Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness by Frank Brady (PDF)

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Who was Bobby Fischer? In this “nuanced perspective of the chess genius” (Los Angeles Times), an acclaimed biographer chronicles his meteoric rise and confounding fall, with an afterword containing newly discovered details about Fischer’s life. Possessing an IQ of 181 and remarkable powers of concentration, Bobby Fischer memorized hundreds of chess books in several languages, and he was only thirteen when he became the youngest chess master in U.S. history. But his strange behavior started early. In 1972, at the historic Cold War showdown in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he faced Soviet champion Boris Spassky, Fischer made headlines with hundreds of petty demands that nearly ended the competition. It was merely a prelude to what was to come. Arriving back in the United States to a hero’s welcome, Bobby was mobbed wherever he went—a figure as exotic and improbable as any American pop culture had yet produced. Commercial sponsorship offers poured in, ultimately topping $10 million—but Bobby demurred. Instead, he began tithing his limited money to an apocalyptic religion and devouring anti-Semitic literature. Bobby reemerged in 1992 to play Spassky in a multi-million dollar rematch—but when the dust settled, he was a wanted man, transformed into an international fugitive because of his decision to play in Montenegro despite U.S. sanctions. Fearing for his life, traveling with bodyguards, Bobby lived the life of a celebrity fugitive—one drawn increasingly to the bizarre. Drawing from Fischer family archives, recently released FBI files, and Bobby’s own emails, Endgame is unique in that it limns Bobby Fischer’s entire life—an odyssey that took the chess champion from an impoverished childhood to the covers of Time, Life and Newsweek to recognition as “the most famous man in the world” to notorious recluse.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “One the year’s best biographies.” —Washington Post “Mr. Brady’s biography is well-written, studiously researched and filled with fascinating details. It imparts the love of chess and affection for ‘Bobby’ that the author clearly feels…Boris Spassky, after the losing the world championship title to Fischer, said: ‘I think I understand him.’ Perhaps one day the rest of us will too. Until then, we have Endgame to fill the void.” —Wall Street Journal“The freakishly talented, freakishly flawed Fischer played the game as if it were a blood sport…In ENDGAME Frank Brady tells the story of Fischer’s life with a dramatic flair and a sense of judiciousness.”—The Boston Globe “Brady’s book is an impressive balancing act and a great accomplishment…What results is a chance for the reader to weigh up the evidence and come to his own conclusions — or skip judgments completely and simply enjoy reading a rise-and-fall story that has more than a few affinities with Greek tragedy.” —The New York Review of Books“Presents Fischer’s story with an almost Olympian evenhandedness that ends up making it far more absorbing than any sensationalized account.”—Laura Miller, Salon.com “Brady is in a unique position to write about Fischer…he had access to new materials, including files from the FBI and the K.G.B. (which identified Fischer as a threat to Soviet chess hegemony in the mid-1980s); the personal archives of Fischer’s mother, Regina, and his mentor and coach Jack Collins; and even an autobiographical essay written by the teenage Fischer. The wealth of material allows Brady to describe many rich moments and details.”—New York Times Book Review”Brady seems unusually well qualified to capture Fischer’s many facets and contradictions…ENDGAME is a rapt, intimate book, greatly helped by Brady’s acquaintance with Fischer…he sees the person behind the bluster…he also makes use of unusually good source material…fascinating.”—New York Times“Even if you don’t give a damn about chess, or Bobby Fischer, you’ll find yourself engrossed …has the arc of a Greek tragedy –with a grim touch of mad King Learat the end…ENDGAME is one of those books that makes you want your dinner guests to go the hell home so you can get back to it.”—Dick Cavett”Recommended not just for chess enthusiasts but for anyone interested in the compelling compelling life of a complex, enigmatic, American icon.” —Library Journal “Brady masters Endgame.” —Vanity Fair”Insightful…Brady is uniquely qualified to write this…The book should appeal to a broad audience, from hard-core chess fans to casual players to those who are simply interested in what is a compelling personal story.”—Booklist“Engrossing…The Mozart of the chessboard is inseparable from the monster of paranoid egotism in this fascinating biography…Brady gives us a tragic narrative of a life that became a chess game.”—Publishers Weekly (Pick of the Week/Starred Review) “The teenage prodigy, the eccentric champion, the irascible anti-Semite, the genius, the pathetic paranoid—these and other Bobby Fischers strut and fret their hour upon celebrity’s stage….Informed, thorough, sympathetic and surpassingly sad.”