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Chess King Bobby Fischer Dies
Troubled genius dies in Iceland at age 64
By John Johnson
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Posted Jan 18, 08 7:24 AM CST
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(Newser)
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Chess master Bobby Fischer, who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned Russian Boris Spassky in 1972, has died at age 64 in Iceland, the AP reports. Fischer is considered by many to be the greatest chess player ever, but his genius for the game was often overshadowed by his troubled eccentricities. The Chicago native became America's first world chess champion, but later renounced his citizenship.
Fischer, raised in Brooklyn, beat Spassky in a much-heralded world showdown in Iceland in 1972. He withdrew from the world and competition a few years later when his increasing demands became unacceptable to the International Chess Federation. He emerged in 1992 to beat Spassky again. In recent years, he praised the 9/11 attacks and called the US "evil."