hukarez
07-16-2004, 09:45 AM
Former world chess champion wanted by U.S. since 1992
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:00 a.m. ET July 16, 2004
TOKYO - Immigration authorities have detained former world chess champion Bobby Fischer in Japan, an official said Friday.
<TABLE style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=textSmallGrey vAlign=top align=middle>advertisement
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Fischer, wanted in the United States for attending a 1992 chess match in Yugoslavia in violation of international sanctions, was stopped at Tokyo's Narita International Airport on Tuesday, an airport spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
Fischer, 61, was trying to leave Japan for the Philippines, the spokesman said. He refused to elaborate, citing Fischer's privacy.
Officials were preparing to deport him to the United States, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said Friday, citing unnamed sources.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said it was aware Fischer had been detained but gave no additional details.
Fischer, a chess prodigy, became grandmaster at age 15. Fischer became a Cold War hero when he beat a Russian, Boris Spassky, for the world title in 1972.
He was world chess champion until 1975, when he forfeited the title and withdrew because conditions he demanded proved unacceptable to the International Chess Federation.
After that he virtually disappeared, living in secret outside the United States.
He emerged in 1992 to play Spassky again in a highly publicized match in Yugoslavia. Fischer beat Spassky 10-5 to win $3.35 million.
The U.S. government accused Fischer of violating U. N. sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing the match. The sanctions were imposed on Yugoslavia for provoking warfare in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina.
© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5447613/
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:00 a.m. ET July 16, 2004
TOKYO - Immigration authorities have detained former world chess champion Bobby Fischer in Japan, an official said Friday.
<TABLE style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=textSmallGrey vAlign=top align=middle>advertisement
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Fischer, wanted in the United States for attending a 1992 chess match in Yugoslavia in violation of international sanctions, was stopped at Tokyo's Narita International Airport on Tuesday, an airport spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
Fischer, 61, was trying to leave Japan for the Philippines, the spokesman said. He refused to elaborate, citing Fischer's privacy.
Officials were preparing to deport him to the United States, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said Friday, citing unnamed sources.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said it was aware Fischer had been detained but gave no additional details.
Fischer, a chess prodigy, became grandmaster at age 15. Fischer became a Cold War hero when he beat a Russian, Boris Spassky, for the world title in 1972.
He was world chess champion until 1975, when he forfeited the title and withdrew because conditions he demanded proved unacceptable to the International Chess Federation.
After that he virtually disappeared, living in secret outside the United States.
He emerged in 1992 to play Spassky again in a highly publicized match in Yugoslavia. Fischer beat Spassky 10-5 to win $3.35 million.
The U.S. government accused Fischer of violating U. N. sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing the match. The sanctions were imposed on Yugoslavia for provoking warfare in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina.
© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5447613/