In the book Endgame by Brady he describes some of Fischer’s nastier moments and apparently there were a lot more than most of us knew about. He described the ride home Fischer shared with other players after he won the US Junior Championships in 1957.
The car kept breaking down and everyone chipped in to have it repaired so that they could keep going. Riding through the hot desert with no air conditioning led to petty arguments and a fist fight broke out between Bobby and Gilbert Ramirez who had finished second. Fischer reportedly got a black eye out of it, but that healed. Only Ramirez was scarred for life. Bobby bit Ramirez on the arm leaving permanent scars which Ramirez proudly displayed as a souvenir of the trip. Who wouldn’t love to pull up their shirt sleeve and point to scars on their arm and say, “This is where Bobby Fischer bit me!” Man, that's better than showing off scars where a bear bit you!
Eventually, the car broke down entirely and had to be abandoned.
EDIT: I forgot to mention Bobby also bit one of the Japanese police officers when he was arrested. The Hannibal Lecter of chess?!
You can read an excerpt from the book HERE and it’s available on Amazon, both the book and for the Kindle:
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