09 March 2010

Ghostly Fischer Images

Ever wonder where the Fischer photo on the cover of Predecessors IV came from? I know I have. The drawings in the following image are even more obscure.


I spotted them on eBay as part of the item description for Bobby Fischer - 2-volume chess book by Dimitrije Bjelica, and they are apparently the covers for the two volumes. The description also mentioned,

Bjelica, Dimitrije: Robert Fiser. Genije koji se ne vraca, volume 1-2 (complete set). Beograd, Niro Knijizevne novine, 1984. Orig. soft covers. 472 + 244 pages + 36 unnumbered pages with ca 50 photos. Also, many photos and illustrations in text. 20 cm. In Serbo-Croatian. Games, chess biography inclusive authors remembrances and many (I guess 100 or more) photos and illustrations, of which some are not available from other sources.

Bjelica is one of those chess writers who receives a regular roasting from Edward Winter. His Chesshistory.com essay titled A Unique Chess Writer even mentions the two books that were sold at auction.

Whatever the literary merits of the Bjelica work, the final auction bid of US $148.00 indicates that it has considerable value to collectors. The seller -- About Me: chessbookshop -- was GM Karel Mokry, the proprietor of Chessbookshop.com, who often features unusual items in his eBay auctions (see Items for Sale From: chessbookshop for any current offerings).

One other fact worth noting is that Fischer would have been 67 years old today. RIP, Bobby.

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