by the International Chess Federation. Fischer was reportedly homeless for a time in the Los Angeles area, becoming involved with a fringe church. He also became known for making anti-Semitic remarks despite the fact that his mother was Jewish. On the 20th anniversary of the famed Fischer/Spassky game, the two met again in 1992 to play a $5 million rematch in Yugoslavia, although travel to the country by American citizens was illegal at the time. Fischer continued to live abroad for several years to avoid facing criminal charges in the U.S., during which time he continued his anti-Semitic diatribes, and on a radio broadcast he celebrated the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. In July 2004, Fischer was detained at a Japanese airport for trying to leave the country with an invalid passport and he was jailed for several months. He was eventually granted citizenship by Iceland and moved there in 2005.

Bobby Fischer died of kidney failure on January 17, 2008, in Reykjavík, Iceland. Miyoko Watai, a Japanese women's chess champion and general secretary of the Japanese Chess Federation, claimed that she had married Fischer in 2004, although the validity of their marriage was questioned. Another woman claimed that she had a daughter with Fischer. His body was exhumed to be DNA tested, and the claim of paternity was found to be false. In 2011, an Icelandic court ruled that Watai was Fischer's widow and the sole heir to his estate. Books and Films on Fischer's Life Several books and films have been made about Fischer's life and career. Fischer himself published works like Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966) and My 60 Memorable Games (1969), while biographies on the icon include Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall... by Frank Brady (2011), Fischer's childhood friend. The documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World, directed by Liz Garbus, was released in 2011.

Pawn Sacrifice, a film that focuses on Fischer's chess matches and the psychology of his troubled genius, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014 and was released in U.S. theaters a year later. Directed by Edward Zwick, actor Tobey Maguire played the role of Fischer, with Liev Schreiber portraying Spassky. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Citation Information Bobby Fischer - Biography - IMDb Bobby Fischer Biography Showing all 27 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (16) | Personal Quotes (2) Overview (5) The Bad Boy of Chess Height 6' 1" (1.85 m) Mini Bio (1) Bobby Fischer was the greatest American chess player in history and might have been the most talented chess player ever to play the game.

His career and legacy were marred by eccentricities that developed into what likely was full-blown mental illness that made him an exile from his country of birth that he represented in the greatest proxy battle of the Cold War and from the game he loved. The chess legend was born Robert James Fischer on March 9, 1943 in Chicago to Regina Wender Fischer. His mother was a Jew who had been born in Switzerland but raised in St. Louis who became a naturalized U.S. citizen. The actual identity of his father is unknown. Regina listed German biophysicist Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, her first husband, as the father on Bobby's birth certificate, but they had been separated since 1939. Bobby's actual father likely was Hungarian physicist Paul Newmenyi, who like his mother, was Jewish. As his mental stability broke down late in life, Bobby became a vicious anti-Semite, insisting he wasn't Jewish. The young Bobby grew up without a father with his mother and older sister. It was his sister who whet his appetite for chess when she bought a chess set when Bobby was six year old. Reportedly possessed of a super genius I.Q.

of 180, Bobby had a remarkably retentive memory. A monomaniac when it came to chess, his memory combined with an uncanny knack for the game and a determination to win transformed him into the greatest chess player in the world. Bobby became a National Master at the age of 12 and won America's Junior Chess Championship at the age of 13, making him the youngest Junior Champ in history. The 13 year-old Bobby defeated 26-year-old Donald Byrne, winner of America's chess championship, in a 1956 game heralded as "The Game of the Century." By this age, Fischer was showing gifts for improvisation and innovation that marked him as a chess genius. As a 14 year-old on the cusp of his 15th birthday, he won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1958, giving him the title of International Master. Later that same year, he broke future opponent Boris Spassky 's record to become the youngest World Chess Federation Grand Master; Bobby was 15, and Boris was 18 when he set the distinction. The two names would become linked forever in chess history.

(When the two first played each other in 1960, Fischer lost during an Argentine tournament, though the two tied and were co-winners of the tourney. He would not beat Spassky until their famous world title match in Iceland in 1972.) Bobby quit high school at the age of 16 to earn his daily bread by the sweat of his brow as a chess player. In a 1961 match against American champ Samuel Reshevsky, Bobby dropped out of the match claiming a scheduling dispute with the match organizer after tying Reshevsky in 11 games. Such eccentric behavior heralded his future. By '62, Fischer was considered the best non-Soviet chess player in the world. Bobby came to hate the Soviet players, who he claimed colluded with each other to him at a disadvantage. In 1966, Bobby placed second behind Boris Spassky in a super-tournament held in California. A year later, he withdrew from the tournament cycle that culminated in the World Championship, again over a scheduling dispute. The cycle ended in 1969 with Spassky crowned as the World Chess Champion.

In 1968, Fischer began an 18-month-long sabbatical from the game, which included sitting out the '69 American Championship tournament as he was dissatisfied with the prize money and the tourney format. Failing to compete should have disqualified him from the 1969-72 Championship cycle, but he was able to compete for the world title when an American Grand Master surrendered his own spot for Fischer. Starting with the 1970 USSR v. Rest of the World tournament in which he beat former World Champion Tigran Petrosian, the master who had been defeated by Spassky in '69, Bobby began his march to the world championship. Through 1971, he had won 20 straight games in international tournament play, the second-longest win streak in the history of the game. Petrosian broke the streak but was in turn defeated by Fischer to win the right to challenge Spassky, a player he had never beaten, for the world title. Though he hated Soviet players for what he considered collusion (drawing matches between themselves so they could concentrate on beating non-Soviet players like Fischer), he liked and respected Boris Spassky.

