The Fischer defence

Last week as Bobby Fischer languished in a detention centre in Japan, his new fiancee announced their impending nuptials. Andrew Alderson reports on the latest twist in the bizarre life of the former world chess champion who has gone from Cold War hero to one of America's Most Wanted.

Bobby Fischer was deeply unhappy when a press photographer snatched a picture of him as he was being transferred to a new detention centre in Japan this month.

Fischer, the greatest chess player ever, turned virtual recluse, was not worried, however, about being photographed publicly for the first time in many years. Instead, he was concerned by his dishevelled appearance.

"It makes me look like Saddam Hussein," Fischer, 61, told Miyoko Watai, his new fiancee, after the Mainichi Daily News published a "world exclusive" picture of the burly, bearded and greying chess legend dressed in blue jeans, a denim shirt and an open, short-sleeved black jacket.

It was typical of the once fashion-conscious Fischer that, as he languished in detention facing one of the greatest battles of his life, he was troubled by vanity. Even as a teenager, he boasted of owning 17 bespoke suits which he justified by saying: "I don't want to look like a bum."

Fischer, a mass of self-doubt and contradictions, was arrested at Narita Airport on July 13 for using an American passport that the US government said had been revoked. At the time, he was trying to leave Japan, where he has lived for the past four years, to fly to the Philippines, apparently to visit friends.

The American government wants Fischer extradited to his homeland to face allegations that he broke an international embargo when he travelled to Montenegro in 1992 and earned more than $3 million (£1.7 million) for defeating his great Russian rival, Boris Spassky. If found guilty of "sanctions busting" during the height of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, he faces up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 (£142,000) fine.

Friends of Fischer say that this is spiteful and that the real reason behind it is that that the former chess world champion, in the days after the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York three years ago, displayed enormous disrespect towards the US and the terrorists' 3,000 victims.

"This is all wonderful news," he raged in a live radio interview. "I applaud the act. The US and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians, just slaughtering them, for years. Robbing them and slaughtering them. Nobody gave a s***. Now it's coming back to the US. F*** the US. I want to see the US wiped out. Death to the US."

The current displeasure of the US government contrasts poignantly with American feelings towards Fischer in 1972 when - at the height of the Cold War - he defeated Spassky in Iceland to become world chess champion. On that occasion, he was presented with the keys to New York, then his home city, on his return from Reykjavik.

Last week Fischer's extraordinary life took another bizarre twist when he and Miss Watai announced their intention to become man and wife: they said they had exchanged marriage papers but the union was not allowed by the Japanese authorities.

Fischer, who has never married before, and Miss Watai, 59, the four-times Japanese women's chess champion, insisted the marriage was to cement their long romance. Others, however, suspected from the timing that it was a crude tactic aimed at helping Fischer to fight extradition. But how did America's one-time favourite son become one of its most wanted fugitives?

The love affair between Fischer and his once-adoring American public soured in the years after his epic victory over Spassky. The Chicago-born, New York-raised player, who had been national champion at just 15, refused to defend his world title, led an increasingly hermit-like existence and roamed the world, particularly eastern Europe and the Far East, in search of anonymity.

He convinced himself that he had never been treated with the respect he deserved and he was particularly aggrieved that he had never received an invitation to the White House. Critics, however, accused him of "running scared" and in 1975, the World Chess Federation (known by its French acronym FIDE), stripped him of his world crown for refusing to defend the title against Anatoly Karpov, the Russian grandmaster.

Over the next two decades, Fischer broke cover only latterly and then sporadically to give the occasional radio interview in the Philippines, in which he expressed unpatriotic and bigoted views on everything from American imperialism to the Jewish faith.

Although both his mother and father were Jewish, Fischer's anti-Semitic rants became ever more vengeful. The Jews, he said, were "filthy, lying, bastard people" bent on world domination, while the Holocaust was "a money-making invention."

Fischer was equally scathing about the US government, which he branded "a brutal, evil dictatorship" that had falsely accused him of a crime and forced him to live in exile.

Not even his beloved chess was spared his wrath. It was dismissed as "mental masturbation" and he accused the Russians - without providing any evidence - of relentlessly fixing matches.

Fischer's decision to play Spassky in a rematch of their epic encounter was regarded as an act of treachery by Washington because of the chosen location. It sent Fischer a "cease and desist" letter in 1992, warning him of severe penalties.

