Title/Author:
“Endgame:
Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America’s Brightest Prodigy to
the Edge of Madness” by Frank Brady
Tags:
Chess,
biography, non-fiction, history, Fischer, Spassky, Cold War
Published:
February
1, 2011
Length:
465 pages
Rating:
4 of 5
stars (very good)
Review:
No other
chess match or game has captured the world’s attention more than the 1972 World
Championship match between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and champion
Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. After
winning this match, Fischer became a huge celebrity and this extra attention
also showed the world the other side of the man. His life both before and after this event is
covered in this biography written by Frank Brady.
It
illustrates a young man who was raised along with his sister by a single mother
who was chasing dreams of her own. He
would spend a lot of his free time at chess clubs or in the library learning as
much of the game as he could and using a small chess set to simulate the
games. Fischer’s ability to memorize and
analyze thousands of games and game situations is well documented and helped
him on the way to the championship.
What is
also well documented and described is Fischer’s personality, which shows some bizarre
characteristics as well. He would often
make outrageous demands for business deals or for conditions before he would
participate in matches. Most of the
time, these demands were eventually met, but it showed his lack of negotiating
skills, taking the “my way or the highway” approach.
It is also
well-known that Fischer would engage in behavior or outbursts that were
paranoid, anti-Semitic, or otherwise far from ordinary. These eventually caught up to Fischer and
led him to isolationism, eventually landing him in Iceland where he settled
after a nomadic life that had to end because he wore out his welcome in most
nations. It is also important to note that
he was facing tax evasion charges in the United States. His family was also regularly investigated
by the FBI because of their connections with Russia – his mother for her studies
and Fischer for his interest because chess was highly regarded there.
All of
these are combined together to make a very intriguing and entertaining
biography of a brilliant but troubled man.
There is chess talk in the book as well, but not too far in depth. Therefore,
a non-chess buff will enjoy this book as well as an enthusiastic player or fan.
Did I skim?
No
Did I learn something new?
Yes. Most
of what I learned that was new was about his relationships with his mother and
sister, as those were reported in the media as strained. While unusual, the book portrayed these
relationships as loving, not estranged as was often reported. The regret that Fischer shows when he cannot
attend his mother’s funeral or face arrest in the United States is a good
example of this.
Pace of the book:
Very good. It doesn’t drag too slowly and the sections
on Fischer’s important chess matches make you feel you are there in the chair
next to him.
Positives:
Outstanding
research is evident in this book as many minute details of Fischer’s famous
rants and demands from tournament officials are shared. The author was able to glean many minute and
obscure details that made this very rich and vivid for the reader.
Negatives:
I would
have liked to see more in-depth writing about the actual chess games in some of
the matches. An example is during the
second match with Spassky, many games toward the end ended in a draw as Fischer
wrapped up the match early. Yes, these
games may not have been key in deciding the outcome, but more than a simple
sentence saying they ended in a draw would have been better.
Do I recommend?
Yes. Even if the reader is not interested in
chess, Fischer’s biography is a very interesting tale and any reader who likes
good biographies will enjoy this book.
Book Format Read:
EBook
(Kindle)
Buying Links:
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