Bobby Fischer interviewed by James Burke, 1972

[Paul Macklin]

Seem to have waited most of my life to see this, have only ever seen short clips. Now it’s been posted on YouTube in full. https://youtu.be/XzlObDyzcyU?si=g4l7UQerQo4YZ_l8

[Nick Ivell]

Very interesting. Thank you. Bobby clearly coherent and sane. Also interesting to hear from Gligoric and Larsen.

To be clear: Bobby was not the best player in the world in those early Candidates. Especially, Tal was in a different league in 1959. However, Bobby was not making up some wild conspiracy theory about 1962; although not the strongest player at Curacao, he really did have to work the hardest!

[Kevin Thurlow]

https://olimpbase.org/ind-wcc/wc1963-cand.html

When I first heard Fischer saying the Russians cheated, I assumed he was making it up, until I looked at the games. Petrosian, Keres and Geller had quick draws with each other, which looks a bit suspicious. Tal was ill, so presumably not part of the deal, and Korchnoi wasn't either.

Thanks to Paul for posting the link. Iceland does have proper roads now, although if you drive out of Reykjavik, you pass the last traffic light for about 300 miles - the next is just outside the other side of Reykjavik, when you complete the circuit. It was good to see BH Wood running the book stall and Harry Golombek spectating too, although he was probably the arbiter?

[Roland Kensdale]

https://olimpbase.org/ind-wcc/wc1963-cand.html

When I first heard Fischer saying the Russians cheated, I assumed he was making it up, until I looked at the games. Petrosian, Keres and Geller had quick draws with each other, which looks a bit suspicious. Tal was ill, so presumably not part of the deal, and Korchnoi wasn't either.

From memory it was Korchnoi who finally confirmed the Soviet games were pre-arranged. This occurred many times in the Soviet period.

Fischer was almost always correct when he limited himself to chess matters. In his last years he claimed the Karpov-Kasparov matches were fixed and was writing something to 'prove' this. I wonder what happened to his papers. Most people would doubt this, but it would have been interesting to see.

[Roger de Coverly]

Petrosian, Keres and Geller had quick draws with each other, which looks a bit suspicious. Tal was ill, so presumably not part of the deal, and Korchnoi wasn't either.

I believe that was known or at least suspected at the time, which is a reason FIDE switched the Candidates stage from tournaments to matches.

It's now again a tournament which reinstates the possibility of collusion between national squads against an outsider.

[MJMcCready]

Was the collusion their own or orders from above do you think?

[Ronnie Burton]

Great video. 0ur membership increased massively thanks to Bobby Fisher in 1972. He had medical problems later in life but I still rate him the greatest every. No computers but total total study over many hours

[Nick Burrows]

A prescient question:

"Don't you ever worry that the concentration on just one side of your personality might prove to have been a mistake?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to broaden myself. I read quite a bit—but it is a problem, yeah, 'cause you're kind of out of touch with real life. I've thought of giving it up off and on, but what else can I do? Nothing, right?"

[John Townsend]

Please see Edward Winter's feature article, Spassky v Fischer, Reykjavik, 1972:

https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/ext ... _Reykjavik

[Nick Ivell]

Interesting that Keene got a mention. I wonder if Bobby studied his games?

He probably did, as part of his work on the Pirc, not that Bobby was ever the greatest exponent of the hypermodern.

Still, if I were Raymond, I would be flattered at the mention.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I have always thought describing what happened in Curacao 1962 as "cheating" was overstating it.

It was somewhat dubious and FIDE were right to take account of that in switching to matches, however.

[Nick Burrows]

I have always thought describing what happened in Curacao 1962 as "cheating" was overstating it.

It was somewhat dubious and FIDE were right to take account of that in switching to matches, however.

Pre-arranged draw did not break the rules, so better characterisations are collusion, unethical & political manipulation. Not much of a stretch to sum them up as cheating