Spassky returned the affection and esteem. By 1972, he was in the position to make good his boast that he was the greatest chess player in the world. His difficult nature when it came to setting match and tournament conditions flared up again, and though he wanted to play in Yugoslavia, he accepted Spassky's suggestion of Iceland for the world title match. Negotiations were so prickly, President Richard Nixon 's national security adviser, Henry Kissinger intervened, personally contacting Bobby to ensure that he did not drop out of the match, which was seen as a proxy battle in the ongoing Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. Though he later denounced the United States, at the time, Bobby embraced the Cold War rhetoric, declaring the match was "the free world against the lying, cheating hypocritical Russians." Held in Reykjavik, Iceland from July through September 1972, the drama of the world championship boosted the image and popularity of chess to new heights. Bobby lost the first two games, the first on a bad end move and the second by forfeit when he refused to participate.

Because of his eccentric demands, he came close to forfeiting the match, but Spassky agreed to his demand to play in a new room with no TV cameras, the presence of which had upset Fischer. Fischer won the third game of the match, the first time he had beaten Boris Spassky in 12 years. For the rest of their play in 1972 and their 1992 rematch, Fischer never fell behind Spassky in terms of play or points. Spassky was baffled by Fischer's innovative moves, as he played new lines and combinations that Boris had never encountered before. Fischer won the match and became World Chess Champion by a score of 12.5 points to 8.5 on seven wins, one loss and 11 draws in 19 games. His championship was heralded by the U.S. media as a victory for the individualistic America over the collectivist U.S.S.R., whose players had dominated chess since the end of the Second World War. It was front page news, and it made Bobby Fischer a celebrity. He reportedly turned down a $1-million offer to endorse a chess set brand as he faded from the public spotlight.

Fischer did not play competitively for the next three years, and in 1975, he forfeited his title by refusing to defend it when the World Chess Federation did not meet one or two of his many demands (estimated at between 64 and a hundred). The world title went to Anatoli Karpov by default, though Fischer continued to insisted he was the world chess champion. Fischer did not play competitively until 1992 when he met Boris Spassky for a rematch on the resort island of Sveti Stefan in in Montenegro, which was part of all that remained of Yugoslavia along with Serbia. The match was held in defiance of United Nations sanctions against Slobodan Miloseviæ's Serbia for war crimes. Bobby beat Boris, winning $3.35 million in prize money (approximately $5.65 million in 2012 dollar, when factored for inflation), but because the United States intended to enforce the U.N. sanctions, he had violated American law and could have served up to 10 years in jail upon returning to America. A defiant Fischer went into exile instead, living in Hungary before moving to the Philippines and then Japan.

It was while living in the Philippines during the opening days of the new millennium that Bobby Fischer established himself as a world-class crank. After the 9/11 attacks on the United States, he praised the attacks and spewed forth anti-Semitic drivel on radio broadcasts. The Soviet hater of the Cold War era had become a rabid America hater and Jew-basher at the start of the global war on terror. His anti-Semitism became so extreme, he renamed himself "Robert James" and insisted he wasn't Jewish. During a stop-over in Japan, Fischer was arrested for traveling with an invalid U.S. passport. He promptly renounced his American citizenship. The arrest meant he could not leave Japan as he was a stateless person wanted by the United States. Facing a potential extradition to the country of his birth, Iceland came through and granted him citizenship, which allowed him to leave Japan. The country was still grateful for the publicity he had brought to its then-unknown capital of Reykjavik. Thus, Fischer moved to Iceland, the place where he had became part of not only chess lore, but of world history Bobby Fischer died on January 17, 2008 in Reykjavik after having been gravely ill.

He made it to his 64th year, which was symbolic, as a chessboard has 64 squares. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood Spouse (2) Only American to win the FIDE World Chess Championship (1 September 1972). Awarded the title of Chess Grandmaster in 1958. In 1953, he played his first chess tournament at the age of ten at the Brooklyn Chess Club Championship. He came in fifth place. Fischer was wanted in the United States for violating economic sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing a chess match there in 1992. He fled to Japan and was arrested in July 2004 for trying to leave Japan on a revoked U.S. passport. Thus, he was detained in Japan awaiting deportation to the United States. He renounced his U.S. citizenship and tried to become a German citizen, but was denied. Finally, in March 2005, Iceland's parliament voted to grant him Icelandic citizenship. He remained a fugitive in the U.S. until his death. Due to his anti-American and anti-Semitic statements, he became a controversial figure in the final decades of his life.

He, for example, asked the editors of Encyclopedia Judaica to remove his name from the publication because he was, and has never been, Jewish (1984) and denied the Holocaust in several interviews. On a radio show shortly after the 9/11 attacks, he proclaimed them "a wonderful news" (2001). The episode Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Gone (2005) was inspired by his biography (2004). Attended Erasmus Hall High School together with Barbra Streisand . Has an older sister, Joan. Born to Regina Wender, a naturalized American citizen of German Jewish descent, he was considered the son of her first husband, Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, a German biophysicist. They were married from 1933 to 1945, but some sources claim that his biological father was Hungarian physicist Paul Nemenyi. Died at the age of 64, ironically the number of fields on a chessboard. Inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2001 (one of five charter inductees). Inducted into the U.S.

Chess Hall of Fame in 1985 (one of two charter inductees). The last movie Fischer saw before his death was Ridley Scott's American Gangster (2007). Became a citizen of Iceland. [March 2005] Being deported to U.S. for violating U.N. sanctions. [July 2004] Even though he had a very high IQ, it is reported that he was a very poor student in high school and dropped out at fifteen. Personal Quotes (2) All that matters on the chessboard is good moves. Chess is life. Fischer-Spassky Iceland 1972 - Chess.com Fischer-Spassky Iceland 1972 Dec 13, 2007, 12:00 AM 8,914 Reads Chess Players Poster of the long awaited match There was great interest in the staging of this match. Belgrade put up the highest bid of 152,000 dollars. Buenos Aires followed with 150,000 dollars, and Reykjavik offered 125,000 dollars.

