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Boyhood Career 1. Chess Review Vol. 24, No. 12 program I’ve Got a Secret. During the show, he December 1956 appeared before a panel of judges including Periodical Dick Clark, who was tasked with guessing Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, Fischer's secret based on the headline “Teen- gift of John Donaldson ager’s Strategy Defeats All Comers.” Clark did not discover Bobby’s secret (he was Young Bobby studies the game position the U.S. Chess Champion), and he earned prior to his daring queen sacrifice with transportation to Europe, enabling him and 17. …Be6!! in his game against Donald Byrne his sister Joan to visit Moscow and travel at the Third Lessing J. Rosenwald Trophy to Yugoslavia for the Portoroz Interzonal Tournament. Shortly after the game ended, Tournament. On the show Fischer mentioned International Master Hans Kmoch annotated that he learned to play the game at six, but the game for the December 1956 issue of only took it up seriously when he was nine. Chess Review. The noted chess journalist dubbed it the “Game of the Century,” 4. Unknown photographer writing, “The following game, a stunning Young Bobby Fischer and Jack Collins playing masterpiece of combination play performed chess in his home by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, c 1956-58 matches the finest on record in the history Photograph of chess prodigies.” Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame 2. Chess Review Vol. 26, No. 2 In his book My Seven Chess Prodigies, Jack February 1958 Collins wrote that Bobby was a constant Periodical presence at his home at 91 Lenox Road in Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, Brooklyn from the summer of 1956 to the gift of John Donaldson summer of 1958. During this time, Fischer went from being rated 2200 to one of the best The youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Chess players in the world. While not a teacher in a Championship at age 14, Bobby Fischer is formal sense, Collins was a valuable mentor featured on the cover of Chess Review for his who studied and played chess constantly with victory in the 1957/58 event. This qualified Bobby. The Hawthorne Chess Club, which him to play in the Interzonal Tournament was based in Collins’ home, attracted not only in Portoroz, Yugoslavia. More than half a Fischer, but also other strong junior players century later Fischer still holds the record as including William Lombardy and Raymond youngest champion. Weinstein, who would soon be ranked among the best in the United States. 3. Chess Review Vol. 26, No. 5 May 1958 5. Chess Life Vol. 16, No. 1 Periodical January 20, 1961 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, Periodical gift of John Donaldson Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame On the cover of this issue of Chess Review, Fischer’s fourth straight win in the U.S. a young Fischer beams after winning two Chess Championship earned him a photo on round-trip plane tickets to Europe during his the cover of the first issue of Chess Life to be March 26, 1958, appearance on the CBS-TV published as a magazine. The storied chess publication had previously appeared in a newspaper format from 1946-1960. Fischer would eventually win all eight U.S. Chess Championships in which he competed, an accomplishment he would later describe as his proudest to Icelandic grandmaster and good friend Helgi Olafsson. In the 1963/64 event, Fischer had a historic 11-0 performance. His overall score of 74/90 in the U.S. Chess Championships (61 wins, 26 draws, 3 losses) is another record accomplishment that is unlikely to be matched. 6. Manhattan Chess Club Sign-in Sheet c 1955 Manuscript Collection of Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield Showing the signatures of Fischer and his early chess teacher Carmine Nigro, this 1955 sign-in sheet from the Manhattan Chess Club bears witness to Bobby’s early entry into the New York chess scene. International Master Walter Shipman, one of the best chess players in the country in the mid-1950s, remembers that the two first visited the Manhattan Chess Club together in August of 1955. Shipman played against the 12-year-old Bobby in a series of blitz games at one second a move. Though he won two-thirds of them, he quickly realized that Fischer was quite a special talent. The Manhattan, unlike the other great New York chess club, the Marshall, had no junior players as young as Bobby at the time. Club President Maurice Kasper made an exception for the prodigy and gave him a free membership as further encouragement at this early point of his career. Fischer – Reshevsky Match 1. Letter from Harry Borochow to Walter Fried 3. Chess Review