—Kirkus Reviews “ENDGAME is rich in detail and insight. It is sympathetic and human, but not at all naive. I admire Brady’s resolve, and I consider this book essential reading in the effort to understand Bobby Fischer and his place in our world.”—David Shenk, author of THE GENIUS IN ALL OF US and THE IMMORTAL GAME “The definitive portrait of the greatest—and most disturbed—chess genius of all time.”—Paul Hoffman, author of THE MAN WHO LOVED ONLY NUMBERS and KING’S GAMBIT “Bobby Fischer began life as a lonely prodigy and ended it as a hate-spewing enigma, and in between became America’s greatest chess player, a man renowned both for his unmatched brilliance and social clumsiness. In ENDGAME, Frank Brady masterfully chronicles the full breadth of Fischer’s life, producing a narrative driven by staggering detail and profound insight into the psyche of a troubled genius.”—Wayne Coffey, New York Times bestselling author of THE BOYS OF WINTER “You don’t have to know the game of chess to be mesmerized by the dizzying and ultimately dark journey of the world’s most heralded player. Frank Brady has researched and detailed Bobby Fischer’s every move—on and off the chessboard—for an incisive and objective account of a man whose genius was matched by his eccentricities. This is a riveting look at a tarnished American icon.”—Pat H. Broeske, New York Times bestselling co-author of HOWARD HUGHES: THE UNTOLD STORY “I’ve wondered about the weird and fascinating life of Bobby Fischer since I was a teen-aged New York Times copyboy sent out to the lobby to keep Fischer’s mother from pestering editors and reporters. Finally, after 50 years, I’ve finally gotten the weird and fascinating biography I’ve been waiting for. Bravo, Brady.”—Robert Lipsyte, author of AN ACCIDENTAL SPORTSWRITER “A definitive and finely detailed chronicle of one of the most fascinating and eccentric Americans of the 20th century, written by one of the few men with the expertise, knowledge and writing ability to pull it off in a manner deserving of the subject.”—Michael Weinreb, author of THE KINGS OF NEW YORK “Fischer is America’s greatest antihero. This fascinating biography is filled with hope, Cold War intrigue, the fulfillment of genius, and an explosive fall from grace that is both deeply moving and, ultimately, profoundly sad.”—Jeremy Silman, author of THE AMATEUR’S MIND “I have been following Bobby Fischer my whole life, but I learned something new on nearly every page of this wonderful book. Frank Brady is the perfect biographer for Bobby Fischer, and ENDGAME tells the full and fair story of Fischer’s astonishing rise and heartbreaking fall.”—­Christopher Chabris, author of THE INVISIBLE GORILLA ­ About the Author Frank Brady is internationally recognized as the person most knowledgeable about the life and career of Bobby Fischer. Brady is the author of numerous critically acclaimed biographies, including Citizen Welles; Onassis: An Extravagant Life; and Bobby Fischer: Profile of a Prodigy (the first edition of which appeared in the mid-1960’s and focuses on the young Bobby). Until recently, Brady was the Chairman of the Communications Department at St. John’s University, and he remains a full professor there. He is also the President of the Marshall Chess Club and was the founding editor of Chess Life. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1Loneliness to PassionI can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” Bobby Fischer’s screams were muffled by the black hood tied tightly around his head. He felt as if he were suffocating, near death. He shook his head furiously to loosen the covering.Two Japanese security guards were holding him down on the floor of the brightly lit cell, one sitting on his back and pinning his arms to his sides, the other holding his legs—Lilliputians atop the fallen Gulliver. Bobby’s lungs were being compressed, and he couldn’t get enough air. His right arm felt as if it had been broken from the scuffle that had happened moments before; he was bleeding from the mouth.So this is how I’ll die, he thought. Will anyone ever know the truth about how I was murdered?He pondered in the darkness, incredulous that a supposedly revoked passport had turned him into a prisoner. The scenario had evolved rapidly. It was July 13, 2004. After spending three months in Japan, he was about to embark for the Philippines. He’d arrived at Tokyo’s Narita Airport about two hours before his flight. At the ticket counter, an immigration officer had routinely checked his passport, entering the number: Z7792702. A discreet bell sounded and a red light began to flash slowly. “Please take a seat, Mr. Fischer, until we can check this out.”Bobby was concerned but not yet frightened. He’d been traveling for twelve years between Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany, the Philippines, Japan, Austria, and other countries, clearing customs and crossing borders without incident. Extra pages had to be added to his passport