He Had The Most Incredible Mind In History, Until This Happened

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Writing: Steven Rix
Editing: Jack Stevens

[melsterifficmama]

You know who really stands out in this story? Boris Spasky. What a great sportsman and concerned opponent. Outstanding!

[jmanfro]

Spassky is the definition of a true sportsman. The respect shown for his competitor is unrivaled in any other sport. He didn’t even let the Soviet Us relations tarnish his views.

[rangacat]

I remember watching an interview with Fischer and he mentioned how during matches even the wrong lighting would throw him off. Definitely seems like he might have had sensory issues that weren’t well understood at the time.

[bossman]

For people curious about the winning streak Fischer won 20 games in a row

But in todays time they often make it sound like magnus had a winning streak of a lot of games which are typically very impressive but there are draws in his. Magnus streak is just him going without losing however here Fischer is only winning which is insane

[jonp]

And he died at 64, one year for every square on the board. Poetic.

[pvhtzvx]

Boris spassky was such a nice guy, not taking the tittle of the worlds best just to have a fair match with Bobby, and even going to his jail cell just to play with him, it's just great how he never gave up on beating him

[Alex.The.Lionnnnn]

I love how as he said "they learnt how the pieces moved" and then the animation showed the knights moving in a straight line.

[Dadbro_]

My grandfather taught me how to play chess as a kid. He was ruthless. Never once did he allow me to win. We played for YEARS before I was able to beat him. The day I won I can picture the rickety kitchen table and cheap laminate floor sitting in the corner of my grandparents old farm house down to the last detail. He fell down a bottle when my grandmother past away. Such a kind and brilliant man. I am 39 now and have taught both of my sons to play the game.

[alshamsi_]

imagine if his sister bought a snakes and ladders boards instead

[alexanderbutler]

"The difference between genius and insanity is measured only by success"

[STEAMerBear]

My teacher, Joan Targ, was his older sister. She shaped young minds for many decades. Her son Nick went to the same high school and university I did. He was regarded as a genius like his mother and uncle.

[amb]

Boris Spassky sounds like a genuinely stand up guy. Much respect.

[markmarco]

Bobby wrote a column in Boy’s Life magazine that was designed to teach us Boy Scouts how to play chess.
In each article he would focus on how to best leverage a particular piece, starting with pawns, then the power pieces, one at a time…I ate it all up and became one of the dominant players at my high school, graduating in 1972. Then met a girl and lost interest. All the sour news came out; I didn’t follow too closely, but always I would tell the story of how I was “Bobby Fischer trained”.

[UndertheNeedle]

My grandfather taught me years ago that sometimes when you are too far ahead of your time it makes you a little crazy. That seems true for Bobby.

[locxle]

thoughty2: its impossible!

me, winning against my infant cousin 30 times in a row: *they called me a madman*

[thelogoth]

Spasky was arguably even more impressive by being a grandmaster of kindness.

[JamieTransNyc]

One thing Thoughty forgot to mention... Bobby Fischer single-handedly made chess into a profession. When he burst upon the scene, the winning purse from a large tournament might be $3000. He realized he could demand more, and forced the winning purses to increase to $300, 000 and even $1.2 Million. The flood of immensely talented chess players is a direct result of this change.

He also created the current timekeeping system, which increments (adds back) time to the players as the game continues.

[Rikent]

It's natural to strive to become like the best at a profession, however the story about Fischer's life has made me value the importance of one's character in tandem with proficiency way more than before. Spassky, despite losing, has definitely earned my respect.

[grogery]

The light sensitivity and erratic behavior are symptoms of a person "on the spectrum". It is not uncommon for people like this to prefer lamps to ceiling lights as the glare is annoying to them. Lashing out comes from difficulty communicating, feeling different and knowing you are different, it is easy to believe that you are being mocked and lacking the skills to compete it is easier to flee than fight. Fishers mental health was probably not caused by chess but the pressure that came to surround him due to his success at chess. While playing he probably felt safe, knowing the rules, knowing everyone had to obey them and that he would not be mocked for some social faux pas he didn't understand or care about.

[hanzflackshnack]

Anyone with obsessive habits knows why Bobby lost his mind. It’s a lonely life. I’m up to over 2, 000 hours drawing and painting this year while working 12 hour swing shifts and overtime. I eat my dinners alone. I take walks alone. I spend my breaks drawing alone… The lack of human intimacy really messes your head up