Endgame by Frank Brady

Endgame               
by Frank Brady
Crown Publishers / Random House
Hardcover

If you or someone you know love biographies, there is a new one out this week that is a must-read.  Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness by Frank Brady is a thoroughly engrossing cautionary tale.

Raised fatherless with questionable paternity by a loving yet overwhelmed mother, Fischer discovers chess at an early age. The game quickly becomes his obsession.  To be truthful, obsession is not a strong enough word.  Fischer's devotion to the game is beyond obsession; I don't believe there is a word in the English language which can properly describe the level of Fischer's passion.

In my estimation, Bobby Fischer never had a chance to develop the social skills necessary to cultivate anything resembling a normal life.  Remarkably, the biographer is able to portray Fischer, disgusting behavior and all, as a sympathetic character.

There is not a lot of facts that are new in the book -- the appeal of Endgame is the depth of research.  It seems Brady must have interviewed everyone who ever knew Fischer in any real way.  I have often repeated the famous quote, "Truth is stranger than fiction."  This book is a prime example of that axiom.  If this book were a work of fiction, it would be unbelievable.

I cannot urge biography fans enough to add this book to their collection.

Publisher Website

Frank Brady on Goodreads


Excerpt of Endgame on Scribd


New York Times Review of Endgame