After considerable negotiation, the President of FIDE, former World Champion Max Euwe declared that the match would be played half in Reykjavik and half in Belgrade. The Russians protested at this. Fischer said that no-one had the authority to make decisions on his behalf, and the match was renegotiated. Coming up to three months before the match, Belgrade wanted reassurance from Fischer that Fischer would play there. Fischer did not give any reassurance and Belgrade withdrew their offer, and the match was transferred to Reykjavic. The match was for the best of 24 games. Fischer as challenger required 12.5 points to win the title while the defending champion Boris Spassky required 12 to retain it. No match in the history of the game received more world-wide publicity and chess playing was given a tremendous impetus everywhere. Even UK chess clubs such as Barnet chess club felt the effects of this match, with a tremendous boost in membership! Political undertones The challenger to the World title was the American, Bobby Fischer. Fischer was the first westerner since the 2nd world war to seriously threaten the Soviet dominance of the game.

Fischer, a difficult and solitary character, felt he was on a personal mission to strike a blow at the heart of the Soviet Empire. Larry Evans who knew Fischer very well, said in [1] "He [Fischer] said in an interview.. 'I have been chosen to teach the Russians some humility'. And up until that point, the Russians had used chess as a weapon in the cold war. To them their superiority in chess was proof to the World that Communism was better than Capitalism." Victor Baturinsky, head of Soviet Chess Sports committee [1] "Basically the soviet leadership and the powers at be in sport, were interested in just one issue.. how to stop Fischer from becoming World champion Defending his crown was World Champion Boris Spassky. Spassky was an independent minded product of the Soviet chess machine. He had declined to join the communist part. Despite his personal doubts about the Soviet system, the hopes of the strongest chess nation in the World rested in his shoulders. Alexander Roshall, Editor '64' chess magazine [1] "It was ours!...We couldn't surrender it.. How could we give away what was ours? It would be like surrendering a piece of our own country...

You didn't want to give up the Fawklands.. and we didn't want to give up our own crown." Under the Soviet system Chess was not just another game. It had always been popular in Russia, but the Bolsheviks promoted it as part of state policy. Alexander Cockburn, Writer "Marx was a very keen chess player... Lenin was keen on chess although he he gave it up because he said it was interfering with his political activities..Marx was a bad loser apparently.. Lenin was a good loser" Alexander Roshall, Editor '64' chess magazine [1] "Lenin was really passionate about chess..It's said that Lenin coined the phrase 'Chess is the gymnastics of the mind'...'Chess for the masses!' ... Chess is a weapon of proletarian culture. Now we can raise the cultural level of the people at one stroke." Chess in the USSR was under strict party control. The game received generous state subsidies, and its champions were national heroes. By 1970, the World chess champion was Boris Spassky who had become an international master at the tender age of 16.

Spassky had been nurtured from the earliest age by the chess authorities, but had always distanced himself from the political nature of chess in Soviet Russia. Boris Spassky "You'd think that being World Champion would make you very happy...That you're the very best.. But with me, things were somehow the other way round...My years as champion were the unhappiest years of my life because I felt a huge responsibility. After all, I lived in a communist state, but I was not a communist. It was really a great Burden. In Russia they have a saying that 'Shapka Monomakha wears heavily'. The Shapka Monomakha is the Psar's crown. And I felt it quite keenly." Chess in America bore no comparison with the Soviet Union. America had neither the will, the talent, nor the resources to take on the Soviets in Chess. But despite this public indifference, in the mid 1950's a child prodigy emerged who was to change all this. Bobby Fischer grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in the shadow of Ebbits field, home of the Brooklyn dodgers. But Baseball never held any attraction for a teenager obsessed with Chess.

Robert Byrne "Watch out for this new kid we've got ...he's really good... I should have believed him... But you know.. you hear that so often... Everyone has a nephew or a cousin who is really great...Then comes in a bright kid that would give a good game for a few moves and then I was goanna squash him... But oh my God, came this maniac came at me!... and everything indicated he knew exactly what he was doing...I had White but I was on the defensive in about 10 moves and scared skinny... I said to myself this kid is different from all other bright kids" Fischer Interview Question: "Did at any time when you were young look ahead and say one day I will be World Champion?" Fischer Answer: "Not at the beginning, no. It was like an impossible dream.. Just like a kid plays baseball doesn't mean he's going to be a star of the Yankees or something like that" Larry Evans "Chess was his health. That was his sanity. Outside of chess, he was a fish out of water.. But chess was his native tongue" By the age of 13, Fischer was US Champion.

If he was to prove himself the best in the World, he would have to beat the Soviets. But throughout his teenage years, he became convinced that they were trying to thwart his progress in World chess Fischer "When I first started playing chess, to me the Russians were heroes...and they still are as chess players... but.. and I used to study all their literature.. most of the first books I read were Russian chess books...But the first time the Russians ever mentioned me...I remember I was 13 and they said...'Well, he is a very fine talented young player. But all this publicity he is getting is sure do damage to his character'. Then sure enough from then on, they started attacking my character....." As his playing career developed, he accused them of outright cheating. Fischer "Basically what they were doing were drawing among themselves and then playing hard to beat me, so they were..having one or two days of rest... so when they were playing me, they were fresh" Victor Baturinsky, head of Soviet Chess Sports committee [1] "In the candidates tournament of 1962, perhaps his suspicions were not entirely groundless.

