This book brings together the two greatest names in the history of chess. The author, Garry Kasparov, is the number one in the world and, by general consensus, the greatest player of all time. The subject of the book, Robert Fischer, is the only American to have become world champion and is probably the greatest natural talent the world has ever seen.

Between 1955 and 1972, Fischer, almost single-handedly, faced the power of the Soviet Empire in chess and won. During this period, Fischer achieved astonishing successes never seen before, such as 11/11 at the 1963/64 US Championship and match victories (on the way to the World Championship) with a score of 6-0 against two of the strongest players in the world, Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen.

The climax of Fischer’s campaign was his unforgettable victory in the 1972 Reykjavik match against Boris Spassky. Fischer is almost as well known for his behavior off the board as for his performance on it. He made extreme demands on everyone around him, including tournament organizers. When these demands were not met, he often refused to play.

The 1972 match against Spassky required the intervention of at least Henry Kissinger to smooth things over. In 1975, when he was to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov, Fischer was completely unable to agree on terms with FIDE (the World Chess Federation) and was disqualified. After that, he almost abandoned chess, playing only once, in a “comeback” match against Spassky in 1992.

In this book, essential for all serious chess players, Kasparov deeply analyzes Fischer’s greatest games and assesses the legacy of this great American genius.