In Reykjavik, Iceland today, Bobby Fischer failed to show up
for his second game against Boris Spassky.
Unpredictable Bobby Fischer stayed in bed today
rather than show up for Game Two
in his world title match with chess champion Boris Spassky of Russia.
The match between the world's chess champion
Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer took a strange turn
when Fischer failed to show up at the scheduled time
and forfeited Game Two.
The entire world seems to be asking the same question.
What will Bobby Fischer do next?
...half the witnesses they call
are Communists, the other half are Jews.
If you're both, do you testify twice?
Go ahead, make jokes, Mr. Liberal.
Your entire family wasn't gassed at the camps.
Mama.
Mama! Not now, Bobby.
I have to talk to you.
Bobby, it's past your bedtime. Joan?
There's a car out there.
What car?
You told me to tell you. A red 1952 Chevy.
Bobby, you remember what I told you?
There are bad people out there who want to intimidate us,
because we represent something very threatening to them,
to the status quo. You remember what that is?
Revolution?
Yes. And sometimes these bad people want to know about our work.
So they spy on us.
So if someone comes up to you on the street
and asks you questions about me
or Mommy's friends, what do you say?
I have nothing to say to you.
That's my big boy.
Ugh. Joan, Joan, Joan, he's got mustard on his shirt.
He's gotta wear that to school tomorrow. Would you soak it for me?
Love to.
And put him to bed.
Bedtime for Bonzo.
I'm Carmine Nigro, and I'm told you are a chess player.
Our church, all colors and creeds welcome.
Bobby.
Choose.
Let's see what we got here, eh?
Most young people don't have the concentration to play at a high level,
so please don't get your hopes up.
He's beaten everyone he's ever played.
My hopes are he will give up on the damned game if someone beats him.
Okay. It's your move.
Do you like baseball, Bobby?
Eh? Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese?
Mmm-hmm.
Bobby, have you ever been to the moon on the subway?
Mmm-hmm.
If I take the pieces away, he just keeps
playing in his head. Day and night.
Took him to a shrink, he said to come here.
Well, his game is good, not exceptional, though.
Hmm.
Who taught him to move like this?
He taught himself.
Bobby, shall we call it a draw?
Hmm?
He hates draws.
Check.
Mate.
I'm officially the 25th best chess player in New York City.
I can tell you he has great potential.
Come here. Come here.
Again.
Carmine, it's your move.
I know it's my move.
Come on.
I'm thinking.
Come on, Carmine. It's your turn.
Bobby, I know it's my turn.
Just go.
Come on.
Bobby, I still have time on the clock, okay?
Let me think.
Fine.
Your move, Bobby.
Mate.
There's a rising star in the chess world,
and he's only 12 years old.
His name is Bobby Fischer.
Today he played American Master Donald Byrne
and beat him in what is already
being described as "The Game of the Century."
So, Bobby, what's next for you?
It's either I beat them, or they beat me. You know?
With an impressive string of five victories,
Bobby today became the youngest ever
United States Chess Champion.
Mmm.
You're back.
And you won. Congratulations.
Every night, I hear you two screw.
Bobby, put those down.
Bobby... Shut up, Size 12.
You live in my house and you're not my father, okay?
Bobby. Where is my father?
Come on. I was born, right?
What did you do with him? Is he on Earth? Does he even exist?
Honey. That was a long time ago.
So what? You can't remember?
Where is he?
Gone. Gone where?
It doesn't matter.
It matters to me.
You know what? Get the fuck outta here.
You know what? Go back to Moscow with your Commie friends.
I am studying, day and night. And I'm gonna be the next world champion.
Do you understand me?
I need silence. Do you understand? I want silence.
Mom said you're staying at the chess club.
It's quiet there.
And what about high school?
Ha.
She still there?
She fixed up the apartment. Even got the hot water heater working.
She won't be living there anymore.
She's going to do politics in California with Cyril.
You mean King Kong. Mate.
Mom was worried.
She thought if they went away, you'd go home.
Sleep in a bed.
That's what she told you? Huh?
And you bought it?
She's running away with some nutcase Bigfoot Communist.
Oh, oh, and you know what? "It's for Bobby's benefit."
You said you wanted quiet.
You won, Bobby.
Be happy.
In Portoroz, Yugoslavia today,
American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer
became the youngest ever Grandmaster in the history of the game.
Congratulations, Bobby. Where do you go from here?
Well, uh, I want to play the Russians.
They're the best in the world,
and I'm gonna beat 'em all.
Having won the Interzonal, he is the odds-on favorite
to win the Candidates Tournament
and gain a match against the current world champion.
How are you feeling?
I'm ready.
It's my time.
Mr. Spassky, a quick chat please?
This is ridiculous.
King to rook three. Knight to king six.
Pawn takes queen, bishop to knight seven.
It's over.
The Russians are drawing games on purpose to save their strength
and they're dumping games to pad their points,
making it statistically impossible for me to win.
Mr. Fischer, your complaint has been lodged.
There's nothing we can do.
Of course there's something you can do.
They're playing a team game. It's five guys against one.
Against me! Can we go back inside? Please?
No, I'm not interested... Bobby, don't...
What the hell are you doing about this anyways?
All right. Come here, gather 'round. I got something to say.
I want to make this very clear.
The Russians are cheats.
Everybody knows what's going on.
The corrupt Federation does nothing to stop it.