If the first four places were taken by Soviet Grandmasters and they had drawn all their matches with one other...That was what particularly annoyed him...Fischer did not generally like draws. He played to the very end.. "to the Kings" as they say... that was his style...Perhaps this is why he became suspicious... But there were never any instructions issued from here....from the leadership of the Sports committee, from the Chess Department or higher up....concerning fixing matches" Fischer interview [1] Question "You obviously consider yourself the best chess player in the World. Does this ever strike you as a touch arrogant? Fischer No, I mean it's true.. I don't know... Question "Who do you think is going to win between you and Spassky" Answer Fischer "I mean I am definitely the heavy favourite, according to all the past results.. so, ..I'm just goanna go in there... I'm not going to stay up nights worrying, its goanna be over pretty soon.." Question "What is the most important thing about winning this title.. for yourself..

or knowing that other people regard you as World champion?" Fischer "I guess knowing that other people regard me as champion because I have known all along that I'm the best...but even that I would like to prove this to myself too.. but especially the general public.. it would be nice to show the Russians too...That's what I'm goanna enjoy most about winning the title, reading what Russian magazines say about it" The Drama By 1972, Fischer had defeated all other contenders and was the undisputed challenger for Spassky's crown. The contest was set to take place in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, strategically positioned between Russia and America. The world title match comprised 24 games to be played in July and August. Fischer retreated to a resort hotel in upstate New York to prepare for the match. Unlike Spassky who could call on all the resources of the Soviet Chess School, Fischer had no one else but himself Larry Evans [1] said:- "When we were engrossed in things.. we would play over Spassky games usually in the wee hours of the morning.. we would have the rock radio blasting to the accompany of the rock and roll..

and going over his games and trying to find his weak points and his strong points .. but the preparation was no where near what the Russians had as a team..He was in a great state of mind, he said 'Well, After I beat Spassky I am goanna have the 'bum of the month' club like Joe Lewis used to have, fight a different guy every month.' ...I was trying to tell him that once he won the title, he should set fair conditions once and for all, to show the Russians the way it should be done...The New York times did a big article...They interviewed me for it and they said how much influence do you have on Bobby?.. I said I probably had more influence on him than anyone else, and that was exactly zero." Spassky's preparation did not go so smoothly. The pressure of his position was getting to him. Boris Spassky "I sensed that my nerves were shredded. And when your nerves have all gone, its like being in a car when the electrics have failed. You just can't do anything. And so I had this subconscious premonition that something was going wrong with me. But I had to put this feeling aside because I had no other choice.

I had to play the match.... I didn't feel for instance that I was defending a political system which stood in opposition to another political system...I always considered myself a chess king" The opening ceremony was scheduled for the 1st July. The Soviet team had arrived in good time. But Fischer refused to fly to Reykjavik until all his demands regarding playing conditions were met. Nikolas Krogius, Soviet Grandmaster and Doctor of Psychology [1]: "The match is declared open, but Schmidt saids that Fischer is delayed... Our ambassador makes a speech.. The American charge d'Affaires makes a speech...But there is no sign of the challenger... For the first time in the history of chess." Larry Evans [1] "First of all he wanted more money.... The match had.. I think the purse originally was 125,000 dollars ..and then an Englishman by the name of James Slater doubled the match to 250,000. And then Bobby wanted more of the profits from the TV filming and the rights..... he always wanted one thing more... he was very hard to deal with...

he always wanted that extra pair of pants no matter what he got" Fischer was staying at Anthony Saidy's house, refusing to talk to anybody. Paul Marshall, Fischer's attorney [1]:- "He was looking at every angle. Why it was in Reykjavik?... What were the playing conditions going to be like in Reykjavik? Was the money really going to be paid? Would they take any unfair advantage? And, he was concerned about it. It was a semel moment in his life, it was the World championship and he had worked like hell to get there.." Robert Byrne "He was just so hard, that people can't believe it.. and without shall we say...some of the normal restraints of rationality.. and just common sense.. but I don't think any of that is ploying....he is sincere about that...its the same sincerity I think...You know I suppose.. that he was always terrified of taking Airplane trips because he was certain that the Soviets wanted to blow up his plane... you didn't know that?!.. yes..

and he had several fillings in his mouth removed, because he thought the Soviets were able to implant devices and read his brainwaves" Nikolas Krogius [1]: "The worst state for anyone to be in, is that of uncertainty.. of not knowing what to expect...And this was the state Spassky was forced into....We tried to distract him with other matters- tennis, walks... The Icelanders rang up and suggest going fishing but the trip didn't come off...Moscow was also ringing incessantly to find out what was going on...how, why and so on." Saidy [1]: "It was not directed against Spassky. It was his own inner Demons...it had nothing to do with Spassky and it wasn't done purposely...and I don't think he was even sure he was going to win.. I think there may have been some fear in his heart.." All of Fischer's hard work in challenging for the World title was about to be thrown away, if he didn't turn up in time to start the match. At Rejkjavic conference "I just wondered if you have ever seen Mr Fisher.. if you have any proof that he actually exists".. <some laughing> ...

"That's a good question! " ..."Yes gentlemen I think we can agree on the point that Fischer exists" In the end, the Icelanders made an approach to the Whitehouse to see if they could influence Fischer. Thorarinson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation:- "Fischer's lawyers told me that they had been present ...There was no way of getting him to Iceland.. he was determined.. but when Kissinger talked to him, and told him that he had to fight the Russians. They said his face changed...he was like a young man going to a battle like a soldier and he said 'I will fight the Russians' " The combination of the extra prize fund of Slater and the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger asking Fischer to play finally persuaded Fischer to fly to Reykjavik. Fischer's arrival was only some five hours before the deadline before he would have to forfeit the challenge to the title. Fischer was so intent in getting into his car and driving to Rejkjavic at speed, that he did not greet the Icelandic officials who had gone to the airport. When Fischer arrived in Reykjavik, he went to bed, and missed the opening ceremony for the drawing of lots.

