Drazula
01-18-2008, 03:07 PM
I am saddened by the news of the death of Bobby Fischer.
He was my childhood hero. To me, he was Mickey Mantle. And just like Mickey, he was a flawed hero. I didn't learn that until much later in life. But in the summer of 1972, he was the great American hero, who went to fight the Soviet chess machine all by himself. He was David taking on Goliath. I still remember the daily broadcasts; the shocking blunder in the first game, the forfeit of the second, and the amazing victory of the third. By the end of game 13, he had completely crushed the Soviet empire (if they we using today's rules, that would have been the end of the match 6 wins to 2 losses, with one being a forfeit). By the time he returned to the USA, the entire country was chess crazy.
It is said that Alexander the Great looked out at the vastness of his empire and wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. Fischer was built to conquer as well. He was a warrior not a king. He was not built to rule. He fought for 15 years against all odds, against the Soviets, against the establishment. Reaching the pinnacle of chess was his undoing. He had nothing left to conquer.
Sadly, it is his life beyond the chess board that most will remember. His disgusting comments about Jews and America. I always wanted to meet him: To shake his hand and tell him that he disgusts me.
But the child in me will always love the genius he was on the chessboard. His games were art, elegance and war all rolled into one. They were a thing of beauty, simplicity and insight. He was the most naturally talented chess player the world has ever seen. Even Fischer the big mouth idiot can't take that away from him.
I hope he has found peace in death that he never had in life.
He was my childhood hero. To me, he was Mickey Mantle. And just like Mickey, he was a flawed hero. I didn't learn that until much later in life. But in the summer of 1972, he was the great American hero, who went to fight the Soviet chess machine all by himself. He was David taking on Goliath. I still remember the daily broadcasts; the shocking blunder in the first game, the forfeit of the second, and the amazing victory of the third. By the end of game 13, he had completely crushed the Soviet empire (if they we using today's rules, that would have been the end of the match 6 wins to 2 losses, with one being a forfeit). By the time he returned to the USA, the entire country was chess crazy.
It is said that Alexander the Great looked out at the vastness of his empire and wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. Fischer was built to conquer as well. He was a warrior not a king. He was not built to rule. He fought for 15 years against all odds, against the Soviets, against the establishment. Reaching the pinnacle of chess was his undoing. He had nothing left to conquer.
Sadly, it is his life beyond the chess board that most will remember. His disgusting comments about Jews and America. I always wanted to meet him: To shake his hand and tell him that he disgusts me.
But the child in me will always love the genius he was on the chessboard. His games were art, elegance and war all rolled into one. They were a thing of beauty, simplicity and insight. He was the most naturally talented chess player the world has ever seen. Even Fischer the big mouth idiot can't take that away from him.
I hope he has found peace in death that he never had in life.