Other titles by John Donaldson
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“Chess writing has always been a method of following the author’s growing understanding. Bobby Fischer’s writing was scrupulously honest, lucid, and penetrating. John Donaldson has done a meticulous job of amassing and selecting from Fischer’s body of work, putting it in context, correcting where needed, and providing original analysis of many games.”
—International Master Anthony Saidy
“I was reading Bobby Fischer and His World by John Donaldson in the days leading up to the 2022 World Rapid and Blitz and it was a massive inspiration for my decisive last round game with Abdusattorov where I played g4-g5. I had a feeling during the game the position was very similar to Fischer-Andersson, Siegen 1970, analyzed in the book.”
—Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, five-time World Champion
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Bobby Fischer is considered one of the greatest players in the history of chess, as well as one of its most instructive writers. During his career he authored several books (including his masterpiece, My 60 Memorable Games), wrote two regularly appearing magazine columns, and annotated games and articles for several different publications.
IM Donaldson, who started playing chess after the 1972 Fischer-Spassky world championship match, takes a fresh look at Fischer’s chess writings. The result is a comprehensive analysis of them, enhanced with detailed commentary and historical notes.
Inside the Mind of Bobby Fischer gathers most of Fischer’s articles, annotations, and miscellaneous writings together in one place, drawing heavily on Fischer’s first book, Bobby Fischer’s Games of Chess, and his Boys’ Life and Chess Life columns. This volume includes 116 annotated games (over a dozen of which appear in print for the first time).
Fischer prided himself on the quality of his annotations, and with a few exceptions, his analyses hold up well over half a century later. Fischer’s writings are key to understanding the thinking of this exceptional chess mind and this understanding can’t help but lead to improvement in your own play.
John Donaldson is an International Master who has served as the U.S. team captain in 26 Olympiads and World Team Championships (including Lucerne 1993 and Baku 2016, where his teams finished first). He often lectures at the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club and the World Chess Hall of Fame, and occasionally at tournaments where he also plays. He makes his home in Berkeley, California, with his partner Holly Lee.
John Donaldson, inspired by the World Championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris
Spassky, began playing chess in the fall of 1972, at the Tacoma Chess Club. He is an
International Master with two Grandmaster norms and has served as the U.S. team
captain in twenty-one Olympiads and World Team Championships, including Lucerne
1993 and Baku 2016, where the Americans finished first. He has written numerous
articles and books, including The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein: Vol. 1: Uncrowned
King and Vol. 2: The Later Years and A Legend on the Road: Bobby Fischer’s 1964
Simultaneous Tour.
John Donaldson lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife Holly.
"The approach to [this] book differs from other books about Fischer in that it focuses on his writings and annotations, his style and presentation...Each chapter focuses on his work for a particular publication, book, or other format. The annotations for a total of 116 games are replicated and examined, in some cases extensively when the source is not widely accessible, such as old magazines or other formats, other times, such as with his classic “My Sixty Memorable Games,” Donaldson compares what made it into the book vs what was in various versions of the original manuscript, something that has only become available in recent years through materials that have been donated to the US Chess Hall of Fame or been made available through collectors and other private individuals. While there is a lot of Fischer in the book, Donaldson has provided a lot of context, both in prose and in game materials, as well as careful corrections to Fischer's analysis. For Fischer fans, this book is brilliant, and even for someone like me, who has never really been bitten by the mania and adoration of Fischer, it is a fabulous read that I thoroughly enjoyed."
—International Master Carsten Hansen
“Inside the Mind of Bobby Fischer is the definitive guide to understanding one of chess history’s most brilliant—and most demanding—voices. John Donaldson brings extraordinary clarity to Fischer’s writings, tracing the evolution of his thought through columns, annotations, and forgotten gems scattered across decades of chess literature. The result is a masterfully curated journey into Fischer’s analytical universe: precise, uncompromising, and endlessly instructive. For players and historians alike, this book is a treasure—both a deep study of Fischer’s chess mind and a rediscovery of his contributions as an author.”
—Davide Nastasio, Chess Book Collectors
“Countless articles and books have been written about the controversial American, and recently John Donaldson published another book about the 11th World Champion: Bobby Fischer and His World. Well researched and well written, it shows the many facets of Fischer’s personality, and is definitely one of the best books, if not the best, ever written about Fischer’s life.”
—Johannes Fischer, ChessBase.com
