46 Chess Life proclaimed Bobby’s victory nothing short of “fantastic” CL, November 5, 1956, p. 3.
47 “I just made the moves I thought were best.” AP wire story, February 24, 1957.
48 David Lawson, a seventy-year-old American whose accent betrayed his Scottish birth NYT, December 28, 2008.
49 Lawson’s preference for dinner was Luchow’s Author’s conversation with David Lawson, December 1963, New York.
50 “Many people imagine that the chess club …” BFE, p. 12.
51 “The King stands for the boy’s penis” Reuben Fine, The Psychology of the Chess Player (New York: Dover Books, 1956), p. 12.
52 “You’ve tricked me” Fine, Bobby Fischer’s Conquest of the World’s Chess Championship, pp. 24–25.
53 “it becomes one of the ironic twists of history” Ibid.
54 “Ask me something unusual” NYT, February 23, 1958, p. SM 38.
55 “I went to the phone booth and called my mother …” BFE, p. 12.
56 “it was the title that really mattered” BFE, p. 13.
57 “it was, of course, ridiculous for us to consider,” BFE, p. 13.
58 “Bobby Fischer should finish slightly over the center mark” CR, January 1958, p. 12.
59 “Reshevsky’s busted.” NYT, February 23, 1958, p. SM 38.
Chapter 4: The American Wunderkind
Letters to Bobby’s teacher, Jack Collins, and to his mother, about his visit to Moscow, followed by his entry into the Interzonal, Portorož 1958, illuminated how he felt about his first international tournament. The FBI files on Regina Fischer and the KGB files as paraphrased in the book Russians Versus Fischer also added further evaluative information.
1 hoping to supply information to the House Un-American Activities Committee Letter to FBI under FOI Act, sent July 24, 2009.
2 To others he proclaimed Shakhmatny Bulletin “the best chess magazine in the world” Johnson, p. 131.
3 Bobby made a mental note of which openings being played around the world won more games than others Fischer, My 60 Memorable Games, p. 18.
4 At the Four Continents, Bobby bought a hardcover Russian-language copy of The Soviet School of Chess for $2. Kotov and Yudovich, p. 8.
5 When Bobby was 14, he gave an interview to a visiting Russian journalist CR, January 1959, p. 8.
6 “I watch what your grandmasters do.” CR, January 1959, p. 8.
7 Bobby pored over Buschke’s holdings for hours, looking for that one book PRO, p. 11.
8 When Bobby won the U.S. Championship, Buschke gave him a $100 gift certificate PRO, p. 27.
9 Her oft-quoted statement that she’d tried everything Johnson, p. 127.
10 She also compiled the addresses and telephone numbers Copies of various address books of Regina Fischer. MCF.
11 I. A. Horowitz, the editor of Chess Review, claimed that she was a “pain in the neck” Author’s conversation with I. A. Horowitz, July 1972, New York.
12 “I hope Bobby will become a great chess champion” Letter from Regina Fischer to Maurice Kasper, October 1, 1957, MCF.
13 “Keep it up but don’t wear yourself down at it. Swim, nap.” Letter from Regina Fischer to Bobby Fischer, August 8, 1958, MCF.
14 The $64,000 Question was so popular that even President Eisenhower watched it every week Metz, Robert, CBS: Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye (New York: NAL, 1976), p. 78.
15 “It made interesting conversation while it lasted, anyway.” Bobby reflecting on The $64,000 Question in an essay he wrote, circa 1958, MCF.
16 “I’m not afraid of anything,” Regina answered, “and I have nothing to hide.” FBI file, p. 139.
17 Consequently, there was a sweeping investigation taking place of her activities, past and present FBI file.
18 The confidential FBI report on Regina FBI.
19 Undercover agents rifled through Joan Fischer’s records at Brooklyn College FBI.
20 “My mother,” said Joan Fischer, “is a professional protester.” Joan Fischer, undated and unsourced clipping, FB.
21 Regina had been “kicked out” of the Communist Party FBI report to the director from SAC, NY100-102290, August 24, 1953, p. 1.
22 She sent a letter directly to Premier Nikita Khrushchev Johnson, p. 128.
23 Agents and informers continued to spy on the Fischers FBI report to the director from SAC, NY100-102290, August 24, 1953, p. 2.
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.