Bobby Fischer, who brought chess to a worldwide audience, is being introduced to a younger generation in reruns of two highly rated documentaries – Bobby Fischer Against the World and Searching for Bobby Fischer. He was a controversial figure, described as ‘paranoid and obsessive’; his behaviour ‘often boorish and outrageously egotistical, bordering on lunacy’ and the most brilliant chess player in the world.
He was born 9 March 1943 2.39 pm Chicago, Illinois, to a medical mother and possibly with a mathematician/physicist biological father and took up chess aged six. At 14, he became the youngest ever U.S. Chess Champion and a year later the youngest grandmaster. At age 20, he won the 1963/64 US Championship with the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. His victory against Boris Spassky of the USSR in the World Chess Championship in 1972 attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.
He then became reclusive and sometimes erratic, disappearing from competitive chess and the public eye, giving his money to a Fundamentalist Church and eventually ending up as a resident in Iceland where he died aged 65.
He had a 9th house Pisces Sun trine a 12th house Jupiter in Cancer, which sounds good-natured and confident. But what dominates his chart is an Air Grand Trine of Mars in Aquarius trine Uranus Saturn in Gemini trine Neptune in Libra. Cerebral and up-in-his head he had the cold detachment needed for the battle of wits that the chess game demands. Saturn Uranus would give him insight and with Neptune added into the mix, he’d have flashes of genius. His Mercury in Aquarius also brings a sharp mind and squaring onto Uranus, it doubles up on the inspired insight. Pisces despite its dreamy reputation is often the sign of scientists and explorers so in certain charts is no drawback to deep thinking or strategy.
His talented Air Grand trine became a Kite with the opposition of Mars to Pluto on the Ascendant so his ruthless desire to maintain control was the driving force behind his thinking. In chess, he once said, ‘the object is to crush the other man’s mind’ – which pretty much sums up Mars Pluto. The Mars Pluto opposition squares onto a 10th house Taurus Moon hinting at a tortured emotional life, fuelled by deep, black rage, which he focussed onto a public career (10th house Moon). Air Water charts are quite tricky to balance between thinking and feeling functions.
When he won the World Championship on 1 September 1972 against reigning world champion Boris Spassky breaking a 24 year domination of the game by the Russians, he had Pluto exactly conjunct his 3rd house Neptune (on one leg of the Air Grand Trine).
He had a whole raft of notable Harmonics – the superstar 22H and other ‘Master’ number 11H, the breakthrough-genius 13H as well as the creative 5th and 7th harmonics.
His psychological troubles were never formally diagnosed and it is thought likely he suffered from paranoid personality disorder.
Add On: John Nash, the brilliant mathematician and double Nobel winner who made fundamental contributions to game theory and the factors that govern chance amongst other things, and was brought to public attention by the Russell Crowe movie A Beautiful Mind, was born 13 June 1928 7am Bluefield, WV. He was also psychologically troubled and diagnosed schizophrenic for which he was hospitalised and eventually was able to carry on with his life. Though died in a car crash in 2008.
He had a very different chart to Fischer. Nash was a Sun Venus in Gemini opposition Saturn; with his Sun on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine to Neptune trine Mars Moon in Aries. He also had an intense Mercury Pluto in Cancer square Uranus and square Mars Moon.
Of the odd similarities between Fischer and Nash – both had 10th house Suns and both had Pluto on their Ascendant and both had Mercury square Uranus.
They both had Grand Trines in their superstar 22nd harmonic, which is exceptionally strong in Nash’s case. And similar planets/aspects in their respective genius-breakthrough 13H.
What a Plutonian face, the eyes especially…..Mars opp Pluto across asc/desc . Marjorie ,you’re right on with water/air being a difficult mix…..his Mercury had only hard aspects, despite being in the last decan of Aquarius, where it is elevated, showing superior intellect. Despite the outer shell, the Sun in Pisces trine Jupiter in Cancer is hyper -sensitive and felt, rather than seen (from 8th to 12th). It’s a hideous clash between solid logic, superior thinking processes, though he did have the Moon in Taurus…Neptune benasp Mars/Saturn/Uranus so there is a giant gap between his outstanding mind, and the very strong Neptune contacting those three planets. His Merc though exalted in detached, objective Aquarius, sq.Sat/Uranus in an internal, eternal battle between pure logic and strong intuition. It is not always the outer planets which show distress and paranoia in charts but conflicts between personal planets (Su,Mo,Merc) in difficult aspect with the heavies, at its most potent here.
