In Reykjavik, Iceland today,
Bobby Fischer failed to show up
for his second game
against Boris Spassky.
Unpredictable Bobby Fischer
stayed in bed today
rather than show up
for Game Two
in his world title match with chess
champion Boris Spassky of Russia.
The match between
the world's chess champion
Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer
took a strange turn
when Fischer failed to show up
at the scheduled time
and forfeited Game Two.
The entire world seems to
be asking the same question.
What will Bobby
Fischer do next?
...half
the witnesses they call
are Communists,
the other half are Jews.
If you're both,
do you testify twice?
Go ahead,
make jokes, Mr. Liberal.
Your entire family
wasn't gassed at the camps.
Mama.
Mama!
Not now, Bobby.
I have to talk to you.
Bobby, it's past
your bedtime. Joan?
There's a car out there.
What car?
You told me to tell you.
A red 1952 Chevy.
Bobby, you remember
what I told you?
There are bad people
out there who want to intimidate us,
because we represent
something very threatening to them,
to the status quo.
You remember what that is?
Revolution?
Yes. And sometimes these bad
people want to know about our work.
So they spy on us.
So if someone comes
up to you on the street
and asks you
questions about me
or Mommy's friends,
what do you say?
I have nothing
to say to you.
That's my big boy.
Ugh. Joan, Joan, Joan,
he's got mustard on his shirt.
He's gotta wear that to school tomorrow.
Would you soak it for me?
Love to.
And put him to bed.
Bedtime for Bonzo.
I'm Carmine Nigro,
and I'm told you are a chess player.
Our church, all colors
and creeds welcome.
Bobby.
Choose.
Let's see
what we got here, eh?
Most young people don't have
the concentration to play at a high level,
so please don't get
your hopes up.
He's beaten
everyone he's ever played.
My hopes are he will give up
on the damned game if someone beats him.
Okay. It's your move.
Do you like baseball,
Bobby?
Eh? Jackie Robinson,
Pee Wee Reese?
Mmm-hmm.
Bobby, have you ever been
to the moon on the subway?
Mmm-hmm.
If I take the pieces away,
he just keeps
playing in his head.
Day and night.
Took him to a shrink,
he said to come here.
Well, his game is good,
not exceptional, though.
Hmm.
Who taught him
to move like this?
He taught himself.
Bobby, shall we call it
a draw?
Hmm?
He hates draws.
Check.
Mate.
I'm officially the 25th best
chess player in New York City.
I can tell you
he has great potential.
Come here. Come here.
Again.
Carmine, it's your move.
I know
it's my move.
Come on.
I'm thinking.
Come on, Carmine.
It's your turn.
Bobby, I know
it's my turn.
Just go.
Come on.
Bobby, I still have
time on the clock, okay?
Let me think.
Fine.
Your move, Bobby.
Mate.
There's a rising star
in the chess world,
and he's only 12 years old.
His name is Bobby Fischer.
Today he played
American Master Donald Byrne
and beat him
in what is already
being described as
"The Game of the Century. "
So, Bobby,
what's next for you?
It's either I beat them,
or they beat me. You know?
With an impressive string
of five victories,
Bobby today became
the youngest ever
United States Chess Champion.
Mmm.
You're back.
And you won.
Congratulations.
Every night,
I hear you two screw.
Bobby, put those down.
Bobby...
Shut up, Size 12.
You live in my house
and you're not my father, okay?
Bobby.
Where is my father?
Come on.
I was born, right?
What did you do with him? Is
he on Earth? Does he even exist?
Honey. That was
a long time ago.
So what?
You can't remember?
Where is he?
Gone.
Gone where?
It doesn't matter.
It matters to me.
You know what?
Get the fuck outta here.
You know what?
Go back to Moscow with your Commie friends.
I am studying, day and night.
And I'm gonna be the next world champion.
Do you understand me?
I need silence. Do you
understand? I want silence.
Mom said you're staying
at the chess club.
It's quiet there.
And what about
high school?
Ha.
She still there?
She fixed up the apartment.
Even got the hot water heater working.
She won't be
living there anymore.
She's going to do politics
in California with Cyril.
You mean King Kong. Mate.
Mom was worried.
She thought if they went away,
you'd go home.
Sleep in a bed.
That's what
she told you? Huh?
And you bought it?
She's running away with some
nutcase Bigfoot Communist.
Oh, oh, and you know what?
"It's for Bobby's benefit. "
You said you wanted quiet.
You won, Bobby.
Be happy.
In Portoroz,
Yugoslavia today,
American chess prodigy
Bobby Fischer
became the youngest ever
Grandmaster in the history of the game.
Congratulations, Bobby.
Where do you go from here?
Well, uh, I want to play
the Russians.
They're the best
in the world,
and I'm gonna beat 'em all.
Having won the Interzonal,
he is the odds-on favorite
to win
the Candidates Tournament
and gain a match
against the current world champion.
How are you feeling?
I'm ready.
It's my time.
Mr. Spassky,
a quick chat please?
This is ridiculous.
King to rook three.
Knight to king six.
Pawn takes queen,
bishop to knight seven.
It's over.
The Russians are drawing games
on purpose to save their strength
and they're dumping games
to pad their points,
making it statistically impossible
for me to win.
Mr. Fischer,
your complaint has been lodged.
There's nothing
we can do.
Of course there's
something you can do.
They're playing a team game.
It's five guys against one.
Against me! Can we go
back inside? Please?
No, I'm not interested...
Bobby, don't...
What the hell are you doing
about this anyways?
All right. Come here, gather
'round. I got something to say.
I want to make
this very clear.
The Russians are cheats.
