Fischer: America's Brilliant, Mentally Ill Chess Champion

Bobby Fischer epitomized the notion that there is a very thin line between genius and insanity. Because Fischer refused interviews and famously cut off contact with acquaintances who talked about him publicly, many Bobby Fischer stories and Bobby Fischer facts did not emerge until after his death. Some may never have surfaced at all. But even from a very early age, Bobby Fischer's life was fraught with chaos, anger, and instability. Fischer is perceived as possibly the the greatest chess player who ever lived yet his bizarre personality and racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-American outbursts later in life destroyed any semblance of a positive legacy. Ultimately, untreated mental illness also shortened the career of Fischer while he was in his prime. Despite all of his achievements, that Bobby Fischer is still perceived as a tragic example of unrealized potential truly underlines his status as one of history's most unusual human beings.