Iceland

UNCLE SAM LOST BOBBY FISCHER

Iceland Chessboard
"He lived in an apartment in the center of Reykjavik.
He was so often in bookstores, he was buying all kinds of books, about everything.
He wasn't only a genius in chess, he was following all what was going on.
He was listening to an awful lot of radio.
He mainly read international political works.
He also read about the First and Second World Wars.
He was becoming a historian."

To Orwell Today,
re: UNCLE SAM FINDS BOBBY FISCHER

"Now it's just a matter of extradition before he is in U.S. hands. Well, there's no more searching for Bobby Fischer and further proof that you can't run forever."

Well,

Just wanted to let you know. Bobby Fischer is now an Icelandic citizen on Icelandic soil and according to Icelandic law it's illegal to extradite him to any country.

Have a nice day,
Gunnlaugur Larusson

Greetings Gunnlaugur,

I think everyone in the world who has been following the story of Bobby Fischer is having a nice day today [March 24, 2005] because today is the day Uncle Sam LOST Bobby Fischer.

And I think many people in the world will hold a special place in their heart for Iceland* for rescuing Bobby Fischer.

I hope the government of Iceland continues to stand up for individual human rights as an example to be followed by other nations.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

Bobby Fischer in Iceland 1972. YouTube

Remembering Bobby Fischer ("Bobby explained that the song 'Green, green grass of home' had a certain similarity to his own sad life"). Iceland Review/YouTube, Jan 19, 2008. Go to GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME

Bobby Fischer led quiet life in Iceland, friends say. AFP, Jan 19, 2008
REYKJAVIK — Chess legend Bobby Fischer's life in Iceland was marked by both paranoid behaviour and quiet solitude, spending his days reading, fishing and devising new variations on the game he mastered, friends said. The troubled American high school dropout, whose fabled 1972 victory over Soviet world champion Boris Spassky made him a Cold War hero, died Thursday at the age of 64 at his home in Iceland. Fischer led a seemingly peaceful life there surrounded by a handful of friends. He had taken Icelandic citizenship in 2005 to avoid being deported to the United States. He was wanted for breaking international sanctions by playing a chess match in Yugoslavia in 1992. "He really enjoyed living in Iceland," said Saemundur Palsson, Fischer's friend and bodyguard for the historic match with Spassky in Reykjavik. "He was so often in bookstores, he was buying all kinds of books, about everything. He wasn't only a genius in chess, he was following all what was going on ... He was listening to an awful lot of radio." According to Einar Einarsson, chairman of a support group which had lobbied for Fischer to be granted Icelandic citizenship, the chess player mainly read international political works. "He also read about the First and Second World Wars. He was becoming a historian from my point of view," said Einarsson.

He lived in an apartment in the center of Reykjavik, the small capital that greatly contrasts with New York, where Fischer grew up. "He was travelling to the countryside, went salmon fishing with his friends, stayed in country cottages whenever he could," said Einarsson. Fischer loved walking and going to the swimming pool. He always ate at restaurants and did not try to draw attention to himself. "He didn't give interviews or seek attention of any kind," said Ingo Sigfusson, journalist with national Icelandic television. "He dressed down, almost always wearing a cap, jeans, and he had this beard. He looked a bit worn and torn." Fischer was said to have an IQ higher than Albert Einstein's, and would make extravagant demands over matches in a way more commonly seen in boxing. But while the theatrics made him a celebrity -- and are credited with helping him unnerve his opponents -- he also succeeded in alienating himself from all but a small band of friends and chess enthusiasts...The chess legend, who did not like doctors and generally refused to be treated, had suffered health problems for the past year. He was brought to the hospital emergency "too late" in October, said Einarsson. Fischer died of kidney failure.

Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland. Chess Base, January 18, 2008
Bobby Fischer, 1943–2008 - Robert James Fischer, the reclusive eleventh World Chess Champion, has died at the age of 64 in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he had been living for the last three years. Fischer moved to Iceland after spending nine months in Japanese detention while the US sought his extradition for tax evasion. He was released when Iceland, where in 1972 he had defeated the tenth World Champion Boris Spassky, granted him citizenship and afforded him refuge in the Nordic state. Fischer settled in Reykjavik in April 2005, disappearing once again from the limelight that his arrest and release in Japan had cast on him. He had just two or three trusted friends whom he occasionally visited, a few shops and the library, where he could occasionally be seen, and some restaurants where he ate...

FISCHER MAN AGAINST MACHINE

Chess legend Bobby Fischer dies at 64 (USA chess champion at 14; beat Russia in 1972 at 29) & Life in Pictures "Fischer was born to change 64 black & white squares. How could he survive more than 64 years?" & Genius who put chess on the map ("the free world against the lying, cheating, hypocritical Russians") & Fischer dethroned Soviet Kings ("The Russians are wiped out; they probably now feel sorry they ever started playing chess") & "Mozart of Chess" dies (individual against totalitarianism). BBC/Guardian/Reuters, Jan 18, 2008. Go to 32.Enemies of the Party

Fischer set to enjoy freedom in Iceland ('It's like in the comics...like 'Shazaaam! Bush just says 'Enemy Combatant! Now you have no legal rights'). Guardian, May 24, 2005

Reader glad Fischer's free again

*Fischer allowed to leave Japan (Iceland voted to grant citizenship). CBC, Mar 23, 2005 & Fischer 'put Iceland on the map' ('His only crime was to play chess but playing chess is not a crime'). BBC, Mar 23, 2005

BOBBY FISCHER IN ROOM 202 and BOBBY FISCHER A WINSTON SMITH

Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~

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