Endgame (62 page)

24
As it developed, Bobby was never questioned, but the fear had been implanted
Preliminary interview of Bobby Fischer for the film
My Friend Bobby
. Interview is in “Chapters from the Film,” outtakes not used in the final release copy. Reykjavik, Iceland, 2009.

25
The agent remained throughout the broadcast but did not reveal his true identity
FBI report to the director from SAC, NY100-102290, May 23, 1958, p. 1.

26
he tripped with youthful awkwardness on the microphone wire while making his exit from the stage I’ve Got a Secret
footage, CBS, March 26, 1958.

27
“If I have to wear a tie, I won’t go,” New York World-Telegram and Sun
, June 12, 1958.

28
“The eighth wonder of the world,” Bobby wrote to Jack Collins
Postcard from Bobby Fischer to Jack Collins, June 21, 1958, JWC.

29
Nevertheless, he played some seven-minute games
Postcard, circa 1958, JWC.

30
Before boarding the plane to Russia, Bobby plugged cotton into his ears
Letter from Regina Fischer to Bobby Fischer, June 18, 1958, MCF.

31
Moscow’s finest hotel, the National
. Background promotional material from the Hotel National, circa 2009.

32
“Call me,” she wrote to Bobby. “It’s on the house.” He didn’t
. Letter from Regina Fischer to Bobby Fischer, June 30, 1958, MCF.

33
His mission was to play as many masters as possible
Letter to Parkhito from Regina Fischer, June 2, 1958, MCF.

34
Everyone wanted to see the American wunderkind
Interview of Lev Khariton by author, April 17, 2009, New York.

35
Finally, Tigran Petrosian was, on a semi-official basis, summoned to the club Golombek, Golombek’s Encyclopedia
, pp. 236–37.

36
“None. You are our guest,” Abramov frostily replied, “and we don’t pay fees to guests.”
Abramov to Fischer, in Johnson, p. 128.

37
Many years later, Bobby indicated that
Author’s conversation with Bobby Fischer, circa 1964, New York.

38
When the Soviet Union had agreed to invite Bobby to Moscow
Letter from Regina Fischer to Bobby Fischer, circa June 1958, MCF.

39
He likened himself to his hero Paul Morphy Chessworld
, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1964, pp. 40–46.

40
he was fed up “with these Russian pigs”
Johnson, p. 128.

41
“I don’t like Russian hospitality and the people themselves. It seems they don’t like me either.”
Postcard from Bobby Fischer to Jack Collins, July 1958, JWC.

42
In mid-July, one hundred thousand irate Soviet citizens NYT
, July 19, 1958, p. 1.

43
The situation was serious enough that Gerhardt Fischer, Bobby’s father of record, feared Joan and Bobby might be in great danger
Letter from Gerhardt Fischer to Regina Fischer, August 4, 1958, MCF.

44
The only times he left the hotel were to play the two matches
Mednis, p. 3.

45
Top players in the United States predicted that Bobby wouldn’t qualify for a place in the Candidates this time CR
, October 1958, p. 315.

46
Bobby, though, seemed to feel that he’d make short work of his competitors
Plisetsky and Voronkov, p. 15.

47
Lombardy had captured the World Junior Championship by winning every game, and he was a formidable player NYT Magazine
, February 23, 1958, p. SM 38.

48
“Bobby brushes his teeth daily but has more difficulty in taking a bath.”
Postcard from Lombardy to Regina Fischer, circa 1958, in DeLucia and DeLucia, 2009, p. 49.

49
Lombardy also conveyed his initial impressions of Portorož CL
, October 1958, p. 314.

50
Regina wrote to Joan that she was worried Lombardy might be damning Bobby with faint praise
Letter from Regina Fischer to Joan Fischer, circa 1958, MCF.

51
“Bobby really didn’t need Lombardy”
Author’s interview of James T. Sherwin, February 27, 2009, by telephone.

