Drunk History - Bobby Fischer, King of the Chess People

At the height of the Cold War, chess champion Bobby Fischer becomes a symbol of American pride when he faces off against Russian Boris Spassky.
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About Drunk History:
Based on the popular web series, Drunk History is the liquored-up narration of our nation's history. Host Derek Waters, along with an ever-changing cast of actors and comedians, travels across the country to present the rich tales that every city in this land has to offer. Booze helps bring out the truth. It's just that sometimes the truth is a little incoherent.
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[@NotSoLiberal]

Professional chess player are now glad Fischer made his "ridiculous" demands. They'd be still playing in dire conditions and paid peanuts. As for Spassky he was a true sportsman and had mutual respect between him and Fischer

[@jimpatrick3452]

Lol what weir the changes

[@jimpatrick3452]

What were the changes

[@RetroGamerEightyOne]

Chess players still don’t make much. The US championship top prize is $50,000

[@deadjuice1880]

Huh, never looked at it like that. I was getting all patriotic and thinking he was being a whiny deva and an embarrassment. He still was, but if it helps the others.. meh. Also, Spassky, what a great guy. Guess the Russians one-uped us with not being bitches.

[@MiniM69]

Dead Juice This revisionist nonsense is why some Americans ignore the current and very real threat of Russia to US democracy and sovereignty. Goodness. Our public school system has completely failed us.

[@JTD472]

Could be wrong, but this dude seems legit more drunk than pretty much anybody I’ve seen on this show. Well done

[@puremercury]

Way drunker than usual.

[@rehabwales]

He seems a little aggressive with it too.

[@iwhite0219]

Anna Faris was way more drunk. She was spilling her drink everywhere and stopping mid-sentence and forgetting what she was saying. She even stops and demands cheesy bread at one point.

[@fuzzfiend]

In the Johnny Cool video the guy literally takes off his pants

[@AstralJam]

Fulcher is a character actor and comedy writer, not a historian, so he knows the deal. When you get the part, you're going to act drunk and ridiculous even though you've only been drinking water. Some people take it further than others.

[@jeffmorrison5834]

How do I cite this as a source?

[@piecookies3488]

Go to easybib.com and site it was a video

[@sceaserjulius9476]

Damn bro 😁😁

[@Barbutt]

Cautiously.

[@SunnyMackey]

Cite it as an interview

[@tolow47]

It was presented weird, but true.

[@joshuabgambrell]

I like how they used the actual position for Game 1 on the board. The chess production quality in this video is higher than in most chess movies/shows.

[@MichaelHorton8]

+Joshua Gambrell That's an almost on the chess production quality. Starting about the sixth minute, the chess board is wrong. It needs to be rotated about 90 degrees. White on the right!

[@swegwrestlur3398]

Michael Horton Not only that the King and Queen are on the wrong side!

[@selcotsimeht]

They did miss the fact that Bobby was black in game 1, not white.

[@gil5885]

hehehe i found nerds!!!

[@buu88553]

"...and Spasky surrounded his bishop with his bishops." Chess level: Spock.

[@Ambersdf]

WIKAPEDIA MY DINGUS...

[@AngelicAmygdala]

+Ambersdf Yeah - what the hell did he mean by that?

[@clivegameinnmg7055]

+Ambersdf lol

[@pkhitch1117]

+Ambersdf Doctor to doctor....

[@pipandkip]

+Ambersdf Wikipedia might DING US, meaning they'd flag them for issues in their article, not "dingus!" lol

[@AngelicAmygdala]

Kathryn Carissimi At last! That little mystery has been solved...

[@Nawmps]

"And not the New York Mets, not the klhh... Klondike... Bars..."

[@trippybby687]

+Synchron But what would you do for a Klondike? XD

[@AnnoNihilus]

Reference to a sketch titled "Achmed, the dead Terrorist" by Dunham. A bit puzzled as to why they referred to it here.

[@havcola6983]

When I'm drunk I would struggle to come up with more than one famous team for... base... ball?

[@BookOfJames1]

@@AnnoNihilus How???

