by Frank Brady
9 Unsurprisingly, he won all the games NYT, August 26, 1960, p. 9.
10 He suggested that Regina undertake a hunger strike for chess NYT, October 12, 1960, p. 43.
11 Although separated in age by almost four decades, the two players became relatively close and remained so for years CL, December 20, 1960, p. 15.
12 The cerebral melee ended in a draw NYT, November 2, 1960, p. 45.
13 A short while later, Chess Life, in describing the incident CL, March 20, 1961.
Chapter 7: Einstein’s Theory
Bobby Fischer’s interview in a publication that was attempting to expose the Worldwide Church of God was one of the most revelatory ever published about his religious beliefs. That article and interviews of players at Curaçao in 1962 added to the sources for this chapter.
1 he and his sister took a taxi to a victory dinner for Bobby at Vorst’s Interview of Jack Collins by author, January 1961.
2 “Fischer has not lost a game in an American tournament since 1957.” CL, January 20, 1961, p. 1.
3 It didn’t help that a study had been published that year in American Statistician magazine Ernest Rubin, “The Age Factor in Masters Chess,” reprinted in CL, February 20, 1961, pp. 40–43.
4 During the summer of 1961 a sixteen-game match between the two players was negotiated and a prize fund of $8,000 was promised NYT, August 19, 1961, p. 15.
5 When four world-class chess players—Svetozar Gligoric, Bent Larsen, Paul Keres, and Tigran Petrosian—were asked PRO, p. 42.
6 Early in his career he did play before sundown Hooper and Whyld, p. 22.
7 He simply couldn’t play at that time, he said. “It’s ridiculous.” NYT, August 15, 1961, p. 36.
8 She could always come to the game after the concert, he argued CL, August 1961, pp. 213–20.
9 Reshevsky paced up and down, a few spectators waited patiently NYT, August 14, 1961, p. 20.
10 Bobby ultimately sued Reshevsky and the American Chess Foundation “Chess Stars Heading for Court Battle” The Daily Gleaner, Kingston, Ontario, April 27, 1962.
11 “It’s up those metal stairs.” The source of the information following, pages 137–39, consisted also of interviews with Bobby Fischer, circa 1964, and with Ralph Ginzburg, circa 1962.
12 an interview with Bobby for Harper’s magazine Ralph Ginzburg, “Portrait of a Genius or a Young Chess Master,” Harper’s, January 1962, pp. 49–55.
13 In preparation for the interview, Ginzburg had read Elias Canetti’s classic work Auto-da-Fé See Canetti.
14 “I don’t want to talk about it! Don’t ever mention Ginzburg’s name to me!” PRO, p. 47.
15 It honed his instinct and forced him to trust himself CL, February 1962, p. 25.
16 “the number comes up again and again [the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours of practice]” Gladwell, p. 41.
17 “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.” Gladwell, p. 41.
18 Bobby signed it using the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, needing to change only a few letters. CL, February 1962, p. 25.
19 “A charmer” CR, November 1961, p. 347.
20 Tal [Sighing]: “It is difficult to play against Einstein’s theory.” Fischer, My 60 Memorable Games, p. 196; also in CL, March 1952, p. 58.
21 Bobby was not happy with his eventual second-place showing in the tournament CR, November 1961, p. 323.
22 he was also having difficulty keeping food down PRO, p. 50.
23 the British Broadcasting Corporation invited him to London to appear on a show called Chess Treasury of the Air Tiller, p. 124.
24 Bobby spent a British Christmas with his mother and her new husband Letter to Regina Pustan from Bobby Fischer, January 1963, MCF.
25 “I wasn’t just ‘trusting in God’ to give me the moves.” “The Painful Truth,” interview of Bobby Fischer in Ambassador Report, June 1976.
26 Bobby wrote a preachy letter to his mother Letter to Regina Pustan from Bobby Fischer, March 9, 1964, MCF.
27 A good and tolerant life was the best life, she said Copy of letter, perhaps unsent, to Bobby Fischer from Regina Pustan, August 1964, MCF.
28 “If anyone tried to live by the letter of the law, it was me” Ambassador Report, June 1977.
29 “The more I tried [to be obedient] the more crazy I became,” he noted “The Painful Truth,” interview of Bobby Fischer in Ambassador Report, June 1976.
30 the real prize for Bobby was to qualify for the Candidates tournament Conversation with author, April 1962.
31 “Bobby Fischer’s margin of 2½ points reflects his complete domination of the event.” CL, April 1962, p. 69.
