Bobby Fischer

 
Bobby Fischer died yesterday in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he had been living for the past several years [Bobby Fischer, 64: Former chess champion].

Back in 1972, Fischer beat Boris Spassky of the USSR to become world chess champion. The event has been glorified as part of the cold war competition between the USA and the USSR but this was only part of the story. Some of us were just interested in it as a major sporting event featuring a radical new hero who didn't always play by the rules.

I remember following the games live on television—yes, that's right, the moves in each game were broadcast live on a large chessborad, with plenty of color commentary. As an amateur chess player, it was a real insight into the world of high level play.

Go to World Chess Championship 1972 for a brief summary of this extraordinary event. We'll never see anything like it again.

Here's the position at adjournment in the final (21st) game [Spassky vs Fischer Game #21]. Fischer (black) has just played h5. After thinking about the position all night Spassky phoned in the next morning to resign and concede the championship. Can you see why he gave up?

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