14.12.2015

Bobby Fischer, dollars and caviar

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President has traveled the world far and wide, communicated with many famous people. But the most striking, by his own admission, was a meeting with Bobby Fisher in the early 90s.

Robert then avoided the Russians, because they did not pay him a fee for the collection published in Moscow "60 memorable games". In reality, such a duty does not exist: the book was published in 1972, and the USSR joined the Universal Copyright Convention only in 1973. But Fischer such "little things" not to be disturbed.

In order to see a living legend of chess Ilyumzhinov decided to bring the mythical debt of his own money. He specifically came to Budapest with a package of cash (Fisher did not trust banks). They met at the home of Andre Lilienthal, with whom Fischer at that time, often communicated.
Chess King pleasure was eating caviar - straight from the knife - and drank "Stolichnaya" - gifts from Ilyumzhinov. And then the same knife cut the package, which contained ten packs of $ 10 thousand. He carefully counted, putting bills on the table.
When he counted about half, Lilienthal convinced him that everything is in place, you can not check. Fisher said, "Okay" and put dollars ... in a simple grid-string bag. Only then I relaxed a little, raised his glass for Ilyumzhinov, embraced him and confessed that for the first time in his life he was not cheated. However, to be photographed with the president flatly refused: "This agreement has not been".
Then Fisher spent Kirsan Airport. Moreover, the grid with the money taken from him, waving it back and forth. Dollars is about could scatter, and the people looked askance at the strange man. Only when Bobby took off his jacket and wrapped the money in it. Ilyumzhinov was relieved.