If you are interested in chess as a competitive game in any way, then you have likely heard the name of Robert James Fischer, better known as Bobby Fischer. Whenever a conversation is had about who the greatest chess player of all time may be, it is a guarantee that Fischer’s name is thrown in the hat alongside the greats like Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. Fischer reached the pinnacle of his prowess during the Soviet-dominated chess era of the 60s and early 70s, and even ended that era with his World Chess Championship victory in 1972, terminating a Russian dynasty that lasted almost 25 years. He once said, “I don’t believe in psychology, I believe in good moves.” I do not believe this quote to be true, and I believe there is an abundance of evidence to suggest that psychology greatly influenced Fischer’s chess in his tumultuous victory over Boris Spassky in the 1972 World Chess Championship.
One important thing to understand about Bobby Fischer, as we recount this series of chess matches, is his profound struggle with paranoid schizophrenia. He believed that the Russians were constantly attempting to hinder his focus on the game through quite abstract means, and even thought they were trying to poison his food and murder him. There is a famous clip of him being offered a cake on live television, and he turns it down in rather rude and awkward fashion. These delusions plagued him as he entered the first round against Spassky, which was held in Iceland at an indoor theatre, with both players on a stage while many onlookers watched. The game was in the Nimzo-Indian defense, an opening known for its high percentage of games that end in a draw. Late in the game, on move 29 to be exact, Fischer became extremely frustrated and distracted by the flashes and noise from the newspaper cameras and left the board to complain to the arbiter. After a heated exchange of words, Fischer walked back over to the board, sat down, and blundered a move that lost the game on the spot. This is the first instance of psychology affecting play over a chessboard in this championship.
Round 2 was forfeited by Fischer due to some exorbitant demands on his end that could not be fulfilled, and the result was his simply not showing up for the match. Usually, when something like this happens, the entire contest would likely just go to Spassky, as there is really no point in continuing play when you’ve thrown away a match for no real reason. However, this was not the case this time, as Fischer’s demands for a playing space away from cameras were met in the form of a modified ping-pong room within the building, far away from any cameras, prying eyes, distractions, and most importantly, perceived Soviet mental sabotage attempts. Spassky agreed to continue playing, as he wanted to win the championship through play as opposed to forfeiture. Under these peculiar conditions, game three of the World Chess Championship, a match that would eventually be heralded as one of the greatest displays of skill of all time, began. Fischer played the terrifying Benoni Defense with the black pieces, a calculation-heavy opening that often lends itself to games with a decisive victor. At that time, it was believed that the Benoni defense was “solved,” and that if the player with the white pieces was skillful enough, playing the Benoni as black was effectively throwing the match. This is the chess equivalent of pulling out knives in a boxing match. It is effectively telling your opponent that you are going to drag them into a foggy forest of intense calculation and confusing positions, and that you are convinced that you will be the one to walk out of that forest alive. The best detail about this story is that Fischer was right, and he played a spectacular game, immediately catching when Spassky’s proverbial knees buckled into a blunder and punishing it immediately, leading to a score of 2-1. As soon as Fischer’s psychological troubles were eased and he was able to play in a space that respected his mental condition, he manipulated Spassky into unfamiliar territory and crushed him, eventually winning the entire contest in the following matches and the title of World Champion.
