Bobby Fischer, national champion of the US at only 14, is considered as one of the greatest players in history. 

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It all starts when he is 6 years old, in the Brooklyn of 1949. His sister introduces him to the chess game. After some years, he is obsessed by it and plays all day long. Even after his mother takes the board away, he continues playing in his head.  

Only two years after entering a chess club, he plays in adult contests at only 10 years old. At 12 he wins against all opponents facing him and looks for better one throughout all the U.S. At 14, he wins the US national championship and becomes International Grand Master one year later.

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After all that, he quits school to focus 100% on chess, and even learn Russian to read strategy books of USSR chess players (USSR is reputed to be the best nation at chess at this time). Since he plays in international competitions, he starts making his name worldwide. His style is reputed agressive and surprising. His behavior with players and arbiters during games reflects his game style. He is mocking, bad-tempered, and demanding. He asks tournaments to increase prize-pools, he boycotts some others... He starts being paranoid also : he accuses soviets players to plot together against him to defeat him.

 

In 1970, he starts competing for the world champion title. In wins 20 games without losing a single one, and finally he reaches his peak when he wins the title against former world champion Boris Spassky. 

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In the middle of the Cold War, this is an important event, a fight of one ideology against an other. The US Secretary of States even calls Bobby Fischer before the first game of the finals, to tell him to come, because he doesn't show up and no one knows where he is. During that last fight, he is more demanding and bad-tempered as always. He postpones the match, then he doesn't show up, then finally comes but asks to remove all camera, to change the table...

 

After this, Bobby Fischer rarely plays, and when comes the time for him to defend his title in 1975, he doesn't even bother to take the challenge. Then he quits chess, and is rarely seen in public. He is credited to be even more paranoid after that, and starts believing in conspiracy theories He dies in 2008, alone and hiding from public life.

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Source : https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/bobby-fischer-le-genie-fou-des-echecs-1378612

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