And there can be no legitimate world champ if I'm not playing.
And I'm not gonna play.
Because this is unfair. It's unjust. It's immoral!
I quit!
I don't just quit this tournament, I am quitting chess!
Move. Move.
Bobby.
Bobby, wait. We'll go back inside and apologize.
You can still place well...
What are you talking about?
This was it!
What do you think I've been working the past
10 years of my life for?
I was gonna be the youngest world champ in the history of the game!
That's over now.
They stole it from me, Carmine, they took it!
That was today! Today!
English. This is America.
Ah, the American boy who hates us but cannot resist our magazines.
Spassky is becoming the new messiah.
They say he won't ever lose a match.
Someone left this for you.
A lawyer. You are in trouble, maybe?
Do you want a game?
You think I'm stupid?
So you know who I am.
Yeah. I know who you are.
I've been trying to reach you.
You don't answer your phone.
Ah. You're that lawyer.
What did I do?
Nothing. Nothing. You did nothing.
You do nothing. That's why I'm here.
I read your article in Sports Illustrated.
You told the truth about the Russians.
Yeah, that's right, I did.
Oh, did you see this?
"Soviet invasion to hit California surf."
"World's greatest chess players to visit U.S."
Yeah, I saw that. They say it's just a game
for fun, hand of friendship, all that crap.
But you know the truth. They're laughing at us.
They think their chess dominance proves
Soviet intellectual superiority over the decadent West.
I don't really care about politics.
They're using chess to say... "Screw America."
Yeah, I'm about the game, you see.
Two guys at a board, one makes a move,
the other makes a move, and that's it.
I'm a chess fan myself.
I'm also hopelessly patriotic.
I take an interest in people like yourself. Creative people.
I create the wherewithal that allows them to do what they do.
Ask Jimi Hendrix.
Ask the Rolling Stones. If I can help them, I can help anybody.
I'd like to represent you, Mr. Fischer.
So you're out to make a buck.
No, I don't need the money. I'd be doing this for free.
Pro Bono.
You're the one man in this country who could put up a fight.
Maybe even beat them.
I'd like a front row seat when the good guys win.
If I went back to competition,
there'd have to be some real changes.
It's got to be fair.
If you're serious about playing, I'll see what I can do.
That is if you still wanna play.
Call me.
He's very excited about this.
I'm only a selector on the committee.
You see, he apologizes to the Federation.
With profanity on that first line.
Ah.
Well, he's nursed a grudge for a long time. Mmm-hmm.
He's studied how the Russians play.
Every day. Eighteen hours a day.
For four years. Mmm-hmm.
For him, Vietnam and the Beatles never happened.
I'm guessing he still has his opinions about the Soviets?
Well, you'll promise the committee we'll keep him out of trouble.
The Piatigorsky was organized to build bridges, not to burn them.
So we lose 12 to zero, and that's a bridge?
He asked for you.
Wants you to be his second.
He respects you.
You're the only one who ever beat Spassky.
We were young. He'd destroy me now.
And you've beaten Bobby.
That was a long time ago.
Bobby has problems.
So did Mozart.
He might crack.
Bobby won't crack.
He will explode.
Bobby, Bill's here.
Ah.
Hey, Bobby, how you doing?
Against Petrosian in Zurich, you sacrificed your king's pawn.
You know that's the thing that got you, right?
You always play too cautiously,
and you go crazy in the other direction.
That's a real weakness.
Hey, if I criticize a priest, do I go to hell?
Depends if you believe in hell.
Yeah. All right.
I'm gonna show you how you could have won in 13 moves.
Huh.
Castle, pawn,
knight, bishop, rook... That's you.
All right.
King goes there, pawns...
All right. Now here, here's where you screwed up.
You got greedy, and you traded knight for bishop
and you sacrificed your pawn, right? Mmm-hmm.
Now,
what if you'd done this instead?
You see, the Russians are like boa constrictors.
If you do nothing, they strangle you to death.
But if you confuse them, you attack them from everywhere,
then all they can do is react.
Now here, you see, I got my machine gun
lined up, bearing down on the king.
Now he tries to defend himself. I sacrifice my rook.
And now the real attack begins.
Check.
Check. Take.
Hey, Bobby, you know this tournament's about diplomacy.
No, this tournament, like all tournaments, is about winning.
So...
Okay, well. Rook takes bishop.
Of course.
Now, he thinks he's safe, but I've been developing a plot to kill his king.
You see, my rook is sitting there waiting,
forgotten about in the background.
I bring him into the hunt.
Now the king flees.
Even his beloved queen can't do anything.
She's just sitting there, watching... Mmm-hmm.
...as the noose tightens.
And finally...
He sees the end.
Holy shit.
Hey, I didn't know a priest could use bad language.
I like this guy.
So, uh, we going to California?
This is 93 KHJ Los Angeles.
Don't be fooled by the warm weather, kids.
Because the Cold War just blew into town.
The Soviet chess team arrived today in L.A. for a goodwill tournament.
With them is the current world champion, Boris Spassky.
The comrades are booked into the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
So much for working-class values.
If you're listening, guys,
welcome to the Free World and enjoy the sunshine.
Four C... What? Yeah, yeah.
Six A. It's really hot in here. What's going on?
Repair guy didn't show.
You know, you promised hotels. This place is a real dive.
