Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Fischer-Spassky was an international affair. Necessarily, our research had to be equally wide—and likewise now our expressions of gratitude.

There are those without whom our book could not have been written: to them we offer profound thanks. Though he had a long arranged rendezvous with his autobiography, Boris Spassky unfailingly answered our questions. In Paris, he and Marina also gave us a memorable insight into Russian hospitality. In Germany, the chief arbiter Lothar Schmid set aside several days to take us in detail through the match as well as around the beauties of his ancient home city, Bamberg. Gudmundur Thorarinsson, similarly, could not have been more cordial and helpful and gave us three lengthy interviews. Also in Reykjavik, Freysteinn Johannsson, who was the Icelandic Chess Federation press officer for the match and wrote his own book on it three decades ago, tirelessly tracked down Icelandic facts, names, and telephone numbers. Without him, the book would have taken much longer to write. Saemundur Palsson regaled us with his experiences and warmly entertained us in his home by the sea, as he had the American challenger three decades before.

Viktor Ivonin gave us an unrivaled view of Moscow’s part in our story from his remarkable personal records, his archive, and his (not quite) total recall of the Sports Committee and other comrades involved in the match. We would also like to thank Larisa Solovieva for setting aside understandable qualms to share her memories of life with Boris Spassky. From New York, Nikolai Krogius provided us with detailed written responses to our many queries. In Tallinn, Ivo Nei took a break from running Estonian chess at Keres House to recall his role in the match.

Former chess players, administrators, and observers of the match also gave generously of their time and memories: Lev Abramov, Yuri Averbakh, Yuri Balashov, the late Viktor Baturinskii, Yevegeni Bebchuk, Mikhail Beilin, Valeri Chamanin, Naum Dymarskii, Viktor Korchnoi, Aleksandr Nikitin, Aleksandr Roshal, Mark Taimanov, Vera Tikhomirova, Aleksandr Yermakov, and Nikolai Zharikov. Extremely pertinent too were the reflections of Anatoli Dobrynin on the absence of Fischer-Spassky from his White House agenda, Dmitri Vasil’iev on the challenges of his Reykjavik diplomatic posting, and Vitali Yeremenko on fortifying Spassky’s inner man. Olga Baturinskaia kindly supported her father during our interview and supplied us with documents and photographs.

This is the appropriate point to mention our Russian researchers and translators. Carl Schreck scoured the Soviet press and chess magazines. Hannah Whitley and Andrew Yorke skillfully translated the dead language of Soviet bureaucracy and interpreted interviews; they also drew on their knowledge of Russian and Russia to offer us insights into the significance of what they read and heard. We are grateful to Tess Stobie for acting as our own Moscow Center, administering our research needs. John would also like to thank Tess and Alastair for their wonderful hospitality.

We must reserve a special place here for Victoria Ivleva-Yorke. Victoria functioned peerlessly as fixer, researcher, and interpreter. No contact was able to resist her combination of charm and insistence; her interest in the story and following up of leads were invaluable.

We have many debts on the other side of the cold war chessboard, the United States. Our thanks are due to Bob Axelrod, Pal Benko, Sid Bernstein, Arthur Bisguier, Robert Byrne, Bill Chase at Cleveland Public Library, Larry Evans, Ralph Ginzburg, Philip Hall, Eliot Hearst, Burt Hochberg, Shelby Lyman, Paul Marshall, the late Edmar Mednis, Hanon Russell, Phil Schewe, Don Schultz, Jim Sherwin, Frank Skoff, Elaine Smith, Harry Sneider, Barb Vandermark, and Josh Waitzkin. On the role of the White House, the U.S. State Department, and the Reykjavik embassy in coping with the match and the troublesome challenger, we are grateful to Gerald Ford, Len Garment, Victor Jackovich, Henry Kissinger, Helmut Sonnenfeldt, and Theodore Tremblay. Franklin Noll trawled through U.S. government records and came up with some pearls.

Taking full advantage of America’s justly famed Freedom of Information Act, we asked the FBI if they held a file on Regina Fischer. A year and a half later, two telephone directory-size documents thumped through the letterbox. In the interval, Bureau weeders had pored over the text, and the many blanks spoke of their assiduity. Nevertheless, we are appreciative of the openness of the American system and the efforts in particular of Donna Shackleforth, who so courteously received our regular monthly inquiry after the dossiers whereabouts.

From our experience, the people of Iceland have a claim to be the most naturally courteous and helpful in the world. We have many to acknowledge, all of whom went out of their way to assist us. To demonstrate our regard for their country, we list them alphabetically by first name, as in the Iceland telephone directory: Colin Porter, Dadi Agustsson, Fridrik Olafsson, Fridthor Eydal, Gisli Gestsson, Gunnar Magnusson, Gunnlaugur Josefsson, Gylfi Baldursson, Hilmar Viggoson, Hjalmar Bardarson, Hrannar Arnarson, Karen Thorsteinsdottir, Paul Theodorsson, Ragnar Haraldsson, Saemundur Palsson, Sigfus Sigfusson, Sigmundur Gudbjarnason, Sigurdur Helgason, Steinn Bjornsson, Sverrir Kristinsson, Thrainn Gudmundsson, Tinna Gunnarsdottir, and the late Ulfar Thordarson. Valur Ingimundarson put the match into the wider context of Icelandic politics, and Ingolfur Gislason and Valur Steinarsson carried out research for us in Iceland.

We also want to acknowledge all those who made time to afford us their recollections or professional information and advice: Tony Attwood, Michael Bezold, Dimitri Bjelica, Archie Brown, Henk Chervet, Simon Baron Cohen, Jim Dumighan, Esther Eidinow, Hannah Eidinow, Leonid Finkelstein, Michael Fitzgerald, Svetozar Gligoric, Bill Hartston, Ray Keene, Bent Larsen, David Levy, Lennox Lewis, Helmut Pfleger, Stewart Reuben, Sir Tim Rice, Michael McDonald Ross, Jim Slater, Olexiy Solohubenko, Bob Toner, Wolfgang Unzicker, and Lawrence Warner.

Simona Celotti-Still gave up her spare time to translate many Italian newspaper articles. Hannah Edmonds assisted with German documents and Arlene Gregorius and Joanne Episcopo with Spanish.

We owe a particular debt to grandmaster Daniel King, who offered tremendous encouragement as well as chess advice throughout. Bob Wade gave us the run of his extensive library and furnished us with memories of his research for Fischer.

David would like to thank Charles Eisendrath for bestowing on him the extraordinary privilege of a Michigan Journalism Fellowship and all the fellow journalists who made the sabbatical so immensely pleasurable as well as rewarding; Marzio Mian and Carlos Prieto, who later helped with the book, deserve specific mention. Bill and Betty Ingram made it all possible by agreeing to a house swap; fortunately, their beautiful home in Ann Arbor had an icestorm-resistant roof.

Various chapters of the draft of the manuscript were sent to the following friends, all of whom identified flaws and suggested improvements. We would like to thank Archie Brown, Hannah Edmonds, Esther Eidinow, Sam Eidinow, the omniscient David Franklin, Freysteinn Johannsson, Daniel King, Peter Mangold, David Price, Zina Rohan, Neville Shack, Christopher Tugendhat, Maurice Walsh, Hannah Whitley, and Andrew Yorke.

Finally, we would like to pay tribute—for their support and superb professional skills—to Julian Loose, Charles Boyle, and Angus Cargill at Faber; Jane Beirn and Julia Serebrinsky at Ecco; our copyeditors, Ian Bahrami and Sona Vogel; and Jacqueline Korn at David Higham.