The News Paterson, New Jersey Wednesday, September 24, 1958
U.S. Chess Prodigy Liked Tieing 4 Russian Stars
Porotoroz, Yugoslavia, (UPI) Bobby Fischer, 15-year-old American chess prodigy, says that the best thing that happened to him during the tournament from which he emerged as the youngest grand master in chess history was drawing games with four Russian players.
Fischer, a high school student from Brooklyn, said “The thing I liked best was getting an even score with the four Russians.”
The young chess star drew matches with Talj, Pjetrosan, Bronstein and Averbach — the four Russians entered in the fourth interzone tournament.
Bobby lives with his mother at 560 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, and is a student at Erasmus Hall High School.
He added “I've had no time to think about my future. One thing is certain—I am not going to be a professional chess player.”
Fischer, who earned his title by finishing among the first six in the current tournament, will be among the competitors in the “candidates” tournament to be held in Iceland next year.
The winner of that tournament will have the right to challenge the current world title holder, Soviet Russia's Mikhail Botvinnik.
“Of course I would like to meet Botvinnik,” he added, “but its too early to talk about that. Remember next year I will have to attend the tournament of candidates before I can think of meeting Botvinnik.”
He was among the winners receiving trophies from Yugoslav officials.
His sister, who came with him to the tournament, is now living in Vienna with her Austrian husband.
Bobby was top favorite as far as the Yugoslav public was concerned.
They gave him two nicknames. One was “Mali” which means little and the other “Biftek” which means beefsteak—because word got around that he lived almost exclusively on steaks topped with eggs.
Chess players here said their opinion of him was very high.
At first they tended to underrate him—“After all, he is only 15” was almost a byword—but his play earned him their respect.
“He is the boy to watch,” was the consensus now. “Fischer and Talj (a 19 year old Russian) will rule the chess world one day.”.
