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Nice to see extensive coverage being given to the passing of one of the true greats of chess, Bobby Fischer, at the age of sixty four.

Stephen Moss has a well-judged obituary in The Guardian, accurately describing Fischer as a madman driven sane by chess. His politically-charged victory over Boris Spassky was the high-point of chess’s place in the public consciousness.

The story has been well documented elsewhere, most notably in the wonderful Bobby Fischer Goes to War. In a way, the game destroyed both men – Fischer never defended his landmark title, while Spassky was dropped brutally by the Soviet machine. But Fischer in particular has to take credit for sparking a resurgence in chess that inspired many of the UK’s current crop of leading players.

As I’ve written before, the publicity led to a resurgence in chess in the UK, with the BBC subsequently launching Master Game, a rare TV programme dedicated to the game that was directly responsible for getting me interested in the game.

Fischer’s book, ‘My Greatest Games’ is an amazing insight into how his mind worked – full of surprises, astonishing gambles and intense, calculated destruction of opponents. His descent in later years didn’t lessen his achievements, but diminished him as a man.

A sad end to a remarkable tale.

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