For the Soviet delegation this was seen as a calculated insult. They were furious and they demanded an apology from Fischer and from Euwe. Krogius [1] "This was the final straw for Spassky and indeed for all of us....We said that there could be no further discussion... Fischer had to appear in person at the draw before the match could begin...those were the rules.. We had to settle several issues.. Fischer had to apologise...And so the question of the match was still very much open" Paul Marshall, Fischer's attorney [1] "They repeat the line.. the party line.. over and over and over again.. and if you are not accustomed to it.. and I wasn't ..emm... it's an irritant... and after the 7th time, Krogius who was the spokesman came out with the same phrase with the same inclination... as I recount 'Bobby should forfeit' ..ehh.. I said.. 'I now get the point.. You want tommorow's headlines to read 'Bobby comes and Russia runs .. so be it' and they got...for the first time they got upset..

they left the room...And then that night we got this demand for an apology letter as a face saver" Fischer wrote a personal letter of apology to Boris Spassky which the Soviets accepted. The letter offered his 'sincerest apology for my disrespectful behaviour'. He had become 'carried away by my petty dispute over money' with the organisers. He hoped that he would not have to default the first game, because he did not believe that 'the world's champion desires such an advantage'... and continued with praising words of Spassky, '...I know you are a sportsman and a gentleman, and I am looking forward to some exciting games with you.' Finally ten days later than scheduled, the first game got underway on July 11 1972. Fischer arriving at the Exhibition Hall for the first game Thorarinson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation [1] "I was very much relieved.. We finally made it...now it's started... its over.. they will be occupied with the problems on the board.. and it will be very easy for us the organisers..

the rest..." Spassky-Fischer opening game in progress, 10 days later than scheduled Boris Spassky "The first game is always very nerve-wracking for everyone.. and during the first game your pulse often rises to about 160...even if you have a healthy heart, on average your pulse is 40...Mine at that moment was around 55... I was physically quite strong, not an athlete but generally healthy...But my nerves - that was another matter" Spassky playing White was clearly content with a draw, and exchanged pieces into a totally level endgame. The always ambitious Fischer decided to sacrifice a bishop to keep the game alive. Accurate play by Spassky however, ensured that he won a delicate endgame. 1 Spassky,B - Fischer,R 1-0 Boris Spassky "Fischer's style was always to be on the offensive. Here he was in a passive position. If he had just held that position, he would have got a draw... he wouldn't have had any problems...But he found himself in a passive position and didn't want to draw. He wanted to change the course of the battle at any cost, and to do that was very risky....

That is why he lost that game" Fischer was one game down in the match. He then didn't show for the beginning of the 2nd game, saying the noise of the film cameras in the main hall was distracting him. It led to him forfeiting the game. He was now two down and seriously considering abandoning and returning to the States. Robert Byrne "He was ready to head for the airport, but the doughty Paul Marshall and his official assistant whom he never used really Bill Lombard , em.. surged to the fore" Paul Marshall, Fischer's attourney [1] "Bill Lombardy, a devout Catholic priest came in very shame faced saying 'I have just ripped the magneto wiring out of Fischer's car so he could not get to the airport. " Robert Byrne "Fischer didn't know a distributor from a Unicorn...Bill could just shrug his shoulder and say it wont go.. That was before we got him back to the room...They brainwashed him... They wouldn't let him sleep... They kept walking the floor...and explained to him why he had to play...

why it was in his own best interest to play" Fischer decided to stay, but his failure to show for the 2nd game, prompted many in the Soviet camp to call for Spassky's withdrawal. They felt the match had descended into a farce. Viktor Babkin, Chess correspondent, TASS "We wrote that Spassky was being very noble, but in the corridors of power, they felt he should leave. There was no match, no contest at all.. But I think Fischer himself didn't know what he was doing" Victor Baturinsky, head of Soviet Chess Sports committee [1] "Believe me if they wanted to call the match off, then the match would have been stopped...More probably, the pressure that was exerted was in terms of trying to persuade Spassky to leave.. but there was never some sort of diktat" Boris Spassky "I had two chances to abandon the match, and to remain World Champion and this would have suited the Sports Committee perfectly...But it did not suit me at all..

That was the problem" 2 Fischer,R - Spassky,B 0-1 Paul Marshall, Fischer's attourney [1] "Bobby had lost the second game by theft called Forfeit, and he refused to play where those cameras existed under any circumstances" Fischer wanted the game to be played in a back room away from the prying eyes of the cameras. Spassky reluctantly agreed. Boris Spassky "The match took place in a small room...where a camera, a video camera had been set up opposite the chessboard...When the time came to play, the main referee Lothar Schmidt said something along the lines of 'Gentleman it's time to start the game'. And at that moment Bobby said 'Earghhh the camera is too loud. I don't want to play'. And he started wrangling with the main referee. And at some point when the latter said that five minutes had already gone by.. Bobby said to him 'Earghhh shut up' .. And I think it was at that very moment that I lost the match. Because if then I said 'Gentlemen I don't like these conditions and I don't want to start play under them..

I shall forfeit this game, the loss will be mine.. but I'm ready to continue playing the fourth game under normal conditions in the main hall. But because I had promised to play this game, I didn't do this. And I played it like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a Boa Constrictor. That was the first game I ever lost to Fischer." Robert Byrne "I have known Fischer since he was a little boy, and I have never seen him look the way he looked during that game...He was always you know in very good health.. nothing to worry about...how was he going to play a serious chess match, when he looked like an inmate!" Dr Frank Brady, biographer [1] "His [Fischer's] face was white. He was really involved in some sort of extostential confrontation. I don't know what really would have happened if he had lost that game and then would have been three down... or even drawn that game...What occurred was one of the most beautiful games in whole match.

Fischer really came forward and proved to himself, to the World and to Spassky that he could do it." 13 Spassky,B - Fischer,R 0-1 The rest of the 1st half of the match was dominated by Fischer. Fischer won games five, six, eight and ten, obtaining a three point lead. Spassky fought back, by winning game eleven. Fischer in game thirteen, increased his lead once again, clearly indicating that he was the firm favourite to win the match. Dr Frank Brady, biographer [1] "Fischer played into the match, and learned how to beat Spassky... Each game he got better". Paul Marshall, Fischer's attourney [1] "All this nonsense.. all this delay.. all this haggling... I think had an adverse effect on Boris Spassky, who was a very straightforward decent , certainly a brilliant chessmen and very nice man... I think this was against his character" 17 Spassky,B - Fischer,R ½-½ Spassky doggedly fought back and by game 17, the score stood Fischer 10, Spassky 7.

