Overview

From Frank Brady, who wrote one of the bestselling books on Bobby Fischer of all time and who was himself a friend of Fischer's, comes an impressively researched biography that for the first time completely captures the remarkable arc of Bobby Fischer's life. When Bobby Fischer passed away in January 2008, he left behind a confounding legacy. Everyone knew the basics of his life--he began as a brilliant youngster, then became the pride of American chess, then took a sharp turn, struggling with paranoia and mental illness. But nobody truly understood him. What motivated Fischer from such a young age, and what was the source of his remarkable intellect? How could a man so ambivalent about money and fame be so driven to succeed? What drew this man of Jewish descent to fulminate against Jews, and how was it that a mind so famously disciplined could unravel so completely? From Fischer's meteoric rise, to an utterly dominant prime unequaled by any American chess player, to his eventual descent into madness, the book draws upon hundreds of newly discovered documents and recordings and numerous firsthand interviews conducted with those who knew Fischer best. It paints, for the very first time, a complete picture of one of America's most enigmatic icons. This is the definitive account of a fascinating man and an extraordinary life, one that at last reconciles Fischer's deeply contradictory legacy and answers the question, who was Bobby Fischer?

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9781441788566

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Reviews

"""Chess Life founding publisher Brady, who knew his subject well--and wrote about him in Bobby Fischer: Profile of a Prodigy--is generous, but never to a fault...Informed, thorough, sympathetic, and surpassingly sad."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Endgame is rich in detail and insight. It is sympathetic and human, but not at all naive. I admire Brady's resolve, and I consider this book essential reading in the effort to understand Bobby Fischer and his place in our world."" -- ""David Shenk, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius in All of Us and The Immortal Game"" ""Brady's insightful biography of the legendary chess player focuses more on Fischer's life as a chess champion than on his much-publicized legal troubles and alleged psychological breakdowns...Brady is uniquely qualified to write this book. Not only is he a seasoned biographer and someone who knew Fischer on a personal level; he's also an accomplished chess player himself, able to convey the game's intricacies to the reader in a clear, uncomplicated manner. The book should appeal to a broad audience, from hard-core chess fans to casual players to those who are simply interested in what is a compelling personal story."" -- ""Booklist"" ""Fischer is America's greatest antihero. This fascinating biography is filled with hope, Cold War intrigue, the fulfillment of genius, and an explosive fall from grace that is both deeply moving and, ultimately, profoundly sad."" -- ""Jeremy Silman, author of The Amateur's Mind"" ""I learned something new on nearly every page of this wonderful book. Frank Brady is the perfect biographer for Bobby Fischer, and Endgame tells the full and fair story of Fischer's astonishing rise and heartbreaking fall."" -- ""Christopher Chabris, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Invisible Gorilla "" ""I've wondered about the weird and fascinating life of Bobby Fischer since I was a teenage New York Times copyboy sent out to the lobby to keep Fischer's mother from pestering editors and reporters...After fifty years, I've finally gotten the weird and fascinating biography I've been waiting for. Bravo, Brady."" -- ""Robert Lipsyte, author of An Accidental Sportswriter "" ""It's no exaggeration to call Bobby Fischer both one of the most admired and one of the most reviled figures in American history...A man of such extremes is no easy subject for biographical study...But Frank Brady, who knew Fischer for many years...seems unusually well qualified to capture his many facets and contradictions...Endgame is a rapt, intimate book, greatly helped by its author's long acquaintance with Fischer, who died in 2008, and his deep grounding in the world of chess...Mr. Brady needn't get technical to convey the gist of Fischer's overarching chess strategy. And he writes clearly and interestingly about the combination of hard work, practice, hot temper, and complete irrationality that contributed to Fischer's fighting spirit...Fascinating."" -- ""New York Times"" ""Ray Porter narrates with a strong and forceful voice. He uses short pauses between words to emphasize the author's points. Pronouncing the abundant Russian and Hungarian names with comfort, he lends a welcome authenticity to an introspective biography."" -- ""AudioFile"" ""The definitive portrait of the greatest--and most disturbed--chess genius of all time."" -- ""Paul Hoffman, author of The Man Who Loved Only Numbers"" ""The Mozart of the chessboard is inseparable from the monster of paranoid egotism in this fascinating biography...Brady gives us a vivid, tragic narrative of a life that became a chess game."" -- ""Publishers Weekly (starred review)"" ""You don't have to know the game of chess to be mesmerized by the dizzying and ultimately dark journey of the world's most heralded player."" -- ""Pat H. Broeske, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Howard Hughes: The Untold Story"""

Author Information

Frank Brady is chairman of the Department of Mass Communications, Journalism, Television, and Film at St. John's University and the founding editor of Chess Life magazine. He served as arbiter of international chess tournaments in 2001 and 2004 and wrote one of the bestselling chess books in history, Profile of a Prodigy, the biography of Bobby Fischer. Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.

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