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 ten-page unpublished essay, Moscow, 2002, p. 8.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.