Are you a rock star? He acts like a rock star.
You realize I have to prepare, right?
Right? Yeah.
Well, you know what? What?
I ain't stayin' here.
Bobby.
These are improved accommodations?
This is improved.
Staying at a roach motel.
Somebody else is paying for it.
Yeah, well, where are the Russians staying?
We don't have their kind of money.
Didn't we invent money?
We rely on private donors.
Yeah, right.
The Russians, they get whatever they want
because they know what it takes to win.
And I end up staying next to Route 66. All I want is some quiet!
So stop yelling.
Yeah, yeah. Right. Sorry.
Hey, what's your name?
I'm Donna.
Yeah, well, uh... Yeah, I'll see you later, Donna. I'm going for a walk.
Want some company?
Sure.
Wait. I'll be right there.
Uh...
And he hasn't even started playing.
You walk pretty fast.
This all you wanted to do?
We could sit down.
Oh. Okay.
So what do you do, Donna?
I screw people.
Yeah?
Mmm-hmm.
Oh. So do I.
Listen, uh...
I was thinking about getting rid of my virginity.
Is that right?
Yeah, that's right.
Bishop to queen three.
Bishop to knight five.
Knight to knight five.
Mmm. King rook to queen one.
Ah. Queen to knight four.
Yeah, that's not even me. That's Morphy versus Anderssen.
Pawn to queen rook four.
Queen to king seven.
Queen takes queen.
Rook takes queen.
Shit!
Hey. You ready? Yeah.
Background on the Soviets.
You're kidding, right?
Yeah, I know every game every one of these guys has ever played.
You know, they're sitting by the pool
at their fancy hotel, laughing, having drinks.
They have no idea.
You guys coming?
I think he's ready. Yeah.
Bobby's disappeared. He'll be here.
If he's not seated in three minutes, he forfeits.
He'll be here. Yeah? A little prayer wouldn't hurt.
I pray for his opponent.
Bobby? You here?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
What the hell? You've got, like, seconds to take your seat.
Great. If my mom comes,
will you give that to her? Yes.
Yeah, she lives in California now,
so you never know. She might show.
Bobby, you've drawn Ivanovich in the first round.
Hey, whatever you do, don't let her get in. It screws up my game.
I told her she could listen on the radio.
Bobby, Ivanovich is officially the third best chess player in the world.
Fourth.
If he doesn't make his move in 60 seconds, the game will be forfeited.
Adjust.
Americans don't beat Russians at chess.
But it happened today in Santa Monica.
And when American chess sensation Bobby Fischer's around,
itjust keeps on happening.
We have a problem.
Mr. Fischer?
Yeah. I've decided I'm not playing again
until all my conditions are met.
What conditions?
Well, first off, I want to arrive in a big black car,
you know, just like the Russians.
Limousines cost money.
And number two, you know I was on the front page of the L.A. Times today?
Ticket sales are through the roof. Mmm-hmm.
A thousand people are paying $5 apiece just to see me play.
That's $5,000. Mmm.
I want 30%. That's $1,500.
Uh, Bobby...
No. Money is respect, Paul.
And number three, I want at least five feet between me and the audience.
You know, I can smell their breath.
It's almost like I hear their thoughts, you know.
My thoughts need to be on the board.
Is that all?
Well, why don't you have someone check
and make sure our phones aren't being bugged.
The rest is on the list.
Hey.
Hi. So, I heard you won.
So congrats. Oh, thanks.
What's wrong with the phone in your room?
Oh, I heard this click-click,
I thought maybe, you know, my phone was bugged.
Who you calling? Uh, hold on...
Uh, hello, operator? I'm looking for a number for Regina Fischer.
Uh... I don't know, I thought maybe...
Well, I don't know, somewhere near the beach.
I'm in Santa Monica,
so I don't know, maybe somewhere around here?
I'm making sure my mom doesn't come tomorrow.
She can be distracting.
And I'll say hello to her and...
Hello? Uh...
Oh, okay. Well, never mind, then.
So, you wanna lose your virginity tonight?
Uh, oh, uh...
Well, I haven't forgotten about our arrangement,
and I am looking forward to it, but, uh...
But I gotta stay focused tonight.
I slaughtered one of them today,
so tomorrow they're going to come at me like banshees.
Okay.
All right. Uh...
Well, good luck. See you later.
I passed up having sex for this.
Passed it up for 20 years.
So, Boris, it looks like Bobby has improved his game.
What do you think?
Tomorrow, a record crowd will watch the American Bobby Fischer
as he faces Russian World Champion
Boris Spassky in the final match.
Fischer, whose demands for more money
have infuriated tournament promoters,
has won a remarkable eight matches in a row.
But tomorrow will definitely be his greatest test.
Pawn to king three. Queen to king one. Knight to rook four...
What?
Uh...
I, uh...
I like to play the King's Indian,
but he's an expert on the Samisch, so...
Who?
Spassky. So I thought maybe a Grunfeld,
but then I have to find an answer to pawn bishop four.
You know, I was wondering, did you reach your mom yet?
I bet she'd be proud.
Uh...
I need to go through this.
I need to work through this, so I thought maybe...
Uh...
Sure. Yeah.
Well, that was great for me, too.
Thank you.
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
How you feeling?
I'm fine.
Did you eat?
You mind not talking?
That's good. Okay.
Thanks.
Bobby, how does it feel to lose?
