Bobby Fischer
Robert James (Bobby) Fischer (1943 - ) is universally considered to have been one of the best players in the history of chess. Many feel that he was the best ever. At his peak, he dominated even his closest challengers by overwhelming scores. When he won the world championship in 1972, he set records for performance that may never be equalled.
Fischer was one of the two charter members of the US Chess Hall of Fame, sharing that honor with 19th-century great Paul Morphy. The two have much in common. Both were American-born, and both dominated the chess world with no close rivals at their peaks. Sadly, however, both retired from serious competition when they were at their strongest, although Fischer came out of retirement briefly to play one match.
Bobby Fischer was born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago. He was raised by his mother and older sister, both highly intelligent people. The family had settled in Brooklyn by the time Fischer was six years old. About that time, his sister bought little Bobby a chess set to keep him amused. He soon became totally absorbed with chess.
By the age of 14, Bobby Fischer won the US Championship, becoming by far the youngest player ever to win that title. At 15, he became the youngest international grandmaster in history. Although that record has since been surpassed, it must be remembered that winning the grandmaster title in Fischer's day was a rarer achievement than it is today.
At the age of 19, Fischer finished fourth in a competition to determine the challenger for the world championship, making him effectively the fifth-ranked player in the world. At the age of 20, he set a record unlikely ever to be equalled, by winning the US Championship by a perfect 11-0 score.