Everybody knows
what's going on.
The corrupt Federation
does nothing to stop it.
And there can be no legitimate
world champ if I'm not playing.
And I'm not gonna play.
Because this is unfair.
It's unjust. It's immoral!
I quit!
I don't just quit this tournament,
I am quitting chess!
Move. Move.
Bobby.
Bobby, wait.
We'll go back inside and apologize.
You can still
place well...
What are you talking about?
This was it!
What do you think
I've been working the past
10 years of my life for?
I was gonna be the youngest world
champ in the history of the game!
That's over now.
They stole it from me,
Carmine, they took it!
That was today! Today!
English.
This is America.
Ah, the American boy who hates
us but cannot resist our magazines.
Spassky is becoming
the new messiah.
They say he won't
ever lose a match.
Someone left this for you.
A lawyer.
You are in trouble, maybe?
Do you want a game?
You think I'm stupid?
So you know who I am.
Yeah. I know who you are.
I've been trying
to reach you.
You don't answer
your phone.
Ah. You're that lawyer.
What did I do?
Nothing.
Nothing. You did nothing.
You do nothing.
That's why I'm here.
I read your article
in Sports Illustrated.
You told the truth
about the Russians.
Yeah, that's right,
I did.
Oh, did you see this?
"Soviet invasion
to hit California surf. "
"World's greatest
chess players to visit U.S."
Yeah, I saw that.
They say it's just a game
for fun, hand of friendship,
all that crap.
But you know the truth.
They're laughing at us.
They think their
chess dominance proves
Soviet intellectual
superiority over the decadent West.
I don't really care
about politics.
They're using chess to say...
"Screw America. "
Yeah, I'm about the game,
you see.
Two guys at a board,
one makes a move,
the other makes a move,
and that's it.
I'm a chess fan myself.
I'm also
hopelessly patriotic.
I take an interest in people like yourself.
Creative people.
I create the wherewithal
that allows them to do what they do.
Ask Jimi Hendrix.
Ask the Rolling Stones.
If I can help them, I can help anybody.
I'd like to represent you,
Mr. Fischer.
So you're out
to make a buck.
No, I don't need the money.
I'd be doing this for free.
Pro Bono.
You're the one man
in this country who could put up a fight.
Maybe even beat them.
I'd like a front row seat
when the good guys win.
If I went back
to competition,
there'd have to be
some real changes.
It's got to be fair.
If you're serious about playing,
I'll see what I can do.
That is if you
still wanna play.
Call me.
He's very excited
about this.
I'm only a selector
on the committee.
You see, he apologizes
to the Federation.
With profanity
on that first line.
Ah.
Well, he's nursed a grudge for a long time.
Mmm-hmm.
He's studied how
the Russians play.
Every day.
Eighteen hours a day.
For four years.
Mmm-hmm.
For him, Vietnam and the Beatles
never happened.
I'm guessing he still
has his opinions about the Soviets?
Well, you'll promise the committee
we'll keep him out of trouble.
The Piatigorsky was organized to
build bridges, not to burn them.
So we lose 12 to zero,
and that's a bridge?
He asked for you.
Wants you to be his second.
He respects you.
You're the only one
who ever beat Spassky.
We were young.
He'd destroy me now.
And you've beaten Bobby.
That was a long time ago.
Bobby has problems.
So did Mozart.
He might crack.
Bobby won't crack.
He will explode.
Bobby, Bill's here.
Ah.
Hey, Bobby,
how you doing?
Against Petrosian in Zurich,
you sacrificed your king's pawn.
You know that's the thing
that got you, right?
You always play
too cautiously,
and you go crazy
in the other direction.
That's a real weakness.
Hey, if I criticize a priest,
do I go to hell?
Depends if you
believe in hell.
Yeah. All right.
I'm gonna show you how you
could have won in 13 moves.
Huh.
Castle, pawn,
knight, bishop, rook...
That's you.
All right.
King goes there, pawns...
All right. Now here,
here's where you screwed up.
You got greedy,
and you traded knight for bishop
and you sacrificed your pawn, right?
Mmm-hmm.
Now,
what if you'd done
this instead?
You see, the Russians
are like boa constrictors.
If you do nothing,
they strangle you to death.
But if you confuse them,
you attack them from everywhere,
then all they can do
is react.
Now here, you see,
I got my machine gun
lined up,
bearing down on the king.
Now he tries to defend himself.
I sacrifice my rook.
And now
the real attack begins.
Check.
Check. Take.
Hey, Bobby, you know
this tournament's about diplomacy.
No, this tournament,
like all tournaments, is about winning.
So...
Okay, well.
Rook takes bishop.
Of course.
Now, he thinks he's safe, but I've
been developing a plot to kill his king.
You see, my rook
is sitting there waiting,
forgotten about
in the background.
I bring him into the hunt.
Now the king flees.
Even his beloved queen
can't do anything.
She's just sitting there,
watching... Mmm-hmm.
...as the noose tightens.
And finally...
He sees the end.
Holy shit.
Hey, I didn't know a priest
could use bad language.
I like this guy.
So, uh, we going
to California?
This is 93 KHJ Los Angeles.
Don't be fooled
by the warm weather, kids.
Because the Cold War
just blew into town.
The Soviet chess team arrived today in L.A.
for a goodwill tournament.
With them is the current
world champion, Boris Spassky.
The comrades are booked into
the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
So much for
working-class values.
If you're listening, guys,
welcome to the Free World
and enjoy the sunshine.
Four C... What?
Yeah, yeah.
Six A. It's really hot in here.
What's going on?
Repair guy didn't show.
You know, you promised hotels.
This place is a real dive.