32 entered Bobby’s room at the Hotel Intercontinental in Curaçao shortly after Arthur Bisguier, Bobby’s second, had arrived. DeLucia, p. 270.
33 “No, you get out!” Benko replied, somewhat illogically. Interview of Pal Benko by author, summer 2008.
34 “I am sorry that I beat up Bobby. He was a sick man, even then.” Ibid.
35 The day after the fight, Bobby penned a letter to the Tournament Committee, asking them to expel Benko. Chesscafe.com/FromArchive/FromArchive.htm, “The Fischer-Benko Slapping Incident,” September 1977.
36 the Candidates tournament had furnished “a series of early-round surprises that are probably without parallel in chess history” CL, August 1962, p. 172.
37 “Chess is better.” Interview of Arthur Bisguier by author, February 21, 2009.
38 “There was open collusion between the Russian [Soviet] players” Sports Illustrated, August 20, 1962, accessed December 10, 2009, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault.
39 Korchnoi, in his memoir Chess Is My Life, backed Bobby’s accusations Korchnoi, pp 44–45.
40 “He simply wasn’t the best player.” Interview of Pal Benko by author, July 2000, Philadelphia, PA.
41 The article was reprinted in German, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, Icelandic, and (with modifications) Russian. Bobby Fischer, “The Russians Have Fixed World Chess,” Sports Illustrated, August 20, 1962.
Chapter 8: Legends Clash
FBI files of an investigation of Bobby Fischer added facts, heretofore unknown, about his life. Interviews with players who knew him well provided additional insights. Observations by the author served as a catalyst to the research.
1 “tinkering with the engine of a plane” Quoted in the film Me and Bobby Fischer, directed by Fridrik Gudmundsson, DVD, 2009.
2 Winner three times of the World Championship, he’d defeated Alexander Alekhine, José Capablanca, Max Euwe, and Emanuel Lasker Golombek, Golombek’s Encyclopedia, pp. 38–39.
3 Bobby shook hands and said succinctly, “Fischer” CL, November 1962, p. 262.
4 He knew he was a major representative of the Soviet Union Interview of M. Botvinnik by author, Skopje, Macedonia, September 1972.
5 His pupil, Anatoly Karpov, said of him that he had an “Olympian inaccessibility” Karpov, p. 41.
6 When the game was adjourned, it appeared that Fischer’s position was clearly superior. CL, November 1962, p. 261.
7 “Look,” he said. “Botvinnik is getting assistance!” Botvinnik, pp. 170–78.
8 No official protest was put before the tournament committee PRO, p. 66.
9 Mysteriously, the nineteen-year-old wrote a letter of apology to Dr. Eliot Hearst Interview of Dr. Eliot Hearst by author, February 7, 2009, by telephone.
10 Aboard the New Amsterdam once again DeLucia, p. 96.
11 Botvinnik might have been able to become Premier DeLucia, p. 96.
12 But back in Brooklyn, Bobby said he just no longer wanted to be involved with those “commie cheaters,” as he called them. Conversation with author, circa December 1962, New York.
13 Saidy’s position was powerful, and Bobby’s was precarious. Observation of author, 1964.
14 Saidy’s blunder gave Fischer an opportunity to develop a winning endgame Interview of Anthony Saidy by author, Febr
uary 21, 2009, by telephone.
15 Fischer’s first prize for his two weeks of intensity and brilliance was just $2,000 NYT, January 4, 1964.
16 “Fischer was playing against children,” he said CL, August 1964, p. 202.
17 he’d said that he would never play in the FIDE cycle again because it was stacked in favor of the Soviets. “The Stalemate of Bobby Fischer,” CL, April 1964, p. 186.
18 General George B. Hershey, head of the Selective Service bureau Author’s discussion with Harold M. Phillips, circa spring 1964.
19 Alfred Landa, then assistant to the president, said Interview of Alfred Landa by author, circa spring 1964, New York.
20 Bobby Fischer was classified 4F Draft deferment card, 1964, MCF.
21 Nonetheless, the State Department flatly refused to recognize him as a legitimate columnist CL, September 1965, p. 191.
22 “Cuban travel criteria make no provision for validation for the purpose of participating in chess competitions.” FBI investigation file of Robert James Fischer, 1958–1967.
23 Furious, Bobby cabled Castro NYT, August 25, 1965, p. 36.
24 Upon receiving word from Castro, Bobby confirmed his participation NYT, August 25, 1965, p. 36.
25 The tick of the chess clock was the only sound heard Observation of author, who was a referee during the Havana match, August 1965.
