The Fine Line Between Genius And Madness

Bobby Fischer Against The World

by Sean Roman, OTSL Analyst

Madness is all too often the brother of Genius. These siblings are profiled in HBO’s documentary, “Bobby Fisher Against the World.” Near the beginning of another HBO gem, a nameless, faceless journalist in the early 1970’s says:

“Bobby, you’ve given virtually your entire life to the world of chess. What about Bobby Fisher the Man, what is he like?”

Bobby, very uneasy as he sits on a park bench, stammers and responds: “Chess and me, its like hard to take them apart. Chess is like my alter ego.”

Bobby Fischer was born to an activist mother, Regina, a single parent who raised Bobby and his sister in Crown Heights. Regina was a diligent individual; she was a telegraph operator, nurse, welder, and noted leftist with the distinction of building up an extensive F.B.I. file. Bobby took up chess at the age of 6, and was quickly discovered as a prodigy. At 13, he played a game known as "The Game of the Century." By 14, he was the youngest ever United States Champion.

On his way up to the Championship of World, he won 20 straight matches against the World’s Elite, a streak which permanently reserved his place in the pantheon of chess greats. Bobby played the game with a brilliance that is difficult to conceptualize if you lack a passion for chess. The year when Bobby beat Borris Spassky for the World Championship was 1972. Impoverished inner city kids were dying in Vietnam. A historic presidency was unraveling. The ideological war of political and economic systems was in full force. Somehow, Bobby was the most popular sportsman on the planet. Naturally, the focus on him was intense. This was a recipe for a great Fall.

What I found most interesting about “Bobby Fisher Against the World,” is the unintended look at Bobby's adversary -- “The World.” On the surface of the documentary, you will see the World's rightful indictment of the obviously mentally ill Bobby Fisher, whose various ravings are offensive and absurd. Look deep into this documentary and it becomes clear that the media and the public would tolerate and even worship Bobby, as long as he was at the pinnacle of success. At the time Bobby was winning, and he was our horse. His rebellious had both sexiness and appeal.

However, after Bobby had left the limelight for long enough and his skills diminished in his 1992 comeback, people lost patience for his nonsense. He was covered by the media, but was criticized as a pariah. The great question the piece raised is: why we are more apt to tolerate and forgive when someone’s excellence is in our presence. The answer has something to do with our fascination with the most powerful of four letter words – Fame.

In the piece, Dick Cavett most aptly explained the road Bobby traveled:

Fame is definitely a mixing blessing and almost everybody would admit that at some point in there life that they wish they had it. Once it starts, its fun. Then the fun quickly wears off when you want to be alone. Also, it is horrendous on the psyche of the young. It totally distorts their world.