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Chess Life Online 2008 January USCF President and Executive Director on Fischer
Chess Life Online 2008 January USCF President and Executive Director on Fischer | USCF President and Executive Director on Fischer |
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| By Bill Goichberg and Bill Hall | |
| January 18, 2008 | |
USCF President Bill Goichberg and USCF Executive Director Bill Hall
make statements on Bobby Fischer's death on January 17, 2008.
On behalf of the United States Chess Federation (USCF), I am saddened by the loss of one of the greatest chess minds of all time. Chess players everywhere are in mourning. Though Bobby Fischer was before my time and I never met him, he still had a profound impact on my life. Because of his success in that magical year of 1972, the popularity of chess exploded in America. My hometown’s chess story has been repeated countless time across the country: The Fischer legacy inspired a group to start a chess club, to later introduce chess programs into local schools, and to thereby open up a whole new world to a group of kids from small-town, middle America. This experience prepared me to move 1,000 miles away from home, graduate from MIT, and later become the USCF’s Executive Director. One of my childhood teammates is now a Lt. Col. With the U.S. Air Force and a Georgia Tech engineering graduate; another has found success in corporate America. This is the untold story of the Fischer legacy. Although he may not have set out to be a popularizer, his success led to many school districts across the country integrating chess into the daily curriculum. Chess opens minds and changes lives. Thank you Robert James Fischer for the impact you had on my life- USCF Executive Director Bill Hall I was very saddened to hear of the death of Bobby Fischer, the only official American World Chess Champion. At his peak, he was the best chessplayer who ever lived. His aggressive, uncompromising style, going all out for a win in every game, is rarely seen in top-level chess. His victory over Boris Spassky in 1972 caused an unprecedented chess boom in our country, and the US Chess Federation still has many members who first joined during that period because of all the publicity he created. Bobby's brilliant games and fighting spirit will be remembered forever by those worldwide who love our great game- USCF President Bill Goichberg |