Are you a rock star?
He acts like a rock star.
You realize I have
to prepare, right?
Right?
Yeah.
Well, you know what?
What?
I ain't stayin' here.
Bobby.
These are
improved accommodations?
This is improved.
Staying at a roach motel.
Somebody else
is paying for it.
Yeah, well, where are
the Russians staying?
We don't have
their kind of money.
Didn't we invent money?
We rely
on private donors.
Yeah, right.
The Russians,
they get whatever they want
because they know
what it takes to win.
And I end up staying next to Route 66.
All I want is some quiet!
So stop yelling.
Yeah, yeah. Right. Sorry.
Hey, what's your name?
I'm Donna.
Yeah, well, uh... Yeah, I'll see you
later, Donna. I'm going for a walk.
Want some company?
Sure.
Wait. I'll be right there.
Uh...
And he hasn't even
started playing.
You walk pretty fast.
This all you
wanted to do?
We could sit down.
Oh. Okay.
So what do you do,
Donna?
I screw people.
Yeah?
Mmm-hmm.
Oh. So do I.
Listen, uh...
I was thinking about
getting rid of my virginity.
Is that right?
Yeah, that's right.
Bishop to queen three.
Bishop to knight five.
Knight to knight five.
Mmm. King rook
to queen one.
Ah. Queen to knight four.
Yeah, that's not even me.
That's Morphy versus Anderssen.
Pawn to queen rook four.
Queen to king seven.
Queen takes queen.
Rook takes queen.
Shit!
Hey. You ready?
Yeah.
Background on the Soviets.
You're kidding, right?
Yeah, I know every game every one
of these guys has ever played.
You know,
they're sitting by the pool
at their fancy hotel,
laughing, having drinks.
They have no idea.
You guys coming?
I think he's ready.
Yeah.
Bobby's disappeared.
He'll be here.
If he's not seated in three minutes,
he forfeits.
He'll be here.
Yeah? A little prayer wouldn't hurt.
I pray for his opponent.
Bobby? You here?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
What the hell? You've got, like,
seconds to take your seat.
Great. If my mom comes,
will you give that to her?
Yes.
Yeah, she lives
in California now,
so you never know.
She might show.
Bobby, you've drawn
Ivanovich in the first round.
Hey, whatever you do, don't let her get in.
It screws up my game.
I told her she could
listen on the radio.
Bobby, Ivanovich is officially the
third best chess player in the world.
Fourth.
Fourth.
If he doesn't make his move in 60 seconds,
the game will be forfeited.
Adjust.
Americans don't beat
Russians at chess.
But it happened today
in Santa Monica.
And when American chess sensation
Bobby Fischer's around,
it just keeps on happening.
We have a problem.
Mr. Fischer?
Yeah. I've decided
I'm not playing again
until all my conditions
are met.
What conditions?
Well, first off,
I want to arrive in a big black car,
you know,
just like the Russians.
Limousines cost money.
And number two, you know I was on the
front page of the L.A. Times today?
Ticket sales are through the roof.
Mmm-hmm.
A thousand people are paying
$5 apiece just to see me play.
That's $5,000.
Mmm.
I want 30%. That's $1,500.
Uh, Bobby...
No. Money is respect, Paul.
And number three, I want at least five
feet between me and the audience.
You know,
I can smell their breath.
It's almost like I hear their thoughts,
you know.
My thoughts need
to be on the board.
Is that all?
Well, why don't you
have someone check
and make sure our phones
aren't being bugged.
The rest is on the list.
Hey.
Hi. So, I heard you won.
So congrats.
Oh, thanks.
What's wrong with
the phone in your room?
Oh, I heard
this click-click,
I thought maybe, you know,
my phone was bugged.
Who you calling?
Uh, hold on...
Uh, hello, operator?
I'm looking for a number for Regina Fischer.
Uh... I don't know,
I thought maybe...
Well, I don't know,
somewhere near the beach.
I'm in Santa Monica,
so I don't know,
maybe somewhere around here?
I'm making sure my mom
doesn't come tomorrow.
She can be distracting.
And I'll say
hello to her and...
Hello? Uh...
Oh, okay.
Well, never mind, then.
So, you wanna lose
your virginity tonight?
Uh, oh, uh...
Well, I haven't forgotten
about our arrangement,
and I am looking forward
to it, but, uh...
But I gotta stay
focused tonight.
I slaughtered
one of them today,
so tomorrow they're going
to come at me like banshees.
Okay.
All right. Uh...
Well, good luck.
See you later.
I passed up
having sex for this.
Passed it up
for 20 years.
So, Boris,
it looks like Bobby has improved his game.
What do you think?
Tomorrow, a record crowd
will watch the American Bobby Fischer
as he faces
Russian World Champion
Boris Spassky
in the final match.
Fischer, whose demands
for more money
have infuriated
tournament promoters,
has won a remarkable
eight matches in a row.
But tomorrow will definitely
be his greatest test.
Pawn to king three. Queen to
king one. Knight to rook four...
What?
Uh...
I, uh...
I like to play
the King's Indian,
but he's an expert
on the Samisch, so...
Who?
Spassky. So I thought
maybe a Grunfeld,
but then I have to find an answer
to pawn bishop four.
You know, I was wondering,
did you reach your mom yet?
I bet she'd be proud.
Uh...
I need to go through this.
I need to work through this,
so I thought maybe...
Uh...
Sure. Yeah.
Well, that was great
for me, too.
Thank you.
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
How you feeling?
I'm fine.
Did you eat?
You mind not talking?
That's good.
Okay.
Thanks.
Bobby,
how does it feel to lose?
That's a stupid question.
