Fischer comments on arrival; comments on the United States

Rusty-James
Published on Jul 23, 2020
(25 Mar 2005)
1. General views of Reykjavik
2. Exteriors of hotel
3. Wide of Fischer news conference
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bobby Fischer, former chess champion:
"I see it (Iceland) is very good. You've got a wonderful country. Wonderful fresh air. Fine people. Excellent food. Plenty of room."
5. Cutaway
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bobby Fischer, former chess champion:
"I still want to do a book showing how the 1984-85 Kasparov and Karpov match was prearranged, move by move, the dirty Jews they say "Oh Fischer didn't write the book he said he was going to write." Yes, but they don't say they stole all my files on it. They don't say they stole several big moving boxes full of books that took me years to accumulate. They stole them from Beakins Moving and Storage and they also stole them from my mother's house when she passed away."
7. Cutaway
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bobby Fischer, former chess champion:
"The United States is evil. The United States is you know, (they talk about) the axis of evil. Well what about the allies of evil - what about the United States, England, Japan, Australia? And so on. These are the evil-doers."
9. Various news conference and questions from the media
10. Various of Reykjavik
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox Pop:
"Even though he played chess in Yugoslavia in 1992, it is a long time ago and its not recent enough to have him kept in prison right now. "
12. Various of amateur chess tournament
13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gunner Bjornsson, chess tournament organiser:
"I think its 50-50 (support for allowing Fischer in). Some are happy. Some are not happy because of some comments he's made but I think most people are probably happy."
14. Various of chess tournament
STORYLINE:
Chess champion Bobby Fischer met the press in Iceland on Friday, his hair and beard neatly trimmed but his opinions still bristling on his first full day of freedom.
Fischer announced that he was finished with a chess world he regarded as corrupt.
He also said he was happy to be in Iceland, which granted him citizenship to pave the way for his release from detention in Japan, where he was held on a US extradition warrant.
Fischer is a popular figure in Iceland, the site of his most famous match - the 1972 world championship victory over Boris Spassky that became a symbol of Cold War rivalry.
Chess players in Iceland said they were thankful for the role he had played in promoting in the country.
In a rambling news conference at his hotel, the combative Fischer sparred with US journalists who asked about his anti-American tirades.
Fischer was freed on Thursday after nine months' detention in Japan, where he had been held by authorities for trying to leave the country using
an invalid U.S. passport.
Japan agreed to release him after he accepted Iceland's offer of citizenship.
His fiancee, Miyoko Watai, the head of Japan's chess association, accompanied him to Iceland.
Fischer railed against the governments of Japan and the United States, and other Coalition allies on Friday.
"The United States is evil. The United States is you know, (they talk about) the axis of evil. Well what about the allies of evil - what about the United States, England, Japan, Australia? And so on. These are the evil-doers," the former champion said.
Fischer, whose mother was Jewish but who has a history of anti-Semitic outbursts, accused "the Jew-controlled US government" of ruining his life.
Fischer, 62, is wanted by the United States for violating sanctions imposed on the former Yugoslavia by playing an exhibition match against Russian Boris Spassky there in 1992.
He had fought deportation since being detained by Japanese officials last July, and at one point said he wanted to become a German citizen.

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