My Most Memorable Opponent

My most memorable opponent!

Some consider him the most eccentric. People may strongly disagree with his views on various issues. However, no one can ever dispute what he had done for chess. No one can doubt his love and passion for the game and definitely no one can question his skills in chess.

Bobby Fischer was a chess genius, a chess legend. He raised chess to another level. One of my most memorable moments in my 50+ year career was meeting him. He visited my family and me in Hungary and stayed in our summer home. Even though it was supposed to be a secret, he could not escape the media frenzy.

When Bobby did not talk about issues that were very dear to his heart or chess, he was a very friendly, funny, and definitely a “normal” person. When he talked about issues he felt strongly about, he became very “passionate”. Whether I agreed with his views or not is irrelevant. It did not change my respect and admiration for his abilities, knowledge and accomplishments in chess. He was simply one of best ever. And he was definitely one of the most colorful and one of the most recognized world champions in history.

It was such a unique experience for me to be able to help Bobby finalize the Fischer Random Chess rules (as it is played today). Throughout this process, we played countless games to iron out all the details, and made many changes. Some of the games were played at home. Others were played while we were in restaurants. We also analyzed many key positions.

Everyone knew what Bobby used to think about women’s chess. After our countless games, even though I was not able to change his mind about many other topics, I am sure that I changed his mind about women’s chess. I had very good results against Bobby (about 50-50). I have never revealed or published our games (his request) out of respect for him. Trust is something that was very important to him.

We even agreed to play an official “Battle of the Sexes Fischer Random Chess Match” on the world stage. Bobby believed that Fischer Random Chess is a true test of skills and talents, without just relying on home analysis. I agree with him. I wish this game would be more popular. Unfortunately, the match did not happen. Now that he has passed, it never will. Overall, it was a very good and, undoubtedly, a memorable moment in my chess career.