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He was the chess genius who electrified the planet – until his life unravelled spectacularly. Can a new film explain Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer was the blessing and the curse of chess in the 20th century. The American electrified the game when he rose to prominence in the 1950s and 60s, and won the world championship in a thrilling match against Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in 1972. But then, increasingly unhinged, he refused to defend his title in 1975, wandered the world for the next 30 years, and in 2008 died in Iceland – the scene of his 1972 triumph and, by the end, more or less the only country that would give him sanctuary. His absence from the chess stage was more interesting than anyone else's presence could possibly be, and his shadow still looms over the game. (A prize if you can name the current world champion.)

That current champion, a very sane and pleasant fellow,...

Bobby Fischer was not only one of the greatest chess players of all time, he was possibly also one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th century.

After his 1972 World Championship victory in Iceland against the Ussr's Boris Spassky (pictured right), Fischer - who was born in Chicago and raised in New York - vanished off the radar but resurfaced for a 1992 rematch held in Yugoslavia.

However, Yugoslavia was under a Un embargo at the time, so Fischer's American passport was revoked. When he travelled to Japan on the invalid documentation, he was detained there for nine months (see picture below), before being granted citizenship by Iceland where he lived until his death in 2008, aged 64.

Now his story is being brought to life by the award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus.

Released in UK cinemas by distributors Dogwoof on July 15, Bobby Fischer Against the World traces the Grandmaster from...

Not every documentary gets a theatrical release, which makes TV such a terrific repository for finding amazing nonfiction films. For the past few decades, no one has done documentary as consistently well as HBO, with the inimitable Sheila Nevins at the helm. This summer, HBO Documentary Films will present new, original feature-length docs every Monday night, starting on June 6 with the new film from Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola USA, The Execution of Wanda Jean), Bobby Fischer Against the World. (The film also opens the Stranger than Fiction series at IFC Center on Thursday, June 2, at 8 pm. Director Liz Garbus will be on hand for a Q and A following the screening. Find tickets.) Bobby Fischer is a departure for Garbus, marking her first look at the life of the chess master who became one of America's most eccentric champions. Though Bobby Fischer himself is...

For the lucky few who get in, Sundance isn’t just a festival — it’s a resource. Over the years, the festival has nurtured the careers of a number of documentary filmmakers who went on to become what senior programmer David Courier recently termed “master filmmakers” — filmmakers so good and so respected that the festival had to create the out-of-competition category, “Doc Premieres,” to make sure their work didn’t overshadow the greener directors.

It should come as no surprise to anyone in the documentary community to find Liz Garbus’ name in a category reserved for such filmmakers. Garbus’ history with the festival stretches back to 1998 when her feature, The Farm: Angola USA won the Grand Jury Prize. In the 13 years since that debut, Garbus has gone on to direct a number of films that would premiere at the festival, including Girlhood and The Execution of Wanda Jean.

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