The prodigy’s rise
From the Brooklyn child to the youngest grandmaster of his time: the birth of a genius.
No ordinary child
When Bobby Fischer discovers chess in 1949, nothing suggests he will turn the game upside down. Yet he devotes himself to it with rare intensity: he studies books, replays masters’ games and joins New York clubs such as the Brooklyn Chess Club and the Manhattan Chess Club, where he faces experienced adults.
As a teenager, his progress is lightning-fast. He even learns Russian to read Soviet chess magazines, then at the cutting edge of theory. In the 1950s the USSR dominates the game: every world champion since 1948 is Soviet. Fischer dreams of beating them.
Timeline of a rise
Born in Chicago
Robert James Fischer was born on 9 March 1943 in Chicago. He grew up with his mother Regina and his sister Joan, then the family settled in Brooklyn (New York).
Discovering the game
At six, Bobby learns the rules with a chess set bought by his sister Joan. He is hooked at once and spends hours replaying games alone.
“The Game of the Century”
At 13, at the Rosenwald tournament in New York, Fischer beats Donald Byrne by sacrificing his queen. The game is nicknamed “The Game of the Century” (see below).
US Champion
US junior champion in 1957, he wins the US Championship at 14, becoming the youngest champion ever. He will win it eight times in all.
Grandmaster at 15
Qualifying at the Portorož Interzonal (Yugoslavia), he earns the international grandmaster title at 15: a record at the time.
Stockholm, then Curaçao
He wins the Stockholm Interzonal by 2.5 points, but finishes 4th at the Candidates tournament in Curaçao. He then accuses the Soviet players of colluding.
The perfect score
At the US Championship he wins all eleven games: 11 out of 11, a famous feat.
The comeback and triumphal march
After a break, he dominates the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970), then crushes Taimanov (6–0) and Larsen (6–0) in 1971, before beating Petrosian in the Candidates final.
The “Game of the Century” (1956)
On 17 October 1956, 13-year-old Fischer, with Black, faces Donald Byrne, one of America’s best players. On move 17 he plays 17...Be6!!, offering his queen. White captures it, but Fischer follows with checks and recovers so much material that the game ends with a superb mate on move 41. The critic Hans Kmoch dubs it “the game of the century”.
Game notation
Your turn!
Find the stroke of genius
You play Black. Your queen on b6 is attacked by the white bishop. Click the piece you want to move first, then its destination square.
Game card
- White Donald Byrne
- Black Bobby Fischer (aged 13)
- Venue Rosenwald Memorial, New York
- Date 17 October 1956
- Opening Grünfeld Defence
- Result 0–1 (41 moves)
Key takeaways
- Development comes first: Byrne moved his queen five times while his pieces stayed idle.
- The initiative is sometimes worth more than material.
- Coordinated minor pieces can mate a king even without a queen.
The decisive moments (click to see them on the board)
A classic Grünfeld
Fischer leaves the centre to his opponent so he can attack it later.
Lagging development
White’s queen wastes time; Fischer attacks.
The stroke of genius
17...Be6!!: a queen offered for an irresistible attack.
The storm of checks
Black chains checks and wins the queen back.
The final mate
The white king is hunted down to mate on c2.
Fischer’s style
- Precision : every move rests on concrete calculation, with no approximation.
- Preparation : he studies his opponents and Soviet magazines relentlessly.
- 1.e4 : his favourite opening, which he called “best by test”.
- Fitness : swimming, tennis: he is convinced that a strong mind needs a strong body.