How'd he beat you, Bob?
Would you understand if I answered that?
He was playing to draw.
Bobby, no one expected you
to beat Spassky.
Yeah, I did.
They're waiting to give you
the runner's-up medal.
Ha! No thanks.
At least, uh, talk to the TV people!
Oh, forget him. Forget him.
He's disappeared.
He'll be back.
What makes you
so sure?
It's all that matters to him.
Without chess, he doesn't exist.
You think he can
ever beat Spassky?
Hypothetically,
what would it take
to make him world champion?
The desk clerk asked why we
were making so many calls to D.C.
I haven't been calling D.C.
Who've you been
talking to?
There are people
in high places
who take an interest
in any confrontation
between us
and the Soviet Union.
State Department? CIA?
White House?
Bobby wants limos,
he gets limos.
And they'll throw
in "honorariums" for each victory.
Paid for by whom?
Are you a patriot, Father?
Mostly.
Bobby may be a little off,
but he understands
this whole thing better than you.
We're at war.
Only it's not being fought
by guns and missiles. Not yet, at least.
It's a war of perception.
The poor kid from Brooklyn against
the whole Soviet Empire.
The perfect American story.
So your interest in
this is ideological.
But what's in it for you?
There's such a thing
as doing well by doing good.
And you haven't
answered my question.
Bobby Fischer...
Bobby Fischer is the second best
chess player I've ever seen.
He's also got severe
problems in his head.
Which need to be
understood and managed.
Managed? Bobby?
You ever hear
of Paul Morphy?
1855. Greatest player
this country ever had.
Before Bobby, that is.
But by 21,
he'd beat every
master in Europe.
But then, things started
to get a little weird.
He started having visions,
and became
convinced that people
were trying to
poison him, and he quit
at 26,
and eventually
killed himself
in a bathtub surrounded by 12 pairs
of ladies' shoes.
So, this game...
It's a rabbit hole.
After only four moves, there's more
than 300 billion options to consider.
There's more 40-move games
than there are stars in the galaxy.
So, it can take you
very close to the edge.
Could he win?
If Bobby were to go
for the title,
it would mean
traveling around the world
playing tournaments
for three years.
In my opinion,
he might not make it that long.
It's your job
to see that he does.
If we can ever find him.
Holy shit.
They following me?
Hey!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Over here!
You guys following me?
Hey!
You're soft!
You got your guys...
You're a stooge!
I got nothing!
Hey.
Where you going?
I'm talking to you!
Hey! Where you going?
I'm coming for you!
I'm coming for you!
This is BBC News.
Today in Hungary,
American Bobby Fischer
returned to international competition
by defeating the number-five player
in the world,
Viktor Korchnoi,
and declared his intention
to become world champion.
How do you feel?
And so begins
the grueling challenge
of defeating the grandmasters
who stand between Fischer
and the newly crowned world champion,
Boris Spassky.
Bobby,
you dominated the competition.
How do you feel?
I feel good.
You know, these guys
didn't offer me
much competition.
I see this
as an obstacle course
to the World Championship
and then, uh...
Then they'll have to agree
to the conditions I want.
Over here, Bobby. You think
the Russians are worried about you?
Oh, yeah. They've been worried about
me ever since I started playing chess.
You know, I'm kinda
picking these guys off,
but they've been
preparing for me,
so you never know
what's up their sleeve.
Think anybody
can beat you?
The tide of history
is changing, friend.
God's plan
has left them behind,
so they plot to take
the world away from God.
They seek to destroy
our great Christian nation.
As it is written in Revelations 18,
he will use one nation...
What are you listening to?
... to punish another nation.
He will take vengeance
on this modern devil.
You mind closing the door?
And they will do anything in their power
to destroy us.
Sure.
Theirs is
an international conspiracy.
Mossad, KGB,
the military-industrial complex
and an unholy cabal
of Jewish banks.
Ah, Joanie,
Joanie, Joanie,
I'm between
three airports and hell.
I have 10 minutes in New York to see
my wife, kiss my kids, talk to you.
How the hell you been?
You're looking great.
I have to see him.
Every time I call,
they say his phone is broken.
That happens.
You mean he breaks them.
I want to take him
to see a doctor.
Uh, well, that just won't be possible.
He's already in Vancouver.
These.
Every week,
his letters, they...
They get more crazy.
More crazy. You take a look. Go ahead.
Um, they're private letters
to you, Joan. I, um...
I respect his privacy.
I showed them to
a psychiatrist friend.
He said that Bobby
is displaying signs of, um...
Of paranoia
and delusional psychosis.
Well...
Chess is a crazy world.
Some of the things he says
about the Soviets are true.
In Tunis, we found listening devices
in his hotel room.
"The Communists infect my mind
with words that just keep repeating.
"The Jews
are helping them, too.
"The Jews want to keep
the Chess Federation all to themselves,
"just like they own
New York,
"and own and control
most governments in the world. "
We...
We are Jewish.
Bobby is Jewish.
What do you people say to him
when he comes out
with this trash?
He doesn't listen to me.
He doesn't listen
to anybody.
Joanie, look. I swear,
this isn't just about the title anymore.
It's about the kind
of games he's playing.
Out of all
the crazy stuff,
such unimaginable beauty.
A da Vinci, they're saying,
from Brooklyn.
Once every, what, 500 years,
grandmasters are watching Bobby play
with tears in their eyes.
Joanie, look,
I'll take care of him.
Okay? I'll take care of him.
I'll make sure his life
doesn't get too crazy.
There he is,
there he is!
Hey, Bobby! Right here.
You've never beaten
Spassky before.
Why do you think
you can beat him now?
