Bobby Fischer - the Chess Player, Not the Man

I'm sure that by now most of you are aware that Bobby Fischer was an eccentric, opinionated man, and that his views on America and women weren't exactly politically correct. However, it is easy to forget the important accomplishments someone has made when their personal life is under a magnifying glass.

Yes, in his later years he was an egotistical tyrant at times, with a deep hatred for the United States. In light of the way he was treated, however, I'm not sure I wouldn't be pretty perturbed myself! But I do not believe that his personal views should produce an opposite Halo Effect, if you will.

The Halo Effect is essentially when, just because someone is admired for a special ability such as sports or music, it is assumed everything that person does or says is golden; they can do no wrong. Poor Bobby Fischer experienced the reversal of this, I believe, and I'm not entirely sure he earned it.

In 1972 he did what no American had been able to do before or since; he beat the Russians and brought the world chess champion crown home to the states. This amazing feat would put him on the map as the most powerful chess player of all time (arguably, of course).

His games and the way he saw the board remain instructional to the top grandmasters of today, and his amazing accomplishments throughout his lifetime never cease to spark awe and wonder in the eyes of budding chess players and veterans alike. He was, in essence, the king of chess.

So, what gives? People don't generally care if a rock star gets all jacked up on drugs and trashes hotel rooms or engages in unspeakable sexual acts with fans, and people don't generally care if athletes act out of control, either.

But when a powerful chess player voices a negative opinion on the United States, he's all but banished from the game and from the hearts of his fans. Let us not forget that he was arrested and held for, in my opinion, an unreasonable amount of time for playing chess in a place he was told he could not. Also let us not forget that he won that match, as well, proving that he was indeed still the biggest dog at the chess board.

In this day and age, and especially after the 9/11 attacks, we are programmed to be patriots, we are told to support our troops overseas (whether they are there for a good reason or not!) and we tend to look very unfavorably on anyone who isn't "Pro U.S."

But some of these same people who bash Bobby Fischer for his views and attitude are tooling around in Japanese vehicles and shopping at Wal-Mart, where you are hard-pressed to find any items made in the USA. Should we assume, then, that these citizens are fans of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941?

What is the point of this article? Only to bring to light the fact that as a chess genius, Bobby Fischer is still and always will be a major figure in the game, regardless of what his political and personal views were. I vote we focus more on the amazing tactical wizardry he displayed over the board, and leave his rants and raves by the wayside. It's not fair to either Bobby Fischer or the game of chess.