Chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer Gives a Crash Lesson In Chess | The Dick Cavett Show

Chess grandmaster and champion Bobby Fischer gives Dick Cavett a quick crash course lesson in chess.
What's your favorite chess opening?♟️
Date aired - August 4th, 1972 - The Rolling Stones
For clip licensing opportunities please visit www.globalimageworks.com/the-...
Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.
His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.
Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.
#thedickcavettshow

[@JeguePerneta]

Him saying he'd shorten the time control of the World Championship for mainstream crowds shows he was truly ahead of his time.

[@boztos6025]

Bobby at his peak is one of the most captivating people I’ve ever seen.

[@huntersingle]

I agree. It’s better than the World Series watching and listening to the grandmaster.

[@bevs9995]

his whole career was his peak

[@chinookr7259]

His horrific anti semitic views were his down side.

[@bevs9995]

@@chinookr7259 nahh.. he was right the whole time. look whats going on now

[@coolhundred21]

I like how Fisher was very short with all the open ended questions Cavett asked him, but when he jokingly asked how chess works, Fisher immediately took it and gave a full explanation

[@bobby7844]

That's not what happened. The show follows a rough script. Bobby knew before the show what questions he was being asked, and he also knew he was there to give a chess lesson. So he prepared for the lesson and gave it.

[@stormatime9426]

​@@bobby7844 anything 😂

[@timetraveler_0]

Well his life was nothing but chess. When you talk to people about things they like, they tend to keep talking.

[@namelessfire]

Fischer handles Chess pieces like they owe him money.

[@Ori-lp2fm]

Consider to what he was they were

[@AFMMarcelD]

@@Ori-lp2fmHu?

[@inktag9190]

8:26 The way he moves the pieces is so amazing!! especially the knights!!

[@dieterrosswag933]

Skilled hand and fingers

[@abhaytyagi6179]

Ladies must've loved him

[@babyshambler]

His movements when he's shifting the pieces around the board remind me of a jazz drummer.

[@boztos6025]

Would love to see all of Bobby’s interviews. They’re absolutely incredible.

[@zachhaywood1564]

I'm always fascinated by how he moves the pieces.

[@Grundig305]

Remember watching this very show in 1972. Bobby was quite a character.

[@shivaji856]

This is a conversation with a legend.

[@razen4758]

which one? the host or Fisher?

[@spy1965]

@@razen4758 Or Duncan

[@toddventura7191]

Hahahah just throwing those pieces on the ground whilst remembering the position. What a boss!

[@hollaatshaun1121]

This made me insanely happy to watch

[@scottodonnell7121]

I watched this with my brother when it was first shown. We both loved his confidence and swagger. Plus he was very nice answering the other guests questions. We knew there was no way he would lose to Spassky

[@hollaatshaun1121]

@@scottodonnell7121 do you still play?

[@scottodonnell7121]

@@hollaatshaun1121 online a little. I'm getting old, not as sharp as I used to be.

[@hollaatshaun1121]

@@scottodonnell7121 I love that you’ve gotten to play so long. I’m relatively young and one of my favorite parts about chess is the idea of how long I’ll be able to maintain this hobby. Best of luck on the board and in life to you

[@yassinemessaoud8619]

anything with Bobby Fischer in is a blessing

[@hammondvoodoo9555]

Sandy Duncan represented the public view on chess really well - not understanding that it's a demanding sport. Nobody in the US would have asked a football or baseball player if he did something on the side (like a regular job or something), even if they could. Plus, Dick Cavett is a great show host.

[@jbob34345]

I like the more relaxed interview style

[@willtowin9996]

he is one of my favourite humans

[@ivarlarsen6045]

Great fun to watch. Greetings from Reykjavík!

[@mikeyates7931]

Iceland 🇮🇸 ❤

[@Ersfeld_Claude_art]

Bobby Fischer was a fascinating person.

