Bobby Fischer is a badass

Two of my favorite quotes so far in the book "Endgame", a biography of Bobby Fischer:

"But why would Geller expect Fischer to take a quick draw? Fischer's entire record as a player shows his abhorrence of quick draws and his wish at every reasonable (and sometimes unreasonable) occassion to play until there is absolutely no chance of winning. No draws in under 40 moves is an essential part of his philosophy."

and

"Taking nothing for grandted was one of the key's to Fischer's success."

 The whole book is worth a read and is easily accessible for the chess outsider like me. I love reading biographies. The more you read the more you realize there is a pattern of success: hard work bordering on obsession. For instance, it was estimated that between his ninth and eleventh birthdays Bobby played a thousand games a year. Between his eleventh and fourteenth birthdays he played 12,000 games a year. Another example: in 1970, Fischer left NYC to go to the Catskill mountains to prepare for the World Championship match against Spassky. In the four months that he trained there he spent 12 hours a day 7 days a week reading, thinking, and preparing for one match.

I'll have more on this book after I finish it.