[@JRDIXON34]

is a klondike bar basically a choc-ice. Sorry from UK

[@Eckendenker]

...and then he forfeited his title with ridiculos demands, played no big matches until his rematch with Spassky in '92 (wich he won!), had to flee american authorities because he violated the embargo against Jugoslavia by playing against Spassky there, applauded the fall of the twin towers and died a refugee in Reykjavík with his head full of conspiracy theories. What an interesting specimen. Amazing.

[@joeferniany2509]

"Tell me more! You sucking big." -Bobby Fischer

[@unwashedmasses4774]

Actually. His demands weren't that outrageous. In fact, the changes they made for Karpov we're more outrageous.

[@unwashedmasses4774]

Actually. His demands weren't that outrageous. In fact, the changes they made for Karpov we're more outrageous.

[@Claytonnn]

+Unwashed Masses he had 179 demands, they met 178, and his last demand was they change their scoring to eliminate their use of draws. Somewhat outrageous, but also not depending how you look at it. Have a good day!:)

[@fabianramos167]

That not what that law was meant to do, he was not a daring of US pockets, it was just a chess player playing chess. Fischer was not living in and was not a citizen of the U.S citizen. He did show that part of the US government uses him and when the don't needed him they tried to control hom. He pulled back the lie that Americans are free people.

[@Lucasisdemon]

Play on 1.25x speed and he magically becomes sober.

[@derangedrebel3898]

this makes it a little more enjoyable to listen to

[@YoungPutter]

Wow. Ur right

[@JapaneseLanguageMentor]

This is amazing

[@jasonmelo1974]

Hhahaahhaa

[@MrRobVision]

Holy fuck. This is the most accurate comment ever

[@TheRonster9319]

Next time I'm in an argument I'll end it by saying "Wikipedia my dingus!" checkmate.

[@pipuk3]

He also got his US passport revoked , spent 8 months in Japanese Prison and spent his last few years living in Iceland

[@annieromero145]

pipuk3 over chess? god damn

[@alexmontgomery7993]

Yep, and he supported 9/11.. he’s a terrible fool

[@the4thindustrialrevolution225]

@@alexmontgomery7993 no he was a great man. The US government and feds are fools

[@alexmontgomery7993]

@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 you a real person or AI? Hahaha

[@rhodesianwojak2095]

@@alexmontgomery7993 who wouldn't support our greatest ally ™

[@MariaVosa]

Spasski was a class act. No doubt.

[@fastpace101]

MariaVosa truth

[@fastpace101]

MariaVosa it's spassky tho keep the respect.

[@Memorex996]

Spassky didnt have to agree to move the games to the back room but he did.

[@puremercury]

And Spassky hated the Soviet government almost as much as Fischer did.

[@gatorgoode8574]

@Mycel hardly spassky was on top 20 years and played many beautiful if not immoral games he's no karpov but then no one is

[@RK-dk5vt]

5:38 Spassky trying his best not to laugh :D

[@mrsniffles5417]

USSR wins from 1948-72 "Eh whatever nerds." Fisher wins "FUCK YEAH IN YOUR FACE! U S A! U S A! U S A!"

[@anton0180]

its logican since its one person against sixth the world.

[@zcross7009]

Mr Sniffles He didn't just win man. He crushed the best Soviet player game by game. It's like playing basketball with the big kids from around the block but only you bring Michael Jordan and completely cut off there fucking cocks.

[@skkoloa]

Mr Sniffles lol too bad Russia was incredibly butt hurt

[@SeventhEve]

That's part of why it was so dramatic?

[@BloodylocksBathory]

Apart from being hilarious, these are also wonderfully accurate tellings, which I think is what makes the show so good. Learning through being entertained.

[@ostensiblyyours6311]

BloodylocksBathory wildly inaccurate

[@DesignsWithStructure]

The round of applause was due to fischer playing a c4 opening when he almost entirely played e4. This caught spassky out of preparation really hard. Fischer had all the gold crowns in his mouth taken out because he thought the Russians were reading his brain waves. Fischer then refused to play the next world championship (and largely chess as a whole) because people wouldn't meet what were ridiculous demands. He played a rematch against spassky some years later in yugoslavia while the US had an embargo in place. Won that, but the actual world champion (kasparov) was largely unimpressed with his play. The US was pissed he broke the embargo and he lived the rest of his life a refugee in iceland where he spread anti-semetic and anti-america sentiments as he clearly lost a degree of his own sanity. Fischer was a genius, but people tend to skip out on the fact he more or less lost his mind

[@joelhenderson3723]

@@DesignsWithStructure "Fischer was a genius, but people tend to skip out on the fact he more or less lost his mind." I'm not convinced he was ever sane. Still, the total dominance he had over the next-best players in the world is almost unheard of. He has quite a story.