This is BBC News.
Today, Bobby Fischer beat Russian
Grandmaster Tigran Petrosian
in the semi-final of the World
Chess Championships.
Fischer will now face the current
world champion, Boris Spassky.
Bobby,
with this win,
you're guaranteed a shot at the
Championship. How does it feel?
It's about time.
I always said I was the best.
Everyone said, "Oh, he's an arrogant,
terrible, conceited person,"
but now it's just
an obvious fact I'm the best.
You've never
beaten Spassky.
The Russians are saying
you don't have a chance against him.
I don't care
two cents about him
one way or the other.
He's just another guy.
What's this about
the Russians spying on you?
Oh, yeah. Sure. Yeah.
I've seen them following me,
they bugged the phones
in my hotel rooms.
I heard they can even
listen through the fillings in your teeth.
You're kidding, right?
No, I'm not kidding.
You should go
see your dentist.
Petrosian said
he wasn't well.
He's the second Russian
to get sick playing you.
Yeah, they're all
getting sick.
Bobby. Bobby.
That's it.
Bobby, Bobby, Bobby.
Wide World of Sports
is already offering a segment.
Yeah.
Cavett wants you, and...
Are you ready? Are you sitting
down? Are you sitting down?
Mike Wallace called. Mike
Wallace called. 60 Minutes, Bobby.
Well, it's about time.
You know, I don't want to get
distracted doing a bunch of press, though.
No, this is not
ordinary press, Bobby.
I know, I know, I know.
I'll do the big ones.
That's great.
That is great. Only...
Hey, I'm starved.
Let's get some food.
When we do these shows...
Yeah... just go easy on
the bugging and the teeth.
What are you
talking about?
I'm just saying what's on my mind.
No, I know.
I'm telling the truth.
I know. I know. I know.
There's nothing wrong with what I'm saying.
I know.
And people like that.
It's just, you need to be careful.
Some things you say,
they can be misinterpreted.
People get worried
when you talk like that.
What are you saying?
"People get worried. "
Who? What people?
No one. No one.
You're talking
about yourself.
Which of these interviews
do you want to do?
Now, wait a second.
What did you mean, "People begin to worry"?
What are you talking about?
Doesn't matter.
I think Cavett
is a great idea.
Hey, what...
Why do you keep changing the subject?
I'm not changing...
I'm asking you a question.
You said people get worried.
What people?
Uh... Joan.
Joan? My sister? How would you
know that? Did you talk to her?
I was in New York.
We, um...
We had a cup
of coffee.
You met with my sister?
Without telling me?
What... Why would you
do that?
She called me, Bobby.
What were you guys talking about?
Were you talking about me?
I was looking out
for your interests.
That's my job.
Hey, don't "lawyer" me, Paul.
I'm not trying to.
Don't lawyer me.
You're talking with my family
behind my back.
Did I ask you to do that?
What were you doing?
You spying on me?
I was trying to help you, Bobby.
I don't understand
why you thought
that was a good idea.
There are a hundred
more of you, you know.
Just right behind you,
waiting in line to be here.
Hey, pull over.
Um...
Stop the car. Wait a
minute. Bobby, Bobby.
We're about to get everything
you've ever wanted.
Stop the car!
Pull over!
Stop the car now!
Bishop, bishop six.
Uh...
King to queen four.
Rook, rook five.
Pawn to king five.
So?
He's back in his room.
Is he okay?
He's in there listening
to those tapes of his.
Isn't that some kind
of God Squad?
Those people know
as much about God as you do.
I'd have thought
you'd approve.
Should we try to get him to see someone?
A psychiatrist?
Never gonna happen.
Concierge told me he asked to have the TV
removed from his room
'cause he thinks the Russians
are watching him through the screen.
Maybe they are.
He also believes they're gonna try
to blow up his plane.
What good would a doctor do?
Give him a diagnosis.
Give him a pill.
That would be like pouring
concrete down a holy well.
Bobby Fischer,
the United States Chess Champion,
has challenged World Champion
Boris Spassky in a 24-game series.
...playing Boris Spassky.
Are you afraid?
I'm not afraid of him.
He's afraid of me.
Last time we played, a couple of
people said they saw him trembling.
Fischer, the first
American in history
to reach the finals
of the World Championship,
is the latest arrival
in our growing culture of celebrity.
But who would have
thought that a chess player
could suddenly become
a rock star?
My next guest is prepared
to take on the Russians single-handed.
And he may win.
Will you welcome a bright boy from Brooklyn,
Mr. Bobby Fischer.
All right.
Do you honestly think
that you probably
are the world's
greatest chess player?
Yeah. Yeah. Right.
You know what
LIFE magazine said?
"Bobby Fischer is single-handedly
changing the face of chess,
"making it
the fastest-growing sport. "
And what's the moment
of pleasure for you?
Is it when you see
the guy in trouble?
What is the
greatest pleasure?
What would correspond
to hitting the home run in baseball?
Greatest pleasure?
When you break his ego.
That's where it's at.
- Really?
- Yeah.
And when does that occur?
When he sees that he's finished?
When he sees it coming.
And breaks all up inside.
Their goal is nothing short
of world domination.
And unless they are stopped,
that goal will soon be within their grasp.
Look at the godless
Soviet Union
and their relentless march
across Eastern Europe.
Look at the illegitimate
state of Israel,
whose expansionist ambitions
have usurped Palestine from its true heirs
in the kingdom of Judah.
Indeed, the people of Israel
are not even the real Jews.
That tribe was taken captive
by King Nebuchadrezzar
of Babylon in 600 B.C...
Bobby, turn the music down.
He doesn't want the Russians
to know what plane we're taking.
