How tall is Bobby Fischer

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 8/Jun/23
@Jimmy_ESB_: I had a dream like that once, forgot about who it was but it did make me consider taking a break from the site 🤣🤣🤣

Nik Ashton said on 8/Jun/23
Ian C.- I bet he didn’t care how tall he was, his chess made him tall. We are all capable of a thought and/or an action that would make us tall.

Jimmy_ESB_ said on 6/Jun/23
I just had a dream where I went to this page and he was listed at 6ft 2 / 188cm and I was like "yeah this makes sense, he looks taller than a flat 6'1"

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 13/Nov/22
Rob, I'd at least tweak this to 6ft1½

Malcolm Oliver said on 23/Sep/22
@Jamestherealone @Barnaby
Magnus seems 5’10-5’11 range. His opponent in all the recent drama in their last match, Hans, looks about this range too: Click Here
(Guy in the back seems taller than them, could be same as Fischer)

Though this is me just eyeballing it.

bernard said on 5/Jul/22
I believe quite possibly Rob, i mean one of the greatest analytical minds of all time , i trust that he read and performed the measurement properly. So he was measured at 185CM just before his death so 40 years prior as a young man im sure he was at least 6 foot 1 and change. What do you think Rob pls respond mate :)

bernard said on 4/Jul/22
“It was here that I saw
Fischer for the first time and
carefully watched him... I
noted Fischer’s trim, athletic
figure. In reply to questions, he
said that he weighed 193
pounds and was 6 feet two
inches tall. He was casually
outfitted in a dark green suit. A
simple necktie, short hair, a
pleasant, vigorous face, and
eyes that looked straight at a
person... There was nothing
unusual about him, except pos¬
sibly one thing: he could not
stand still for long and kept
shifting his weight from one
foot to the other...

Click Here

bernard said on 4/Jul/22
Rob , i found a source from someone at an interview with fischer in the early 70's where he says he is 6 foot 2 and 193 pounds. i will post the source.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 26/Mar/21
6ft2 out of bed

Ian C. said on 20/Feb/21
Fischer made his mark while sitting down. He could have been five foot tall or six foot six and it wouldn't have made any difference to his area of competence.

Nosnibor said on 15/Nov/20
Barnaby was asking about a chess player in a group photograph and you said Rob that he was probably 6 foot 4 inches .The actual height of Jan Heim Donner was 6ft.8 in! He was one of the tallest players in the Chess World. I know this having met and played many of them.

Jamestherealone said on 25/Apr/20
I agree with most comments that Fischer looks like a very solid 6' 1", probably he would be similar in height to Cristiano Ronaldo.

By the way, I found out this PERFECT picture of the current world chess champion Magnus Carlsen with Woody Harrelson.

tiny.cc/feyrnz

They both have the same shoes platform and exatly the same posture. If Woody Harrelson is 176 cm tall, that puts Carlsen in 177 cm at most IMO.

Jamestherealone said on 26/Mar/20
Rob, I think it could be an interesting idea to add a Magnus Carlsen's page.

How tall do you think Magnus Carlsen is compared to Cristiano and Zidane?

Click Here
Click Here

Cristiano seems to have a perfect posture and probably sneakers advantage, while Zidane has a poor/relaxed posture, but still Magnus looks close in height to Zidane.

Here you can see how Magnus Carlsen is about 2 cm taller than 178 cm Liv Tyler:

Click Here
Click Here
Click Here

I think Magnus Carlsen is no less than 180 cm. What do you think Rob?

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 23/Feb/20
I’m pretty sure this guy would claim 6ft2 if asked his height

Yang (5 footer 8, 173) said on 5/Jan/20
6ft 1 definitely for this chess player.

ajax1996 said on 17/Nov/19
FIDE should stop conventional chess and start Fischer960. As for his height probably a more solid 6ft 1.

jordanft19 said on 13/Nov/19
He is at least 6'1". I reckon maybe even 6'1 and 1/5th though.

