Sports · Technology · Literature · 1943–2008
Born: 9 March 1943 · Died: 17 January 2008 · Age at death: 64
Bobby Fischer died aged 64. He was born on 9 March 1943 and died on 17 January 2008.
American chess prodigy who became world champion by beating Boris Spassky in the 1972 Cold War match in Reykjavík
Did you know?He won the United States Chess Championship for the first time when he was only fourteen years old.
Bobby Fischer was the most famous chess player in history. He grew up in Brooklyn and became US champion at 14. His aggressive, precise play swept aside the world's best. In 1972 in Reykjavík he defeated Boris Spassky, breaking Soviet dominance of the game. The match was a Cold War sensation. He then refused to defend his title and vanished from public view. His later years were marked by bizarre and hateful statements. He died in Iceland.
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Profile
American chess player, 1943–2008
Bobby Fischer was born in Chicago on 9 March 1943.
He became US champion at 14.
He beat Boris Spassky in 1972.
He became an Icelandic citizen in 2005.
Career highlights
Did you know?He invented a chess variant, Fischer Random, with shuffled back-row pieces.
Questions people ask
1934–1968
1934–1968
1814–1861
1454–1512
1890–1986
b. 1964Missing someone? Suggest them
1879–1955
1955–2011
1732–17991934–1968A newspaper from their birth date
The front page from the day they were born, a classic keepsake.
Shop on AmazonPisces zodiac gifts
Jewellery, prints and candles for the Pisces in your life.
Shop on EtsyStar map of March 9
A custom print of the night sky on their birthday.
Shop on EtsyMilestone birthday gifts
Ideas for 18th, 30th, 40th, 50th and beyond.
Shop on AmazonWe may earn a small commission from purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.
Last reviewed: October 2026