It was at this point, the Russians launched their own psychological attack on Fischer. Prompted by an anonymous letter, they claimed that Fischer and the Americans were using some sort of secret weapon to put Spassky off. Krogius [1] "We received a lot of letters about the underhand ways in which Fischer was trying to influence Spassky's mind... Starting with some sort of power source allegedly installed in a submarine somewhere or in the Keflavik and finishing with the idea that a generator has been installed in Fischer's chair...and every time he got up he shifted the chair...and the generator would come on and this would direct rays at Spassky...Then Fischer would return to his chair, sit down again...and the device would be switched off." Boris Spassky "I don't discount the possibility as I've already mentioned that Fischer and I may have been targets....for some sort of new weapon deployed from elsewhere... because the sensation I experienced during the games was quite unpleasant...I felt uncomfortable.. I felt that something was disturbing me" Fischer's chair and the whole playing area underwent a thorough examination.

Robert Byrne "They took the light-fixture in the ceiling apart you know, and all they found were two dead flies..." One member of the Soviet delegation suggested that an autopsy be performed on the insects and was subsequently disciplined. Paul Marshall, Fischer's attourney [1] "I have learned, that once you start a World championship, you may never change the conditions of play, so when they put back the fixture, I demanded that they restore the house lice" Robert Byrne "And the chair.. there wasn't anything in the chair.. I guess it was just a tit for tat business" By the end of the 20th game, Fischer needed only 1 point from the last four matches to win. Spassky who had put up such a strong rearguard action knew he was beaten. Boris Spassky "There was period in the match when Bobby was under severe pressure. For six games in a row, I was piling more and more pressure on him and at the very last moment, he managed to escape" The players took a break during match 21. It was the last time in the contest that Spassky faced Fischer over the board. During the adjournment, he surrendered his crown.

Boris Spassky "...I felt I had lost the match even before it began, when I said that my nerves were in a bad way.. But Bobby Fischer had problems of his own. I could sense this only too well...I left him to his own problems, but I was unable to sort out mine." Paul Marshall, Fischer's attourney [1] "The official notice came by way of a phone call from World champion Spassky...and he said you may tell Fischer that he is the new World Champion.. and we thanked him.....and then hung up the phone...and we began doing an Indian war dance ran up the hall screaming... Bill who was a seriously Catholic priest.. knocking Fischer's door down...Bill you come here and analyse the adjourned position with me...Paul did they put it in writing.. if not get it in writing', and he closed the door." Fischer wearing the World Champion laurel. Dr Max Euwe, head of FIDE and himself world champion from 1935-37 presents Fischer with the championship medal. Fischer Interview "Bobby Fischer, how are you feeling now?" Fischer "Very good, very happy..

the whole thing's finished.." "How do you rate Spassky now? I mean what are the chances do you think of holding on again in a return match against Spassky?" Fischer "Oh I think I would beat him more easily.. There is no question in my mind about it in my mind..." This is because really you have?! Fischer This is what you set out to do isn't it?! Fischer How would you rate him against other players you played against? Fischer "The best definitely, all the other players I have played against have crumbled" Thorarinson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation [1] " I had the feeling that they were both heavily damaged psychologically...at the end..The pressure.. I had a feeling that they were friends and that it didn't affect their relationship.. I was very glad... it was the surrounding that was hostile" Post match implications At the final banquet after the match, Fischer gets his pocket set out, and wanted to discuss one of the games they had played. Robert Byrne "At the final banquet after the match, he comes over to Boris, pulls out his Pocket chess set, and Boris looks like 'Oh my God!

Hasn't he had enough' ..no he hadn't had enough and he wanted to discuss one of the game they had had.." Thorarinson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation [1] "When Fischer left, he told me 'I will be a worthy champion of the World.. I will play very much...I will not brush past the Russians.., I will be playing in lots of tournaments... I will be defending the title' " Fischer "The Russians are the ones that started all of this...and they have been using chess as a propaganda weapon...using every trick to keep the title...now they are the ones to lose the title...now it turned against them...Probably they wish they never start to play chess at all...Years of propaganda. and they get all upset by this one thing..." "You see them as using chess for purely..?!" Fischer " They have been using it for twenty years...It was one of their big things.. military might... combined with this intellectual might... now the intellectual might is err..." Spassky was personal blamed for the defeat by the Soviet Chess Authorities. Quickly discarding him, they turned their attention to Anatoly Karpov as the man to take back the crown for the USSR.

Fischer having become World Champion proceeded to turn down millions of dollars of endorsements and appearance fees. When challenged by Karpov in 1975, Fischer made numerous conditions many of which were accepted. Fischer however required all conditions to be met. FIDE stood firmly despite intense lobbying from the USA. Fischer declined to play and Karpov was declared champion by default. Fischer became ever more reclusive. Larry Evans [1] "I had a feeling after he beat Spassky that something dreadful was going to happen... I didn't know what it was..but.. Either he would never play again.. or he would die young...or whatever...he never played another game for 20 years.. he disappeared" Paul Marshall, Fischer's attourney [1] "Bobby may have just reached the pinnacle and there was nothing else exciting" Saidy [1] "He let American chess down.. He let the other professionals down when he quit.. Interest in the game began to lag on the part of the American public...so it was an abandonment" Spassky was allowed to leave the Soviet Union in 1976 and moved to Paris where he continued to play competitive chess. But he still felt bitter about his exile.