[@canislupusfool]

How the hell did they manage to get a coherent story out of a drunk Rick Fulcher? That's honestly more impressive than Bobby Fischer winning.

[@thatgirlcheree]

I'm in love with Jake Johnson. His facial expressions are so undervalued.

[@silasmcilraith3690]

Jake Johnson should be in every single episode of Drunk History

[@AnabethalightASMR]

I LOST it at "uh...peeeeee-nuts" with the hand revealing a handful of peanuts! 😂 omg Hahahah so random!

[@AR-ng4gr]

no not random its supposed to say penis

[@uncle1886]

joiedevivre90 hahahahahahaha

[@dustybottoms8020]

Fischer peanuts

[@swampThaang]

The crazy thing is those were CASHEWS not peanuts

[@levelov]

Hi

[@robertpoptart430]

Spassky trying to keep a straight face when when Fischer's winning at 5:38 gets me every time

[@SeritaTheresa]

Wikipedia my Dingus is my new way of saying BS

[@BeeKool__113]

I read somewhere that Jake Johnson actually was inspiration for Drunk History which was genius. This show is a dream come true for me. I used to drink and then retell historical stories to my buddies. Best show ever!

[@benaaronmichelson2517]

Game wise, this was surprisingly accurate. They even had the first game on the board

[@tkokesh]

Ben Aaron Michelson You’re right, aside from being completely wrong. Fischer was Black in the first game, not White.

[@Evilanious]

"Fisher felt comfortable and won WON." They actually show fisher delivering scholars mate. That cracked me up.

[@jlyhrn]

They took apart Bobby Fischer's chair, Bobby Fischer's *Peeea...nutsss*.

[@AlexWyattDrums]

Still the best Drunk History episode. Rich Fulcher is hilarious.

[@baTonkaTruck]

This one is hilarious, but for me nothing can beat Nikola Tesla with Duncan Trussell.

[@ryanmcclimon765]

Lincoln the Lawyer and LSD Dolphins are the best.

[@DebNKY]

Lyric Lewis, Cleopatra's sister is the best, with Aubrey Plaza

[@martlock1]

“Let me tell ya about the ice... YOU JUST GOTTA MIX IT UPPP!!!” 😂🤣

[@SuperTheguy1234]

this was definitely one of the funniest skits i've seen from this show

[@micarguy8239]

Rich Fulcher is my favorite storyteller on here…what a mad lad

[@TeetoPlastic]

"Surrounded Fischer's bishop with his bishops." Fulcher doesn't play.

[@spartanchess7859]

You can say his behavior was strange but what he did was the greatest PR chess ever had. Nice job 👍

[@mbfreshmike]

This might have been some of the best/funniest character acting I've seen on the series..congrats for whomever played Fisher😂

[@fredrik8500]

5:40 Jake Johnson is trying so hard not to laugh

[@SunnysRoyalSkipper]

I love Rich!! He is so great and those ad libs are amazing.

[@eurodara]

Taran Killam is awesome!

[@notoverlyacerbic9574]

" life magazine called it the match of the century because it was the match of the century " lol

[@kengruz669]

"We hold these truths to be self-evident."

[@TEXAS2459]

05:40 "ZUCKA PSSHHHHTT, SUCKA BUMP, ZUCKA BPP, ZAKA PAAOOOWWW!!!" PERFECT....that was so satisfactory to watch, thats how i beat the computer in streetfighter

[@hockyjocky4]

The movie Pawn Sacrifice tells this story of Fischer: a brilliant, paranoid (probably schizophrenic), and miserable. But a chess genius.

[@lucindaryan4054]

What you said. Seriously.

[@the4thindustrialrevolution225]

He wasn't schizophrenic or paranoid

[@ianzen]

@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 No way he's normal either, he basically became a recluse in his later years.

