End Game by Frank Brady

8.1/ 10 Dropps

Hardcover- 304 pages
Published – February 1st 2011 by Crown

Chess has long been a game (or sport, depending on who you ask) of a certain distinction. It’s a game that’s been played for centuries among the elite and lower classes alike, eliminating ideas of socioeconomic distinction by having players compete in a battle of wits where one is crowned the winner, and the other is stuck with a checkmate.

Endgame is the newest version of the biography of chess’ most notorious Grandmaster: Bobby Fischer. This rendition comes from acclaimed biographer Frank Brady, longtime writer, chess player, and companion to Bobby in his youth. Endgame depicts Bobby’s meteoric rise to fame in both the worlds of chess and American celebrity, as well as the confounding descent into absurdity and exile that defined his later years.

Brady, who met fisher at a young age and accompanied him through many of his most prolific and important triumphs, details this book in a way that only someone truly close to Fischer could. Supported by firsthand accounts and many quotes, excerpts, and clippings, Endgame makes for a truly detailed and interesting biography that captures the inner troubles and slight intricacies with which Bobby Fischer was both gifted and plagued.

The first half of Endgame deals with Bobby’s childhood, as well as his infatuation with and introduction to the game that would ultimately define his life. The book stretches out, in detail, many of the most important games in young Fischer’s career, including “the game of the century” and his infamous match with Boris Spassky for the world championship; it also chronicles his secluded childhood and poor upbringings.

The second half deals with the unfortunate decline and fall from grace that plagued Fischer in his later years. Endgame’s second half also deals with the Fischer’s exile, his increasingly anti-Semitic comments, his constant paranoia, and the incidents broadcasted around the world after the events of 9/11.

Altogether, Endgame makes for a very compelling and interesting biography of one of Americas greatest, most plagued minds. Brady does a great job of staying neutral and keeping himself out of the book. He tells the story of Bobby Fisher instead of his experiences with Fischer, which could have easily become an issue for the books consistency. Endgame is a perfect book for fans of Fischer or any chess enthusiast. The general public or those who simply don’t know much about Fischer many not find Endgame as appealing.

-Hunter Freiburg