[@douggieharrison6913]

I like how he tranlates Russian for Bobby when Bobby learned Russian and Serbian to learn how to read their chess books and smoke them😂

[@hyzercreek]

From the fall of 1962 US Championship to the end of his life, Fischer played in 20 tournaments and matches. He won all 20, usually by a large margin, except for the Capablanca Memorial in 1965, in which he placed 2nd, only 1/2 point behind the winner, and the Piatagorsky in 1966, which he also placed 2nd, down by, once again, only 1/2 point behind the winner. Some of the tournaments he won by unbelievable margins. His W/L percentage and W/draw percentages are staggering.

[@Kyle-nm1kh]

I have no idea what half a point means

[@hyzercreek]

@@Kyle-nm1kh A draw, each player gets half a point for a draw

[@Kyle-nm1kh]

@hyzercreek so if he lost by half a point its because he drew but the other guy didn't draw and instead won? How many games are in a tournament like that

[@hyzercreek]

@@Kyle-nm1kh OK Paul Morphy. One guy wins 6 loses 2 and draws 9. Second guy wins 7 loses 2 and draws 8. First guy finishes with 10 1/2 points, second guy finishes with 11.

[@wiselizard6-vg5ih]

And the winner was.... Boris Spassky!!!

[@appLord1]

he treats the pieces like they owe him money

[@MizQue]

Could you post the interview with Bobby after he won the World Championship?

[@johnbaker3037]

YES. I have been wanting to see that interview for so long.

[@hyzercreek]

@@johnbaker3037 He said "Chess speaks for itself," as he walked to the bathroom to pull beads from his arse.

[@drfre4400]

@@hyzercreek wasnt it hikiro nakamora?

[@GerardSoricelli-jf2dq]

Fischer would have destroyed Karpov in their '75 match ...by at least 10-3 score. !!!

[@GerardSoricelli-jf2dq]

Karpov knew he had a very slim chance. Fischer was in great physical shape also at the age of 32

[@EGarrett01]

There's another interview Dick did with Bobby where Bobby has a pink shirt on, I don't think I've ever seen it posted yet. Put that one up guys!

[@Sammydancingsir87]

maroon suit december 1972

[@user-pl9yq3fc8u]

wow he wanted to play for another 30 years

[@raskalnekov]

I love his laugh when he says "I'm reasonable..." at 14:01

[@High_Priest_Jonko]

He's like a cool older brother from the past era

[@artfasil]

Great man with a great mind.

[@dixonbeejay]

Absolute pure gold

[@lotto7720]

Whenever im in a chess slump i always come back to this dk why it works like a charm tho🍀

[@werquantum]

Simply fascinating.

[@VinzentDk]

Interesting to see the way he slams the pieces around on the board. Spending days and days analyzing positions he would likely make thousands of moves a day in study.

[@pronemanoldbutyoung5548]

Bobby and Magnus Carlsen picks up the pieces with elegance and fully stretched fingers.

[@pbennett13]

Cavett always had some facts or trivia on the ready... Him being able to say what 'CCCP' meant is yet another example

[@adrianamatlack532]

Later Fischer told Cavett that there were some very good women chess players, also he did call in to a Iceland TV station to comment about at chess game being played on TV. He also paid for some of his friends medical bills when they were ill, like Frank Brady who ran the Marshall Chess Club.

[@kidnicky7489]

This man was a based genius

[@markcrofton9332]

I feel like Bobby Fischer at some point was Christopher Walkin’s chess coach

[@druid3694]

😂

[@herbertmische8660]

Great, fantastic and immortal Bobby Fischer!!! Respect forever!!! 👍👍👍

[@predragkliska]

Beautiful Dubrovnik chess set..

[@lanceschaina3084]

That era of late night variety shows: Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett and Joey Bishop, was an absolute golden age.

[@nicbentulan]

Wesley So's uncle is Bobby Fischer. Bobby Fischer's successor is Wesley So, h nephew. God bless America.