Boris Spassky "I knew that a time would come when I would have to pay for it all...I would be called to account.. and Ultimately that is what happened...I had to leave my country...I am Russian, it's my land...and nevertheless I had to abandon my home land...Incidentally Bobby Fischer who is an American also had to abandon his country...And now we are both living as émigrés....So you see what strange things can sometimes happen in life...As the French say 'C'est la vie' " While Spassky moved west, Fischer moved east and is rumored to live in Budapest. He shuns any attempt to draw him out into the public eye. In 1992 he restaged the match between himself and Spassky and once again, was the winner. It was the only time in 26 years he had played chess in Public. Alexander Cockburn, Writer "He was good as Ali...He was chess's Ali.... Ali got you know..Parkinson's in the end, and Fischer was a recluse now living in Europe and has never cashed in... so the two great American champions from the post war period were Ali and Fischer..

were both pretty eccentric now" Thorarinson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation [1] "He stood looking out of the window in the Loftleider Hotel...In a rather weak moment, when Fischer was looking out of the window and said...'The only thing I can do is to play chess'...and he seemed rather sad, but then there came a smile on his face, and he smiled and said 'But I do that rather well' 1969 - 1972 Spassky - Carolus Chess Chess Worldchampions ‎ > ‎ 1969 - 1972 Spassky Boris Spassky is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outright (1961, 1973), and twice more lost in playoffs (1956, 1963), after tying for first during the event proper.

He was a World Chess Championship Candidate on seven occasions (1956, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, and 1985). Spassky was born in Leningrad in 1937 and first started playing chess at the Palace of Pioneers, where he revealed his great talent at a very early age. At the age of eleven he became a first category player and at thirteen he became a Candidate Master. His progress was so rapid that in 1945, aged eighteen, he played in the Bucharest tournament and shared 4th-6th place. To do so he scored eight wins, including one over Smyslov, and this performance earned him the title of International Master. In the following year he won the World Junior Championship and successfully took part in the interzonal tournament and the Candidates' Tournament. When 19 he became the youngest grandmaster in the world. For the following ten years he was very successful but some odd incidents kept him away from challenging for the world championship.

In 1958 the Soviet Championship was to provide two places for the 1959 Portoroz Interzonal. With three rounds to go Spassky was just half a point behind the leader, Petrosian. However, the next two rounds yielded just one draw and he needed a full point from his last round game against Tal to be assured of one of the qualifying places. He refused an early draw and then continued to a loss. The loss of that game obliged him to wait for the next world championship cycle. Three years later he committed the same error; again he needed only half a point in the last two rounds of the 28th USSR Championship to assure his participation in the interzonal tournament, but he refused a draw and again lost the two games. To his credit and in the face of these bitter disappointments, Spassky buckled down to tightening his performances. In 1964 was among the winners in the interzonal tournament and took part in the following candidates matches. By beating Tal in the final candidates match he became the challenger for the chess crown that was held by Petrosian.

The world championship match that followed was played in Moscow and Spassky lost by winning 3 games, losing 4 and drawing 17. 1968 saw Spassky trying again to gain the right of a match for the championship. In the candidates matches he defeated Geller, Larsen and Korchnoi, scoring in all the matches 8 wins and just 2 losses. So in 1969 he sat down once more opposite Petrosian to struggle for the championship. This time he was successful. In the scheduled 25 game match he had reached a winning score of 12½ points by drawing the 23rd game. In an interview with "Soviet Sport" after the match Spassky was asked: "Could you describe the character of your strategy in the match?" His reply was:- "Briefly, it came to three points. The first you already know - maintaining my fighting mood until the end. The second was to play in a strict classical manner. Why? Together with Bondarevsky and Krogius, I came to the conclusion that the World Champion, for all his great positional mastery, was not a player of a strict, classical profile.

His style, directed towards limiting the opponent's possibilities, is unique and, particularly in match play, extraordinarily effective. It is not accidental that Petrosian is a phenomenal match player. All the same, his unsurpassed skill at manoeuvring and tacking is sometimes dictated not only by the requirements of the position but rather by prophylactic tasks. On the whole, our idea justified itself: in the Tarrasch Defence, for example, Petrosian was not able even once in five attempts to seize the isolated queen's pawn. And finally, the third task was to try to play every game to a finish, if possible with an adjourned session. and if I did not always accomplish this task, it is only because I myself, as was the case during the fifteenth game, was feeling tired." (Our thanks to the BCM booklet on the match "The 1969 World Championship Match" by Peter Clarke for this account) During the next two years, Spassky's chess appearances were infrequent and his performances were below par. In 1972 he had to defend his title for the first time against the brilliant rising American star, Bobby Fischer.

It is well known that Fischer played on Spassky's nerves to such an extent that the match was over in 21 games with Spassky winning 3 games, losing 7 and drawing 11. Spassky made several attempts at regaining the title but in the next cycle of matches after beating Robert Byrne in the quarter final match, he lost out to Karpov in the semi final. Subsequent candidate matches did not see him as a challenger to the incumbent world champion. In 1992 he played another match with Bobby Fischer in Belgrade. This was not recognised by anyone - other than Bobby Fischer - as a match for the world championship. 30 games were played and Fischer finished with 17½ points against Spassky's 12½. These were the last recorded games played by Fischer and led to a bitter dispute with the American government who at the time were boycotting any relationship with Yugoslavia. The Soviet Chess authorities could be rather hard on the players that they considered had brought disgrace on the USSR and Spassky was no exception following his loss of the world title in 1972.

He was severely criticised for continuing the match in the face of Fischer's misdeeds, but the rest of the world saw him as acting in a gentlemanly and sporting manner. Despite the constraints that were imposed on him, Spassky left the USSR to live in France where he resides today. His chess appearances are now very few, but his achievements continue to be admired by the vast majority of chess players. Spassky's chess legacy is best expressed by Gary Kasparov in the third part of his monumental "My Great Predecessors". He writes:- "When working on this chapter I unexpectedly discovered that the play of ...... Spassky ....... in contrast to that of his immediate predecessors (Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal and Petrosian) does not lend itself to a distinct division into any clearly expressed components, making it unique and unrepeatable. With Spassky everything is somehow diffuse and misty - and this, evidently confirms his image of a universal player. It is generally considered that the universal chess style, involving an ability to play the most varied types of positions, stems from Spassky.