52
One difficulty arose when Lombardy had to leave the tournament for several days
Letter from Regina Fischer to Joan Fischer, August 1956, MCF.

53
Lombardy reported the following remarks about his friend Bobby CR
, October 1958, p. 314.

54
Bobby’s managing to avoid a loss in his first European tournament “highlighted a noteworthy turn in chess history” New York World-Telegram and Sun
, August 16, 1958.

55
Fischer off form in debut abroad NYT
, August 17, 1958, p. S4.

56
he was actually the prototype of the grandmaster character Kronsteen in the James Bond film
From Russia with Love Basalla, p. 142.

57
He was a fiercely attacking player, but at the board he’d often seem as if in a trance
Golombek,
Golombek’s Encyclopedia
, p. 48.

58
Fischer had publicly announced before the tournament that there might be one player who could defeat him: Bronstein
Tal, p. 105.

59
At the Marshall Chess Club, where players were analyzing the Interzonal games as they were cabled in from Portorož, there was near-delirium when word arrived of the draw CR
, October 1958, p. 291.

60
“Bronstein?!” people were saying incredulously, almost whooping, as if the Soviet player were Goliath, and Bobby as David had stood up to him
Schonberg, p. 230.

61
So great was the impact of that game that club members began planning a party for the returning hero CR
, October 1958, p. 315.

62
Years later, Fischer would judge the Larsen game one of the best he ever played
Fischer,
My 60 Memorable Games
, p. 18.

63
“Fischer won with amazing ease” CR
, November 1958, p. 342.

64
Writing to Collins, he explained: “I never should have lost”
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Jack Collins, no date, JWC.

65
“Nobody sacrifices a piece against Fischer”
Ibid.

66
The New York Times
was exuberant in running a salute to Bobby on its editorial page NYT
, September 14, 1958, p. E10.

67
“Remember, next year I will have to attend the tournament of Candidates before I can think of meeting Botvinnik.” New York World-Telegram and Sun
, September 12, 1958.

68
“One thing is certain—I am not going to be a professional chess player.”
United Press International wire report, September 13, 1958.

69
Bobby felt manhandled in both Moscow and Portorož PRO
, p. 168.

70
“That looks Continental,” he said in a courtly manner NYT
, September 16, 1958, p. 29.

71
Six days after Bobby’s arrival back in the United States, the Marshall Chess Club followed through on its intentions and held a reception for him New York World-Telegram and Sun
, September 29, 1958.

72
A week later Bobby was back at the Marshall to play in the weekly speed tournament New York World-Telegram and Sun
, October 4, 1958.

73
But Collins also showed Bobby a father’s love Newsday
, September 23, 1992.

74
Raymond Weinstein, a strong international master and a student of Collins, wrote
Unpublished autobiographical essay by Raymond Weinstein, circa 1958, FB.

75
“If someone was willing to pay $50”
Interview of Asa Hoffmann by author, March 2008, New York.

Bobby Fischer’s letters to his mother and to Jack Collins provided the most telling of the sources for this chapter. Information regarding his preference for radio shows and how that had an effect on his religious beliefs came from an interview with Bobby and from his conversations with the author.

1
J. H. Donner, the gigantic Dutch grandmaster, noted the contrast Elsevier Weekend
, June 13, 1959.

2
“laconic as the hero of an old cowboy movie.” NYT
, September 11, 1958, p. 46.

3
Fischer was the only American, and to many he was the tournament’s dark knight
Plisetsky and Voronkov, p. 21.

4
he learned the Serbo-Croatian word for “first”
Wade and O’Connell, essay in Leonard Barden,
From Portorož to Petrosian
(New York: Doubleday and Co., 1972), p. 331.

5
Bobby’s second, the great Danish player Bent Larsen, who was there to help him
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 1959, MCF.

6
One Russian master, Igor Bondarevsky, wrote that
Plisetsky and Voronkov, p. 16.

7
Bobby, for his part, was livid at the seeming collusion
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 9, 1959, MCF.

