Once again there is a lot of new information on the situation of former world
chess champion Bobby Fischer, who is wanted by Washington for violating international
economic sanctions by playing a chess match in Yugoslavia in 1992 in which
he beat old rival Boris Spassky and earned $3 million. Fischer has been detained
in Japan since July, when he was stopped at Tokyo's Narita airport for travelling
on a passport U.S. officials said was invalid.
In the following we bring you four stories (click to jump to each of them):
- A new telephone interview with Fischer
Fischer talks to his favourite radio station in the Philippines
about his fear of radiation poisoning, his outrage as being referred to as
a "former grandmaster" and about Ichiro Suzuki's recent baseball record.
At the end of the interview Fischer threatens Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi and US President George W Bush directly: "You are going to pay for
this, and you are going to pay for your crimes in Iraq too."
- Fischer plans legal action against the US
A number of newspapers are reporting on a press conference in Tokyo by Fischer's
new lawyer, Richard Vattuone, in which he said that Fischer could file a
lawsuit in federal court in the United States challenging the constitutionality
of a U.S. executive order concerning sanctions on Yugoslavia and a related
criminal statute, as well as the revocation of his U.S. passport. Vattuone
says that newly discovered U.S. government document that proves that Fischer's
arrest was plotted in advance in Washington
- Confirmation by John Bosnitch
Fischer's legal advisor John Bosnitch has confirmed to us that Richard Vattuone
has indeed been retained by Fischer and that legal proceedings are being
planned.
- Chess Life cover story
In its September issue the oldest and most widely read US chess magazine
devoted the cover to the detained Bobby Fischer. The story deals with the
connection of this case to the US administration.
New telephone interview with Fischer
A new interview has been aired by Bombo Radyo, a small Baguio City based
public-radio station. It was conducted by station manager Pablo Mercado and
contains vulgar language (as the Mainichi Daily News puts it: "Fischer's
attack on the Japanese prime minister contains a profanity directed at Koizumi
and the relationship the chess champion accused him of having with his mother").
We bring you transcribed excerpts of the key passages. If you feel you have
the nerves to listen to the original, go google for it yourself.
In the first part of the telephone interview Fischer says that he has discovered
that the place where he is being detained (Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, 50 km
northeast from central Tokyo) is near the site of Japan's
worst nuclear disaster five years ago. He suspects that he has been taken
to Ibaraki to be poisoned as part of a plot to pump him up with nuclear radiation
so that he dies prematurely. "I would rather be obliterated by a nuclear
bomb than get radiation sickness," he says. Fischer is also deeply offended
that some newspapers referred to him as "former grandmaster" ("former
world champion" is offensive enough).
Fischer is deeply upset about Japan born Ichiro Suzuki shattering a 84-year-old
baseball record (by scoring 262 hits in a single season). "Ichiro has
no business playing in the US and for a US team," Fischer says. "Point
two: The game has changed so much, the ball's livelier, the bats are livelier.
The old records were much harder to make. Point three: I believe this has been
staged between the Japanese and US governments. They could easily have stopped
him from breaking the record, simply by giving him walks. Let's say he had
been originally from Cuba and still pro-Castro. Do you think they would have
let him break the record like that? No way. They would have given him walks
or tried to hit him with the ball. I saw [Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro]
Koizumi on TV congratulating Ichiro. Me he has put into prison, him and Bush
working in conspiracy. That's perfectly okay for him. But he would never dream
of putting Ichiro into prison, on an immigration charge."
Fischer goes on to deepen the conspiracy charges: "I am told that the
whole thing [the charges against Fischer and his detention] was personally
agreed between Koizumi and Bush. You are going to pay for this, and you are
going to pay for your crimes in Iraq too. Koizumi has sent troops there to
be poisoned by depleted Uranium, and he has put this whole country into danger
of being attacked by so-called terrorists. Japan should do the same as the
Philippines and withdraw their troops immediately from Iraq.
