New York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, September 14, 1958
Boy Chess Expert Delayed Abroad
Bobby Fischer of Brooklyn Returning—Faces ‘Grind’ to Make Up School Work
By Wayne Phillips
Bobby Fischer, the 15-year-old Brooklyn boy who moves into the top rank of world chess players last week, has headed home for what may be even more difficult brain work.
Bobby, who excels in the things he likes and has difficulty with those he doesn't, missed the first week of his junior year at Erasmus Hall High School because he was playing in an international tournament at Portoroz, Yugoslavia.
He tied for fifth place in the tournament, thereby qualifying for next year's Challenger's Tournament. This will decide who will meet the Soviet Union's Mikhail Botvinnik in 1960 for the world title. Bobby's performance made him the youngest person ever to qualify as an international grand master.
Bobby's mother, Mrs. Regina Fischer of 560 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, had expected him home in time to start school tomorrow. But yesterday she learned that he had been unable to get space on a flight, and would be delayed several more days.
Miss Grace Corey, administrative assistant to the principal at Bobby's school, said he would not be subject to any disciplinary action for his late arrival at school—“but it will be very difficult to make up the work he lost.”
For a while yesterday Mrs. Fischer thought her son might have been stranded in Portoroz without money or friends. She believed the other Americans there had already left, and the last she knew Bobby had only $10 or $15.
Bobby won his round-trip plane ticket to the tournament by appearing on a television show, and stayed in Portoroz as a guest of the tournament committee. He took little money with him.
Mrs. Fischer received a cable from him yesterday saying he would be unable to get a flight home until Oct. 4. In Portoroz, however, a chess official told the Belgrade correspondent of The New York Times that Bobby had left for the Yugoslav capital.
This official said Bobby had been assured of getting train passage to Brussels, Belgium, where he would be able to pick up a flight on any of a number of air lines that fly to New York.
Brussels, though, may take him two days. And Mrs. Fischer still does not know where he got the money for the train fare.
