The controversy lives on

Chess Piece — By Bobby Ang
Fischer wild oats
07:30 PM, August 29, 2010

The chess headlines for the past few weeks were once again about Bobby Fischer, this time on the claim on Fischer’s estate made by Atty. Sammy Estimo on behalf of the alleged wife and daughter. Recently a paternity test was taken and samples of their DNA were analyzed and the results were negative. Here is how it is reported in the New York Times:

Despite negative result on Fischer paternity, lawyer keeps on fighting

“The Filipino lawyer for a woman who filed a paternity lawsuit claiming that Bobby Fischer, the late chess champion, was the father of her daughter, has criticized how tissue samples were obtained to perform the DNA tests. The test, which reportedly came back negative on Tuesday, was ordered by the Supreme Court of Iceland as part of a dispute over Mr. Fischer’s estate.

The lawyer, Samuel Estimo, also criticized the lawyer who represents the woman and daughter in Iceland, Thordur Bogason, saying that he had disclosed the results without the authorization of his clients, Marilyn Young and her daughter, Jinky. Mr. Estimo also said that Mr. Bogason had prematurely withdrawn the mother and daughter’s claim to the estate.”

Separately, Atty. Estimo has written:

“As it will appear now, the Targ nephews (children of Bobby’s sister) will collect the estate of Bobby Fischer. Of the three claimants thereon, the nephews are the least favored in so far as Bobby was concerned. The two women closest to his heart are Jinky Young and Miyoko Watai, and if he could just have written a last will, he would have bequeathed his entire estate to the two. I doubt if the Targ brothers would get a single kroner in that will.

“I am sure Bobby will not like the way his estate will be disposed of. The strong secondary evidences, like the photos, bank remittances to Jinky, the postcards which Bobby sent to Jinky where he signed “addy” and even the expensive house and lot that Bobby bought for Jinky in the Philippines, should have been factored in in the disposition of his estate. Jinky will be denied her rightful due to the estate of Bobby Fischer!”

Forgetting all that legal stuff, what is the truth? Was Jinky really Bobby Fischer’s daughter? Here is what I know.

Bobby Fischer came to the Philippines in June 2000 with the express intention of getting married and having a child. That was, of course, not the only reason he came (for one he expressed a wish to do a revised edition of his 60 Memorable Games), but it was the main one.

To digress a bit, the revised edition was not a normal revision. I remember IM John Watson asking me a bit about this when he was going to interview me for his radio program on Internet Chess Club (still available online, by the way). Bobby wanted to preserve the “originalness” (for lack of a better term) of the book. The original edition would be reproduced in its original format — no changes. Then the comments and revised analysis of Fischer would be printed on onion skin paper which will be inserted between the pages.

In fact, around this time I was organizing the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) which in August 2000 was to oust the Philippine Chess Federation (PCF) as the authorized governing body of chess here in the country. Naturally I had to stay in Manila to work out the organizational details, and this enraged Fischer because I could not go up to Baguio to work on his book. If you look up the Web site on Bobby Fischer interviews you can look up interview no. 16 where he vents is anger on me. This is my claim to fame in the chess world — Fischer finds me important enough to insult (“CIA rat working for the jews”) for one straight hour on public radio.

Anyway, back to the main story line.

Through mutual friends Marilyn Young was introduced to him, they fell in love and lived together in a house in Baguio Country Club. Then Ms. Marilyn got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl, Jinky.

He stayed for several months in Baguio Country Club. Who paid his rent? There were some businessmen/sportsmen and at the same time Fischer fans who shouldered the bill, but I am sure they prefer to remain anonymous. The ones who took care of Fischer’s needs while he was staying there were GM Eugene Torre and Rod Suaco, formerly the President of the Philippine Chess Society.

When the baby came out Bobby was initially skeptical: “how come the baby does not have blue eyes?” was the question he kept asking. However, after some time he seemed to relent and recognize the baby as his own. I do not know whether he ever brought them abroad to vacation, but even after Fischer left the Philippines he used to send them money, postcards and gifts through a mutual friend.

Maybe Marilyn had another boyfriend before Bobby Fischer, maybe the paternity test was flawed — I don’t know. What I do know is that Bobby Fischer treated Jinky like his own daughter. And for someone like him who is not used to being close to anybody that is saying a lot.

And that is all I have to say about that.

Here is the full article.