Bobby Fischer's Illegal Moves: Breaking The Law

In 1992, Bobby Fischer broke US law by playing a chess match against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia, which was under a United Nations embargo at the time. Fischer's participation led to a conflict with the US government, which warned him that his involvement in the match would violate an executive order imposing US sanctions on Yugoslavia. The US government ultimately issued a warrant for his arrest, and Fischer lived as an émigré.

Fischer's participation in the 1992 rematch against Spassky in former Yugoslavia broke US law

Fischer's rematch against Spassky was highly anticipated. The 1972 match between Fischer and Spassky had been publicised as a Cold War confrontation between the US and the USSR, attracting worldwide interest. Fischer's victory in the 1972 match made him famous, and he was pleased that more Americans were now playing chess. However, Fischer's rematch against Spassky in 1992 was controversial. Fischer demanded that the organisers bill the match as "The World Chess Championship", although Garry Kasparov was the recognised FIDE World Champion. Fischer insisted that he was still the true World Champion and that the outcomes of the FIDE-sanctioned World Championship matches had been prearranged. The purse for the rematch was $5 million, with $3.35 million going to the winner—the largest purse for a match in chess history.

Fischer's participation in the rematch broke US law. Before the match, the US Department of the Treasury sent Fischer a cease-and-desist letter, warning that if he played in Yugoslavia, he would face a $250,000 fine, 10 years in prison, or both. Fischer held a press conference and, with the cameras rolling, pulled the warning letter from his briefcase and spat on it. Fischer's violation of the sanctions led the US government to issue an arrest warrant for him, and he could not return to the US. Fischer stayed mostly in Europe and worked as a coach for the few people who could tolerate him, as he was mentally unstable and reclusive. Fischer's behaviour continued to deteriorate, and he became increasingly antisemitic and paranoid. In 2004, he was arrested in Japan for using a revoked US passport. He was held in jail for several months and fought a lengthy legal battle against extradition to the US. Fischer eventually received Icelandic citizenship, which allowed him to leave prison in Japan and live in Iceland until his death in 2008.

Fischer was arrested in Japan in 2004 for using a revoked US passport

In 2004, former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer was arrested in Japan for travelling with a revoked US passport. Fischer was attempting to fly out of Tokyo's Narita Airport en route to the Philippines when he was detained by Japanese immigration officials.

Fischer's arrest ended a 12-year game of cat and mouse with the US government, which had wanted him for defying a ban on doing business with Yugoslavia (the country was under a United Nations embargo at the time). In 1992, Fischer had travelled to Yugoslavia to play an out-of-retirement exhibition match against Boris Spassky, earning him $3.35 million. Fischer's appearance in the country violated a presidential ban, which he expressed his disdain for by publicly spitting on a letter from the US Treasury Department forbidding him from playing chess in Yugoslavia.

Despite his frequent travels, Fischer had managed to evade arrest for over a decade. However, in 2003, the US government revoked his passport, and in 2004, Japanese authorities detained him at the airport for failing to possess valid travel documents. Fischer claimed that he was unaware that his passport had been revoked and that he had travelled frequently over the past 10 years without any issues.

Following his arrest, Fischer was held in an airport jail, facing deportation and subsequent arrest by US marshals. He declared himself a political prisoner and appealed for asylum in a "friendly third country." Fischer also alleged that he had been “viciously attacked, brutalized, seriously injured and very nearly killed” during his arrest and that Japanese officials, in collusion with the US government, had destroyed his passport.

Ultimately, Fischer was granted Icelandic citizenship and allowed to live in the country until his death in 2008.

Fischer's antisemitic comments and Holocaust denial

> I read a book lately by Nietzsche and he says religion is just to dull the senses of the people. I agree.

Fischer's antisemitism was also evident in his comments about the United Nations resolution equating Zionism with racism, which he supported. He described communism as a mask for Bolshevism and Bolshevism as a mask for Judaism. He also expressed confusion at being termed an antisemite, stating:

> Arabs are also Semites and I'm definitely not anti-Arab.

Fischer's antisemitism and Holocaust denial continued into his later life. In 1999, he gave a radio call-in interview to a station in Budapest, Hungary, during which he described himself as the "victim of an International Jewish conspiracy". In another radio interview, Fischer said that it became clear to him in 1977, after reading The Secret World Government by Count Cherep-Spiridovich, that Jewish agencies were targeting him. Fischer's antisemitism was also evident in his comments about the September 11 attacks, in which he stated:

> I applaud the act. [...] The horrible behavior that the US is committing all over the world [...] This just shows you, that what goes around, comes around, even for the United States.

Fischer's library contained antisemitic and racist literature such as Mein Kampf, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and The White Man's Bible and Nature's Eternal Religion by Ben Klassen, founder of the World Church of the Creator. A notebook written by Fischer contains sentiments such as "12/13/99 It's time to start randomly killing Jews". Despite his views, Fischer remained on good terms with Jewish chess players.

Fischer's celebration of the 9/11 attacks

> This is all wonderful news. It is time to finish off the US once and for all. I was happy and could not believe what was happening. All the crimes the US has committed in the world. This just shows, what goes around comes around, even to the US. I applaud the act. The US and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians for years. Now it is coming back at the US.

Fischer also attacked Israel and Jews, claiming that they were responsible for the attacks. He said:

> [The US] is a farce controlled by dirty, hook-nosed, circumcised Jew bastards.

Fischer's antisemitic views were at odds with his Jewish ancestry. He was born to a Jewish mother and his paternal grandparents were also Jewish. Fischer's comments about 9/11 led to the US Chess Federation cancelling his membership.

Fischer's refusal to defend his title in 1975

In 1975, Fischer refused to defend his title when an agreement could not be reached with FIDE, chess's international governing body, over the match conditions. Fischer demanded that the match continue until one player won 10 games, with draws not counting, and that there be no limit to the total number of games played. In the event of a 9-9 score, Fischer wanted to retain his title and for the prize fund to be split equally. This was rejected by FIDE, and Fischer vowed never to play under its jurisdiction.

Fischer's refusal to defend his title was influenced by a history of making demands and refusing to play if they were not met. Fischer's conditions for the 1975 match were seen by many as unreasonable, and there has been much speculation about the psychological component at play. Fischer's demands were also influenced by a desire to return to earlier days in chess, when matches were unlimited and the tradition was that you had to dethrone the king, not merely match them, to take the crown. Fischer also believed that the system needed reform, arguing that it was designed to protect Soviet supremacy by making it almost impossible for an outsider to win.

Fischer's refusal to defend his title had significant consequences. The Soviet challenger Anatoly Karpov was named World Champion by default, and Fischer subsequently disappeared from the public eye. Fischer's behaviour became increasingly erratic, and he lived as an émigré after the US government issued a warrant for his arrest following his participation in a rematch against Spassky in Yugoslavia, which was under a United Nations embargo at the time.

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