Bobby Fischer, widely considered to be one of the top 3 chess players of all time, was famous for his rivalry with fellow American Samuel Reshevsky, which stretched from the late 1950s to the 1960s.
Their rivalry began in 1958 when the 15 yr old Fischer defeated Samuel—who was 30 years older than him. In a 1960 tournament, Reshevsky famously said, “I would settle for 19th place – if Fischer placed 20th.” Samuel also refused to play for the U.S. team in the 1960, 1962, and 1966 Chess Olympiads because Fischer, as U.S. champion, was chosen for the top board.
Fischer was also known for his antisemitic rants, fueled mainly by his belief in “Soviet-Jewish” control of the game, complaining that there were “too many Jews in chess.”
According to Reshevsky, once during a tournament Fischer informed him that he was reading a ‘very interesting book’ to prepare for their match. “What is it?” Samuel asked innocently, to which Bobby replied, “Mein Kampf!”—an attempt to provoke Reshevsky, who was Jewish.
Interestingly, Fischer’s mother was a Polish Jew, which would make Fischer Jewish too—something he always denied.
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Bobby Fischer, widely considered to be one of the top 3 chess players of all time, was famous for his rivalry with fellow American Samuel Reshevsky, which stretched from the late 1950s to the 1960s.
Their rivalry began in 1958 when the 15 yr old Fischer defeated Samuel—who was 30 years older than him. In a 1960 tournament, Reshevsky famously said, “I would settle for 19th place – if Fischer placed 20th.” Samuel also refused to play for the U.S. team in the 1960, 1962, and 1966 Chess Olympiads because Fischer, as U.S. champion, was chosen for the top board.
Fischer was also known for his antisemitic rants, fueled mainly by his belief in “Soviet-Jewish” control of the game, complaining that there were “too many Jews in chess.”
According to Reshevsky, once during a tournament Fischer informed him that he was reading a ‘very interesting book’ to prepare for their match. “What is it?” Samuel asked innocently, to which Bobby replied, “Mein Kampf!”—an attempt to provoke Reshevsky, who was Jewish.
Interestingly, Fischer’s mother was a Polish Jew, which would make Fischer Jewish too—something he always denied.