Garry Kasparov On My Great Predecessors: Pt. 4

Product Description

This book brings together the two greatest names in the history of chess The author Garry Kasparov is the world number one & by common consent the greatest player ever The subject of the book Bobby Fischer is the only American to have become world champion & is probably the greatest natural talent the world has ever seen In the period between 1955 & 1972 Fischer more or less single-handedly took on the might of the Soviet Chess Empire & won During this time Fischer scored astonishing successes the likes of which had not been seen before These included 1111 in the 196364 US Championship & match victories (en route to the World Championship) by the score of 6-0 against two of the strongest players in the world Mark Taimanov & Bent Larsen The climax of Fischer's campaign was his unforgettable match win in Reykjavik in 1972 against Boris Spassky However Fischer is not only remembered for his achievements over-the-board he is almost equally well-known for his temperamental behavior away from the board He made extreme demands of all those around him including tournament organizers When these demands were not met he often refused to play The 1972 match against Spassky required the intervention of no less than Henry Kissinger to smooth things over In 1975 when he was due to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov Fischer was completely unable to agree terms with FIDE (the World Chess Federation) & was defaulted After this he more or less gave up chess playing only once a "return" match against Spassky in 1992 In this book a must for all serious chess players Kasparov deeply analyzes Fischer's greatest games & assesses the legacy of this great American genius