because there was no room left to stamp the dates of his entries and exits, but this task had already been completed at the American embassy in Bern, Switzerland, in November 2003.His worry was that the U.S. government might finally have caught up with him. He’d violated State Department economic sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing a $5 million chess match against Boris Spassky in Sveti Stefan, Montenegro, in 1992, and an arrest warrant had been issued at that time. If he went back to the United States, he’d have to stand trial, and the penalty, if he was convicted, would be anywhere from ten years in prison to $250,000 in fines, or both. A friend had called the State Department in the late 1990s and asked if Bobby could return home. “Of course he can,” said the spokesperson, “but as soon as he lands at JFK, we’ll nail him.” As a man without a country, Bobby eventually chose to settle in Hungary, and he had never heard another word from the American government. With twelve years having passed, he figured that as long as he stayed away from the United States, he’d be safe.He sat where he was told, but fear began to take hold. Eventually, an immigration official asked Bobby to accompany him downstairs. “But I’ll miss my flight.” “We know that” was the peremptory reply. Escorted by security guards down a long, dark, and narrow hallway, Bobby demanded to know what was going on. “We just want to talk to you,” the official said. “Talk about what?” Bobby demanded. “We just talk” was the answer. Bobby stopped and refused to move. A translator was called in to make sure there was no confusion. Bobby spoke to him in English and Spanish. More security guards arrived, until approximately fifteen men surrounded the former chess champion in a grim, silent circle.Finally, another official appeared and showed Bobby an arrest warrant, stating that he was traveling on an invalid passport and that he was under arrest. Bobby insisted that his passport was perfectly legal and had two and a half years to go before it expired. “You may call a representative of the U.S. embassy to assist you,” he was told. Bobby shook his head. “The U.S. embassy is the problem, not the solution,” he muttered. His fear was that a State Department representative might show up at the airport with a court order and try to have him extradited back to the United States to stand trial. He wanted to call one of his Japanese chess friends for help, but Immigration denied him access to a phone.Bobby turned and started to walk away. He was blocked by a guard. Another guard tried to handcuff him, and he started twisting and turning to thwart the process. Several of the guards began hitting him with batons and pummeling him with their fists. He fought back, kicking and screaming, and he managed to bite one of the guards on the arm. Eventually, he went down. A half dozen guards hoisted him into the air and began carrying him by his arms and legs. Bobby continued squirming to get loose as the guards struggled to take him to an unknown destination. He kicked frantically, almost yanking his hands free. It was then that they put the black hood over his head.Since Bobby knew that his passport was valid, what was going on? His comments about Jews and the crimes of the United States had stirred things up, but as an American citizen wasn’t he protected by the First Amendment? Anyway, how could his opinions have anything to do with his passport? Maybe it was the taxes. Ever since his unsuccessful 1976 suit against Life magazine and one of its writers for violation of a contract, he’d been so disgusted with the jurisprudence system that he refused to pay any taxes.Gasping for air, Bobby tried to enter a Zen state to clear his mind. He stopped resisting and his body became relaxed. The guards noticed the change. They released his arms and legs, stood up, ceremoniously removed the hood, then left the cell. They’d taken his shoes, his belt, his wallet, and—much to his dismay—the buffalo-leather passport case that he’d bought in Vienna years back. But he was alive . . . at least for the moment.When he looked up, he saw a nondescript man with a video camera quietly filming him through the bars. After a few minutes the man vanished. Bobby spit out a piece of a tooth that had been chipped, either from one of the punches or when he was thrown to the floor. He put the remnants in his pocket.Lying on the cold cement floor, he felt his arm throb with pain. What was the next move and who would make it? He drifted off to sleep. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Fisher’s mind was far more complex than mine or yours, and had fewer limitations than us. He beat the corrupt world of international totalitarian politics by out maneuvering the hegemony of the Russian big brains, then withdrew from the fray when they came for him. Read the book from the standpoint of a parent trying to raise a unique prodigy—neither siding with Fisher or against him until you see him reach and, to the extent possible, accept his human limitations. Powerful insights.

