I recently finished Frank Brady’s book “Endgame”, a fascinatingly evocative account of the life of Bobby Fischer - one of (if not the) greatest chess player of all time. The writings encompass Fischer’s entire existence - from conception, to death, and finally- to legacy. Though I am but an amateur chess player myself, there were a plethora of parallels that I drew between Fischer’s life and my own. As such, I felt prompted to write a few words about them. And no, I don’t support or condone the man’s shortcomings - certainly, I don’t aspire to be an exclusionary anti-Semitic revolutionary as Fischer became in his later years. However, like all personalities, there are certain characteristics that I identify with.
One thing that I did appreciate about Fischer after reading his story was his acceptance of solitude as a creative space. As he prepared for tournaments all over the world, the grandmaster would frequently lapse into seclusion as he analyzed moves and contemplated potential strategies for use in matches. As I progress through the academic world, I too have found that solitude most effectively facilitates creativity and higher thinking (for me, at least). That’s not to say I admonish group learning - indeed, at times it is most effective for accomplishing ambitious goals. However, I do find that when I am trying to learn or accomplish something (particularly in academia), the peace and quiet of being alone often affords greater clarity of thought, and higher results as well. Also familiar to me was Fischer’s reported propensity for overthinking everything in life, so as to “eliminate the odds”. For him, this behavior had its roots in an absolute resolve to become the best chess player on earth - and to do so, failure could simply not be an option. As much as I hate to admit it, I fall victim to overthinking as well from time to time. I get so caught up in planning and working towards the “future” that I sometimes fail to recognize the externalities beyond my sphere of influence that may influence the final outcome of whatever decision I happen to be making. I am improving in this area, but like all things, it’s a process.
On a purely objective note, Brady’s book was nothing short of fascinating. I have always been intrigued by the grandmasters of chess, Fischer in particular. His incredible memory and relentless ambition pushed him to become the greatest chess player the world has ever seen. According to Brady, however, this success came at an incredible price, as it drove Fischer into an ever deepening state of isolation. Not only was Fischer tired of the attention and press, he was also sick of being commoditized. He recognized that people were profiting off of him without his consent, and this acted as a stimulus that pushed him further into seclusion. After winning the world championship against Boris Spassky, arguably at the pinnacle of his career, Fischer began to drop off the face of the earth. Months passed by with no news on his whereabouts, other than random sightings in and around Los Angeles. Fischer was becoming a ghost. Improbably, however, Fischer resurfaced in 1992 to win yet another world championship, again against Spassky. Sadly, this preceded another lapse into obscurity, as soon after Fischer renounced his American citizenship, intensified his anti-American remarks, and became an international fugitive after violating United States federal trade guidelines.
The juxtaposition of Fischer’s massive success with the rapid unraveling at the end of his life is striking. The amount of stress contributed to his psychological decline, no doubt - but even so, the terms on which his life ended are nearly surreal. The man went from being an international superstar that fateful day in Moscow, to stepping off his private jet for the last time in Reykjavik, Iceland, a fugitive of his own country. If one positive thing can be gleaned from the situation, it is that Fischer still managed to close out his life on his own terms, maintaining his fierce sense of independence all the way to the end. Perhaps it is this attribute I identify with most and see in myself and others. The ability to fashion one’s own creative space and think independently within it is a valuable skill indeed. With such a mentality, positive results can be extracted from even the most negative of situations - whether that be the act of masterfully escaping the endgame of checkmate, or simply managing to come up with an innovative idea for a business plan, it makes no difference. Fischer’s talent for this lead to massive amounts of success, but in many ways, it was also his downfall. He lacked a sense of balance; chess was his life, and nothing else was a priority. For the “rest of us”, this should be one of the lessons learned. Balance is key to achieving success - but it is also integral to maintaining it. Something to think about…
Endgame is now available at Amazon and other online retailers.
