Fischer Photos

Fischer visits Tal in hospital (Curacao 1962).

Fabrice Wantiez has posted a wonderful collection of Bobby Fischer photographs at his website, many of which (like the one above) are completely new to me.

Fischer Birthday Remembrances

Several celebrations of Fischer's legacy were held on March 9th to coincide with the former champion's 65th birthday. At the Marshall Chess Club, site of "The Game of the Century," Fischer was remembered by biographer Frank Brady and talk show host Dick Cavett, who has commented on his blog about his regret over not having reached out to Fischer (see "Was It Only a Game?" and "Bobby and You"). Caroline Jackson's article "Cavett and chess buffs replay Bobby Fischer story" (The Villager, March 12-18) describes the memorial and captures many of the basic contradictions in Fischer's life represented there. For example, why did a man so obsessed with making money from chess forego millions of dollars to be had after he won the championship?

The memorial was held on what would have been Fischer’s 65th birthday. Brady recalled when he and Fischer’s friends tried to throw him a party for his 20th birthday but the often-reclusive Fischer was reluctant.

“Finally, he said, ‘I’ll come to my birthday but you’ll have to pay me,’” Brady said. “That’s really, truly what Bobby was about; he knew chess players should be paid for what they do.”

Asa Hoffman, Fischer’s friend and a prominent chess champion himself, said Fischer dreamed big, talking about buying a big house with a spiral staircase in the shape of a rook, but his demanding nature inhibited him.

“He said he wanted the money, but he would turn down these big tournaments,” said Hoffman. “He could have lived the fantasy but he changed his mind.”

At another Fischer memorial service at the 2008 Reykjavik Open, Boris Spassky was among those to visit Fischer's grave. After the service, the former Fischer rival turned friend and supporter was heard to ask, "Do you think the spot next to him is available?"

Dick Cavett Remembers Bobby

The great American talk show host Dick Cavett today describes the Bobby Fischer he got to know through several interviews in his touching and fond remembrance "Was It Only a Game?" (The New York Times, February 9, 2008 -- also at his blog). As he suggests, there were many sides to Bobby Fischer (as many as you can see on YouTube), but Cavett's famously friendly interview style brought out the very best in the man, as we see in the charming clip he includes. Add it to the list of warmer remembrances of Bobby, which include Kasparov's "The Chessman" and Hans Ree's "At the Kibbutz with Bobby" (temporary HTML version here). If we see a few more pieces like this, it may well be the Fischer of '72 that lives longest in our cultural memory.

Bobby Fischer R.I.P.

ChessBase reports that Bobby Fischer has been buried in Iceland and includes a statement by Kasparov, who notes in part that "Fischer’s relentless energy exhausted everything it touched – the resources of the game itself, his opponents on and off the board, and, sadly, his own mind and body." Those looking for a touching way to remember Fischer should re-read Ralph Ginzburg's classic "Portrait of a Genius As a Young Chess Master." ChessBase includes a link to Leonard Barden's equally sad personal remembrance and obituary in The Guardian. Fischer's story was always very sad, but most chessplayers preferred to ignore that. Hat tip: The 64 Square Jungle.

Bobby Fischer Dies

Bobby Fischer has died at age 64. Chess was his life, and his years were numbered to match that 8x8 world. As a "Bobby Boomer," I have mixed feelings about his passing. It was Fischer who helped draw me into chess; but the chess world may have been better off if he had died 35 years ago -- shortly after winning the title. I was alerted to his passing by a sudden spike in traffic to all things Fischer-related that I've posted. Web traffic was coming in so quickly that it overwhelmed our site (until I upgraded our account). Maybe that traffic is a sign that Fischer's passing will release a flood of chess nostalgia in fellow boomers, who will come streaming into the club over the coming weeks. If Bobby's rise to the throne helped Americans discover chess, perhaps his death can do as much to renew it, much as "the Fisher King" must die for his kingdom to see a rebirth...

Obituaries at AFP, AP, BBC, CNN, New York Times, Reuters, Telegraph, and Times Online.