Old Bobby Fischer photos…where do they find them?
A great facebook site that just recently got started is Chess Club Live , which seems to concentrate on chess photos of all types, many of them that I had never seen before. Below is an unpublished photo of Bobby Fischer , taken in the 1950’s.
Photographer unknown, but probably his mother or sister! Who else could it be?
Bobby Fischer was the most photographed chess player in history, even more than Kasparov or Karpov. Perhaps one day the Norwegian superstar Carlsen will be able to brag that he was more photographed…but that might depend on a lot of favourable circumstances outside of chess working to make him larger than LIFE. Fischer’s chess career took place during the Cold War and his rise to superstardom as much parallels his fight against a corrupt system as much as it does his struggle ,over the board, against the then top Soviet superstars.
Much of Fischer’s fame comes from events directly related to the relations between the USSR and the USA. For many years Fischer was more popular inside the USSR than at home! The Spassky match in the summer of 1972 saw the direct intervention of the White House. The ABM treaty was signed that year and ratified during the Fischer match (!), and it was important to both super-powers that relations thaw, if only in appearance. It was not easy to get Fischer’s consent, especially since he did not like to be used!
IN ANY CASE, great photo! Keep up the good work…