Robert
James Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion.
Many consider him to be the greatest chess player of all time. These are the last interviews with Bobby while he was a fugitive.
Please understand that the interviews are alarming. Tragically, Bobby was cognitively impaired. They are the archival remains
of the thunderous verbal attacks of a man whose mental faculties were disturbed, enraged and exploding with violence.
The worlds chess players have been able to forgive him because of his illness. Because of his sickness, none will ever believe
that Bobby meant the terrible things that he said. Antisemitism is a horribly gruesome malaise. A sinister, menacing
disease. We must cherish the transparently clear moments and humorous recollections of the most brilliant
chess player who ever lived and find a way to forgive him.
As Bobby believed in the last days of
life that he had been betrayed by friends and family that he loved and trusted, he struggled and suffered with an incomprehensible,
shocking degree of psychosis, madness, anger and mental illness the likes of which the chess world had never seen. He
needed love and kindness, perhaps cures for his illness. Along with his millions of fans throughout the entire world, I'll
never believe that he meant the things that he said during his interviews, and, as the world of chess has properly done so,
I would forgive Bobby, even as it appeared that he was betraying his nation. He was very sick and there was nothing that we
could do as a nation to help him other than to forgive him.
Chess players will always wonder
whether or not it was ultimately
the game that killed the greatest chess champion that ever lived.