That's a stupid question.
How'd he beat you, Bob? Would you understand if I answered that?
He was playing to draw.
Bobby, no one expected you to beat Spassky.
Yeah, I did.
They're waiting to give you the runner's-up medal.
Ha! No thanks.
At least, uh, talk to the TV people! Oh, forget him. Forget him.
He's disappeared. He'll be back.
What makes you so sure?
It's all that matters to him. Without chess, he doesn't exist.
You think he can ever beat Spassky?
Hypothetically,
what would it take to make him world champion?
The desk clerk asked why we were making so many calls to D.C.
I haven't been calling D.C.
Who've you been talking to?
There are people in high places
who take an interest in any confrontation
between us and the Soviet Union.
State Department? CIA?
White House?
Bobby wants limos, he gets limos.
And they'll throw in "honorariums" for each victory.
Paid for by whom?
Are you a patriot, Father?
Mostly.
Bobby may be a little off,
but he understands this whole thing better than you.
We're at war.
Only it's not being fought by guns and missiles. Not yet, at least.
It's a war of perception.
The poor kid from Brooklyn against the whole Soviet Empire.
The perfect American story.
So your interest in this is ideological.
But what's in it for you?
There's such a thing as doing well by doing good.
And you haven't answered my question.
Bobby Fischer...
Bobby Fischer is the second best chess player I've ever seen.
He's also got severe problems in his head.
Which need to be understood and managed.
Managed? Bobby?
You ever hear of Paul Morphy?
1855. Greatest player this country ever had.
Before Bobby, that is. But by 21,
he'd beat every master in Europe.
But then, things started to get a little weird.
He started having visions, and became
convinced that people were trying to
poison him, and he quit
at 26,
and eventually killed himself
in a bathtub surrounded by 12 pairs of ladies' shoes.
So, this game...
It's a rabbit hole.
After only four moves, there's more than 300 billion options to consider.
There's more 40-move games than there are stars in the galaxy.
So, it can take you very close to the edge.
Could he win?
If Bobby were to go for the title,
it would mean traveling around the world
playing tournaments for three years.
In my opinion, he might not make it that long.
It's your job to see that he does.
If we can ever find him.
Holy shit.
They following me?
Hey!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Over here!
You guys following me?
Hey!
You're soft!
You got your guys...
You're a stooge! I got nothing!
Hey.
Where you going? I'm talking to you!
Hey! Where you going?
I'm coming for you!
This is BBC News.
Today in Hungary,
American Bobby Fischer returned to international competition
by defeating the number-five player in the world,
Viktor Korchnoi,
and declared his intention to become world champion.
How do you feel?
And so begins the grueling challenge
of defeating the grandmasters who stand between Fischer
and the newly crowned world champion, Boris Spassky.
Bobby, you dominated the competition.
How do you feel?
I feel good. You know, these guys
didn't offer me much competition.
I see this as an obstacle course
to the World Championship and then, uh...
Then they'll have to agree to the conditions I want.
Over here, Bobby. You think the Russians are worried about you?
Oh, yeah. They've been worried about me ever since I started playing chess.
You know, I'm kinda picking these guys off,
but they've been preparing for me,
so you never know what's up their sleeve.
Think anybody can beat you?
The tide of history is changing, friend.
God's plan has left them behind,
so they plot to take the world away from God.
They seek to destroy our great Christian nation.
As it is written in Revelations 18, he will use one nation...
What are you listening to? ...to punish another nation.
He will take vengeance on this modern devil.
You mind closing the door?
And they will do anything in their power to destroy us.
Sure.
Theirs is an international conspiracy.
Mossad, KGB, the military-industrial complex
and an unholy cabal of Jewish banks.
Ah, Joanie, Joanie, Joanie,
I'm between three airports and hell.
I have 10 minutes in New York to see my wife, kiss my kids, talk to you.
How the hell you been? You're looking great.
I have to see him.
Every time I call, they say his phone is broken.
That happens.
You mean he breaks them.
I want to take him to see a doctor.
Uh, well, that just won't be possible. He's already in Vancouver.
These.
Every week,
his letters, they...
They get more crazy.
More crazy. You take a look. Go ahead.
Um, they're private letters to you, Joan. I, um...
I respect his privacy.
I showed them to a psychiatrist friend.
He said that Bobby is displaying signs of, um...
Of paranoia and delusional psychosis.
Well... Chess is a crazy world.
Some of the things he says about the Soviets are true.
In Tunis, we found listening devices in his hotel room.
"The Communists infect my mind with words that just keep repeating.
"The Jews are helping them, too.
"The Jews want to keep the Chess Federation all to themselves,
"just like they own New York,
"and own and control most governments in the world."
We...
We are Jewish.
Bobby is Jewish. What do you people say to him
when he comes out with this trash?
He doesn't listen to me.
He doesn't listen to anybody.
Joanie, look. I swear, this isn't just about the title anymore.
It's about the kind of games he's playing.
Out of all the crazy stuff,
such unimaginable beauty.
A da Vinci, they're saying, from Brooklyn.
Once every, what, 500 years, grandmasters are watching Bobby play
with tears in their eyes.
Joanie, look, I'll take care of him.
Okay? I'll take care of him.
I'll make sure his life doesn't get too crazy.
There he is, there he is!
Hey, Bobby! Right here.
You've never beaten Spassky before.