[@inafridge8573]

86 a

[@averagejohnson3985]

pawn sacrifice was NOT historically accurate. A decent movie but he didnt resign after Bxh2 and there were many more bs moments. He was hyper sensitive to light and obsessive he was not schizophrenic

[@japaneseambassador3562]

"I'd do anything for a kondike bar...except Wikipedia my dingus..." I lost it.

[@monicasantos9047]

The best part was Spassky freaking tf out because he was feeling a "vibration" they x-rayed his chair and found ... A fly. 😂

[@4dultw1thj0b]

Now I see where Chess the Musical came from

[@agnieszkakanska5124]

+AlwaysGonnaSing Chess the Musical = Chess made (even more) epic

[@thaliapeters949]

+AlwaysGonnaSing I recognize your profile pic from the comment sections of Ham4Hams! Hello fellow theatre nerd!

[@4dultw1thj0b]

Thalia Peters eyyyyy

[@mgod7664]

I went back into time to say hi there babe... Do you wanna come back to 2018 and like do it? It would really piss the nazis who shop at home depot off 😂😂😂

[@AlexTheCrayChick]

theatre nerds !!!

[@slattery73]

Taran Killam is absolutely hilarious.

[@vinnievalentine421]

"Let me tell you about the ice" 😂

[@notoverlyacerbic9574]

"Bobby Fischer, King of the chess people." Now that is what his tombstone should read...

[@SymptomFish]

Love this guy in The Mighty Boosh

[@simplesimon4372]

+Wasted Love this guy in Snuff Box.

[@PokerMultimedia]

+Wasted ♟♞♝♜♛♚ David Cortese - Manga Chess ♙♘♗♖♕♔

[@amandadube156]

and that's why I won't go for that!

[@SymptomFish]

Amanda Lee Dube and that's why I don't like cricket

[@amandadube156]

"Ooh! I like the left one." Bob Fossil, 2007

[@chasemcintyre3528]

Who did you have playing Kissinger? That dude was perfect!

[@wouldntyouliketoknow6793]

I never tried to use electronic devices to wane someone's energy with zappage. I am also not so tumultuous as to get flustered.

[@icarus8471]

Fischer was...complicated. A complete chess genius. But there were psychological issues and I get the strong impression that he had real issues with his parents, maybe a sense of being abandoned, that led him to rejecting his parent's identity. Whatever. He and Tal are my favorite players of all time.

[@1001011011010]

iha asc Don't forget that from a young age the US government spied on his family, particularly his mother since they were concerned she was a spy.

[@skkoloa]

iha asc Mikhail Tal vs Bobby Fischer...you can't find much more intriguing matches than that, just two absolute monsters of the game. It's basically like Ali vs Frazier on a chess board.

[@a.f9578]

just because he refused to be a jew and criticized their doings doesn't make him mentally unstable

[@jonathanp7881]

@@a.f9578 he idolized Hitler and called for their genocide. Don’t downplay it.

[@jonathanp7881]

@@a.f9578 “their doings” nice job generalizing an entire ethno religious group. Fucking Nazi.

[@NotSoLiberal]

Fischer didn’t hate Russians. He actually credited them for some of his knowledge and thought he was respected there as a chess player. He hated the soviet machine which made soviet players collude against him in tournaments and attack his character in their media

[@raginbakin1430]

"Life Magazine called it the match of the century, and in retrospect it was, because it was the match of the century."

[@TravelingOnaShoestring]

Saturday night and once again I find myself enjoying some Drunk History. Such a great tradition;) love this show.

[@ing360]

Traveling On a Shoestring I’m also watching on a Saturday night 😆

[@Other8arry]

I laughed so hard I got this high pitched crying type laugh, while “Bobby” was acting out all the “its like a BrOOOOmP!, it’s like a TSHHhH!!!l scenes.

[@CocoOPNY]

The title made me watch this. And I wasn't disappointed. 😂😂

[@applesandlemoncake]

Anyone remember the musical Chess? I love how they sing all the champions' names and literally shout Fischer's name

[@the.lbd.diaries]

What song is that in the musical?