Barnaby said on 1/Nov/19
Rob mate, What do you guess for the guy on the right of Fischer? Click Here

Barnaby said on 20/Oct/19
Rob, Can you make a page for Magnus Carlsen, the current world champion.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 17/Oct/19
I think 186-187cm zone peak (w/h 188cm out of bed)

Barnaby said on 11/Oct/19
Maybe also if your low for Bobby is 6 ft 1 flat and your high is 6ft 1 3/8, you could list him at 6ft 1 1/8.

Barnaby said on 11/Oct/19
Hi Rob, I know Fischer might not seem 6 ft 2 range which I agree with, but can you see a changeable case for Fischer that he was 6ft 1.25 in his prime? Thanks for the replies also Rob I appreciate it.

Barnaby said on 7/Oct/19
Rob, What are your thoughts on Bobby pictured here with the 6 foot Mark Spitz, some sorces also have Spitz at 6ft 1 also.Click Here. Here I'd another informative photo with the 5 foot 10 Bob Hope. Hope has the angle advantage as he is closer to the camera, he is also standing up straight with a cap on which gives around 1.5 inches. Yet Fischer with all these disadvantages has about 1.25 inches on him. Here is the 2nd link Rob. Click Here.

Barnaby said on 6/Oct/19
Rob, Are you going to upgrade Fischer to 6ft 1.25?

BennieFromDaHood said on 2/Sep/19
Maybe Fischer was around 6ft 1 and a half in his prime, and in his later years stood 185 cm. He lived in Iceland during his final years, and this passport is from that time. It might as well show the height he was after he'd shrunk a little.

Jack172 said on 23/Aug/19
Rob mate, looking into the Fischer case and I am seeing a strong 186CM guy in his prime. Seem odd that you don't upgrade him, seems perfect to have him at 6 foot 1.25

Arch Stanton said on 6/Aug/19
@Rob, any idea how tall Magnus Carlsen is? I was watching something and he was walking around, he looked above average if anything,. googled it and I see silly listings like 1.60 and 5 ft 7!! It surely is way off!! Any chance you could look into it and set it straight?

Hendoooo said on 3/Aug/19
Rob, Are you considering any sort of upgrade for Fischer?

David duFresne said on 30/Jul/19
Just saw his interview with Dick Cavett where Ralph Nader was also a guest. He looked way too lanky to be just 6'1. Possibly not the full 6'2, but he must have been very close. Seemed relatively normal at the time for a chess geek.

Animus said on 21/Jul/19
At peak Bobby Fischer was no shorter than 186cm. That much is clear from all the photo and video documentation of his younger years. 6'1½ is within the realm of possibility, but that's probably the upper end of viable estimates. So 6'1¼ is fitting for Fischer and this page is due for an upgrade.

cryingkoala said on 3/May/19
Oh my...I can't understand!
how he was so tall and was not a couture model.
had the required height: 175-185 cm (5.74-6.07 ft)
The good could have been chess player and model at the same time!

HENDOOOOO said on 26/Apr/19
looking a little over 6 foot 1 with Bob Hope. Click Here

HENDOOOOO said on 19/Apr/19
Rob, please do us all a favour and upgrade this guy to 6ft1.25 or 6ft1.5. he was a 6ft1 hunchback. Have a look in his 20's and you will see an increase I think in-between 6ft 1.25 and 6ft1.5. he had a stronger posture then without the excess weight gain and slight shrinkage we saw at the 185cm measurement. Please upgrade.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 7/Apr/19
This guy should get 6ft1¼ at least peak. Still looked 6ft1 toward the end of his life

Animus said on 24/Oct/18
Rob, take a look at this interesting video of the Dick Cavett Show: Click Here

In the beginning of the show (0:50) Fischer is seen standing with Ralph Nader, the political activist, who was supposedly 6'3. This is Bobby Fischer in the prime of his life at 28 years old.

While I am not sure Nader is in fact 6'3, it's clear that Fischer is only about an inch shorter, maybe 3cm. I haven't looked much at Nader, but he could be a bit shy of a full 6'3. (He looked comparable to Lyndon B. Johnson, while the latter was in office, but as you have pointed out elsewhere, he may have lost a bit of height by that time.) Say he's 6'2½ or perhaps 6'2¼, it seems likely Fischer was more of a strong 6'1.

You say that Fischer was described as 6'1 in his day - however there were also numerous mentions of him as being 6'2 tall.