Why do you think you can beat him now?
This is BBC News.
Today, Bobby Fischer beat Russian Grandmaster Tigran Petrosian
in the semi-final of the World Chess Championships.
Fischer will now face the current world champion, Boris Spassky.
Bobby, with this win,
you're guaranteed a shot at the Championship. How does it feel?
It's about time. I always said I was the best.
Everyone said, "Oh, he's an arrogant, terrible, conceited person,"
but now it's just an obvious fact I'm the best.
You've never beaten Spassky.
The Russians are saying you don't have a chance against him.
I don't care two cents about him
one way or the other. He's just another guy.
What's this about the Russians spying on you?
Oh, yeah. Sure. Yeah. I've seen them following me,
they bugged the phones in my hotel rooms.
I heard they can even listen through the fillings in your teeth.
You're kidding, right? No, I'm not kidding.
You should go see your dentist.
Petrosian said he wasn't well.
He's the second Russian to get sick playing you.
Yeah, they're all getting sick.
Bobby. Bobby.
That's it.
Bobby, Bobby, Bobby.
Wide World of Sports is already offering a segment.
Yeah. Cavett wants you, and...
Are you ready? Are you sitting down? Are you sitting down?
Mike Wallace called. Mike Wallace called. 60 Minutes, Bobby.
Well, it's about time.
You know, I don't want to get distracted doing a bunch of press, though.
No, this is not ordinary press, Bobby.
I know, I know, I know. I'll do the big ones.
That's great. That is great. Only...
Hey, I'm starved. Let's get some food.
When we do these shows...
Yeah. ...just go easy on the bugging and the teeth.
What are you talking about?
I'm just saying what's on my mind. No, I know.
I'm telling the truth. I know. I know. I know.
There's nothing wrong with what I'm saying. I know.
And people like that. It's just, you need to be careful.
Some things you say, they can be misinterpreted.
People get worried when you talk like that.
What are you saying? "People get worried."
Who? What people? No one. No one.
You're talking about yourself.
Which of these interviews do you want to do?
Now, wait a second. What did you mean, "People begin to worry"?
What are you talking about? Doesn't matter.
I think Cavett is a great idea.
Hey, what... Why do you keep changing the subject?
I'm not changing... I'm asking you a question.
You said people get worried. What people?
Uh... Joan.
Joan? My sister? How would you know that? Did you talk to her?
I was in New York.
We, um...
We had a cup of coffee.
You met with my sister? Without telling me?
What... Why would you do that?
She called me, Bobby. What were you guys talking about?
Were you talking about me?
I was looking out for your interests.
That's my job. Hey, don't "lawyer" me, Paul.
I'm not trying to. Don't lawyer me.
You're talking with my family behind my back.
Did I ask you to do that?
What were you doing? You spying on me?
I was trying to help you, Bobby. I don't understand
why you thought that was a good idea.
There are a hundred more of you, you know.
Just right behind you, waiting in line to be here.
Hey, pull over. Um...
Stop the car. Wait a minute. Bobby, Bobby.
We're about to get everything you've ever wanted.
Stop the car!
Pull over! Stop the car now!
Bishop, bishop six.
Uh...
King to queen four.
Rook, rook five.
Pawn to king five.
So?
He's back in his room.
Is he okay?
He's in there listening to those tapes of his.
Isn't that some kind of God Squad?
Those people know as much about God as you do.
I'd have thought you'd approve.
Should we try to get him to see someone? A psychiatrist?
Never gonna happen.
Concierge told me he asked to have the TV removed from his room
'cause he thinks the Russians are watching him through the screen.
Maybe they are.
He also believes they're gonna try to blow up his plane.
What good would a doctor do?
Give him a diagnosis.
Give him a pill.
That would be like pouring concrete down a holy well.
Bobby Fischer, the United States Chess Champion,
has challenged World Champion Boris Spassky in a 24-game series.
...playing Boris Spassky. Are you afraid?
I'm not afraid of him. He's afraid of me.
Last time we played, a couple of people said they saw him trembling.
Fischer, the first American in history
to reach the finals of the World Championship,
is the latest arrival in our growing culture of celebrity.
But who would have thought that a chess player
could suddenly become a rock star?
My next guest is prepared to take on the Russians single-handed.
And he may win.
Will you welcome a bright boy from Brooklyn, Mr. Bobby Fischer.
All right.
Do you honestly think that you probably
are the world's greatest chess player?
Yeah. Yeah. Right.
You know what LIFE magazine said?
"Bobby Fischer is single-handedly changing the face of chess,
"making it the fastest-growing sport."
And what's the moment of pleasure for you?
Is it when you see the guy in trouble?
What is the greatest pleasure?
What would correspond to hitting the home run in baseball?
Greatest pleasure?
When you break his ego. That's where it's at.
- Really? - Yeah.
And when does that occur? When he sees that he's finished?
When he sees it coming. And breaks all up inside.
Their goal is nothing short of world domination.
And unless they are stopped, that goal will soon be within their grasp.
Look at the godless Soviet Union
and their relentless march across Eastern Europe.
Look at the illegitimate state of Israel,
whose expansionist ambitions have usurped Palestine from its true heirs
in the kingdom of Judah.
Indeed, the people of Israel are not even the real Jews.
That tribe was taken captive
by King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon in 600 B.C...
Bobby, turn the music down.
