I met him unintentionally once only and learned nothing about him, did you?

In Paris France of all places once one of the big central hubs of international chess meet ups! There he was with 2 other people I had no idea who they were just literally sitting there talking quietly drinking whatever he was drinking and nobody nearby seemed to have the foggiest idea who he was . A few people only glanced his way on their way past his exterior table but I guess to them he just looked vaguely familiar? Being with private friends a simple hello was all that we exchanged and not a chess set in sight. They just were drinking coffee or whatever it was outside in a long line of well known cafes. Paris has a lot of them, a lot of them! Not being invited to anything more than a polite hello and I cannot imagine why I would be I quickly became bored and sat some distance from them just staring in to empty space , but it really occurred to me how very ordinary or even slightly uninteresting he looked away from his familiar chessboard presence. Is it not strange indeed how we often perceive a hugeness of presence from well know celebrities and others of that ilk, but in real life away from the glitter the extraordinary looks so very ordinary? His name was Robert James Fischer .Perhaps just ordinary suits us best?😴

Originally posted by RECUVIC
In Paris France of all places once one of the big central hubs of international chess meet ups! There he was with 2 other people I had no idea who they were just literally sitting there talking quietly drinking whatever he was drinking and nobody nearby seemed to have the foggiest idea who he was . A few people only glanced his way on their way past his exte ...[text shortened]... ooks so very ordinary? His name was Robert James Fischer .Perhaps just ordinary suits us best?😴

Great experience presented in such meaningful detail. Thanks, RECUVIC. By the way, I enjoyed your site profile and its 'p s'.

Thanks for the anecdote. When did the sighting occur?

I saw a picture of him once; that didn't impress me much, I have to say.

my diary/day book makes it very clear! under its heading Events it was July 25 1995. So not yesterday! I have to agree that although I could not consider him as I saw him to be an especially imposing or even notably impressive physical presence, at that time he was not yet totally physically unimpressive as he later appeared to have become? We all know he did suffer both physical and mental health issues self imposed or otherwise from what was in fact quite an early age perhaps earlier than anyone including he had been aware of? I am sure that it is most likely true that undiagnosed disorders were mostly at the base root of his well know oddness? One can but hope that he nevertheless was happier to have been alive at all rather than never having lived? A great chess player sadly missed by all true chess fans but a great man? That must be for the individual to assess for himself! Rec.

Originally posted by RECUVIC
my diary/day book makes it very clear! under its heading Events it was July 25 1995. So not yesterday! I have to agree that although I could not consider him as I saw him to be an especially imposing or even notably impressive physical presence, at that time he was not yet totally physically unimpressive as he later appeared to have become? We all know he di ...[text shortened]... all true chess fans but a great man? That must be for the individual to assess for himself! Rec.

Didn't Bobby Fischer die at the age of sixty four (coincidentally the number of squares he was preoccupied with during life)?

Originally posted by C Hess
I saw a picture of him once; that didn't impress me much, I have to say.

Are you normally expecting to be impressed when you look at photos of guys? 😛

I believe he did die 64? perhaps it was preordained if you believe in that sort of thing? Guess some people do? Just as well it had nothing to do with fischerrandom chess as in chess 960! Frankly he looked closer to that age than 64 but when you are physically and or mentally ill there is a frequent tendency to look ill as well? As no games of his were mentioned I thought it best to avoid chess only posting as it is more a person posting than strictly chess speak. rec.:'(

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Are you normally expecting to be impressed when you look at photos of guys? 😛

Yeah, no. 😳

Originally posted by RECUVIC
my diary/day book makes it very clear! under its heading Events it was July 25 1995. So not yesterday! I have to agree that although I could not consider him as I saw him to be an especially imposing or even notably impressive physical presence, at that time he was not yet totally physically unimpressive as he later appeared to have become? We all know he di ...[text shortened]... all true chess fans but a great man? That must be for the individual to assess for himself! Rec.

July 1995 puts it little under three years after the Fischer - Spassky rematch of 1992.

He was a wizard on the chessboard but did not live an enviable life.