8
Tal was an encyclopedia of kinetic movement
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, 1959, MCF.

9
Tal’s coach Igor Bondarevsky referred to his charge’s movements as “circling around the table like a vulture”
Plisetsky and Voronkov, p. 31.

10
Since Tal’s body language was so bizarre, Fischer interpreted it as an attempt to annoy him
Candidates Tournament, 1959, newsreel footage, no date, YouTube, accessed December 9, 2009.

11
and he told the organizers that Tal should be thrown out of the tournament
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 11, 1959, MCF.

12
He wrote a complaint about the chattering
Handwritten statement of Bobby Fischer, October 1959, FB.

13
“Why did Tal say ‘cuckoo’ to me?”
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, 1959, MCF.

14
After that, a local Bled newspaper published a group of caricatures of all eight players
DeLucia and DeLucia, p. 54.

15
She hoped she could talk him back into classes somewhere
Letters from Regina Fischer to U.S. embassies in Mexico City and Buenos Aires, both December 15, 1958, MCF.

16
the assistant principal of Erasmus, Grace Corey, wrote to Bobby in Yugoslavia
Letter from Grace Corey to Bobby Fischer, June 27, 1959, FB.

17
They were unaware that Bobby had read literature in high school
Bobby Fischer conversations with author, circa 1963–64.

18
Voltaire’s
Candide
was a favorite
Interview of Dr. Eliot Hearst by author, February 7, 2009.

19
Tal asked Bobby if he’d ever gone to the opera New York Daily News
, March 26, 1958.

20
He also owned a book that told the stories of all the great operas
FB.

21
“If Tal doesn’t behave himself, I am going to smash out all of his front teeth.”
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 9, 1959, MCF.

22
“I am in a good mood
before
I win all of my games.”
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 9, 1959, MCF.

23
“If I don’t win against Smyslov tomorrow, I’ll cut off
my
ear.”
Bjelica, p. 118.

24
Larsen, whom Bobby described as “sulky and unhelpful,” kept discouraging him
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 1959, MCF.

25
“He is no match for Tal”
Harry Golombek,
4th Candidates Tournament
, 1959, p. vii.

26
World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik misdiagnosed the young American’s struggles CR
.

27
Bobby began to plot. Tal had to be stopped
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 11, 1959, MCF.

28
Tal, he said, had purposely made him lose three games in a row
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 11, 1959, MCF.

29
Bobby began to wonder and scheme
Letter from Bobby Fischer to Regina Fischer, October 11, 1959, MCF.

30
“I don’t believe in psychology—I believe in good moves.” PRO
, p. 230.

31
“I would very much have liked to change his decision.”
Tal, p. 124.

32
“I love the dark of the night. It helps me to concentrate.” PRO
, p. 174.

33
Next to each bed, resting on a chair, was a chess set. Saturday Review
, August 27, 1963; Edmonds and Eidinow, p. 10.

34
“The Bahn Frei Polka”
by Eduard Strauss NYT
, March 26, 2000, WK7.

35
“It sounds like circus music,” he once said in a joyful mood
Author’s conversation with Bobby Fischer, circa 1964, New York.

36
Sporadically, Shepherd would mention Bobby on the air
From Jean Shepherd’s radio broadcasts, circa 1964.

37
“He seems so sincere” Ambassador Report
, June 1977.

38
“We take the broken bread unworthily if”
“Does God Heal Today?” Sermon originally broadcast in 1962 and reprinted in a sixteen-page pamphlet published by the Worldwide Church of God, pp. 10-11.

39
“What is the basic cause of war and human suffering?” Biblical Understanding
. Correspondence course, Lesson I. MCF.

40
“The Holy Bible is the most rational” Ambassador Report
, June 1977.

41
Bobby became very upset
. Author’s conversation with Bobby Fischer, summer 1964.

1
“We can eat at the Oyster Bar. You like that. C’mon.”
Observation by author, circa 1959 or 1960.