26 Bobby had to play this strange, isolated form of chess every single game “Fischer Against the Odds,” NYT, October 24, 1965, p. X30
27 Still, he tied for second, a half point behind Russia’s Vasily Smyslov, the former World Champion NYT, September 28, 1965, p. 10.
28 They rigorously studied his opening, middle game, and endings Vladimir Linder and Isaac Linder, “From Morphy to Fischer, Who’s Next?” ten-page unpublished essay, Moscow, 2002, p. 8.
29 “We must get Bobby Fischer,” Gregor Piatigorsky told his wife. Piatigorsky, p. 166.
30 The story of how Fischer went into a swoon Kashdan, pp. xix–xx.
31 Fortunately, drawing deep from his inner reserves, Bobby did climb CR, October 1966, p. 296.
Chapter 9: The Candidate
Letters and postcards to Jack Collins, and widespread media coverage that appeared in the general and chess press for Fischer’s three matches leading up to the World Championship, provided most of the sources for this chapter.
1 He won the Monte Carlo International and ungallantly refused to pose for a photograph with His Royal Highness Prince Rainier CR, May 1967, p. 131.
2 when Princess Grace awarded him his cash prize Michael Hoffer, “Boris Spassky Interview and Fischer-Spassky Retrospective,” posted in Chess History, http://yes2chess.com.
3 he led the American Olympiad team to Cuba Andrew Soltis, Karl Marx Plays Chess and Other Reports on the World’s Oldest Game, p. 51.
4 because of the refusal of the organizers to agree to his scheduling demands CR, December 1965, p. 355.
5 “Leave me in peace!” Newsday, December 1967.
6 He, not the organizers, would decide when he’d play and when he wouldn’t Letter from William Lombardy to Anthony Saidy, November 13, 1967, FB.
7 “He felt he should enjoy whatever money he could get before it was too late.” Evans, The Chess Beat, “Bobby’s Dilemma,” p. 5.
8 Bobby withdrew from playing competitive chess in late 1968 Letter from Bobby Fischer to Ed Edmondson, October 29, 1969, JWC.
9 later telling one interviewer that he’d refused to play because of undefined “hang-ups” Sports Illustrated, April 20, 1970, pp. 62–63.
10 “to plot my revenge” NYT, November 14, 1971, pp. 32 ff.
11 Then, unpredictably, he made an exception NYT, April 27, 1970, p. 30.
12 Larry Evans, who was reporting on the match instead of playing in it and would act as Fischer’s second PRO, p. 161.
13 “This is not surprising, but if you see Bobby kiss the girl, then you have a news item!” CL&R, May 1970, p. 247.
14 fans filled the large hall to capacity in less than half an hour “USSR vs. the Rest of the World,” Glenn Giffen at Olipbase.org, 1970.
15 “At home they don’t understand. They think it means there’s something wrong with our culture.” CL&R, May 1970, p. 246.
16 He wanted to win the car, not to keep the car Chess Digest, September 1970, p. 194.
17 “He prefers to enter chess history alone.” CL&R, June 1970, p. 301.
18 If Bobby Fischer was ever going to become the World Chess Champion As published in Courier Journal, December 13, 1970, and NYT News Service.
19 Fischer and Geller were to meet in the twelfth round in a pivotal matchup PRO, p. 177.
20 “No draws in under 40 moves is an essential part of his philosophy.” Wade and Blackstock, pp 120–21.
21 “Maybe this was a good thing.” PRO, p. 181.
22 Taimanov arrived with a full Russian entourage NYT Magazine, November 14, 1971, p. 130.
23 “Well, I still have my music.” PRO, p. 188.
24 Fischer-doubters, especially the Soviets, had suggested NYT, July 21, 1971, p. 33.
25 For eleven minutes, Fischer continued to visualize the position in his head Time, November. 8, 1971, p. 68.
26 Bobby was obviously sick with a bad head cold NYT, November 11, 1971, p. 33.
Chapter 10: The Champion
A great amount of the facts that appear in this chapter were garnered by the author as an observer and working journalist/broadcaster during the two-month duration of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match, and some of it has appeared in my book Profile of a Prodigy, 1973, 1989 editions.
1 Questions arose almost daily about such details as the prize money Interview of Fred Cramer by the author, circa April 1972.
2 But none of those topics interested the three men in the room that evening. Darrach, p. 6.
3 Fischer was concerned about the strength of Spassky Chessworld, Vol. I, No. 1, January–February 1964, pp. 60-61.
4 “Spassky is better” Darrach, p. 6.
