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Chess In the Media

The Fischer king: What's behind Iceland's move? (Houston Chronicle)

On the face of it, Iceland's decision to save Bobby Fischer from deportation to the United States by offering him citizenship is puzzling.

It's true that Fischer defeated Soviet world champion Boris Spassky there in 1972 in perhaps the most famous chess match of all time. But since then, his life has descended into an abyss. As world champion, he insisted on so many conditions before he would defend his title that finally the International Chess Federation stripped him of it. He didn't compete in public again until 1992, when he, arguably, breached U.S. sanctions against war-torn Yugoslavia by playing a rematch there against Spassky, pocketing $3.5 million. (The U.S. Treasury warned Fischer before the match that he risked prosecution.) He's now considered a fugitive from justice in the United States.

During the last decade, the reclusive, mercurial chess grandmaster has been spotted only rarely. But in July, he tried to fly from Tokyo to Manila, Philippines, on an invalid U.S. passport and was taken into custody by Japanese authorities. He was held in a Japanese detention center until Wednesday while his attorney and supporters fought to avoid his deportation to the United States.

John Bapst players earn state chess title (The Weekly, Bangor)

On March 5, the John Bapst Memorial High School Chess Team won the Maine State High School championship title for all classes with a perfect 4-0 record. In addition, the school's reserve team won the reserve state title for all classes by taking the first five places.

"This was an exciting event for us," said first-year team coach Kurt Klappenbach. "These young people have been working toward this goal for years. They've worked incredibly hard to get to this point and we couldn't have asked for better results. I give a lot of credit to the school's prior chess coach, Scott Burgess, and the team's co-coach, Bob Solinger. Both have contributed greatly to this win."

The chess team has begun fund-raising for the trip to Nashville, Tenn., where players will compete in the National Chess Tournament in early April. Among their fund-raising events will be a bottle drive, a 24-hour chess marathon, and community chess tournament with an adult section and a student "bug house" match. The team also is seeking corporate sponsors.

Chess brought to inner-city youths (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Chess has long been a staple of parks and after-school clubs. Now, the bishops and queens are moving into the classroom.

The Cris Collinsworth ProScan Foundation hired teachers this year to teach chess at Dohn Community High School in Walnut Hills, Withrow University High School in Hyde Park, Ninth District Elementary in Covington, Emanuel Community Center in Over-the-Rhine and the Covington Housing Authority Teen Program.

At Dohn and Withrow, students earn a half-credit for the classes, which are believed to be the first chess courses included in school curriculum locally. Chess is part of the curriculum in 30 countries and other parts of the United States.

Do you know of an interesting, humorous, or unique chess story published online? E-mail us at newsletter@uschess.org.