[@abramizaackaplan6723]

The “dumb” question by the lady is one of the most profound questions about chess generally speaking. “Do you do anything else on the side”? Chess masters are fundamentally epic problem solvers and geniuses with respect to pattern recognition. If they were to apply these skills to outside disciplines they would likely reap tremendous rewards for themselves and the rest of humanity.

[@subarashiikylox2019]

u like to think that but it's actually not true they're just good at chess and other things connected to chess

[@dimajo3057]

I certainly see no evidence of that, i also remember a story during world war 2 where they collected people from different "problem solving" fields, crosswords, chess players other activities, and then a mathematician Alan Turing. The mission was to solve the code of the Enigma Machine it was done by The Mathematician with the rest being of no help at all, or so the story goes.

[@doodoo4981]

This is literally the dumbest thing I’ve read this year and I speak as someone who’s also pretty intelligent (125 IQ tested) and I’m into chess. Your average 2000-2200 rated player does not have the capabilities to change the world. Chess really isn’t as hard as other disciplines that actually do make a change (studying STEM) if you’re gifted (like me and Bobby). Also if you’re a master, then chess is probably REALLY fun because it is literally a GAME😮!!! Linear algebra is not…

[@dimaratosgeorgiadis2672]

@@dimajo3057 never seen a better answer on a yt comment.

[@Coskunn]

Let's not exaggerate, it is a board game.

[@bradforddrake8633]

I never realized that Fischer could be so funny!

[@studgerbil9081]

It's a shame he never faced Judit Polgar in an official match. They both beat every champion they faced at one time or another (usually in friendlies) and he actually stayed with her family when he was in exile and they played chess all the time there. Bobby remains the GOAT to this day.

[@GerardSoricelli-jf2dq]

Karpov struggled against Korchnoi in a long match. Fischer beat Spassky 7 of 8 deciding games after being down 0-2. Absolutely awesome

[@gabmosmessi]

Dick please upload the interview after he won the world championship , he was wearing a red or pink suit , there's a video of few seconds out there but we want to watch the whole thing , it's important

[@alaindespres3509]

Dubrovnik chess pieces, Fischer love it!

[@mr.alboss2856]

Why are you guys not posting after he won the world championship?

[@rpralica]

I can call myself lucky because I watched two world champions Boris Spassky and Bobi Fischer live in Belgrade in 1992.

[@shingitai5882]

I have only ever seen clips of this interview before, thanks for posting. I think you can see how fragile he was even then.

[@rodionraskolnilov]

he looks fine...

[@shingitai5882]

@@rodionraskolnilov I meant his mental health.

[@subarashiikylox2019]

huh ?? he was in a decent shape not 2 skinny or fat just like any normal human being

[@shingitai5882]

@@subarashiikylox2019 I refer you to my previous reply, in which I said I was referring to his mental health.

[@sportsjefe]

@@subarashiikylox2019 not frail, fragile. someone who is very easy to make uncomfortable.

[@Sangria]

Don't know about you but I prefer this version of Bobby Fischer myself.

[@HoangTran0412]

The chess god…

[@meatloaf3034]

Dick Cavett just casually knowing what CCCP stands for and how to say it in Russian. How?!

[@reidluttrell3034]

Hes spassky didnt you hear him?

[@druid3694]

Good question.

[@christopherearl8948]

Probably had him on a watch list after that.

[@deanwilliams433]

People back then were a lot more knowledgeable and interested in the USSR due to the cold war.

[@janeteorto]

3:25

[@jaffsonwarrior5722]

What chess board is in this video

[@elih9700]

A young Christopher Walken would be perfect to play Bobby.

[@abhiramgollapudi3930]

the voice is very similar too

[@TheStewie117]

love that arrogance he’s got 😂😂

[@EGarrett01]

Fun Fact: Bobby's Father wrote a review of the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica.

[@hyzercreek]

Fun fact. Bobby had no idea who his father was.

[@EGarrett01]

@@hyzercreekBobby said Paul would come by when he was young and take him out and show him things like which fork to use when eating. Paul also sent Regina child support and when Paul died she wrote to Paul's other son asking if Paul had left any money for Bobby. Paul's other son also said that Paul was Bobby's father.

