Tipos de contrapunto

Soon after Bobby’s birth in 1943 Regina moved to Pullman, Wash - ington (where Paul Nemenyi was living at the time), and then on to Moscow, Idaho, where in 1945 she legally divorced Hans Gerhardt

In the Beginning: The Early Life of Bobby Fisc her 27

Fischer. Regina found odd jobs in these cities to support her family— stenographer, typist, and shipyard welder (Brady, 1973, 2011). From Idaho the Fischer family settled in Los Angeles where Regina worked as an elementary school teacher. The family then settled in the tiny town of Mobile in the Arizona desert about 35 miles southwest of Phoenix, where Regina continued work as a teacher. Though life in the Arizona desert was harsh (e.g., water was scarce), Joan Fischer re - membered these years positively, reflecting to biographer Frank Brady, “It was the first place we were really happy” (Brady, 1973, p. 1).

From Mobile, Arizona, the Fischer family moved to New York City in 1948 where Regina Fischer, already a qualified Registered Nurse, pursued a Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from New York Uni - versity. The family first settled in Manhattan on East 13th street. It was on 13th street that Bobby’s chess story begins. In March of 1949, the month of his sixth birthday, his sister Joan bought him an inexpensive chess set in the building’s candy store, and together they learned the moves (Brady, 2011). Bobby had always liked games and puzzles (e.g., Parcheesi and Japanese Interlocking Rings), and initially his interest in chess was unremarkable, as he reflected years later to biographer Frank Brady: “At first it was just a game like any other, only a little more complicated” (Brady, 1973, p. 5). The family moved again in 1950 to Brooklyn, first finding an apartment on Union Street, one block south of Eastern Parkway, and then finally settling into a nearby four-room apartment (Apartment Q) in a four-story yellow brick build- ing atop a barber shop and candy store located at 560 Lincoln Place, on the corner of Franklin Street (Brady, 1973; Ginzburg, 1962).

Bobby’s early childhood was often disrupted by family moves from city to city. Long-time Fischer biographer Frank Brady (2011) documented that the Fischer family moved residences (across many different cities) 10 times during the first six years of young Bobby’s life. Additionally, because of Regina’s need to work, Bobby spent a lot of time alone. Brady (2011) noted that:

Bobby was often alone. When he came home from school, it was usu- ally to an empty apartment. His mother was at work during the days and sometimes in the evenings, and his sister was generally busy in school until later in the afternoon. Though Regina was concerned about her son, the simple truth was that Bobby was a latchkey child

who craved but was not given the maternal presence that might have helped him develop a sense of security. . . . And it didn’t help that there was no father present. (p. 15)

The recollections of New York Chess Master and childhood friend of Bobby Fischer’s, Allen Kaufman, supports Brady’s (2011) memo- ries. More specifically Kaufman shared the following memory with investigative journalists Nicholas and Benson (2003): “Joan was there, but mostly Bobby was just on his own and Regina was working, work- ing all the time. She would work 24 hours at a time, and so Bobby was left rattling around, mostly on his own” (p. 4).

It appears Bobby never adjusted well to the New York City School system. As an elementary school student at Public School #3 (P.S. 3) on Christopher Street in Manhattan, Bobby was expelled when he kicked the school principal, Mr. Sallen (Targ, 2008). Bobby’s brother- in-law, Russell Targ, who had also attended P.S. 3, reported to me that this incident took place when Bobby was around 6 years old. Bobby’s older sister Joan, who was also a student at the school, withdrew after Bobby was expelled (Targ, personal communication, July 20, 2010). P.S. 3 was not the only school where Bobby had trouble adjusting and fitting in. According to Brady (2011), by the time Bobby reached fourth grade, he had been in and out of six different schools.

In contrast to his disinterest in public school, Bobby soon developed an intense interest in chess. In fact, to say Bobby soon became obsessed with chess would be an understatement. Since his early days in Mobile, Arizona, Bobby had been independent-minded and taciturn (Brady, 1973). Chess would further isolate him from typical childhood social activities and Regina soon became quite concerned with what she termed Bobby’s “chess mania” (Brady, 1973, p. 8). More specifically,

she was worried that his interest in chess was becoming obsessive. She believed he was so engrossed in the game that he was never quite in touch with the reality around him, so addicted to chess that he would not—could not—control it, and that eventually, because of the exclusion of everything else, this accidental interest might ruin his life. (Brady, 2011, p. 28)

Regina’s concern over Bobby’s sole focus on chess led her to con- sult formally with two psychiatrists. First, she took Bobby to see Dr.