At a press conference, however, Fischer took the letter out of his briefcase and spat on it. He boasted that he had not paid his taxes since 1976: a claim that may yet, if he is extradited to America, come back to haunt him. The George Bush (Snr) administration was unimpressed by his defiance: he was indicted and an arrest warrant was issued. Since then, Fischer has not set foot in America.

Instead, he has laid low, with even family and friends ignorant of his whereabouts. Intriguingly, Nigel Short, the British grandmaster, became "99 per cent" convinced in 2001 that he was playing speed chess over the internet against Fischer, whom he suspected of posing as an anonymous rival. Fischer later denied that it was him.

Fischer's arrest last month came after he had spent the past four years in Japan by continually renewing his 90-day tourist visa. He is said to have liked the lack of recognition, the food, the hot spring resorts and the subservient women that the nation offered.

Until now, Fischer has had a penchant for younger women and he is reported to have had a daughter four years ago with a then 18-year-old girl from the Philippines - a claim that his fiancee denied last week at a press conference in which she declared her devotion to Fischer.

Miss Watai, the acting president of the Japan Chess Association, called on her government to free Fischer so they could be reunited. "We were living a quiet, happy life until now. This incident has destroyed our lives," she said.

"I have been described as a pawn and I think that I am a pawn. But, in the game of chess, a pawn can become a queen. Bobby is my king and I will be his queen."

Until last week, Miss Watai was described only as a friend of and spokesman for Fischer. Last Tuesday, however, she claimed that he had first asked her to marry him years ago and that they have been living as common-law man and wife. The couple first met in 1973 when he visited Japan and played her and another Japanese player at chess. Now, she said, they were taking their decision to marry "very seriously".

In Japan, a marriage is registered by completing an application to the local authorities, but non-Japanese citizens are required to submit a passport. The US says Fischer's passport has been revoked, which prevents him from marrying.

Fischer, in turn, says he renounced his American citizienship through his lawyer earlier this month. US authorities says such an act has to be made in person and, even then, it would not protect an individual from prosecution.

The American embassy in Tokyo has refused to comment on details of Fischer's case. A spokesman said the grandmaster had refused to sign a privacy waiver which meant that officials were still bound by privacy laws.

For the past two weeks - and after Japan refused to deport Fischer immediately - the former world chess champion has been held at a detention centre in Ushiku, after being transferred from a holding facility at Narita airport where he was arrested. Daizo Nozawa, Japan's Justice Minister, is expected to rule within weeks on whether Fischer can remain in the country. Fischer has, however, already come up with alternative tactics to fight extradition, including applying for refugee status and seeking German citizenship.

Fischer is not short of supporters - in and outside the chess world - who point out that the US renewed his passport in 1997, five years after he was accused of sanctions-busting. There is an active campaign from the Committee to Free Bobby Fischer against what John Bosnitch, its spokesman, describes as a "Bush family vendetta". The committee hopes marriage to a Japanese national would increase Fischer's chances of remaining in Japan. Officials, however, say that it would count for nothing when it comes to ruling on his extradition.

Among those who have appealed for America to leave Fischer alone is his old adversary, Boris Spassky, who has written an open letter to President George W. Bush.

Spassky, who as a French citizen (from 1978) escaped reprisals for the 1992 re-match, described Fischer as an "old friend" and added: "He is an honest and good-natured man. Absolutely not social. He is not adaptable to everyone's standard of life. He has a very high sense of justice and is unwilling to compromise He is a person who is doing almost everything against himself. I would not like to defend or justify Bobby Fischer. He is what he is. I am asking only for one thing. For mercy, charity."

Spassky ended his letter with an extraordinary plea which conjured up the possibility of a third match between the two rivals. "Bobby and myself committed the same crime. Put sanctions against me also. Arrest me. And put me in the same cell with Bobby Fischer. And give us a chess set."

Short, who knows and likes Fischer's fiancee, having met her during a visit to Tokyo in 1995, believes Washington is misguided to pursue Fischer. He thinks that the administration should be big enough to tolerate criticism, even if it is as loud and irrational as that offered by Fischer.

"Why bother to go after him now other than for political reasons? Bobby Fischer is a disturbed person and has some unsavoury political views - to put it mildly - but he is not dangerous. He is not a murderer or a robber. What is to be gained from disgracing this one-time national hero now?" Additional reporting by Colin Joyce in Tokyo

When he went to play in Yugoslavia, he won some $3+ million and took the money away from there. This actually diminished the hard currency resources available to that hostile state at the time. While not quite the same, it is more or less equivalent to him (as part of Chess Special Forces) sabotaging a Yugoslavian tank or two. Therefore it could be said that him playing there did in fact further the national security interests of the US. IMHO, the best thing to do now would be to forget the whole sorry affair and quietly quash the legal proceedings (maybe a presidential pardon or something).