5 Eventually, internecine warfare erupted between the United States and Soviet Chess federations and FIDE. Official report to FIDE by Dr. Max Euwe, May 16, 1972, No. 138, pp. 1–18.
6 He was encouraged to play there by Freysteinn Thorbergsson “Welcome to Iceland, Mr. President,” a pamphlet written by Freysteinn Thorbergsson, p. 30 ff.
7 Spassky ensconced himself in the Caucasus while Fischer settled in the Catskills PRO, p. 215.
8 This microscopic analysis often continued until the early hours of the morning. PRO, p. 216.
9 Almost as a parlor trick As told to Yasser Seirawan by Allen Kaufman in Chess Duels, by Yasser Seirawan, (London: Gloucester Publishers plc, 2010), p. 28.
10 “The odds should be twenty to one” NYT, June 13, 1972, p. 40.
11 “It’s true that he works alone” Interview of William Lombardy by author, July 15, 1972, Reykjavik, Iceland.
12 He often stayed overnight in the Fischer apartment in Brooklyn Author’s conversation with Jackie Beers, circa 1974.
13 “strike at the uplifted propaganda fists of the Communists.” Thorbergsson, p. 33.
14 “The Russian Bear vs. the Brooklyn Wolf” Time, July 31, 1972, pp. 30–35.
15 Asked if the bout would be a grudge match, he replied: “In a sense.” Interview with Dick Cavett, 1972.
16 Photographic blowups of Fischer and Spassky adorned the windows of almost every shop Schultz, Chess Don, p. 274.
17 Fischer canceled his flight to Iceland at the last minute Chess Base News, ChessBase.com/NewsDateline by Prof. Christian Hesse, ABC TV, 1972.
18 But, strangely, Fischer paused to buy an alarm clock NYT, September 5, 1972.
19 Sheed wrote: “Of Ezra Pound, as of Bobby Fischer, all that can be decently said is that his colleagues admire him.” NYT Book Review, September 3, 1972, p. 2.
20 As Saidy later related, the house was subjected to an unending media barrage Interview of Anthony Saidy by author, February 21, 2009, by telephone.
; 21 Journalist Leonard Barden phoned the Icelandic organizers to tell them that British financier James Derrick Slater Roy Blount Jr., “Boris in Wonderland,” Sports Illustrated, July 24, 1972, p. 15.
22 The second call proved to be that needed nudge Telegram to the U.S. Department of State from the American embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland, seeking assistance from the White House in prompting Fischer to come to Iceland, July 3, 1972, FB.
23 It was at this point that Bobby saw himself not just as a chess player Gligoric, Fischer vs. Spassky, p. 9.
24 “I know you to be a sportsman and a gentleman, and I am looking forward to some exciting chess games with you” NYT, July 7, 1972, p. 14.
25 “The challenger apologized” Press release issued in Reykjavik, Iceland, July 6, 1972.
26 “I couldn’t believe that Fischer was capable of such an error” Edmar Mednis, How to Beat Bobby Fischer (New York: Dover Books, 1997), p. 274.
27 Fischer then pointed to the camera aperture he’d complained about the previous day Steiner, p. 68.
28 Fischer began fighting for a draw Chess world championship, 1972; “Spassky’s View,” excerpted from 64, p. 258.
29 “What will happen to Bobby?” Interview of Lothar Schmid by author, July 15, 1972, Reykjavik, Iceland.
30 “He can’t be subject to the clicks and flashes of those machines [on their tall tripods] above him.” NYT, July 21, 1972, p. 32.
31 “In case of non-appearance of Fischer in third game” Released press statement by Dr. Max Euwe, July 16, 1972.
32 In an editorial entitled “Bobby Fischer’s Tragedy,” the paper wrote NYT, July 15, 1972, p. 22.
33 President Nixon also relayed an invitation to Fischer Interview of Harry Benson by author, August 1972, Reykjavik, Iceland.
34 Spassky, ever a gentleman, was willing NYT, August 16, 1972, p. 26.
35 Schmid recalled later that “for a second, I didn’t know what to do” Chessbase.com, September 28, 2009. Accessed October 15, 2009.
36 Fischer was told that it was just a closed-circuit, noiseless camera CL, November 1972, p. 679.
37 A thirty-five-year-old sociology professor, Shelby Lyman “TV’s Man on the Move,” NYT, August 10, 1972, p. 71.