I want to start with a thank you.
Ken Lee sent three books to Albany Chess Center, and one of them is Inside the Mind of Bobby Fischer, written by International Master John Donaldson.
I have read many books about Bobby Fischer over the years. What made this one different for me is that it focuses on Fischer’s thinking, and not just about his playing.
One thing that really stood out is how conflicted Fischer was. He wanted to write honestly about chess, but at the same time, he was afraid of giving too much away. Especially to Soviet players. You see a man who wanted to create something clean and truthful, but who was also very protective of his ideas. He had tensions to deal with.
I found the story around My 60 Memorable Games especially interesting. Fischer almost pulled the plug on the book entirely. He deleted large sections of analysis and refused to approve the final proofs at one point. If that had happened, the book would have been stripped down to almost nothing. He would rather walk away than put out something he felt was compromised. In the end, he allowed the book to be published properly, and it became one of the most important chess books ever written.
Another part I enjoyed was seeing Fischer as a writer for everyday readers. His articles for Chess Life and even Boys’ Life show that he could explain chess in a very direct and simple way. That side of him is rarely mentioned. People often forget that he was willing to teach and explain his ideas.
The book also shows how seriously Fischer took accuracy. He rechecked games, questioned established opinions, and even corrected strong players and editors when he thought they were wrong. He made mistakes too, and that is shown honestly. That balance is important because it makes him human without diminishing his greatness.
What I liked most is how carefully Fischer worked. Proofreading, revising, rethinking variations. His work ethics is worthy of emulation. He wrote letters back and forth about details most people would ignore. You don’t only get to see what he achieved, you also get to see how his mind worked.
This book gave me stories and details I had not seen elsewhere. It deepened my understanding of Fischer as a serious, demanding, and often conflicted thinker.
Thank you to IM John Donaldson for doing the work to bring these details together, and again to Ken Lee for the gift. This is a book worth reading if you want to understand Bobby Fischer beyond the headlines.