Harold Kline at the Children’s Psychiatric Division of the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital. (Dr. Kline’s obituary [New York Times, February 15, 1991], noted that he was both a pediatrician and psychiatrist specializ- ing in child and adolescent care.) According to Fischer biographer Brady (2011), Dr. Kline told Regina that she need not worry, as many children of Bobby’s age get intrigued and seemingly obsessed with particular games, toys, or sports. Kline went on to suggest that in time Bobby’s obsession with chess would subside and he would take up other interests. Regina, however, was not satisfied with Dr. Kline’s as - sessment. She knew her son better than anyone and she knew what other children Bobby’s age were interested in. Regina sensed rightly that Bobby’s obsession with chess was not just a passing developmen- tal phase. So, Regina sought out a second professional opinion, this one from Dr. Ariel Mengarini, a government-employed neuropsychi- atrist who also happened to be a chess master (Brady, 1973, 2011). However, and perhaps to Regina’s dismay, Mengarini’s assessment was similar to Dr. Kline’s. Mengarini shared his memory of the event with Brady: “I told her I could think of a lot worse things than chess that a person could devote himself to and that she should let him find his own way” (Brady, 1973, p. 8).

Regina’s sense of her son was prescient, and unfortunately her con- sultation with two different psychiatrists did not lead to psychological treatment for Bobby. The exact circumstances of the psychiatric con- sultations are not known, as obviously, the records of the sessions, if any exist, are confidential (I am not clear if the FBI ever interviewed Drs. Kline and Mengarini). One thing is clear: According to both Bobby’s biographer, Brady (Personal Communication, June 25, 2010) and his brother-in-law Russell Targ (Personal Communication, July 20, 2010), Bobby never engaged in long-term counseling or psychothera- py. It may be, as suggested in Brady’s (1973, 2011) biographies, that Drs. Kline and Mengarini normalized Bobby’s behavior and did not recommend ongoing treatment. It is also possible that both psychia- trists offered to continue to meet with Bobby and/or Regina, but for some reason—cost, the fuss Bobby would make about going (and thus being taken away from his chess set), or some other circumstance— treatment was not initiated.

My educated guess as a practicing psychologist is that both Drs. Kline and Mengarini likely offered to continue to meet with Bobby

and/or Regina given Regina’s obvious upset and concern for Bobby, but that financial or transportation concerns, scheduling conflicts due to Regina’s hectic work schedule, or simply Bobby’s likely strong re luct - ance to continue, may have prevented further assessment and treat ment. Regina continued to be concerned for Bobby’s well-being—his psy- chological health, his inattention to school, his lack of friends—and therefore continued to think about and problem-solve ways to get Bobby more support and help outside the arena of chess. One idea she had was to have Bobby meet informally (that is, not in a clinician- client relationship) with Dr. Reuben Fine, a psychoanalyst and world class chess grandmaster.2_{Regina reasoned correctly that Bobby would}

surely like to meet and play chess with Dr. Fine, a chess legend. Soon after Bobby won the 1956 U.S. Junior chess championship at the age of 13, Regina approached Dr. Fine to discuss Bobby’s chess obsession and requested that he spend some time with Bobby in a mentoring role. In his book Bobby Fischer’s Conquest of the World’s Chess Champ -

ionship, Fine (2008, pp. 24–25) described a telling anecdote about his

subsequent meetings with Bobby:

He came to see me about half a dozen times. Each time we played chess for an hour or two. In order to maintain a relationship with him I had to win, which I did. . . . My family remembers how furious he was after each encounter, muttering that I was ‘lucky.’ Hopeful that I might help him to develop in other directions, I started a conversa- tion at one point about what he was doing in school. As soon as school was mentioned, he became furious, screamed ‘You have tricked me’ and promptly walked out. For years afterward, whenev- er I met him in clubs or tournaments he gave me angry looks, as though I had done him some immeasurable harm by trying to get a little closer to him.

This exaggerated and perhaps paranoid reaction to Dr. Fine’s over- ture reflects a pattern of Bobby’s interpersonal style that would be a hallmark of his adolescent and adult behavior. Over the years, Bobby made many close friends in the chess world, and more often than not, at some point during the friendships, he cut them out of his life believ- ing they had betrayed his trust in some way. Unfortunately, Bobby also at times cut out of his life his own family members—his mother Regina, his sister Joan, and his brother-in-law, Russell Targ—for stretch-

es of time. Bobby Fischer would become distrustful of almost all the significant associations in his life.

In Chapters Six and Seven, I delve more deeply into the “psy- chology” of Bobby Fischer. However, a preliminary step in under- standing Bobby’s inner emotional world is to understand more fully his parents, and the nature of Bobby’s relationship to them. Bobby’s markedly ambivalent relationship with his mother Regina (Chapter Four) and his lack of an ongoing relationship with his (probable) father, Paul Nemenyi, is at the heart of his inner psychic struggles. Therefore, to understand Bobby Fischer, we first must know his par- ents.