Bobby Fischer's mind

Did Bobby Fischer have a photographic mind?

My mind ponders the thought; some agree with me that he in fact did have a photographic memory, while others make a good argument contrary. If he did in fact have a photographic memory then one could argue that having such an ability did augment his play and without it he could have been just an average player.

This leads me to the question; did he have a Photographic mind, if so without it would he have been a typical player?

Bobby maybe did, but his mind was incredibly vast, just like Einstien's

cant this be scientically determined... i dont think this is an opinion question..but I just dont know the answer.

A photographic mind would be pretty useless in chess, it would only help you to remember openings but when it comes to logic, tactics and strategy, that is something that's outside the realm of remembering things easily.

According to the results of an investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002, Fischer's father was not his mother's husband, German biophysicist Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, but was actually Paul Nemenyi, a Hungarian physicist who was working on the Manhattan Project in Chicago and had an affair with Fischer's mother who was a well educated RN. Nemenyi was gifted in spatial relations.

Add all this up and one can surmise that Bobby had inherited the right genes/superior intelligence especially suited for a spatial game like chess.

                      
Ah did not have spacial relations with that boardgame.

nothing replaces all the long hours that Fischer put in studing it was said that Fischer study chess 12 hours per day, and that he had read over 1,000 chess books. yes Fischer was blessed with spacial relations but nothing out shine hard work, and Fischer put it in....

I agree - Fischer was probably one of the hardest working chess talents around.  I've heard it said that he achieved greatness more through hard work than innate ability.  You might be able to also make a case for his single-minded and hard-headed personality giving him an advantage.  But again, all of that would be nothing without the preparation.

Though Fischer worked incredibly, he was also incredibly gifted. The proof is the 'game of the century', when, as a 13 year old, be sac'd his Q against a master, Donald Byrne, and won a brilliant game. No amount of work enables you to play like that, unfortunately:)! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_the_Century_(chess)

I think he was obsessed with the game, he even died at 64 the same number of squares on the chess board. If you become so consumed by a thing then you will become a master of it, or it of you. I think chess was a master of Fischer rather than he a master of it.

Photographic memories are generally associated with functional forms of autism (although cases exist outside this generality).  Chess demands far more than memory, and his theoretical advances prove that his genius did not lie in simply remembering the previous genius of other GMs and applying it to situations he found himself in.  Fischer's games that I have studied showed that he created his own situations and never allowed his opponents to dictate his decisions.  Even as Black, he never fell into the trap of complacence. 

I've seen this game a few times in the past, but well worth an nth look, thanks for posting. The Queen sacrifice is out of this world, an incredible idea of pure genius (photographic/eidetic memory will not help here, it's an original position and idea). I read an article some years ago about Byrne's part in this game. He apparently played on till checkmate to allow the young Fischer his moment in the spotlight. A good sport who probably saw the shape of things to come.

I remember reading a blurb on Magnus Carlsen a while back on Chessbase.

Unfortunately I can't remember the story exactly (as I unfortunately do not have a photographic memory), but in essence he was looking at puzzles or games on an overhead in a demonstration to local chess players of some form of his chess prowess.

The positions were from actual games, and with each position he could not only explain the main principles of the position, but he also had such details as the two players, when and where the game was played, who won the game (and here is the kicker that made it sound like a photographic memory) but from what book and page number he had studied the game.

The comment was made earlier in this thread that a photographic memory would not be much use in chess... and yet many lament the great memorization of theory that is required to excel in the game these days. I think many (probably all) great chess players have gifted minds, and methinks a photographic memory would be a very significant boost to one's potential.

Dude....that is the funniest thing I have read lately...thanks for the laugh in an otherwise dreary work day.

beautiful statement but that is indeed a coincidence that he died at the age of 64. do you really believe that he planned his death at 64???

yes! oh my goodness that is hilarious