Frank Brady - Endgame

Exhuming Bobby’s corpse was impractical for many months: His grave was covered with snow, and it was difficult to dig through Iceland’s frozen soil until late spring. Until that time, arguments for and against exhumation were debated through the lower courts, and were finally settled by the Icelandic Supreme Court: It ruled that Jinky had the right to know whether Bobby was or was not her father.

At about three a.m. on July 5, 2010, the grave of Bobby Fischer was opened by a team of experts from the Reykjavik Official Cemeteries Department. The unusual time of morning to perform the exhumation was selected to thwart possible newsmen and curiosity-seekers from ogling the corpse and possibly taking photographs. After removing the dirt down to the level of the coffin lid, a section was dug around the base of the coffin so several people could stand next to it. Looking like mourners, a solemn group stood staring down at the coffin or in the dug-out space around it: The Rev. Kristinn A. Fridfinnsson, the pastor of the church; some of the Church’s elders; forensic experts; government officials; the attorneys for all the claimants of the estate; Dr. Oskar Reykdalsson, who officiated; and Ólafur Kjartansson, the sheriff of Selfoss—the town near the cemetery. All were there to make sure that the process was done in a respectful and professional manner and that the exhumation would not be compromised.

At four a.m., just before the DNA samples were collected, a large white tent was erected around the gravesite to ensure even further privacy. It was a calm, beautiful summer morning with a peaceful wind.

The coffin was never moved or raised, but the lid was opened. Some newspapers around the world reported that the body wasn’t actually dug up but that a drill was inserted through the earth, then through the coffin and into Bobby’s body. Sheriff Kjartansson corrected that report the next day. No drill was inserted, he said, and the samples were taken directly from Bobby’s body.

Normally, a DNA exhumation consists of gathering several specimens in the event that one might not be suitable. Forensic scientists recommend a fingernail, a tooth, a tissue sample, and a piece of the femur. In Bobby’s exhumation, a fragment of bone from his left small toe was extracted, in addition to seven tissue samples—enough for a binding test. As soon as the procedure was completed, the coffin was covered with the lava-infiltrated earth and a dusting of some residual ash that had drifted to Selfoss from the recently erupted volcano. Grass turf that had been removed when the digging had begun was then placed back on top of the grave. The samples were packaged and shipped to a forensics laboratory in Germany for testing; the Icelandic DNA laboratory was ruled out to avoid any possibility of compromise or conflict.

The idea of disturbing a dead body would be horrible for anyone—some religions such as Judaism and Islam forbid it except for highly exceptional circumstances—but Bobby, before his death one of the world’s most private beings, would no doubt have considered this final invasion of his privacy the ultimate act of disrespect. Even in death, he wasn’t being allowed to rest in peace.

In a way, however, he was the final arbiter. According to Article 17, act 76/2003 of Icelandic Parliament, “a man shall be deemed the father of a child if the outcome of DNA-research points decisively [to the fact that he is the father]. Otherwise he is not the father.” Six weeks after the exhumation, the results of the DNA test were released by the Reykjavik District Court: the DNA did not match. Bobby Fischer was not Jinky’s father.

With Jinky no longer being a putative heir, the remaining contenders for the estate were Miyoko Watai, the Targ nephews, and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Like a chess game between equally matched competitors, however, the battle continued. Samuel Estimo, a chess master and Jinky’s attorney in the Philippines, wrote to Bogason, his Icelandic counterpart, and protested that Jinky’s claim had been relinquished too soon. Implying that there may have been skullduggery afoot, Estimo wrote a letter to The New York Times and sent it to other media as well:

The exhumation of Bobby Fischer was not done the normal way. His coffin should have been brought up and opened so that it would have been sure that the seven tissue samples that were taken from the alleged remains in that coffin were that of Bobby Fischer. Indeed, the procedure undertaken borders on the doubtful. The lot where Fischer was buried belongs to the family of Gardar Sverisson, a close friend of Miyoko Watai, one of the claimants to the estate of Bobby. He had complete access without the church pastor knowing it. Fischer was buried in front of the church in an early January morning without the church pastor knowing it. Who knows what could have taken place there between the date of burial and on the days before the exhumation.

Although Bogason warned Estimo that his statements could be considered slanderous and that he should accept that the case was closed for their client Jinky, Estimo would not resign. He requested DNA samples of Bobby’s nephews to determine, through their familial heredity, whether the samples taken from the gravesite actually matched Bobby’s DNA. Estimo’s implication—that another body might have been substituted for Bobby’s and somehow placed in the grave—tested the credulity of many. And the idea of deception brought off at the exhumation itself seemed even more far-fetched. With all the government officials, doctors, scientists, and church people present, all seeking the truth as to whether Bobby was Jinky’s father, it seemed impossible that the exhumation was performed improperly. Nevertheless, the Icelandic court reopened the case to allow Jinky’s attorney to present more evidence in support of her claim that she is Bobby’s daughter. Bogason, in disagreement with Estimo, withdrew from the case. Estimo then renewed his request that the Targ brothers submit their DNA, so it could be compared with the samples taken from the body in the coffin. If there’s no match, Estimo can press his claim that the samples purportedly taken from Fischer’s body are fraudulent.

Even if the match is positive, Estimo claims that Jinky Young is still entitled to be named an heir, because Bobby treated her as a daughter. Had the estate been negligible, one wonders whether there would have been such a fight over who is the true heir. But it is not just a question of money: The legitimacy of the girl’s paternity—biological or titular—is at stake, and the Philippine nation would certainly like to know whether one of its citizens, Jinky Young, is the daughter of the greatest chess player who ever lived.

Meanwhile, the two Targ brothers now have only Miyoko standing between them and their claim to their uncle’s millions. Or, at least, Miyoko would be the only impediment if it weren’t for the U.S. government, which, ironically, may walk away from this chess match with the best score. If the U.S. Internal Revenue Service is able to collect Bobby’s back taxes and fines, the multimillion-dollar “purse” the competitors are vying for will have been seriously reduced. What was once a fortune may become a pittance, a lost game for the heirs.

And what, then, will be the inheritance bequeathed by Bobby? For chess players, and for people who followed the story of Bobby Fischer’s rise to become what many say is the greatest chess player who ever lived, his legacy for his heirs and the world alike may simply be the awe that his brilliance evoked.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I have been studying the life of Bobby Fischer for decades. There is hardly a tournament that I attend where someone doesn’t tell me a story about him, and locked away in my memory are scores of anecdotes and first-person narratives that have been given to me. The problem has been to sort through a labyrinth of fables to select what is true and what is not, what is exaggerated and what is journalistically accurate, what is biased—pro or con—and what is a credible tale. In any event, to all of those players and friends who have shared with me over the years their recollections and eyewitness accounts, their brief encounters and amusing and dramatic incidents concerning Bobby, I express my deep gratitude.