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Bobby Fischer

1950s – 1970sWorld Champion 1972 – 1975Peak rating 2785259 games

The eleventh World Champion and a landmark figure in chess history, remembered for uncompromising preparation, clarity and extraordinary competitive results.

Bobby Fischer
Photo: Bert Verhoeff for Anefo (Nationaal Archief), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

How Fischer plays

Fischer played clear, principled chess with a ferocious will to win. He stuck to a narrow opening repertoire — 1.e4 for White, the Sicilian Najdorf and King's Indian for Black — and knew it better than anyone. His play was direct and technically flawless, and his 1972 World Championship victory over Spassky changed chess in the West for good.

What to learn from Fischer

Fischer's games are models of clarity: every piece has a purpose and the plan is easy to follow. The 'Game of the Century' below, played at 13, shows how far calculation and courage can take a young player.

A game to play through

Byrne, Donald vs Fischer, Robert James - New York Rosenwald 1956 0-1 — the position after move 17. The 'Game of the Century', New York 1956. Fischer, aged 13, has just played 17…Be6!!, leaving his queen to be taken; after 18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ the storm of discovered checks wins a rook, two bishops and a pawn for it.

Bobby Fischer: after 34 half-moves
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 O-O 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4 11.Bg5 Na4 12.Qa3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4 Nxc3 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 Be6

The rest of the game is on FoxyChess.

Play through 259 Bobby Fischer games

Watch every game move by move, or play the winner's moves yourself and see how close you get. Free to join, no card needed.

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Bobby Fischer games on FoxyChess

Watch each game move by move, or play the winner's moves yourself and see how close you get.

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