⭐Biographer Frank Brady (born 1934) is Chairman of the Department of Mass Communications, Journalism, Television and Film at St. John’s University; he has been an editor of “Chess Life,” and Chessworld,” directed many major chess tournaments, and was even an editor for Ralph Ginzburg and Hugh Hefner. He has written a number of books, such as

⭐,

⭐,

⭐, etc.He said in the “Author’s Note” to this 2011 book, “As someone who knew Bobby Fischer from the time he was quite young, I’ve been asked hundreds of times, ‘What was Bobby Fischer really like?’ This book is an attempt to answer that question… Paradoxes abound. Bobby was secretive, yet candid… naive, yet well informed… religious, yet heretical… he was not the idiot savant often portrayed by the press… I ask forgiveness for my occasional speculations in this book, but Fischer’s motivations beg to be understood… I want readers … to feel as though they’re sitting next to Bobby, on HIS side of the chessboard, or in the privacy of his home.” (Pg. ix-x)He observes that “From a very early age he followed his own rhythms… An intense stubbornness seemed to be his distinguishing feature.” (Pg. 13) He notes, “Fischer, who much later in life would gain notoriety for his anti-Jewish rhetoric, always said that although his mother was Jewish, he had no religious training. It is not known whether Bobby… participated in the formal Jewish ritual of Bar Mitzvah.” (Pg. 53)He recounts that Fischer began listening to Herbert Armstrong’s radio and then television program, and ultimately became closely associated with Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God: “He refused to enter tournaments whose organizers insisted he play on Friday might, and he began a life of devotion to the Church’s tenets.” (Pg. 120-121) He adds, “he began to face a time conflict between his two commitments: religion and chess… [Yet] Forty years later he’d still be espousing ideas put forth by Armstrong and [Armstrong’s magazine] the ‘Plain Truth.'” (Pg. 143) Still, “His connection to the Church was always somewhat ambiguous. He was not a registered member, since he hadn’t agreed to be baptized by full immersion in water by Armstrong or one of his ministers… The Church imposed a number of rules that Bobby thought were ridiculous and refused to adhere to, such as a ban on listening to hard rock or soul music… despite Bobby’s unwillingness to follow principles espoused by the Church, his life still revolved around it… he enjoyed perks only available to high-ranking members.” (Pg. 210)When his participation in the champion chess match with Boris Spassky was in jeopardy, Fischer received a 10-minute phone call from Henry Kissinger, then-National Security Adviser; “It was at this point that Bobby saw himself not just as a chess player, but as a Cold War warrior in defense of his country.” (Pg. 184) Although he eventually lost his 1972 title due to his failure to defend it, he still described himself as “The World’s Chess Champion.” Brady notes, “Bobby explained to a friend that he had never been defeated… he believed the true World’s Champion title was still rightfully his.” (Pg. 228)After his victory in 1972, he began reading anti-Semitic writings; “Bobby’s evolving credo was not only anti-Semitic, but as he fell away from the Worldwide Church of God, completely anti-Christian. He discredited both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the very book that had been so much a part of his belief system.” (Pg. 212-213) After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, he made some incredible comments in a radio broadcast, such as that “I applaud the act [i.e., the terrorist attacks]… I want to see the U.S. wiped out…” (Pg. 277-278)Brady’s book is a very honest, sympathetic, and insightful portrait of this genius whom many of us idolized in 1972, yet whose subsequent behavior puzzled and sometimes outraged us.