Links

Tuesday, October 19, 2004: Former world chess champion Bobby Fischer's lawyer
said Monday that Washington planned Fischer's arrest and detention by Japanese
immigration authorities in advance, describing it as a plot for a "backdoor
extradition." Richard Vattuone also accused the U.S. State Department
of violating Fischer's rights, including forbidding Vattuone to call or cross-examine
U.S. government officials as witnesses for a hearing appealing Fischer's passport
revocation.
At a news conference at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan in Tokyo,
Vattuone presented a copy of an internal U.S. government fax as proof the U.S.
government was behind Fischer's arrest by Japanese authorities. The fax, dated
Nov 18, 2003, states that the Department of Homeland Security had requested
the assistance of the Passport Office "in effecting the revocation of
the passport privileges" of Fischer "in order to secure his deportation
from the Philippines."
Vattuone said that depending on the State Department's actions, Fischer may
file a lawsuit in the United States in about six months to a year to appeal
the revocation of his passport as unconstitutional and claiming regulations
were not followed during the process. But despite having been detained for
about three months, Fischer "is in great spirits and he is determined
to prevail," according to supporter John Bosnitch, who visits Fischer
regularly at the detention facility.
Links
From John Bosnitch we received the following corroborative message:
Bobby Fischer's newly appointed U.S. lawyer, Richard J. Vattuone has traveled
to Japan to protest the latest U.S. government violations of the rights of
chess legend Bobby Fischer, who remains unjustifiably imprisoned in Japan.
Officials of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Friday, October 15 disregarded valid
legal objections of Mr. Fischer by proceeding, in his absence, with a State
Department hearing of his passport revocation appeal at the East Japan Immigration
Center in Ushiku, Japan, northeast of Tokyo.
Mr. Fischer had managed to retain U.S. lawyer Richard J. Vattuone of San Diego,
California, the day before the hearing, and Mr. Vattuone filed objections based
on U.S. law, the Constitution and international law at the State Department
hearing process held at the Japanese detention center.
Mr. Fischer has always maintained that his rights to a fair U.S. passport
hearing cannot be respected while he remains detained by Japanese authorities
and, as he predicted, the officials at the Japanese detention facility refused
to allow him the right to meet privately with his U.S. lawyer to prepare properly
for the hearing.
John Bosnitch
Committee to Free Bobby Fischer
www.freebobbyfischer.net
Cover Story in US chess magazine
The oldest and most widely read US chess magazine, Chess Life, devoted
the cover of its September issue to the detained Fischer. The story in the
magazine is written by Kalev Pehme and deals with the connection of this case
to the US administration. Here are some excerpts.
Americans of all political stripes have often defied the law, sometimes with
success; however, it is one thing to defy the law, it is another to treat a
powerful bureaucracy with contempt. When Bobby Fischer spit on the official
State Department letter informing him that he would be violating U.S. law and
George H.W. Bush's presidential order if he were to play Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia,
then a rogue state, he crossed the line where all bureaucratic compromises
would evaporate forever.
Why the second Bush administration has decided to go after Fischer after so
many years is a matter of speculation, including political speculations revolving
around the Japanese government and its desire not to send a U.S. army deserter
from the Korean War back to the U.S.
One has to ask why it is that the Bush administration decided to go after
Fischer. Why now? Why the revocation of his passport last December? Obviously,
Homeland Security has something to do with it, as all fugitives from U.S. law
are being scrutinized with much greater care, and Fischer's name probably lit
up somewhere in someone's computer. Second, although internal Japanese politics
may have contributed to his arrest, Fischer's brother-in-law Russell Targ in
California attributed it to internal American politics: "It looks like
it's a distraction from the war and the economy. Let's arrest Bobby Fischer.
That will lake people's minds off their troubles."
It is very hard to believe, however, that Karl Rove, who runs all of Bush's
political operations, cares at all about Fischer. Fischer does not seem to
be a great distraction, except for chess enthusiasts. Of course, there are
sinister enough minds who believe that Bush II's thin skin extends to gelling
even with all those who did anything against Bush I.
