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>Just finished Fischer vs. the rest of the world and it >is not bad at all. Most of what is written is true and >certainly merciless about Fischer, exactly the Fischer >I learned to know through other sources. Darrach is a >decent writer, although he went for the quick, simple >tabloid take. The book shows again how badly Fischer >judges people. How could he ever have trusted Darrach? > >I can not find much factual errors in the book. The way >Darrach describes the match is consistent with >“Fischer goes to war” and those authors did a lot of >research. The description of the long wait to fly >to Iceland, with all the details is sometimes a bit >boring but also gives an accurate picture of Fischer >and the situation. I first thought of Darrach as a >“rat”, who misused Fischer’s trust, but later on I >changed my mind. Darrach wrote a portrait of Fischer >as truthful as possible and Fischer’s extremely >difficult character is a part of the portrait. > >Again it suprises me how "ungenerous" Fischer is. He >expects everybody to work for him, even for free, but >he does not give anything in return. All the time he >stays at the Saidy family (Tony Saidy is chessplayer, >he once won the US Open Championship) eats enormous >amounts of food, Mrs. Saidy cooks delicious Lebanese >meals for him. Did he ever bring or do something nice >for her? Nothing, nada, niente. Palsson, the Icelandic >cop, takes care of Fischer for months and Fischer >rewards him in the end with 300 dollar! Yes, Fischer >gave a lot of money to the World Wide Church but they >gave him a lot back in food, appartments and care. No, >Fischer is not a pleasant character. > >Darrach recalls how Fischer suddenly wants to play the >match for nothing, playing for the love of chess. >Isn’t that a generous offer? I think Darrach manages >to describe Fischer’s psychology precisely: > >“I’m writing this letter to Spassky, see?” Bobby went >on. “I’m gonna read it and you polish it up, right?” >He began to read in an excited voice, in love with his >own prose. When he came to the part about giving up >the prize money and playing for the love of chess, his >voice skidded up the scale and hit a not of earnest >lunacy. I got a fearful glimpse of what Davis and the >others must have gone through earlier. But there was a >difference. In New York, Bobby had converted fear into >anger, telling himself that the was standing up for >the principle and fighting evil men. But in coming to >Reykjavik without winning the conditions he had said >were essential, he had lost the feeling that he was in >the right, and without it he was like Samson shorn. At >the first test of his will he had collapsed. >Take the money, he was saying. Take the stardom. Take >the contracts I can’t understand and the sharpies who >want to exploit me. Forget that I wanted to be rich >and famous. Just let me be Bobby Fischer, the kid who >loves chess and plays it so well he does not have to >do anything else in his whole life, ever. > >Yes, Darrach gives a good insight in Fischer’s mind: > >"Bobby was drifting," Tony said later, "waiting for >something to happen that would make the decision for >him." >Bobby in fact was doing what he usually did when he >found himself in a mess: letting other people worry >about it. He had learned at his mother’s knee and >under his sister’s wing that passivity in himself >produced activity in others. When a decision became >too complex for him – and decisions often did - he >would fly into a tantrum and announce something >outrageously self-destructive. All sorts of people >would then rush to solve his problem. In a way he >enjoyed all of this; it made him feel important. But >in another way it bored him. People bored him, >especially when there was chess to play or a TV >program to watch. (page 67) > >The chase on the airfield is perhaps exagerated. But it >reminded me of a chase Susan Polgar describes in her >book "Queen of the Kings game": > >One day Zsuzsa, Fischer, Pal Benko and Benko’s wife >went out to a small coffee shop on one of the side >streets of Budapest. They had a chessboard on the >table and were analyzing a position together. At some >point, Bobby noticed a camera flash go off. He started >panicking, paid the bill quickly and dashed out toward >Zsuzsa’s car. >The men with the camera chased them, first on foot and >then by car. Bobby behaved like a paranoid. He asked >Zsuzsa to speed up as the car behind got closer. >“It was like a scene from a movie,” Zsuzsa recalls. >“Only I was in the scene, too. Bobby was covering the >side window of the car, with his exceptionally big >hands, to shield from a possible photo shot. He asked >me to drive around several blocks, in order to ‘lose’ >the intruders. He was so nervous and frightened, as if >the cameras were guns and he was running for his life. >Finally we managed to get rid of our followers and >Fischer calmed down. > >I’m glad I bought Bobby Fischer vs. the Rest of the >World. The book was in an excellent condition. I >bought it via Alibris and it costed me $32 (26 Euru), >including the shipping costs from the USA. Perfect >service. I can recommend it to anyone.
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