He doesn't want the Russians to know what plane we're taking.
And I want the food to travel with us on the plane, Paul.
You got it, Bobby.
We have some issues.
Yeah, well, the plane leaves in two hours. With the traffic...
And make sure there's enough oranges. Check.
There's never enough oranges. Uh-huh.
He wants all the food flown in and prepared in front of him.
Okay.
He also wants $46,875 in his bank account before he plays.
He'll pick up the rest when he wins.
Well, that's not going to happen.
Yeah, otherwise he's not going.
Which is what he wants anyway.
Hey, what are you guys whispering about in there?
Just talking travel plans, Bobby. Who's traveling?
You're really serious about all this?
They gotta give me what I want.
Mmm-hmm. And if they don't?
Well, we can play in this hotel room. I like it here.
Let me get this straight,
you're willing to throw all this away for money and oranges?
That's right. I don't need to play. I know I'm the best.
I think you're scared.
And I think you're overwhelmed.
What is that, like, um, pop psychology?
Yeah.
You've got the passports, right?
You've got them? Yeah.
I want my passport.
Look, you...
We're not leaving for a half an hour.
Yeah. Yeah, maybe I'll take a later flight. Or not. Okay.
Okay.
Well, that's kind of funny, seeing a priest get mad.
I'm getting on the phone right now.
I'm gonna make this work.
I don't mind either way.
I really got nothing to prove.
I'm not so sure about the deal, Paul.
Well, um, what's the issue, Bobby?
I don't know. Something's not right.
We settled too low. I ought to get 30%.
Bobby, we agreed on 25%.
Well, it's 30% now. We agreed.
Well, I changed my mind, Paul.
I understand that. But, Bobby, you just can't change your mind like that.
We're here. We're at the airport.
What am I supposed to do about it?
I don't have to get on the plane.
I don't know what you're supposed to do about it.
You're not gonna get on the plane? Now?
There he is! Bobby! Bobby!
What is this, Paul?
I told you, no photographers!
Move it! Out of the way!
All right, fine.
Bobby! Bobby!
Where to? Just go! Drive!
Another bizarre turn today in the World Chess Championships,
when Bobby Fischer failed to appear for the opening ceremonies.
Meanwhile, Bobby's opponent, Boris Spassky, arrived in Reykjavík today,
to the excitement of all of Iceland.
FIDE adjudicator, Wolfgang Schmidt, had this to say.
I am honored but confused.
I was always led to believe that chess needed two people for a game.
Unfortunately, our American friends
have managed to lose their famous Mr. Bobby Fischer.
Ooh!
One hopes they are not so careless with their nuclear weapons.
Mr. Tremblay, is Bobby not showing
affecting Iceland relationships?
Is it true he denied $2 million to come to Reykjavík?
I love chess. The world loves chess.
We are here to celebrate chess.
Excuse us, please.
Still no sign of Bobby Fischer,
the American chess player who thinks he's the best in the world.
Fischer today was supposed to be in Reykjavik, Iceland
to start playing Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union
in what promises to be the Super Bowl of the chess world,
if it ever comes off, and that's a big if.
Fischer is still believed to be in New York City,
where he was last seen in public...
Mama? Yeah, baby?
There are men on the lawn.
Today the International Chess Federation said,
"If Fischer is not in Iceland by noon on Tuesday,
"he will be disqualified."
In other news, the White House refused to comment
on the recent break-in
at the Watergate headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.
Hello? Hello?
Bobby, is that you?
Yeah. I, uh...
They promised me no photographers,
and a bunch of them showed up,
so I had to get out of there.
Where are you?
I'm here, I'm at home.
So, I was going to the airport,
and they promised no photographers,
and a bunch of them showed up, so I had to get out of there.
I had to show them, Joan.
They told me no photographers.
They keep doing this to me,
everywhere I go, all the time.
People keep doing this to me. Yeah.
It's not fair.
Hey, Bobby, are you okay?
Well, you know that 727 that went down?
You know, they said the fuel tank exploded.
Yeah, well, that seemed kind of funny to me. Right?
You know, they don't tell us everything.
Yeah, no, they don't, that's true.
And the KGB, they kill people. They do. That's real.
They put poison on the tips of their umbrellas... Crazy things.
You understand? Yeah.
Baby, you stay there, okay? I'm going to come over.
These people, I wouldn't put anything past them.
Who? Who people, Bobby? The Russians. You believe me.
They would like it if I dropped dead tonight.
You hear that?
Oh, my God. What? Do I hear what?
Shh.
I don't know. There's a noise on the phone.
Do you hear it?
No, I don't hear anything.
Bobby?
We have a NATO base out there and I asked for the Marines to guard me.
They said no to me. They said no, Joan!
With all the prestige I am bringing to this country.
I'm the most famous man in the world.
Do you hear that?
They put stuff in my food to mess with my mind, you know?
I don't know.
Bobby, you stay there. I'm gonna come over.
No, no, no. Listen... Joan, listen to me.
I'm trying to tell you something.
I keep... I keep thinking about this.
Just going over it and over it and over it in my mind.
I can't figure out what's next, Joan.
Do you know what I mean? Yeah.
Do you understand? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I understand, baby, yeah.
Bobby... Shh!
Joan. God damn it, do you hear that?
There's a noise.
Joan.
I gotta get off the phone. Bobby, you...
Uh...
Who's there?
