Bobby Fischer gets Iceland residency

Perhaps the greatest chess player in history, certainly the most controversial chess player of the 20th century, Bobby Fischer has been in custody in Japan for the last six months, fighting deportation to the US. Why? Fischer is accused of violating US sanctions when he played a rematch in Yugoslavia in 1992 against longtime rival and 10th World Champion Boris Spassky. During this re-match of the 1972 World Championship, Fischer won and took home $3.5 million in prize money. Fischer's been trying to renounce his American citizenship for years and has been a man without a country for over a decade. Last night, Iceland (where the 1972 World Championship was played) granted Fischer a residency. He still has some challenges getting out of prison in Japan, but I, for one, would love to see him a free man again. I was 2 years old when Bobby became the 11th World Champion and his games are still a source of inspiration for me and as beautiful as any great artwork. Check out this game he played against Donald Byrne when he was 13 YEARS OLD.

Comments

[Ken Graham]

I was 9 years old when Bobby Fischer played Boris Spassky in Iceland. I remember that it was televised in the beginning and you could see the stress between the two players. Bobby would often stand up and pace around while Boris just tried to focus on the moves. While Bobby Fischer did lose the first two games, he emerged from the confrontation with victory in hand thus signaling to the Russians that Americans could win at chess too.

Today, 2007, Bobby Fischer is alive but not well in Iceland. I have seen interviews with him and listened to radio interviews via the internet and I cannot help but think he is a very deeply hurt man inside who is lashing out against the very thing that made him great...freedom of thought and speech and the daringness to be your own man.

Boris is now married to his third wife, lives in France and has survived a stroke but has been able to play chess. I think the most memorable picture from the 1992 "illegal" chess match was when Boris did his best to extend the hand of humanity to Bobby Fischer. Somehow, I think Spassky understands his pain.