I agree that a Presidential pardon would be appropriate. Let him marry and stay in Japan as long as they want to keep him. What a sad demise of genius.

He did kinda look like Saddam coming out of the spider hole.

This is a third vote for a presidential pardon. Let the poor man live in peace. Chess playing is no threat to national security.

I agree that a Presidential pardon would be appropriate.

You guys honestly want a pardon for an anti-American jackass who, after 9/11 said, and I quote: ""This is all wonderful news. I applaud the [terrorists'] act. The US and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians, just slaughtering them, for years. Robbing them and slaughtering them. Nobody gave a s***. Now it's coming back to the US. F*** the US. I want to see the US wiped out. Death to the US."

Between you and me, if Bush pardoned that jackwit, he'd lose my vote in a heartbeat. Period.

The form does not matter; the substance does. If presidential pardon is too much in terms of pomp and circumstance, one could have the charges withdrawn with little noise and let the whole story drown in obscurity.

IMHO, the best thing to do now would be to forget the whole sorry affair and quietly quash the legal proceedings (maybe a presidential pardon or something).

In Fischer's own words:(vis a vis the 9-11 attack) "This is all wonderful news...I applaud the act....F*** the US. I want to see the US wiped out. Death to the US."

I don't care about his "genius' or the fact that he is just another self-hating Jew (a phenomenon I fail to understand), but given his anti-US sentiment he certainly does not deserve a pardon in my name (as a US citizen). I say nail him to the wall. If he repents, then that would have to be taken into consideration. Looks to me like his latest move (queen to king 2) may not save his mentally disturbed ass.

Well yeah, he's visibly mentally unbalanced these days, but he's harmless, and he once was truly great.

So was Benedict Arnold. Former greatness does not excuse contemporary treason.

Contemporary treason? He had for all practical purposes renounced his US citizenship when he played Spassky in Yugoslavia. SO his anti-US diatribes could hardly be called treason, and he doesn't possess any dangerous secrets to nail us with.

For the record, I really think restricting travel by US citizens, especially world competitors, is stupid and excessive anyway. The government can tell us, if you play in this or that country sign a waiver acknowledging that we can not protect you. You're been warned and you're on you're own. But you're free to go where you please. Geez, it's just a game.

He had for all practical purposes renounced his US citizenship...

He was still traveling with his U.S. passport. That's how he got busted. Some "renouncement" of citizenship there...

A 'celebrity US citizen' who runs around the world gloating about how the 'evil USA deserved' the 9-11 attacks is due no compassion as far as I am concerned, regardless of his prior accomplishments. He broke the law. Throw him in prison. If there are mitigating circumstances, they ought to be considered. Given his statements, he ceratainly is not deserving of any sort of pardon.

He's become a creep to be sure. If he wants to renounce it now good riddance. It is probably too much to expect that Bush would pardon him, but they could let this go away quietly.

The point of the travel restictions was to elimiante buiness dealings that would benefit the country being sanctioned, not to 'protect' visitors. That's the entire point of sanctions. One might disagree with the placement of sanctions, but once enacted, they are the law of the land. Many libs (and many conservatives and libertarians also) disagree with the sanctions on Cuba. Many travel to Cuba anyway. Those who travel to Cuba are lawbreakers.

He's become a creep to be sure.

In my view, his tacit support of terrorism and terrorists makes him far worse than just a "creep."

It is probably too much to expect that Bush would pardon him, but they could let this go away quietly.

I personally welcome and look forward to his getting what he deserves.

I ask again -- What has he done to deserve a pardon? I admit that, if BJ Clinton were still president, Fischer could have merely donate a few million to the DNC. But Fischer has not recanted his extremely offensive statements. He has not asked for mercy. He is an arrogant asshole. He is no more deserving of a pardon than Saddam Hussein.

Government says don't travel, he does, then applauds 3000 citizens being butchered. Like a good liberal, he feels the law shouldn't apply to him, he's special.

I'd sentence him to 2 years, no probation, in the worst jail in San Francisco. Put him in the basement with the sodomites...first he can the jail gangs' pawn, once he's trained and learns to behave, he can try to work his way up to queen. Then kick him out of the country and ban re-entry.

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