My opinion, having studied him quite closely, is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of those figures. When he immigrated to Iceland in his early 60s, he still looked comfortably above six feet, i.e. 6'0½-6'1 (probably closer to the latter). I think his 6'2 claim could have resulted from an upwards-rounded measurement in the doctor's office early in the day.

He certainly gives the impression of being a very strong 6'1, similarly to Norm Macdonald, so I think you should consider a 6'1¼-6'1½ listing for Fischer.

Animus said on 22/Aug/18
Rob, is the sole justification for the 6'1-listing the Icelandic passport he was granted at age 62?

If he was around 185cm at 62, it's fair to say he was at least 186cm as a young man, perhaps even in the vicinity of 187cm.

I would be interested to know what thoughts are behind listing him at 6'1.

Arthur! said on 8/Apr/18
Rob how tall do you estimate Magnus Carlsen? Look at him with Ronaldo: Click Here

5'9.5 or 5'10?

Chrollo said on 15/Feb/18
Hey rob, Can you do one for magnus carlsen please

Dreampuffe(5'9.5 said on 8/Jan/18
I saw some photos of him while he was old. He 'literally' gave a sub-giantish impression even at old age.

Click Here



Here is a picture of young Bobby Fischer. The camera angle is weird, but he gives another 'giantish' impression.'

Click Here



6'1" is too low. Fischer would beat out guys like Luke Mitchell and Christian Ronaldo.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 12/Dec/17
This guy and Jim Henson are underlisted, IMO. I'll stick with 186-187cm zone for now for both men but 188cm wouldn't come as a total surprise either. 185cm is not doing either them justice.

There are guys pegged here at 6ft2 who I think give shorter impressions

Animus said on 23/Nov/17
The worst listing on the site, in my opinion. I get that the comparative evidence is sparse, but Fischer was 6'1 in his early 60s and proportionally seemed 187cm range as a young man.

anon176 said on 2/Nov/17
I would greet a page for current WC Magnus Carlsen.

Carlo said on 1/Nov/17
I think about 187 cm.

:) said on 14/Sep/17
at least 6'1

Mark(5'9.5") said on 7/Aug/17
Actually, he might have been telling the truth back then. My bad. My real dad used to be a fan of Bobby Fischer. (I play the violin and piano btw. He's a chess player too.)

Mark(5'9.5") said on 1/Aug/17
I've read more about this guy........ he scares the crap outta me. In fact, I don't I would want to be friends with Fischer himself.

Mark(5'9.5") said on 28/Jul/17
I do see Fischer as being equal to a Peak Bill Murray and a Peak Kevin Costner.

6'1" flat? Yeah, me don't see that. It's low bailing him.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 26/Jul/17
186cm is more than fair. I'd give him that at least

Mark(5'9.5 said on 18/Jul/17
Rob, is a solid 186 cm possible for Fischer at his 20s-30s? he always gave an easy tall impression.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 16/Jul/17
I don't think he was far from 6ft2 in his prime. May very well have been 186-187cm range

Animus said on 16/Jul/17
Anything below 6ft1 I feel is borderline crazy, so the average guess is highly surprising. I am quite confident he was taller than this as a young man. Perhaps not the full 6ft2 like the media claimed in his heyday but 6ft1 is literally selling him short, in my view.

186-187cm is more like it.

Mark(5'9.5") said on 5/Jul/17
If Fischer had a hunchback in the 2000s and still looked 6'1", I wouldn't doubt a solid 186 cm or 6'1.5".

Mark(5'9.5") said on 4/Jul/17
He gave a 6'3" impression for some reason.

I would have guessed him at 6'2" until I realized he had a page here.

Strong 6'1". Probably 186 cm - 187 cm range.

ok said on 13/Jun/17
5"11 .. magnus is 173cm btw

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 18/Mar/17
"Now, in Reykjavik, Mr. Fischer had a world stage, and he seized the spotlight with his 6-foot-2 frame ..." - Ney York Times

Animus said on 19/Oct/16
Actually, Fischer was commonly described as 6ft2. There is obviously no way he was 6ft1 in his 20s.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 3/Oct/16
Both were commonly listed at 6ft1 but looked taller. Norm could definitely pull off 6ft2. About 4in on Sandler in Billy Madison. This guy looked visibly unwell in the 2000's but still looked 6ft1.

