Bobby Fischer - a Victim of Internal Conflict

Bobby Fisher died Thursday, January 17, 2008 of kidney failure. He had been called by many the greatest chess player who ever lived. No other player in modern times came close to his inherent talent and capabilities at this game of skill, logic and problem solving ability. His match against Boris Spassky cemented his greatness, when before the age of 30, he became the first U.S. Citizen to become World Chess Champion. He not only won the match, he routed Boris Spassky in a Championship Tournament which is rarely won by more than 1 point by a 4 game advantage. More incredibly one of Spassky's victories was a default due to Bobby Fisher not showing up for a scheduled game.

Bobby Fischer was a man of great internal conflict. Though warned by U.S. Government officials in advance he became a law breaker by playing a tournament in Yugoslavia, then an Iron Curtain Country where travel was legally forbidden. He became an ex-patriot and lived abroad in many countries until he settled in Iceland for the rest of his life.

Bobby Fischer's Mother and perhaps his Father were both Jewish. Yet Bobby became a strong anti-Semite and anti-American. He expressed satisfaction with the attack on the World Trade Center. His hope of a military takeover following this event, along with the imprisonment of massive numbers of "Jewish leaders" and the destruction of all Jewish Synagogues in the United States, was expressed in his speech on September 11, 2001 on radio in Baguio in the Philippines.
Was this an expression of self hate and internal conflict? He appears to be an early model of a celebrity capable of accruing great wealth, admiration and fame being by his own worst enemy. He was offered millions of dollars to play tournaments in Las Vegas and other venues but chose instead a more self destructive route, which alienated himself from most Americans. This self destructive streak seems to be more common today as anyone who follows Britney Spears and other famous (or is it infamous) celebrities know.

What fuels self destruction when you are about to reach a pinnacle of success? This sad trend seems to be growing more common. It is a waste of the best of our breed. Bobby Fisher, with an IQ of 181 could have been a hero, a role model and a bright light for the future chess champions to follow. Instead he just became another enigma for us to wonder about and try to figure out what when wrong.