⭐In the history of chess, few names are as big as Bobby Fischer. Regardless of what you think of Fischer the man, he is always seen as one of the most excellent chess players in history.Fischer grew up in New York City where he learned to play chess at the age of six. He quickly became obsessed with it. He read as many chess books as he could get his hands on and studied the game sometimes for several hours a day. He became very adept at it and joined local chess clubs. This would culminate in what would later be called “The Game of the Century” when Fischer, then only 13 years-old, beat chess master Donald Byrne.Fischer’s success in chess only continued. He entered tournaments and won many titles which was quite an accomplishment at his rather young age. He started to become a celebrity not only in the chess community, but to the general American public. He continued his way up through the 1960s and became a candidate for the World Championship.The World Championship he would eventually compete in happened in 1972. His opponent was Boris Spassky. Spassky, from the Soviet Union, and Fischer, from the United States, gave the match a Cold War overtone. Despite his numerous demands on how the match was to be played, people back in the United States wanted Fischer to play as an attempt to wrest the title from Soviet players. He even received a phone call from Henry Kissinger encouraging him to go through and play with the interests of the United States in mind. He would go on and beat Spassky thus becoming the World Chess Champion.The 1972 match against Spassky was probably the greatest point in his life. He returned from the match a hero and a celebrity. The popularity of chess skyrocketed in the United States, all thanks to Bobby Fischer. However, it seemed that Fischer almost fell off the face of the Earth after 1972. He stopped playing chess publicly. In 1975, a match was to be held between Fischer and Anatoly Karpov to defend his Champion title. Fischer had numerous, and often outrageous, objections as to how the match was to be played and the rules governing it. FIDE refused to comply with all of Fischer’s demands. As such, Fischer refused to play and Karpov became World Champion by default.And thus began Fischer’s long decline. He stayed out of the limelight for many years. During this period, he likely began to form his outrageous views that would lead to statements that he would become infamous of. He stopped paying his taxes. He developed a very deep hatred of Jews and anything related to Judaism.His last true public game of chess came in 1992. Boris Spassky, the man who Fischer defeated in 1972, agreed to a rematch to be held in Yugoslavia. At that time, due to the war occurring there, Yugoslavia was under international and United States sanctions and the match against Spassky, with a large monetary prize, was considered illegal by the U.S. government. Despite being warned, Fischer went ahead and played against Spassky, won, and collected his money. U.S. officials took notice and he became a fugitive afraid of being arrested. He never returned to the United States again.He lived incognito for the next several years, mostly in Hungary. After the 9/11 attacks, Fischer made remarks that spread around the world praising the attacks and condemning the United States and Jews. It would seal his fate with the chess community, Jews around the world, Americans, and the U.S. government. He was once again on the move before being arrested in Japan for using a revoked passport. The Icelandic government took notice and made him a citizen of their country in recognition of what he did for Iceland because the 1972 match was held in Reykjavik. He lived there the rest of his life and died at the age of sixty-four, no doubt helped by his refusal to accept medical treatment.Bobby Fischer was a man who had a complex personality. He was a genius in some respects and is still considered by some to be the greatest chess player in history. But his obstinate attitude towards things seemed to more often hinder than help him.In conclusion, I found this to be a very well written book and a fascinating look at Bobby Fischer. The author has managed to write the book so brilliantly, that one would not even have to know how to play chess in order to enjoy this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Bobby Fischer and his sometimes strange life.