[@hyzercreek]

@@EGarrett01 Thanks. Do you know why his mother put Hans Fischer as his father on the birth certificate? Who did he look like?

[@inoderlulzer5163]

​@@EGarrett01You mean how to use the fork to win pieces.

[@EGarrett01]

@@hyzercreek He looked like Paul Nemenyi. You can see them side by side easily.

[@zephyrr108]

How many times did he went on this show?

[@bsjeffrey]

i bet he beats spassky

[@billcaruso7050]

You're on! $5 !!

[@hemutitu1870]

​@@billcaruso7050its been 9 months bruce, u still owe him 5 dollars

[@billmarshall8438]

After the show, Dick used his tie as a bedsheet.

[@twistedoperator4422]

Hey it's Nader!

[@vaar2742]

Would love to see Bobby against Magnus Carlsen today...he would intimidate completely. Both brilliant.

[@Oh_So_Based]

The New York accent tho

[@keaton718]

Bobby really enjoyed his five minutes of mainstream fame, like he can barely contain how much fun he's having on Cavett and Carson. Which makes he surprising he didn't defend his title because if he won a second time he would have been able to do it again. His fear of losing was greater than his love of winning. In his 1993 rematch he had the gall to call himself the undefeated champion, like dude the chess world had moved on, you wouldn't have been able to defend your title in all the in between years, you would have stopped being the best player in the world. He did stop becoming the best player in the world when he didn't defend.

[@amihans108]

Everybody do you all know, Chess was originated in India (Bihar)

[@druid3694]

Maybe that is what they teach you in India. 😂😂😂

[@patriotsman6511]

Ralph nader would have been a excellent president

[@billbergendahl2911]

That looks like Ralph Nader on the far left.

[@amihans108]

100 to the power 100, also called googol, possible different chess move position

[@youngThrashbarg]

1:30 oops.

[@enriqueleon1169]

Can someone please identify the 2 guests for the rest of us?

[@taztaztaz]

Ralph Nader and Sandy Duncan

[@sepupr21]

Who is the lady on the interview?

[@hyzercreek]

sandy duncan

[@razen4758]

we missing in 2024 this type of humor from a premium host.

[@georgemorley1029]

5:48

[@christopherbako]

Geez, is he a Giant?

[@baddest406]

He's damn tall

[@lebojay]

No, Ralph Nader is only 6’3” 😜

[@DarkIllusionsxX]

He's not that tall, Dick is just short

[@russellfrancis6294]

6’2

[@albertcamus1739]

He was around 6.2 6.3

[@bertlindsay]

Ralph Nader??

[@victorgf9190]

Looks like nic cage

[@shervinkalinia]

Bro had aura

[@jobson586]

The man who on his own took on the whole corrupt chess world and lost everything but his dignity

[@davemr6193]

always wondered what kind of black jack player he was, with ability to count cards

[@billmarshall8438]

Fischer died at age 64, the number of squares on a chess board.

[@somethingyousaid5059]

ABC Wide World Of Sports in the 1970s when I was a kid. Seems like I saw coverage of a B F chess match on that. God, that doesn't make a bit of sense though. I must be wrong about that. My brain.

[@robmorr23]

ABC Sports filmed the first game, but the cameras were whirring according to Bobby Fischer on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on January 8th, 1972. I believe the date is correct. It esd written into the contracts both players signed, if the cameras disturbed either player they would be removed from the playing hall.

[@somethingyousaid5059]

@@robmorr23 Thanks buddy.

[@robmorr23]

​@@somethingyousaid5059 Your welcome.

[@user-gj9hk7gx2b]

He gives a Nicolas cage vibe…

[@amihans108]

I just need one week, as I already said, all Top chess players should be given rank according to their ratings and then information should be Putten in their head, dear Respected Sir/Mam

[@inktag9190]

15:10 He shouldve played scrabble 😂

[@WheelBite97]

12:45 what is going on with Fischer's hair? is that a fan or something blowing on it?

