Shelby Lyman on Chess: An Engaging Teacher Sunday, November 29, 2015 (Published in print: Sunday, November 29, 2015) As we have discussed before, Bobby Fischer had a natural inclination to explain and teach. His columns in the magazine Boys’ Life during the ’60s showed the same concern for detail and precision that he had for […]
A World Class Chess Teacher
Shelby Lyman on Chess: A World Class Teacher Sunday, October 25, 2015 (Published in print: Sunday, October 25, 2015) Bobby Fischer had an insatiable drive for chess mastery — his search for knowledge and perfection making him a superb teacher of others when he assumed that role. His collaboration, at the age of 19, on […]
A very different side of Bobby Fischer from what was portrayed in Pawn Sacrifice
Yesterday, I went to see Pawn Sacrifice at a local movie theater. It was empty. There could not have been more than a dozen or so people in the theater on a Saturday night during the busiest time. I did not know what to expect of the movie. Overall, the movie is OK. However, there […]
Anand: Soviet players were ordered to (cheat)
Soviet players didn’t want to cheat, they were ordered to: Viswanathan Anand Written by Shivani Naik | Published:September 28, 2015 12:52 am Viswanathan Anand talks to Shivani Naik about the dividing line between Cold War and post-Cold War chess, the perception of Indian players during that period and the genius of Bobby Fischer and his […]
Amir Khan as Anand on the big screen?
Pawn Sacrifice is a film set in the 1960s when chess was being dominated by the likes of Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. Did watching the film make you wonder what it would have been to be a player then? This movie represents the atmosphere of the 60s and I could very easily visualise the […]
Pawn Sacrifice! The Official Trailer of Bobby Fischer Biopic
Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky, and the Cold War — see how all the pieces fit together in this featurette for Pawn Sacrifice, starring Tobey Maguire and Liev Schreiber. Coming to theaters this September. Facebook.com/PawnSacrificeMovie
The biggest impact in chess history
Chess by Shelby Lyman on August 22, 2015 – 12:01 AM According to the grandmaster and chess historian Yuri Averbach, chess was played throughout most of Europe by the 11th century, Originally, a training tool for the warring upper classes, it gradually gained popularity among the populace at large. The game, says Averbach, “attracts people […]
Astoundingly precocious Fischer
Shelby Lyman on Chess: Precocity By Any Other Name Column 2245 for release August 3 Sunday, August 9, 2015 (Published in print: Sunday, August 9, 2015) Bobby Fischer was astoundingly precocious — as he proved in 1958, at the age of 15, when he won the U.S. championship, besting the legendary champion Sammy Reshevsky, one […]
It is not a question if you win or lose
Shelby Lyman on Chess: A Question of Survival Column C2242 for release July 13 Sunday, July 19, 2015 (Published in print: Sunday, July 19, 2015) Even in the early days, Bobby Fischer was never easy. But as he matured, he brought an increasing armory of weapons to the chessboard. His presence alone was intimidating. Handsome […]
Chess in Hollywood
Shelby Lyman on Chess: Hollywood Hustle Sunday, June 21, 2015 (Published in print: Sunday, June 21, 2015) Among the chess curiosities of the ’30s and ’40s were the large number of Hollywood stars who played the royal game. Their number seems to have been legion. Included among them, according to Arnold Denker in his book […]