Hey, pal, you in there?
Hey, can I come in? Got big news.
Yeah, what's that?
You wanted more money? I just got you an extra 130K.
Some English chess nut wants to see you play so bad.
Is the money real?
It's real. It's good. It's secure.
May I use your phone? Let folks know you're okay?
Hey, who's that? That's, uh, security.
They've fixed it for us at the airport.
We can go straight to the plane. No press.
Yes. Hello? I found him.
Henry Kissinger.
Pretty amazing, huh?
Hello?
Dr. Kissinger's on the line.
Hello, this is the worst chess player in the world
calling the best chess player in the world.
We just want you to know, the President and I,
that we are thrilled that you will be going
to Iceland to play for the U.S.A., Bobby.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
I decided to play.
This is the BBC World Service.
American chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer
is believed to be finally on his way to Iceland
for his match with Boris Spassky.
This is how we used to get Jagger out of here.
After months of negotiation,
Fischer will now face the current world champion, Boris Spassky.
What do you think of Bobby?
I don't know.
At least there's one reason to feel good about America.
A bit impolite.
Fischer is to chess like Ali is to boxing.
He's tedious, he's arrogant, he's inconsiderate.
At long last, Bobby Fischer arrived in Reykjavik today
after months of speculation that he wouldn't appear at all.
Yeah, well, the Russians have been telling lies about me since I was a kid.
How do you like Iceland, Bobby?
Iceland? Yeah, I'm, uh, happy to be here.
I feel like a Viking, ready to conquer.
Come on in. Take a look around. Yeah.
There's good.
It's five bedrooms.
Place even has a sauna.
All right. I'm gonna check out the rooms, see which one I want.
Go for it.
Yeah?
Ah.
Hey, uh...
What are you doing here?
I took a little time.
All right.
You want to work? Want to analyze some positions?
Maybe later.
What's wrong, you sick?
I'm just taking a break.
Okay. I'll check up on you in a few hours.
It's good to see you, Bobby.
Yeah, sure.
Couldn't stay away, huh?
I get it.
Yankees are playing in the series, you want a seat in the dugout.
Can I get one of these?
Billion people around the world watching two guys play chess.
Nixon's put a TV in the Oval Office.
Oh, yeah? Mmm.
World War III on a chess board.
We lost China.
We're losing Vietnam.
We have to win this one.
This is ABC's Wide World of Sports,
bringing you live coverage of the World Championship of Chess.
Best of 24 games.
Each win is worth a point, each draw is half a point.
It's the chess version of a 15-round heavyweight prize fight.
And the noise from the crowd tells us that Boris Spassky...
...in what will surely be a historic confrontation.
Where is he?
If the press could please take their seats.
We will now come together for the drawing of the colors.
Mr. Spassky?
Mr. Fischer, choose.
Mr. Fischer chose black. Mr. Spassky will begin.
So far, so good, yeah?
Mmm. They're playing a variation on a Nimzo.
A draw would be fine for our side.
Is that bad?
No, no. It simplifies the game.
The cameras are making too much noise. It's distracting.
I'll be back.
From the cameras?
Yeah, they're going like...
Come here.
Do you hear that?
It's just a camera.
Yeah. Well, you've got to move it back.
What?
Move the camera back. Move it back. Move the camera back.
You've got to get the audience under control, too.
What's wrong with the audience? They're making too much noise
and you're not doing anything about it. That's your job.
All right? Do your job.
Mr. Spassky's made his move. It's good.
Yes, yes.
Mr. Schmidt, he's trying to upset my player.
You see, the camera was making noise, we just moved it back.
He is upsetting my player.
Yes, it's fine. If you could just take your seats, please.
Thank you.
You don't look well, Robert James.
First game goes to Boris Spassky.
Bobby! Bobby! Hold on a second!
Don't yell at him. I'm not yelling at him. Bobby!
Bobby.
It's just one game.
One point. You'll take the next one.
Twelve and a half points is a long match.
The reporters will go after Spassky.
We could slip out another way.
You all right?
You hear that?
It's quiet in here.
Boris! Boris!
How did you feel?
How you doing, Bobby?
I'm not going to do it anymore.
Do what?
Play with all of these distractions. It's like a circus.
It's not what we agreed to.
You know, they've been doing this to me for years.
Making me all these promises, and they all turn out to be lies.
They've been doing it to me since I was a kid.
You know, I would get stuck in Europe with huge hotel room bills
when I was 15 years old.
The Federation would raise money
off of my back and funnel it to Reshevsky.
Another Jew, by the way. I don't know what I ever did to them.
And they're all out to screw me, the Russians and the Jews.
They got their dirty little fingerprints all over everything.
What are we talking about? The Jews.
Ah.
Bobby, you made a stupid mistake
and you got your ass handed to you.
No. I am not going to submit to their game...
If you don't get your head in the game...
We are going to play my way, with no audience...
...you're not just going to lose. ...and no distractions!
You're going to get humiliated in front of billions of people.
You guys brought me here under false pretenses, and you're going to fix it!
This is how I play!
You know, his mistake is that he didn't see this bishop.
Unless the rest of the games are played
without an audience and without cameras,
he isn't going to show up.
He won't continue unless the games are played in the Ping-Pong room?
That's the only place that's quiet, he says.
He also wants a different board.
It makes too much noise when he puts the pieces down.
He prefers wood.