And I want the food
to travel with us on the plane, Paul.
You got it, Bobby.
We have some issues.
Yeah, well, the plane leaves in two hours.
With the traffic...
And make sure there's enough oranges.
Check.
There's never enough oranges.
Uh-huh.
He wants all the food flown in and
prepared in front of him.
Okay.
He also wants $46,875
in his bank account before he plays.
He'll pick up
the rest when he wins.
Well, that's not going
to happen.
Yeah, otherwise
he's not going.
Which is what
he wants anyway.
Hey, what are you guys
whispering about in there?
Just talking travel plans, Bobby.
Who's traveling?
You're really serious
about all this?
They gotta give me
what I want.
Mmm-hmm.
And if they don't?
Well, we can play in this hotel room.
I like it here.
Let me get this straight,
you're willing to throw all this away
for money and oranges?
That's right. I don't need
to play. I know I'm the best.
I think you're scared.
And I think
you're overwhelmed.
What is that, like,
um, pop psychology?
Yeah.
You've got the passports,
right?
You've got them?
Yeah.
I want my passport.
Look, you...
We're not leaving
for a half an hour.
Yeah. Yeah, maybe I'll take a later flight.
Or not. Okay.
Okay.
Well, that's kind of funny,
seeing a priest get mad.
I'm getting
on the phone right now.
I'm gonna make this work.
I don't mind either way.
I really got
nothing to prove.
I'm not so sure
about the deal, Paul.
Well, um,
what's the issue, Bobby?
I don't know.
Something's not right.
We settled too low.
I ought to get 30%.
Bobby, we agreed on 25%.
Well, it's 30% now.
We agreed.
Well, I changed
my mind, Paul.
I understand that. But, Bobby, you just
can't change your mind like that.
We're here.
We're at the airport.
What am I supposed
to do about it?
I don't have to
get on the plane.
I don't know what you're supposed
to do about it.
You're not gonna
get on the plane? Now?
There he is!
Bobby! Bobby!
What is this, Paul?
I told you,
no photographers!
Move it!
Out of the way!
All right, fine.
Bobby! Bobby!
Where to?
Just go! Drive!
Another bizarre turn today
in the World Chess Championships,
when Bobby Fischer failed to
appear for the opening ceremonies.
Meanwhile, Bobby's opponent,
Boris Spassky, arrived in Reykjavk today,
to the excitement
of all of Iceland.
FIDE adjudicator,
Wolfgang Schmidt, had this to say.
I am honored but confused.
I was always led to believe
that chess needed two people for a game.
Unfortunately,
our American friends
have managed to lose
their famous Mr. Bobby Fischer.
Ooh!
One hopes they are
not so careless with their nuclear weapons.
Mr. Tremblay,
is Bobby not showing
affecting Iceland
relationships?
Is it true he denied
$2 million to come to Reykjavk?
I love chess.
The world loves chess.
We are here
to celebrate chess.
Excuse us, please.
Still no sign
of Bobby Fischer,
the American chess player
who thinks he's the best in the world.
Fischer today was supposed to be
in Reykjavik, Iceland
to start playing
Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union
in what promises to be
the Super Bowl of the chess world,
if it ever comes off,
and that's a big if.
Fischer is still
believed to be in New York City,
where he was last
seen in public...
Mama?
Yeah, baby?
There are men
on the lawn.
Today the International
Chess Federation said,
"If Fischer is not
in Iceland by noon on Tuesday,
"he will be disqualified. "
In other news, the White House
refused to comment
on the recent break-in
at the Watergate headquarters
of the Democratic National Committee.
Hello? Hello?
Bobby, is that you?
Yeah. I, uh...
They promised me
no photographers,
and a bunch of them
showed up,
so I had to get out
of there.
Where are you?
I'm here, I'm at home.
So, I was going
to the airport,
and they promised
no photographers,
and a bunch of them showed up,
so I had to get out of there.
I had to show them, Joan.
They told me
no photographers.
They keep
doing this to me,
everywhere I go,
all the time.
People keep doing this to me.
Yeah.
It's not fair.
Hey, Bobby, are you okay?
Well, you know that
727 that went down?
You know, they said
the fuel tank exploded.
Yeah, well, that seemed
kind of funny to me. Right?
You know, they don't
tell us everything.
Yeah, no, they don't,
that's true.
And the KGB, they kill people.
They do. That's real.
They put poison on the tips
of their umbrellas... Crazy things.
You understand?
Yeah.
Baby, you stay there, okay?
I'm going to come over.
These people,
I wouldn't put anything past them.
Who? Who people, Bobby?
The Russians. You believe me.
They would like it if
I dropped dead tonight.
You hear that?
Oh, my God.
What? Do I hear what?
Shh.
I don't know.
There's a noise on the phone.
Do you hear it?
No, I don't hear anything.
Bobby?
We have a NATO base out there and
I asked for the Marines to guard me.
They said no to me.
They said no, Joan!
With all the prestige
I am bringing to this country.
I'm the most
famous man in the world.
Do you hear that?
They put stuff in my food
to mess with my mind, you know?
I don't know.
Bobby, you stay there.
I'm gonna come over.
No, no, no.
Listen... Joan, listen to me.
I'm trying to
tell you something.
I keep...
I keep thinking about this.
Just going over it
and over it and over it in my mind.
I can't figure out
what's next, Joan.
Do you know what I mean?
Yeah.
Do you understand?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I understand, baby, yeah.
Bobby...
Shh!
Joan. God damn it,
do you hear that?
There's a noise.
Joan.
I gotta get off the phone.
Bobby, you...
Uh...
Who's there?
