Latest Updates:
Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) New Fischer Biography (Read 1273 times)
Nernstian59
Full Member
***
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 160
Joined: 12/15/21
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #10 - 08/28/23 at 18:27:42
Post Tools
In a letter to the editor in the latest issue of New in Chess magazine, Dr. Frank Brady, who wrote Profile of a Prodigy and Endgame, states that the graphic novel fails to show the complexity of Fischer's life.  The editor agrees, but he and Brady don't mention that the graphic novel could be targeted to those who have interest in Fischer while not being inclined to plow into a prose biography of several hundred pages, such as those written by Brady.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
AndyFeng35
YaBB Newbies
*
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 17
Joined: 08/02/23
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #9 - 08/27/23 at 02:11:50
Post Tools
Wow, thank you! Will buy it for sure!
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Uhohspaghettio
God Member
*****
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 514
Joined: 02/23/11
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #8 - 04/10/23 at 18:45:53
Post Tools
It's not a biography in the normal sense. It's very clearly a book about Bobby Fischer's life for small children... and not a very good one.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Nernstian59
Full Member
***
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 160
Joined: 12/15/21
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #7 - 04/09/23 at 18:46:23
Post Tools
The Fischer bio was published last week, and I happened to see it at a local bookstore.  A quick look at it suggests that its chess content is fairly limited. It's more about Fischer's life away from the board.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Nernstian59
Full Member
***
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 160
Joined: 12/15/21
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #6 - 01/31/23 at 20:00:49
Post Tools
kylemeister - Thanks for that interesting historical tidbit.  Given the striking nature of Reshevsky's gaffe, I'm a bit disappointed in myself for having no recollection of encountering it before.  Since the blunder occurred on move 40, I assumed that it was the product of Reshevsky's habitual time trouble.  Some blogs that I found in an online search agree.  And Burt Hochberg's report in the Nov 1973 issue of Chess Life, which you mentioned, states "...in time pressure (Reshevsky has to make his 40th move), Sammy played 40 QxPch???". 

However, one of the comments on the chessgames.com page in your link said that Reshevsky still had 18 minutes on his clock.  I decided to follow up on this seeming contradiction.  Fortunately, I have the Batsford book on the 1973 Interzonals, so I dug it out and looked up the Reshevsky-Savon game.  The book gave Reshevsky's time spent as 2:12.  With the usual time limit of 2 1/2 hours for 40 moves, that's consistent with the comment that he had 18 minutes left.  However, Savon's time was 2:29, so it appears that Savon was in time trouble, not Reshevsky.  I wonder if Reshevsky tried to exploit his considerable experience in time scrambles and blitzed out his moves, hoping to get Savon to overstep the time limit or blunder.  If that's the case, the strategy backfired spectacularly.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
cathexis
God Member
*****
Offline


No matter where you go,
there you are.

Posts: 599
Joined: 03/03/20
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #5 - 01/31/23 at 14:47:42
Post Tools
Great story. The lesson I got out of reading the discussion thread was: Careful about hunching over the board. A great way to get "tunnel vision." It makes sense.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
kylemeister
God Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 4901
Location: USA
Joined: 10/24/05
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #4 - 01/30/23 at 00:25:04
Post Tools
Nernstian59 wrote on 01/29/23 at 22:47:40:
I was also wondering if referring to Spassky in 1972 as "the Soviet Union's chess champion" could be considered a slight inaccuracy.  He was, of course, the world champion, but at the time of the Reykjavik match, Savon was the Soviet champion, having won the most recent USSR championship.

Historical side note:  with all due respect to Savon, the thing I most readily remember about him is Reshevsky's queen blunder against him at the 1973 Petropolis Interzonal, and Burt Hochberg's account of the scene (quoted at the link).
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1162749&kpage=1
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Nernstian59
Full Member
***
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 160
Joined: 12/15/21
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #3 - 01/29/23 at 22:47:40
Post Tools
AOC - Thanks for pointing to the book's introduction.  The thought did occur to me that the errors did not come from the author, but rather from the person writing the ad copy for the publisher.  I should have looked more closely at the introduction to confirm this.

I was also wondering if referring to Spassky in 1972 as "the Soviet Union's chess champion" could be considered a slight inaccuracy.  He was, of course, the world champion, but at the time of the Reykjavik match, Savon was the Soviet champion, having won the most recent USSR championship.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
an ordinary chessplayer
God Member
*****
Offline


I used to be not bad.

Posts: 1667
Location: Columbus, OH (USA)
Joined: 01/02/15
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #2 - 01/27/23 at 02:27:00
Post Tools
Maybe someone told them it's a common journalism mistake to write "match" when the chess world calls it a "game". So they fixed "Match of the Century" to "Game of the Century". Smiley

No, I don't really think so. They are clearly thinking of the sequence: 1956 Game of the Century vs Donald Byrne; 1958 youngest USA Champion; 1958 youngest Grandmaster ... and somehow got their wires crossed.

Edited:
The book's introduction doesn't make the same mistake. We should note that the cover is the responsibility of the publisher and not of the authors.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
kylemeister
God Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 4901
Location: USA
Joined: 10/24/05
Re: New Fischer Biography
Reply #1 - 01/26/23 at 22:06:29
Post Tools
Wow. Maybe that bit should get some kind of award.
« Last Edit: 01/26/23 at 23:11:45 by kylemeister »  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Nernstian59
Full Member
***
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 160
Joined: 12/15/21
New Fischer Biography
01/26/23 at 21:39:10
Post Tools
A new Fischer biography, this time in the form of a graphic novel, is scheduled to be published in April by Abrams Comicart.  Titled Black & White - The Rise and Fall of Bobby Fischer, the book is written by Julian Voloj with art by William Wagner.   There's a substantial preview on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Rise-Bobby-Fischer/dp/1419759868

The book's description contains two sentences that I hope aren't indicative of its overall quality: "In 1972, Fischer played what many consider “the game of the century” against the Soviet Union’s chess champion Boris Spassky at the height of the Cold War. Later, Fischer became the youngest-ever US Chess Champion and the game’s youngest grandmaster."
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Bookmarks: del.icio.us Digg Facebook Google Google+ Linked in reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Yahoo