Bobby Fischer Against the World review

Tragic tale of the chess champion who ended his life a fugitive

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American chess genius Bobby Fischer became world champ in 1972, triumphing over his Russian opponent Boris Spassky in a 24-game series.

A sudden global celeb, Fischer dropped out of public life, and ended his troubled life as a fugitive, infamous for anti-Semitic rants.

Liz Garbus’ intimate film combines impressive archive footage with candid interviews with Fischer’s friends and colleagues.

The tragic upshot is that the psychological make-up that contributed to Fischer’s brilliance also lay behind his mental instability away from the board.

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