ON CHESS

Icelander recalls how Fischer showed soft side

Saturday, February 2, 2008 3:10 AM
By SHELBY LYMAN

It is not without irony that the saga of Bobby Fischer should end in
Iceland, the scene of his epic conflict with Boris Spassky.

He found a measure of peace in the country to which he had given so much
and which generously embraced him as an adopted son.

The 1972 World Chess Championship was a defining moment for many who
followed the games and moves with rapturelike intensity. But Fischer's
legacy has become obscured by the opprobrium which he brought onto
himself later in life with his frequent racist and delusional utterings.

In Iceland, the American expatriate was a frequent visitor to the
bookstore of Bragi Kristjonsson in Reykjavik.

"He most enjoyed old American comics and laughed a lot when he read
them," the owner recalled.

The Icelander's remembrance might be regarded as a curiously charming
epitaph. Many know Fischer only for his darker moments. In fact, he
laughed easily and heartily and was always, for better or worse,
unabashedly himself.

"I had just finished putting aside books for him when I heard the news
(of his death)," Kristjonsson said.

He described Fischer as an engaging presence who helped organize the
book stacks among which he would read and sometimes "fall asleep for hours."

Fischer also played chess with children outside the store and cheerfully
signed autographs for the many who requested them.

Shelby Lyman is a Basic Chess Features columnist.