Animus said on 2/Oct/16
@Rampage

Personally, I can't see him at much less than 6'2". However, I'm willing to compromise and say that like Norm Macdonald, he might have been someone who could look 6'2", but might measure half an inch below it. I'd definitely say his range was 6'1.5"-6'2".

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 2/Oct/16
@WAF: I think that's a sensible listing and even 6ft2 wouldn't be that hard to dispute either. If he was still 6ft1 in his 60's which looks about right going by photos of him in the airport...it's possible he lost 1in

183cmGM said on 13/Apr/16
Magnus Carlsen is 5'8''

186cmGM said on 5/Aug/15
Glad to see you add a chess player on this website. Any chance we could get a listing for current World Champion Magnus Carlsen?

WAF said on 3/Aug/15
@Rampage

If Norm Macdonald is listed at 6'1.5", then I think Fischer should be listed at least at 6'1.5" as well.

Remember that Fischer was 62 years when he was granted his Icelandic passport. Either he was measured or he was not measured. If he was and he was measured 6'1", then there is NO WAY that he was 6'1" flat as a younger man. He had clearly lost height by his early 60s, having lived a relatively unhealthy, inactive lifestyle for most of his life after his career in competitive chess. If he was not measured, he would most likely have filled out his height information himself. That means that he would likely have claimed 6'2", since he did that when he was a young man. However, it says 6’1” on his Icelandic passport, lending credence to the fact that he was measured.

It's too easy to list him at 6'1", but I still appreciate the addition of him to the site.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 2/Aug/15
I think 185cm is too low for his playing days.
More 186-187cm range. Not sure about 188cm though.

Matthew190 said on 28/Jul/15
6'1" is fair yes.

WAF said on 28/Jul/15
@Arch Stanton

I think it's quite likely that he was closer to 6'1" approaching 50 years of age - or, alternatively, that he was more hunched over and thus gave the appearance of a roughly 6’1” man. Although he was physically active as a young man, I don't think he lived the healthiest of life styles when he got out of competitive chess at the age of 29. He lived mostly in seclusion, except for brief periods of time, and except the later stages of his life, where he sometimes lived with people and even had a wife. I am sure you are well aware of the statistic that married men are healthier and live longer and since Fischer did not have a partner till late in his life, I think he is an excellent data point of the statistic.

However, he could have been 6'1.5" or 6'1.75" as a young man, if not the full 6'2", which I still think is a possibility, and lost half an inch in middle age. My old man had lost half an inch by 50. It’s also more common for taller people, in my experience.

Bobby Fischer looks a bit too long in his bodily features for me to buy 6'1" - analogous to Norm Macdonald, who is commonly listed at 6'1", but Rob chose to list him at 6'1.5".

Sam said on 28/Jul/15
Yeah, never knew he was this tall...for some reason, never really thought about his height.

Arch Stanton said on 28/Jul/15
6'1.5 peak is possible but I wouldn't have said a legit 6 ft 2.

MrTBlack said on 27/Jul/15
Another honest 6'1"er to ad to my list. It's so rare to find someone who is actually the 6'1" they claim.

WAF said on 26/Jul/15
He was 62 when he was granted his Icelandic passport. Are you sure he had not lost some height at that point? Although he might not quite have measured 6'2", he still looks taller to me than 6'1" and probably somewhere in the 6-1.5/6-2 range.

He was always described as tall in way that I think few 6'1" men would even in the 70s in the US.

hijopotamus said on 25/Jul/15
Wow never imagined he was a big guy! A very mysterious figure. A real genius. People should know more about him and less about Justin Bieber. This guy should represent the US and not the stupid celebrities than do not do a good favour to the perception the rest of the world have about the US.

Arch Stanton said on 25/Jul/15
Rob you might want to fix the caption link, that url looks a bit ugly! Creative Commons 3.0 should be OK to just state.

Yes, I think it's more realistic, I could have sworn I saw a middle aged picture of him with some president of known height and I thought 6 ft 1 range. Possible a stronger 6'1 peak but I think 6'2 was a shoe measurement.