The Queen’s Gambit is indeed brilliant…I was working on a child’s chart and felt there was something missing…. he has signs of scientific/esp physics, showing up (Sun Merc Nep in Pisces, though lots of earth as well. The heroine of the series clearly thinks in pictures or links sequences…..There was something I could not quite grasp because what came out of the chart I was working on – strongly- is powers of visualisation – which I could not describe. Earth and water are sympatico but there was such emphasis on the Neptune planets (3). Watching Queens Gambit I realised immediately that the visuals (which I personally could not describe) were the outstanding characteristics.
When the computer guy came to my aid I asked him “How would you describe a physicist with exceptional visualisation powers?” He immediately said “Oh, that’s a perfect description of a nano physicist”.
I don’t know the ‘job descriptions’ of the kids born since 2000, but they are not the same as pre-2000. I have no idea what it means, but do believe astrology shows us, even though I’m a dinosaur, don’t know the techno-speak, etc. Queen’s Gambit was a huge learning curve for me, and enchanting with it. My only passion is to find something a kid is brilliant at, but the language and concepts change greatly as well.
Maggie, your comment was really interesting.
I’ve read elsewhere that those born from 2000 onwards are different. It’s been suggested that they’ll start taking on the world to change it, even while they’re young. We certainly need new energy and ideas, so the sooner the better.
Marjorie would it be worth looking at the post 2000 generation to see what and how their predominant characteristics are likely to be and how they’ll play out in practice?
Zita, its a hard thing to explain – astrologers of old always said this generation would be different but it’s extremely hard to see HOW they differ. My passion is vocation but I think they will actually be earning a living in ways not yet even imagined….I suppose the fundamental emphasis of the last 50 or 60 years (power, money, ‘freedom’) will give way to something on a more humane level, hopefully with more equality in who is enabled to access the education to contribute. We are at the end of something and the new beginning has started, I always felt everything was the same all those years, which goes to show how it creeps up slowly. Seers have been saying that for decades but finally it is here in all it’s quite terrible glory……
I have also observed..that generation is so different..just goes on with its studies n play n responsible n as v c many youngsters like Greta n others coming out..bringing changes..v strongly believe that generation would heal all the pains v r enduring now
Thank you Marjorie. Bobby Fischer seemed so lonely. Is that part of being a genius, or in his chart? Was there no love in his life? It’s very sad. But he was an incredible chess player.
Read the queen’ s gambit by walter tavis. Extremely well writen and gives you insight in the focus necessary to succeed.
Not for the average
The Netlfix series is phenomenal. I think it’s the platforms biggest streamed series in history so far; 62 million viewers in its first 28 days or something. The series has inspired a huge surge online for people wanting to learn chess, especially among women after Anya-Taylor Joy’s inspiring role as Beth Harmon.
The story isn’t just about chess but about how a young woman almost destroys her talent while clawing her way to the top in a predominantly male world during the 1960’s. A woman who comes from tragedy and ends up taking on the Russian world champion, only to constantly undermine her genius by her own demons. If you haven’t seen it, Marjorie, I highly reccommend it. It’s glorious and gorgeous to look at and listen to! It certainly makes chess much more interesting than I ever thought.
Is it possible to look at Anya-Taylor Joy’s chart, Marjorie, because I think she is going to be a big character actress in the following years to come? (16 April 1996, Miami, Florida, no birth time)
I checked where asteroid Pallas is … that’s good for pattern recognition which is an important part of playing chess. It’s at 14 Pisces conjunct his Sun.
I’m reminded of A Beautiful Mind … *spoiler* … where Russell Crowe’s portrayal of John Nash shows him as a paranoid character. But one who is able to see the hidden patterns of the world that maybe do or don’t exist. For example, where he’s supposedly finding messages in newspapers planted by spies on behalf of the CIA.