Bobby Fischer

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Bobby Fischer : biography

March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008

In 1967, Fischer won the U.S. Championship for the eighth and final time, ceding only three draws.Müller 2009, pp. 284–85.Wade & O’Connell 1973, pp. 87–91. In March–April and August–September, he won strong tournaments at Monte Carlo (7/9) and Skopje (13½/17).Müller 2009, pp. 291, 296–97.Wade & O’Connell 1973, pp. 236–47. In the Philippines he played a series of nine exhibition games against master opponents, winning eight and drawing one.Wade & O’Connell 1972, pp. 450–53.

Withdraws while leading Interzonal

In the next World Championship cycle, at the 1967 Sousse Interzonal, Fischer scored a phenomenal 8½ points in the first 10 games, to lead the field. His observance of the Worldwide Church of God’s seventh-day Sabbath was honored by the organizers, but deprived Fischer of several rest days, which led to a scheduling dispute. Fischer forfeited two games in protest and later withdrew, eliminating himself from the 1969 World Championship cycle. Because he had completed less than half his scheduled games, all of his results were annulled, meaning players who had played him had those games cancelled.

In 1968, Fischer won tournaments at Netanya (11½/13) and Vinkovci (11/13) by large margins.Wade & O’Connell 1973, pp. 248–59. He stopped playing for the next 18 months, except for a win against Anthony Saidy in a 1969 New York Metropolitan League team match.Wade & O’Connell 1973, pp. 154–55.

In 1969, Fischer published his second games collection, entitled My 60 Memorable Games, which was also published by Simon & Schuster. He was assisted by his friend, GM Larry Evans. The book of deeply annotated games immediately became a best-seller.

Death, estate dispute, and exhumation

On January 17, 2008, Fischer died from degenerative renal failure at the Reykjavík hospital., mbl.is, 2008-01-20Death: January 18, 2008, the BBC on Fischer’s personality and downfall, BBC News, 2008-01-18 He originally had a urinary tract blockage but refused surgery or medications.Brady 2011 Magnús Skúlason reported Fischer’s last words as "Nothing is as healing as the human touch.", The Sunday Times, April 20, 2008 , Vísir.is, 2008-01-20 On January 21, he was buried in the small Christian cemetery of Laugardælir church, outside the town of Selfoss, 60 km southeast of Reykjavík, after a Catholic funeral presided over by Fr. Jakob Rolland of the diocese of Reykjavík. In accordance with Fischer’s wishes, no one else was present except Miyoko Watai, Garðar Sverrisson, and Garðar’s family.Burial: Jan. 21, 2008. Icelandic. – visir.is, January 19, 2008 (Icelandic) at noon on Jan. 21, 2008

Fischer’s estate was estimated at 140 million ISK (about 1 million GBP or US$2 million) and it quickly became the object of a legal battle involving claims from four parties with Miyoko Watai ultimately inheriting what remained of his estate after government claims. The four parties were Fischer’s apparent Japanese wife Miyoko Watai, his alleged Philippine daughter Jinky Young and her mother Marilyn Young, his two American nephews Alexander and Nicholas Targ and their father Russell Targ, and the U.S. government (claiming unpaid taxes).Andrew Soltis, , New York Post, November 15, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-11-16. According to a press release issued by Samuel Estimo, an attorney representing Jinky Young, the Supreme Court of Iceland ruled in December 2009 that Watai’s claim of marriage to Fischer was invalidated because of her failure to present the original copy of their alleged marriage certificate. On June 16, 2010, the Court ruled in favor of a petition on behalf of Jinky Young to have Bobby Fischer’s remains exhumed.Dylan Loeb McClain, , New York Times Europe, CNN.com This was performed on July 5, 2010 in the presence of a doctor, a priest, and other officials. A DNA sample was taken and Fischer’s body was then reburied. On August 17, 2010, the Court announced that from the DNA sample it was determined that Fischer was not the father of Jinky Young. On March 3, 2011, a district court in Iceland ruled that Miyoko Watai and Fischer had married on September 6, 2004,, Iceland Review, March 3, 2011. and that as Fischer’s widow and heir, Watai was therefore entitled to inherit his estate.McClain, Dylan Loeb (March 4, 2011). , New York Times Fischer’s nephews were ordered to pay ISK 6.6 million (approximately $57,000) in Watai’s legal costs for the dispute.