Hey, pal,
you in there?
Hey, can I come in?
Got big news.
Yeah, what's that?
You wanted more money?
I just got you an extra 130K.
Some English chess nut
wants to see you play so bad.
Is the money real?
It's real.
It's good. It's secure.
May I use your phone?
Let folks know you're okay?
Hey, who's that?
That's, uh, security.
They've fixed it
for us at the airport.
We can go straight
to the plane. No press.
Yes. Hello?
I found him.
Henry Kissinger.
Pretty amazing, huh?
Hello?
Dr. Kissinger's
on the line.
Hello, this is
the worst chess player in the world
calling the best
chess player in the world.
We just want you to know,
the President and I,
that we are thrilled
that you will be going
to Iceland to play
for the U.S.A., Bobby.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
I decided to play.
This is
the BBC World Service.
American chess
Grandmaster Bobby Fischer
is believed to be
finally on his way to Iceland
for his match
with Boris Spassky.
This is how we used to
get Jagger out of here.
After months
of negotiation,
Fischer will now face
the current world champion, Boris Spassky.
What do you think
of Bobby?
I don't know.
At least there's one reason
to feel good about America.
A bit impolite.
Fischer is to chess
like Ali is to boxing.
He's tedious, he's arrogant,
he's inconsiderate.
At long last, Bobby Fischer
arrived in Reykjavik today
after months of speculation
that he wouldn't appear at all.
Yeah, well, the Russians have been
telling lies about me since I was a kid.
How do you like
Iceland, Bobby?
Iceland? Yeah, I'm, uh,
happy to be here.
I feel like a Viking,
ready to conquer.
Come on in. Take a look around. Yeah.
There's good.
It's five bedrooms.
Place even has a sauna.
All right. I'm gonna check out the rooms,
see which one I want.
Go for it.
Yeah?
Ah.
Hey, uh...
What are you doing here?
I took a little time.
All right.
You want to work?
Want to analyze some positions?
Maybe later.
What's wrong, you sick?
I'm just taking a break.
Okay. I'll check up
on you in a few hours.
It's good to see you, Bobby.
Yeah, sure.
Couldn't stay away, huh?
I get it.
Yankees are playing in the series,
you want a seat in the dugout.
Can I get one of these?
Billion people around the world watching
two guys play chess.
Nixon's put a TV
in the Oval Office.
Oh, yeah?
Mmm.
World War llI
on a chess board.
We lost China.
We're losing Vietnam.
We have to win this one.
This is ABC's
Wide World of Sports,
bringing you live coverage
of the World Championship of Chess.
Best of 24 games.
Each win is worth a point,
each draw is half a point.
It's the chess version
of a 15-round heavyweight prize fight.
And the noise from the crowd tells us
that Boris Spassky...
...in what will surely be
a historic confrontation.
Where is he?
If the press could
please take their seats.
We will now come together
for the drawing of the colors.
Mr. Spassky?
Mr. Fischer, choose.
Mr. Fischer chose black.
Mr. Spassky will begin.
So far, so good, yeah?
Mmm. They're playing
a variation on a Nimzo.
A draw would be fine
for our side.
Is that bad?
No, no.
It simplifies the game.
The cameras are making too much noise.
It's distracting.
I'll be back.
From the cameras?
Yeah, they're going like...
Come here.
Do you hear that?
It's just a camera.
Yeah. Well,
you've got to move it back.
What?
Move the camera back. Move
it back. Move the camera back.
You've got to get
the audience under control, too.
What's wrong with the audience?
They're making too much noise
and you're not doing anything about it.
That's your job.
All right? Do your job.
Mr. Spassky's made
his move. It's good.
Yes, yes.
Mr. Schmidt, he's trying
to upset my player.
You see, the camera was making noise,
we just moved it back.
He is upsetting
my player.
Yes, it's fine.
If you could just take your seats, please.
Thank you.
You don't look well,
Robert James.
First game goes to
Boris Spassky.
Bobby! Bobby!
Hold on a second!
- Don't yell at him.
- I'm not yelling at him. Bobby!
Bobby.
It's just one game.
One point.
You'll take the next one.
Twelve and a half points
is a long match.
The reporters will
go after Spassky.
We could slip out
another way.
You all right?
You hear that?
It's quiet in here.
Boris! Boris!
How did you feel?
How you doing, Bobby?
I'm not going
to do it anymore.
Do what?
Play with all of these distractions.
It's like a circus.
It's not what we agreed to.
You know, they've been
doing this to me for years.
Making me all these promises, and they all
turn out to be lies.
They've been doing it to me
since I was a kid.
You know, I would get stuck in Europe
with huge hotel room bills
when I was 15 years old.
The Federation
would raise money
off of my back and
funnel it to Reshevsky.
Another Jew, by the way.
I don't know what I ever did to them.
And they're all out to screw me,
the Russians and the Jews.
They got their dirty
little fingerprints all over everything.
What are we talking about?
The Jews.
Ah.
Bobby, you made
a stupid mistake
and you got your
ass handed to you.
No. I am not going to
submit to their game...
If you don't get
your head in the game...
We are going to play my way,
with no audience...
...you're not just going to lose.
... and no distractions!
You're going to get humiliated in
front of billions of people.
You guys brought me here under false
pretenses, and you're going to fix it!
This is how I play!
You know, his mistake
is that he didn't see this bishop.
Unless the rest of
the games are played
without an audience
and without cameras,
he isn't going to show up.
He won't continue unless the games
are played in the Ping-Pong room?
That's the only place
that's quiet, he says.
He also wants
a different board.
It makes too much noise
when he puts the pieces down.
He prefers wood.