However, in my view, this general conviction about Spassky's universality ignores the fact that from childhood he clearly had a leaning towards sharp, attacking play, and possessed a splendid feel for the initiative. These habits were, I think, cultivated in him by his first trainer Zak, and then developed by Tolush. And a liking for pretty attacks can be traced throughout Spassky's chess career." Spasski becomes worldchampion Game 6: Fischer vs Spassky - 1972 World Chess Championship - YouTube Game 6: Fischer vs Spassky - 1972 World Chess Championship Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jul 16, 2012 Game 6 between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky from the 1972 World Chess Championship (Match of the Century) was the greatest one of the entire battle.

It includes a rare beginning of the game by Fischer with 1.c4, a masterful game best described by International Master Anthony Saidy as "It was like a symphony of placid beauty.", and has attributed to it a wonderful act of sportsmanship by Boris Spassky who, after the game, stood up and applauded Fischer for the masterpiece he just played. Game 6 propelled Fischer into the match lead, one that Spassky would never overcome. The match was held in Reykjavik, Iceland. Translated in Portuguese (Brazil) by: Leonardo Louro Justino Category Bobby Fischer biography | birthday, trivia | American Chess Player | Who2 Bobby Fischer Biography Chess Player The first American ever to become world chess champion, Bobby Fischer was as famous for his personality quirks as for his genius. He grew up in Brooklyn, learned to play chess at age 6 and quickly became a prodigy; he was only 15 when reached International Grandmaster level in August 1958. He fought a memorable and tumultuous battle against the Russian chess champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1972, beating Spassky in 21 games to become world champion.

But Fischer was already a somewhat eccentric figure, increasingly reclusive and prone to haggling over minor points of lighting and other match conditions. He never defended his crown, refusing a 1975 match against the International Chess Federation challenger, Anatoly Karpov. The ICF awarded the title to Karpov and Fischer dropped from sight for nearly two decades. He resurfaced in 1992 to play Spassky in a multi-million dollar rematch in Belgrade, thereby defying U.S. sanctions against Yugoslavia. He won the match (and $3.5 million), but spent the next decade as a reclusive, cranky and somewhat mysterious figure who was regarded as a fugitive by American authorities. On 16 July 2004, Fischer was arrested at Tokyo’s Narita Airport on a charge of trying to leave Japan without a valid passport. He was detained by the Japanese until March of 2005, when he was granted citizenship by Iceland and was deported to his new home country, where he died in 2008.

Extra credit Fischer’s books included Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966) and My 60 Memorable Games (1969)… The 1993 movie Searching for Bobby Fischer was not about Fischer himself, but rather was a drama about a young chess whiz, based on the story of real-life chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin. World Champions page 2 * 10th World Champion * 1969 - 1972 In 1969, Boris Spassky defeats Tigran Petrosian by a 12 - 10 score. A child prodigy, Spassky became an International Master at the age of 16 and in 1955, at age 18, he became an International Grandmaster. He was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). Robert James Fischer * 11th World Champion * 1972 - 1975 Bobby Fischer ended the Russian domination of the World Championship. He defeated Boris Spassky in 1972 in Reykjavik, Iceland by a score of 12 to 8 and becoming the first American to win the title.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 9, 1943. Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov * 12th World Champion * 1975 - 1985 | 1993 - 1999 In 1975, Anatoly Karpov won the World Championship by default when Bobby Fischer refused to agree to the terms for a match. His series of matches against Garry Kasparov set a record for the most games by two opponents. He was born in the former Soviet Union. Garry Kimovich Kasparov * 13th World Champion * 1985 - 1993 In 1985, Garry Kasparov defeats Anatoly Karpov for the title by a 13-11 score. He defeats Karpov again in three more attempts for the title in 1986, 1987, and 1990. In 1993, he splits with FIDE to form PCA. Kasparov was stripped of the FIDE title in that year.

Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman * 14th World Champion * 1999 - 2000 Russian Grandmaster Alexander Khalifman won the FIDE World Championship in 1999. He defeated 8 players in a knockout event held at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada from July 31 to August 29. He was born in Leningrad, in the former Soviet Union. Viswanathan Anand * 15th World Champion * 2000 - 2001 Viswanathan Anand won the FIDE World Chess Title on Christmas Eve 2000, in a match held in Teheran, Iran and New Delhi, India. He beat Alexei Shirov in the final game by a score of 3.5 - .5. He was born in Mayiladuthurai, a small town in Tamil Nadu, India. Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov * 16th World Champion * 2002 - 2004 Ruslan Ponomariov became the youngest Chess Grandmaster in history. At the age of 18, (born Oct.

11, 1983) he won the World Chess Championship by beating Vasilly Ivanchuk in Moscow by 4 1/2 - 2 1/2. He was born in Horlivka, Ukraine, Soviet Union. Rustam Kasimdzhanov * 17th World Champion * 2004 - 2005 Rustam Kasimdzhanov GM won the FIDE title in 2004 beating a string of world-class players like Almsi, Ivanchuk, Grischuk, Topalov and Adams. This match was held in Tripoli, Libya. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Soviet Union on Dec. 5, 1979. Veselin B. Topalov * 18th World Champion * 2005 - 2006 Veselin Topalov finished undefeated with 10 points on this match held in San Luis, Argentina with 1.5 points ahead of the runner-up GM Viswanathan Anand. Topalov's performance rating was 2890.

He was born on March 15, 1975 in Rousse, Bulgaria. Vladimir B. Kramnik * 19th World Champion * 2006 - 2007 Vladimir Kramnik defeats GM Veselin Topalov in a twelve game match held in Elista, the Capital of Kalmykia southern Russia. After four extra rapid tie break games, Kramnik wins with a final 9-8 score. He was born on June 25, 1975 in Tuapse, USSR.

Question: Who became the World Chess Champion after beating Boris Spassky in 1972?
Answer: Bobby Fischer