[@russellfrancis6294]

Who was that kooky lady asking Bobby questions?

[@fs357mag]

Sandy Duncan.

[@astephens1963]

I know Karlsen was top 4. But Kasparov fischer for all the marbles in my book.

[@user-pl9yq3fc8u]

who is karlsen

[@ChessKingsTV777]

@@user-pl9yq3fc8u no one cares about him.. you dont have to know!

[@user-pl9yq3fc8u]

@@ChessKingsTV777 if you're making a sarcastic comment about me not knowing who magnus carlsen is i reccomend you reading both OP's comment and my comment because it says "Karlsen" with a k instead of c

[@ChessKingsTV777]

@@user-pl9yq3fc8u I also recommend to you reading my name -.-

[@emmioglu3214]

@@ChessKingsTV777 Bro didn't even hesitate

[@chriswright2250]

I Retired at 56 from a career of 31 years.

[@KokoTheGorilla69]

He's in my top 20 favorite anti-Semites

[@lebojay]

I didn’t know he was an antisemite. Thank you Koko. 🍌

[@QuadMochaMatti]

Love that T-Bone ☕🍖☠️!

[@R0KURU]

He was a smart man

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

The FBI thought his mother Regina, was a Communist but who knows? His mother did have Jewish parents.

[@hyzercreek]

@@bovnycccoperalover3579 She was a communist

[@williambartley7007]

He supposedly had an IQ of 180 but I'm surprised that he didn't understand why there are a finite number of possible chess games.

[@peterberg9219]

There arent. Unless you limit number of moves.

[@meetpatel247]

There are.

[@zephyrr108]

Its finite but a lot of games..

[@pedramtajeddini5100]

​@@peterberg9219there's a finite number of chess games

[@bevs9995]

infinite?? i think you are thinking of chinese go

[@Demian_R]

I thought that was some old lady until the close up, she was just 26 under all that lol.

[@mikeyates7931]

Is it just me or does , Sandy Duncan want him in the absolute worst possible way ? 🤪

[@WheelBite97]

I noticed that too, she was checking him out the whole time lol

[@mikeyates7931]

@@WheelBite97 I'm glad it isn't just me

[@thecloud5831]

It was a big mistake for Fisher to agree to an interview with such a clownish interviewer, who focused only on making fun of such a legendary chess player.

[@msmo6684]

she was the reason Bobby hated women

[@alvingomez4083]

Why cant people come up with there own theories? Like you have to use a theory on my own theory?

[@johnlvspinkfloyd]

To be a champion you must have some amount of ego...

[@dougellis7917]

Should have been a good interview. Too bad it wasn't.

[@suyoggedam6578]

Look at his hand movements. He is still too fast !

[@escapefelicity2913]

Hard to believe any body thought that orchertra noise was a good idea. But, in 1972 people thought it a good idea to bomb Cambodia.

[@FINNEGANAGENNIF]

Dick Cavett always seemed to be trying to impress that he was clearly on anyone else's intellectual level. Here he is clearly not! No one gives a rat's ass about HIS personal ability to make anagrams, and how THAT equates you to a mental athlete at Fischer's stature! Take a lesson from Johnny Carson: DON'T even TRY to compete with a guest at their own renowned game! If you're a great host/interviewer, don't come off as, "I am better than you at chewing gum. Tell me about yourself!" No. Ask the person to talk about the things people(THE AUDIENCE) want to know about THEM! It's NOT about YOU!(DUH!). It's about making your guest comfortable, accessible, respected, and acknowledged as a worthy guest! Don't go off track, keep it entertaining and informative. THAT'S Where Cavett fails. A small man trying to be bigger than equal. And he had it all. If only he didn't have THAT chip up his ass. I almost liked Dick Cavett. But he liked himself a bit too much!

[@_Highvalue_]

28 jesus, I though he was 45.