It's like Morphy,
it's destroying his brain.
No, chess isn't
destroying him.
Why all the demands?
It's like he wants them to say no.
I think he's afraid of
what's gonna happen if he loses.
No. He's afraid of what's going to
happen if he wins.
If the press...
If the press could please take their seats.
The match was scheduled
to begin at 5:00.
We will now
start the clock.
Mr. Fischer failed to show.
Mr. Spassky
wins by forfeit.
According to
Federation rules,
Mr. Fischer has 24 hours
to indicate in writing
that he wishes to continue,
otherwise Mr. Spassky
will be declared world champion.
The match between
Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer
has taken a decidedly
disappointing turn.
- News in Reykjavik,
- Iceland today,
Bobby Fischer
failed to show up...
...the match is Spassky's,
regardless of what happens now.
A two-point advantage is considered
practically insurmountable.
Unpredictable
Bobby Fischer stayed in bed today
rather than show up
for Game Two
in his world title match
with chess champion Boris Spassky.
The future of the match
now is clouded in doubt,
although Game Three
is still scheduled for Sunday.
Bobby?
I have messages
from people all over the world
who want you
to open this door.
Bobby?
The President of
the United States called three times.
Three.
Ah, well. He's been
trying to reach you.
In Moscow,
Brezhnev opened
his only bottle of 1868 Louis Roederer.
Left over from the Revolution.
You know why?
Because he heard you quit.
There are boys your age in Vietnam
giving their lives right now
in the fight
against Communism,
and all you have to do
is play a game of chess.
Bobby. I've been arguing
on your behalf all night long.
I've been
threatening them for you.
I have cajoled, I have begged them,
now I'm begging you.
Please, please, please.
Go back in there and play.
You're one of them,
aren't you?
What?
Who got to you?
KGB? CIA?
Are you serious?
This is BBC News.
The World Chess Championship
looks to be ending in humiliation
for the American,
Bobby Fischer,
whose demands that the game
be held in a rec room
have led
to widespread ridicule.
Stop here.
Thank you.
You won't believe it.
Spassky's agreed to play
in the Ping-Pong room.
Yeah. Right.
Wait,
where are you going?
Only one camera. It does
not move. It makes no sound.
Good?
Good day, thank you.
Spasibo.
So, please, gentlemen.
If we can remember,
the world is watching.
Did Nixon really call you?
Game's starting.
What's he doing?
I don't know.
He's playing the Benoni.
Black, two games down.
He thinks it's suicide.
Is it suicide?
Yeah.
What's happening?
He's exposing his king.
He's going to end up with
doubled-up pawns here.
And yet he wants him
to take it with the bishop.
Yeah, shit.
Oh, my God.
He's threatening mate
in one.
He's going to force
the exchange of these knights.
He hates draws.
He takes him.
Check.
Bobby Fischer beat
Boris Spassky today
in the third game of
the World Chess Championship.
Bobby Fischer won his first game ever
from Russian Boris Spassky.
His Russian opponent,
Boris Spassky,
resigned today's game
on the 42nd move.
Fischer mania is taking
the country by storm,
as news of Bobby Fischer's
first victory over Boris Spassky
has captured
the public's imagination.
Bobby, I love you so much.
I know you're going to do amazing.
And win it for U.S.A.!
Go U.S.A.!
Bobby! Bobby!
A chess craze
is sweeping the nation.
You can find it being played
in every living room,
park and classroom.
And the young man
from Brooklyn,
little known until
about a month ago,
is quickly becoming
the most famous celebrity in the world.
This is really amazing, Jim.
You can't imagine
the tension involved
in a head-to-head match
like this.
Excuse me?
Spassky took
Bobby's bishop.
Yeah, well,
I took his virginity.
Oh, wait, wait.
Bobby's making a move.
Excuse me?
They drew Game Four last night, you know?
Yeah, we know, asshole,
we're watching the rerun.
Game Five goes
to Mr. Bobby Fischer.
Mr. Spassky.
An electrical engineer
examined the light fixture
and made
an astounding discovery.
Inside, he found this.
Two dead flies.
Bobby Fischer's comeback in this match.
That's historic in chess.
Certainly, Jim.
And at this stage,
it looks as though
whoever wins this game
will most likely go on
to take the entire match.
This one game, Game Six,
will determine the outcome?
I certainly think so.
Well, now we'll just
have to see what happens.
Fischer has agreed to return
to play in the Main Hall.
Press can step back,
please. Thank you.
What's he doing?
We all can't quite
believe it up here, Jim,
but in this,
the pivotal game of the match,
Fischer has abandoned
his trademark Sicilian opening.
All of Spassky's careful preparation
is suddenly out the window.
Grandmasters are shaking
their heads in confusion.
Fischer's moves
are unprecedented in chess history.
No one seems to be
able to decipher what he's doing.
Bravo.
Grandmasters never applaud
an opponent's victory,
but I guess this is something
no one has ever seen before.
Bobby?
Can I get you anything?
No, thanks.
It'll be light soon.
Yeah, it's never
really dark here.
Bobby.
The chess you've been playing
is really inspired.
It's almost all
theory and memorization.
People think there are
all these options,
but there's usually
one right move.
Of course, in the end,
there's no place to go.
The United States
is based on lies, it's based on theft.
Look at all I've
done for the U.S.
But now I'm not
useful anymore, you see?
The Cold War is over,
and now they want to put me in prison.
I'm not sure,
but if I know the Jews and the U.S.,
they may come at me
with some attack I don't expect.
Life is like that when people are
living in a dream world.
It's not really paradoxical.
Chess is basically
a search for truth, right?
So, I'm searching
for the truth.