Wrangle over the Fischer Estate

Home » IM Malcolm Pein » Wrangle over the Fischer Estate

Bobby Fischer (Estate)

Wrangle over the Fischer Estate

IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 3rd September 2010

Malcolm Pein reports on the increasingly tiresome legacy of Bobby Fischer who quite predictably left his affairs in a tangled mess on his death.

The unseemly wrangle over the estate of Bobby Fischer rumbles on. Samuel Estimo, the Filipino lawyer acting for Fischer's fomer girlfriend Marilyn Young has criticised the DNA tests carried out on tissue samples extracted from Fischer's grave in the Laugardaelir Church cemetery in Iceland. Young co-habited with Fischer when he lived in the Philippines and claims her 9 year old daughter Jinky was fathered by the former world champion.

The tissue samples invalidated Young's claim but her lawyer wants them compared with Fischer's living relatives. Fischer died intestate, in January 2008 aged 64. There seems little doubt that Fischer thought he was Jinky's father. He supported the Youngs when he lived in Philippines and continued to do after he moved to Iceland following his arrest in Tokyo and attempted extradition to the USA. Under Icelandic law the DNA tests take precedence.

The remaining claimants are Miyoko Watai, formerly the head of the Japanese Chess Federation, who claims to have married Fischer in 2004 and Fischer's nephews, Alexander Targ and Nicholas Targ, who reside in California. Fischer's estate is estimated to be worth about 2 million US dollars.

One of Fischer's most striking combinations.

RJ Fischer - P Benko

US Ch New York 1963

Pirc Defence

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 Nf6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Bd3 Bg4

(6...Na6 and 6...Nc6 are now known to be better 6...Nc6 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 Nd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 10.c3 Bg4 11.Qe2! led to a win as White dominates the centre in Fischer - Perez Havana 1965 but 8...Nh5 intending f7-f6 is better)

7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nc6 9.Be3 e5

(9...Nd7 10.e5 dominates the centre and Black cannot attack the d4 pawn)

10.dxe5 dxe5 11.f5 gxf5 12.Qxf5 Nd4

(12...Qd7 13.Qxd7 Nxd7 14.Nd5 is strong)

13.Qf2

(13.Qxe5!? Ng4 14.Qxg7+ Kxg7 15.hxg4)

13...Ne8 14.0-0 Nd6 15.Qg3

(15.Ne2 f5!)

15...Kh8 16.Qg4 c6 17.Qh5 Qe8?

(17...Ne6 survives)

18.Bxd4 exd4

(Now 19.e5 threatening mate is met by 19...f5 so Fischer eliminates that defensive resource)

19.Rf6!!

Pal Benko

Robert James Fischer

Position after 19.Rf6!!

19...Kg8

(19...dxc3 20.e5 wins)

20.e5 h6 21.Ne2! 1-0

in view of 21.Ne2! Bxf6 22.Qxh6 or 21.Ne2 Nb5 22.Qf5 mating.

It's a brave man who plays the Abu Dhabi Open at the height of summer and Black feels the heat in this game between Georgian and Armenian internationals. Tony Miles used to play this line with Black. White's 11th move, natural and obvious, is a novelty.

Z Sturua (2512) - A Anastasian (2578)

Abu Dhabi Open

QGA

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.a4 e6 8.axb5 Nb6 9.Be3 Be7 10.Nd2 Bb7 11.Nxc4 Nxc4 12.Bxc4 0-0 13.Qg4 g6 14.Bh6 Re8 15.0-0 axb5 16.Bxb5 c6 17.Rxa8 Bxa8 18.Ba4 Qb6 19.d5!

A Anastasian