Like many people I learned, at an early age, how to move chess pieces around the board, take the occasional piece and left it that.
A selected few, Bobby among them, took it to new heights. Bobby went down the rabbit hole.
An early prodigy he first lit up the chess world aged thirteen with his defeat of Donald Byrne..often called the best ever game of chess...here it is...good luck..I got lost at around move 5...Fischer vs Byrne
Born in 1943 Bobby found his first chess set at a candy store aged six. He understood chess in a way most others never do.
His deep understanding of the game and a willingness to break the rules led to an early rise through the chess ranks.
Along with this came a habit of making demands and laying down conditions before agreeing to enter a tournament.
Then came the Cold War clash in Rekyavik, in 1972 against Boris Spassky. It was presented as a Cold War showdown. Bobby played it tricky, played mind games as well as chess. His head is working ten times around here...
He won. Then went down a 20 year rabbit hole. He emerged in 1992.
Then went down another rabbit hole. Big time...the trip did not turn out well...
The Rekyavik story is best told in this book by David Edmonds and David Eidinow ISBN 9780571214129...take it down your local bookshop, in stock in mine...
For a fascinating further read on Bobby down the rabbit hole The Atlantic, as so often, comes up trumps....or should that be checkmate...here it is..
Another rabbit hole soon...
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