Vol. 29, No. 9 August 14, 1961 September 1961 Manuscript Periodical Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of the family of Jacqueline Piatigorsky gift of John Donaldson National Master Harry Borochow served 4. Chess Life Vol. 16, No. 8 as the substitute referee for the adjourned August 1961 portion of the 11th game of the Bobby Periodical Fischer–Samuel Reshevsky match. Here, he Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, writes about the abrupt ending of the contest, gift of John Donaldson and offers criticism of Fischer’s behavior. He supported the position of the organizers, Writers for the two national magazines, believing that Fischer should have played Chess Life and Chess Review, weighed in on the at the rescheduled time for the 12th game. termination of the match, some taking the He states that Fischer had been informed in side of Fischer, while others supported that of advance that the schedule had been changed. the organizers. The former publication, the house organ of the U.S. Chess Federation, 2. Bobby Fischer–Samuel Reshevsky, saw its young editor (and future Fischer Round 11 Scoresheet biographer) Frank Brady try to stay officially August 10, 1961 neutral, but his article would ultimately be Manuscript seen as endorsing Fischer’s opinion. Brady Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, stressed the fact that the official announcement gift of the family of Jacqueline Piatigorsky for the match had game 12 listed at 7:30 p.m. on August 12, and though Reshevsky’s This score sheet records the eleventh, and requests for modifications in the playing what would become the final, game of the schedule had been accommodated, Fischer’s Fischer–Reshevsky match. This score sheet opposition to playing the following morning only shows the moves up to the adjourned instead had not been considered. Al Horowitz, position; the game actually went to move 57. founder of the independent periodical Fischer would later include this as game 28 Chess Review, had a more nuanced approach. in My 60 Memorable Games. He examined Brady’s points, but also stressed that Fischer had been told of the time change Game 11 represented one more lost for game 12 on August 3, and Fischer only opportunity for Fischer, who, with a stronger objected a week later. By then the new performance, could have been up by two schedule had already been published in the points by this point in the match. Games 3, 4, Los Angeles Times, and it would have been 6, 9, and 10 were relatively quiet draws. Bobby difficult to change the schedule again. won game 2 cleanly, while the fifth game was closely fought. He lost game 7 on a one-move 5. Photographer unknown blunder, but Reshevsky was clearly better. Bobby Fischer in thought after Samuel These eight games leave Bobby one up, and in Reshevsky’s 10…Qa5 in game 6 of their match the remaining three he missed opportunities 1961 to improve his standing in the event. Photograph Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of the family of Jacqueline Piatigorsky Never an opening expert, Samuel Reshevsky 9. Photographer unknown faced a serious challenge in how to counter Jacqueline Piatigorsky and Bobby Fischer at Fischer’s habitual 1. e4. Normally Samuel the Herman Steiner Chess Club would meet 1. e4 with 1. …e5, but Fischer 1961 was already a great expert on the Ruy Lopez. As a result, Reshevsky played the Accelerated 10. Photographer unknown Dragon opening the five times he played Samuel Reshevsky Ponders the Position after with the black pieces during this match. He 12. Qg4 in Game 6 of the 1961 Bobby Fischer– lost the second game, but it was Bobby who Samuel Reshevsky Match varied in games 4, 6, 8, and 10. All of these 1961 games ended in draws, and Reshevsky could consider his experiment a success. 11. Photographer unknown The Audience at the 1961 Bobby Fischer– 6. Photographer unknown Samuel Reshevsky Match Sponsored by Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reshevsky in Jacqueline Piatigorsky and the American Game 6 of their 1961 Match Chess Federation 1961 1961 Photograph Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, 12. Photographer unknown gift of the family of Jacqueline Piatigorsky The 1961 Bobby Fischer–Samuel Reshevsky Match Sponsored by Jacqueline Piatigorsky For the only time in the match, Fischer won and the American Chess Federation game 5 with the black pieces. He would later 1961 include the dramatic, closely-fought battle in his book, My 60 Memorable Games. Going into These four photos, taken at the newly opened game 6 and leading 3-2, Fischer was eager to home of the Herman Steiner Chess Club in win, but the game ultimately ended in a draw.

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