It's like Morphy, it's destroying his brain.
No, chess isn't destroying him.
Why all the demands? It's like he wants them to say no.
I think he's afraid of what's gonna happen if he loses.
No. He's afraid of what's going to happen if he wins.
If the press... If the press could please take their seats.
The match was scheduled to begin at 5:00.
We will now start the clock.
Mr. Fischer failed to show.
Mr. Spassky wins by forfeit.
According to Federation rules,
Mr. Fischer has 24 hours to indicate in writing
that he wishes to continue,
otherwise Mr. Spassky will be declared world champion.
The match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer
has taken a decidedly disappointing turn.
- News in Reykjavik, - Iceland today,
Bobby Fischer failed to show up...
...the match is Spassky's, regardless of what happens now.
A two-point advantage is considered practically insurmountable.
Unpredictable Bobby Fischer stayed in bed today
rather than show up for Game Two
in his world title match with chess champion Boris Spassky.
The future of the match now is clouded in doubt,
although Game Three is still scheduled for Sunday.
Bobby?
I have messages from people all over the world
who want you to open this door.
Bobby?
The President of the United States called three times.
Three.
Ah, well. He's been trying to reach you.
In Moscow,
Brezhnev opened his only bottle of 1868 Louis Roederer.
Left over from the Revolution. You know why?
Because he heard you quit.
There are boys your age in Vietnam giving their lives right now
in the fight against Communism,
and all you have to do is play a game of chess.
Bobby. I've been arguing on your behalf all night long.
I've been threatening them for you.
I have cajoled, I have begged them, now I'm begging you.
Please, please, please.
Go back in there and play.
You're one of them, aren't you?
What? Who got to you?
KGB? CIA?
Are you serious?
This is BBC News.
The World Chess Championship looks to be ending in humiliation
for the American, Bobby Fischer,
whose demands that the game be held in a rec room
have led to widespread ridicule.
Stop here.
Thank you.
You won't believe it.
Spassky's agreed to play in the Ping-Pong room.
Yeah. Right.
Wait, where are you going?
Only one camera. It does not move. It makes no sound.
Good?
Good day, thank you.
Spasibo.
So, please, gentlemen.
If we can remember, the world is watching.
Did Nixon really call you?
Game's starting.
What's he doing?
I don't know.
He's playing the Benoni. Black, two games down.
He thinks it's suicide.
Is it suicide?
Yeah.
What's happening? He's exposing his king.
He's going to end up with doubled-up pawns here.
And yet he wants him to take it with the bishop.
Yeah, shit.
Oh, my God.
He's threatening mate in one.
He's going to force the exchange of these knights.
He hates draws.
He takes him.
Check.
Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky today
in the third game of the World Chess Championship.
Bobby Fischer won his first game ever from Russian Boris Spassky.
His Russian opponent, Boris Spassky,
resigned today's game on the 42nd move.
Fischer mania is taking the country by storm,
as news of Bobby Fischer's first victory over Boris Spassky
has captured the public's imagination.
Bobby, I love you so much. I know you're going to do amazing.
And win it for U.S.A.!
Go U.S.A.!
Bobby! Bobby!
A chess craze is sweeping the nation.
You can find it being played
in every living room, park and classroom.
And the young man from Brooklyn,
little known until about a month ago,
is quickly becoming the most famous celebrity in the world.
This is really amazing, Jim.
You can't imagine the tension involved
in a head-to-head match like this.
Excuse me?
Spassky took Bobby's bishop.
Yeah, well, I took his virginity.
Oh, wait, wait. Bobby's making a move.
Excuse me? They drew Game Four last night, you know?
Yeah, we know, asshole, we're watching the rerun.
Game Five goes to Mr. Bobby Fischer.
Mr. Spassky.
An electrical engineer examined the light fixture
and made an astounding discovery.
Inside, he found this.
Two dead flies.
Bobby Fischer's comeback in this match. That's historic in chess.
Certainly, Jim. And at this stage,
it looks as though whoever wins this game
will most likely go on to take the entire match.
This one game, Game Six, will determine the outcome?
I certainly think so.
Well, now we'll just have to see what happens.
Fischer has agreed to return to play in the Main Hall.
Press can step back, please. Thank you.
What's he doing?
We all can't quite believe it up here, Jim,
but in this, the pivotal game of the match,
Fischer has abandoned his trademark Sicilian opening.
All of Spassky's careful preparation is suddenly out the window.
Grandmasters are shaking their heads in confusion.
Fischer's moves are unprecedented in chess history.
No one seems to be able to decipher what he's doing.
Bravo.
Grandmasters never applaud an opponent's victory,
but I guess this is something no one has ever seen before.
Bobby? Can I get you anything?
No, thanks.
It'll be light soon.
Yeah, it's never really dark here.
Bobby.
The chess you've been playing is really inspired.
It's almost all theory and memorization.
People think there are all these options,
but there's usually one right move.
Of course, in the end, there's no place to go.
The United States is based on lies, it's based on theft.
Look at all I've done for the U.S.
But now I'm not useful anymore, you see?
The Cold War is over, and now they want to put me in prison.
I'm not sure, but if I know the Jews and the U.S.,
they may come at me with some attack I don't expect.
Life is like that when people are living in a dream world.
It's not really paradoxical.
Chess is basically a search for truth, right?
So, I'm searching for the truth.