>>>I wonder why Americans are not interested in chess? In my time in Russia chess champions were well known. Even some checkers champions (I used to play checkers professionally) were known. May be because there were no American champions except Bobby Fisher?
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>>I wouldn't say uninterested. There are regular chess columns in many American newspapers. I played myself, not badly, through high school. (Then I ran into players who were better, LOTS better). It just doesn't make very riveting television.
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>>If you are an admirer of Bobby Fischer -- and it isn't clear whether you are or not -- you might want to check out some of his anti-Semitic quotes. He is a loony toon of the first order. A genius, by some measures anyway, but still a loony toon.
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>I remember seeing (live, right there) the matches for the world championship between Bobby Fischer and Tigran Petrosian in Buenos Aires in 1971 (back when I was a chess player, as I gave it up in 1976 when I learned to play GO and never looked back :)

I was playing a Flight Z event in some New York tournament back in the late 60's. He was not entered in the Championship flight but came to the tourney anyway. The great sucking sound you heard was the air following all the players who ran to the skittles room when they heard HE was there. I lost quickly and went to watch. He was analyzing a game with some 16 year old "B" player who reacted as if he were having a religious experience.

I had my worst "gee, you ARE old" experience some time in the mid 90's. We were talking about charisma and I related the effect of Bobby Fischer walking into the tournament hall. "Bobby WHO????"