⭐I don’t even know how to play chess, but I’ve always been fascinated by BF. This book told me everything I needed to know, and more! It’s written in a very objective format, but doesn’t try to apologize for BF’s horrendous behavior on, and off the world stage. My official favorite book of the year!

⭐As a keen amateur chess enthusiast and one similar in age to Fischer, I was already aware of most of the details of Fischer’s life. I read this book in the hope of finding some explanations for his anti-Americanism, his anti-Semitism, his Holocaust denial, his ingratitude to friends, his hypochondria, and his failure to play competitive chess after 1972 except for the meaningless match against Spassky in 1992. This book describes those elements of Fischer’s character but offers no insights, and is a somewhat superficial treatment. For example, we are told that as a young man Fischer suddenly started to make anti-Semitic comments to acquaintances. There is no attempt to explain why this might have been so. Fischer’s mother was Jewish (as was his probable real father) but he was not brought up in a religious family so it is unlikely that he might have been rebelling against his Jewish heritage.I suspect that in Britain the book will be read mainly by chess players but the author clearly aims the book primarily at Americans, including non chess players interested in their fallen hero, which means he has to regularly explain features of the game that are basic knowledge for players. More importantly, the author avoids being too critical of Fischer, aware that many American readers will be passionate Fischer fans. For example, Brady explains Fischer’s failure to play Karpov for the world championship in 1975 primarily as Fischer’s desire for a change from the pattern of a 24 game match established by FIDE for all world championships after 1948 to a first to 10 wins with the holder keeping the title if the score was 9-9. This meant that if the score reached 8-8 then the challenger would have to win 10-8 to become champion. Brady does not criticise Fischer for this but quotes a match in 1910 with the same rule. He does not say that the rule was considered controversial and unfair even in 1910 and that the situation was very different in 1910, when the champion treated the title as his personal possession and accepted challenges on his own terms. From 1948 the title was owned by FIDE, which established the rules, and FIDE went to enormous lengths to change the rules to the first to ten wins to accommodate Fischer but was unwilling to accept Fischer’s 10-8 demand. Neither does Brady offer fear of failure as a possible reason for Fischer’s unwillingness to play Karpov except on his own terms. Karpov had played powerfully in matches to quality to meet Fischer, and was the only leading player younger than Fischer and the only one Fischer had never played. It is odd that Brady does not mention this as at least a possibility because he does suggest that fear of failure was a factor inhibiting Fischer’s participation in chess after 1975.After 1975 Fischer spent much of his time as a semi-recluse and this is reflected in the book’s sketchy details of the final 33 years of his life. Fischer’s paranoia is recounted but not explained. One of the strangest of Fischer’s theories was that the five matches between Kasparov and Karpov between 1984 and 1990 were rigged, with the players making pre-determined moves. As a conspiracy theory that has even less credibility than the theories that the moon landings were faked or that the CIA organised 9/11.Fischer was one of the greatest of all chess players. He was also a fine writer on chess. However, as a human being he sadly had many deficiencies that cut short his chess career and led to his eventual exile in Iceland. These are outlined in “Endgame” but it is a character sketch of Fischer rather than a finished portrait.

⭐Frank Brady gives us a close look into the career of a chess genius, from his first contact with the board to world championship and beyond. He helps us to understand that genius is not a bed of roses. Bobby Fisher certainly made many people suffer, but he also suffered from the incomprehension of many people. A tragic life, that this book helps understand.You won’t learn much about playing chess, but you may learn things that will help you live with genius.This book is hard work, but worth it.

⭐They say that genius skirts close to madness and that could certainly be pointed at Bobby Fischer, but he was not mad.He was certainly a genius at chess, but his outlandish statements and behaviour as he reached adulthood and onto death make him a hard man to like or even admire.All that being said this is an interesting read, and I feel an even-handed look at his life.

⭐I am a fan of the main character. No matter the author , always will gonna be a glimpse of truth in to it

⭐Educational.

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