Ep 1.7: Finding Bobby Fischer: Lost Interviews with the World Chess Champion (Worldwide: The Unchosen Church)

Bobby Fischer was the Muhammad Ali of chess. He became the youngest person to ever win the US chess championship at the age of 14 and the only American-born player to ever win the World Chess Championship. But after defeating the Soviet Boris Spassky in 1972, Bobby Fischer never played another professional match for over twenty years. Instead, he became a recluse, preferring privacy over prize money. Not much is known about Bobby’s life after his 1972 win, but this episode premieres newly discovered tapes of Fischer, discussing his time in the Worldwide Church of God – the doomsday apocalyptic cult this series is devoted to.

In these tapes, which were made in Dec 1976 and Jan 1977, Bobby discusses his views on god, sex, and chess and, especially, how he came to resent Herbert W. Armstrong and his son Garner Ted, the church’s leaders. These tapes provide a riveting snapshot of Bobby’s mental state during the time when he had essentially disappeared from public view and has great crossover appeal between those interested in cults and those interested in chess. The original tapes were about 5 hours long, and the best highlights are featured in this 30+ minute episode, which also features commentary from David Edmonds, co-author of Bobby Fischer Goes to War.
I would like to extend a special thank you to David Edmonds, Bill Hughes, and Dixon Cartwright for their commentary in this episode, and to Hughes and Margaret and Len Zola for speaking to me on background about these tapes.
If you would like to read the Ambassador Report interview with Bobby that is mentioned in this episode online, you can check it out here: https://hwarmstrong.com/ambassador.report/ambassador/ar2.html

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Hosted, written and produced by Dr. Tricia Jenkins. Sound design and editing by Thirteen Media.
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