CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS/April 15,2013


AMERICAN CHESS GIANT, GRANDMASTER /NEW YORK TIMES CHESS COMMENTATOR ROBERT BYRNE (fISCHER IMMORTAL GAME OPPONENT) DIES IN NEW YORK AT AGE 86….(Parkinson’s disease)…..It is with great regret that Chesslab  announces the death of the  immortal Fischer opponent in his greatest game ever…the “real Fischer Immortal game” as remembered by  I.A.Horowitz of Chess Review magazines long ago….hurrying past Mr.Byrne amidst the 1964 U.S. Championship(Fischer won by a staggering 11-0) to the public commentary room below for  public analysis of the games with fellow grandmaster N.Rossolimo……Horowitz told me that he really had no time to realize Fischer was a knight down on the large wall demonstration chess board versus Mr.Byrne..heard Rossolimo murmer “What is happening..Fischer  is losing the game?”……both commentators never catching on…they were watching a game like none ever played… indeed called witchcraft by C J. Purdy of Austrailia….Fischer himself told me( in front of LSU postal station student union  Box 16404 in Baton Rouge just 100 days later!) “ I just tried to keep the game alive,trying to win with the black pieces against Byrne..it was -partly analysis,I didn’t  see everything and…just keeping the game alive.”….chess historians will also remember that gentleman philosopher  Mr. Byrne tumbled down the stairway to explain to the baffled crowd why he had just resigned the game…played years after his own brother contested THE OTHER “ game of the century “ set to   at the start of Fischer’s career…Acers: “like a wonderful encouraging shadow Mr..Robert Byrne followed me around at the American open in  Los Angeles..the U.S Open in Aspen ,Colorado….in my massive 20 page interview of Danish super tourney player Bent Larsen (Aspen 1968) that was published all over the world  HE ADDED THE LAUGHTER AT THE END.. Mr. .Larsen  had called himself an idiot to play in five tourneys all over the world..dead on his feet from fatigue..”No one should play that much”, Larsen concluded.. at a memorable ,once in a lifetime banquet sponsored by Dr.Pipiringos  of Colorado…. Mr.Bryne burst into sound…generously added the right punctuation…” ha-ha-ha!…the idiot won every one of them!”…..I once commented to Grandmaster Byrne that many young masters did not believe he kept up with current chess theory..thought  they could  fool him….”There is one sure way for them to find out” he instantly replied……an ambassador of chess  known from Moscow to Mexico…Mr. Byrne( NY Times chess editor 1972-2006) was sent into battle expenses paid  all over the world by US chess officials of the Fischer era…William Addison of San Francisco said it best…”The Russians  were mighty in appearance…disdainful in analysis with the players in Iceland for a  world championship warm up international..they sent Robert and me because they knew we would not blow it…be gentleman,just play…but Jude you could not help but notice that the Russians did not try anything cute with Robert or me..they knew we had been to the mountain..we had played Fischer.”

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