Previous ChessBase articles
'We
want to live together forever'
01.09.2004
She collected pictures of her chess hero after his match with Boris Spassky
in 1972. One year later they met in Tokyo – the start of a romance spanning
decades. Since four years the two have lived together in downtown Kamata
in Tokyo's Ota Ward. In an exclusive interview for ChessBase Miyoko Watai
tells us the story of her life
with Bobby Fischer. |
Listen
to Bobby Fischer
26.08.2004
In emotional phone calls from his detention cell in Tokyo ex world champion
Bobby Fischer gave a Philippine radio station two lengthy interviews. Fischer
is facing deportation and incarceration in the US, and voices his nightmare
fears: "I will be tried, convicted, sentenced, imprisoned, tortured and
murdered." We have summary transcripts
and audio files. |
Dramatic
moments around Fischer's deportation
25.08.2004
First the Japanese Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa issued a deportation order
against former world champion Bobby Fischer's, then Fischer's lawyers filed
a lightning appeal on the grounds that physical deportation would be a
flagrant violation of Fischer's right to full legal recourse and protection
under Japanese law. Here's the full
story by Fischer's legal coordinator. |
'Bobby
Fischer and I have decided to marry'
17.08.2004
Bobby Fischer, the former world chess champion, plans to marry the president
of the Japan Chess Association (and four-time Japanese women's champion)
Miyoko Watai. This was reported in newspapers and wire services last night.
Now Watai-san has sent us a statement explaining the background of her
personal relationship with Fischer. |
Fischer
renounces US citizenship
15.08.2004
Bobby Fischer has been moved to a new detention facility in Tokyo, pending
a decision on his deportation to the US, where he faces a 10-year jail
sentence. A lot of new material has surfaced, including Fischer's handwritten
renouncement of his US citizenship and a blow-by-blow description and picture
of his arrest at Narita Airport. Harrowing
stuff... |
Spassky
to Bush: Arrest me!
10.08.2004
Boris Spassky, who played the contentious return match against Bobby Fischer
in Yugoslavia 1992, for which the latter is currently facing deportation
and incarceration in the US, has appealed to President Bush to show mercy
and charity for his tormented successor. If for some reason that should
be impossible, Spassky suggests a very
imaginative alternative... |
Fischer's
appeal rejected
28.07.2004
Bobby Fischer's appeal against his deportation was rejected today by Japanese
authorities. Meanwhile the Icelandic Chess Federation has appealed to US
president Bush to pardon Fischer and set up a petition web site to collect
signatures. In Tokyo a "Free Fischer Press Conference" is scheduled for
Thursday. More... |
Fischer
a sacrificial pawn?
25.07.2004
Bobby Fischer is still in detention at Narita Airport in Tokyo, traumatised
but stubborn, "behaving like a Samorai". At the same time news outlets
all over the world are covering the story, whit Fischer's brother-in-law
Russell Targ assailing the Bush administration for playing election year
politics with the former chess champion's freedom. There's
a lot to be read... |
Game
of Life: Kasparov on Fischer - in full
20.07.2004
The news of Fischer's arrest in Japan came as a shock to Garry Kasparov,
who was in a holiday camp working intensely on the games of his greatest
American predecessor. In today's issue of The Wall Street Journal Kasparov
assesses Fischer's chess career – for a public that was being exposed to
his current situation. We now bring you Kasparov's
full article. |
Will
Fischer be extradited?
19.07.2004
Chess legend Bobby Fischer, the hero of millions, languishes in the detention
facilities of Narita Airport in Tokyo, waiting for a decision by Japanese
Immigration authorities on his deportation to the US. We have collected
all the documents and reconstructed a timeline to his arrest. Fischer,
who has no legal counsel, is appealing
for international assistance. |
Bobby
Fischer detained in Japan (updated)
16.07.2004
It's the latest twist in the sad tale of American former world champion
Bobby Fischer. He has been detained in Japan and faces possible deportation
to the US to face charges for playing in Yugoslavia in 1992. Fischer's
website says he was "very nearly killed" in Japan. The story has been picked
up by news services all over the
world. |