[@danladouceur555]

I love this guy ... one of my all time favorite drunks on this show ... wow

[@riffraff9070]

Rich is my favorite person to tell drunk history

[@sarahgarrod5311]

Pls bring back Taran Killam. His acting and expressions are the absolute best

[@elissamarcus]

Haha esp how he dealt with all those random outbursts lol

[@hephaestus6365]

We should still show chess matches in bars.

[@joshmartin7725]

Or the library.

[@jasonmelo1974]

And klondike bars

[@stacyann825]

So happy I found this!!! Think it's one if not THE funniest episodes!!

[@bicooo1]

LOL 5:39 Taram Killam is so cool

[@Orion-zq8jf]

king of the chess people.. such a drunk thing to say lol love it

[@plastichouseplant]

I feel like Rich Fulcher is exactly the same drunk or sober.

[@OctoganicAngel]

You win the comments.

[@AmitSingh-oo4wc]

Spassky has always been a thorough gentleman. Fisher shall always be a legend, forever and ever and ever.

[@saff8670]

From 5:39 until 5:52 = If only that's how real chess games went XDDDD

[@turnupthesun81]

1:44 I couldn’t have said it better myself sir.

[@BUTTERCUPJones]

3:24 I fucking spit on myself laughing. I got surprised I laughed. Didn't expect it. Lol

[@Keevthe6thunderChristJesus]

5:00 was that his Bill Cosby impression? 😂😂!!

[@shaolinkilllah3635]

I don’t think i’ve ever seen someone who enjoys being as drunk as this guy.

[@Witchdoctor707]

Legit. The best one ever.

[@dtacherra6063]

"Let me tell you about the ice, you just got to MIX IT UP!"

[@mamawalacomedy]

Spontaneous Cosby impression at 5:00 🤣🤣🤣

[@livholm315]

That guy(Derek Waters) probably has the greatest line of work. Getting paid for getting drunk? Lucky!

[@Fabo100]

Probably the best voice for this show

[@sportsgamingcubing1860]

Lol 5:34 that mate 😂😂😂

[@Boxsteam]

SportsGamingCubing Scholars mate xD

[@expertpoods5831]

I love how Bobby scholars mated Spassky in the third game.

[@johnnykwon3999]

Kissinger: "UHHhhhHHHhhhh HI"

[@finchfern320]

A klondike bar ad showed right after the video ended lmao

[@Weegee766]

My cousins history teacher plays these when she’s hungover

[@LightningBottle9352]

“He wasn’t ready to perform for like magic people” I’m dead

[@miks8]

7:02 Spassky actor is cracking up :D

[@emmaduncan2991]

Fulcher is my favorite drunk "historian" mainly because he gets way drunker than anyone else! he's on the verge of passing out.

[@casskalmann]

Jake Johnson could be 80 sitting in a rocking chair and i would still find him attractive

[@flala2261]

Cassidy Kalman He 's super cute And Nick & Jess in New Girl this season (6) is getting better 💘

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

I wish you would find me,, lol

[@bubblerum69002]

I’ll watch anything with Rich Fulcher. Jeezus I loved the Mighty Boosh.

[@joelhassig6099]

5:38 Hahahahaha! OMG, I'm dying!

[@reuben_levine]

Joel Hassig but-chee-cha-cha-SHNOOT

[@nallorlives]

A klondike bar ad played immediately after I watched this...🤣🤣🤣

[@kingscrusher]

Very nice and amusing! - congrats. I am annotating the games from the 1972 match on my channel for those interested in the technical stuff. Cheers, K

[@rehmsmeyer]

Did this video not contain all the technicalities one could ever desire?!?!?

[@prettyinpinky5937]

@@rehmsmeyer Hahahaha that's what I was thinking

[@robbob5302]

Love your shows.

[@SarahDaisy98]

3:05 you would go into a bar, and see chess. Not the New York Mets. Not the…Klondike…..bars.

[@Ghostcamel]

I kinda wish I could get drunk like this, but whenever I do, I get violently ill afterwards and go to sleep. I dont drink because, even if this part is fun for a half-hour, the vomiting isnt.

[@tuni16tuni]

Taran is so hilarious in this, I always thought he was one of the most underrated SNL cast members

[@pabloaguilar3251]

Funny how this is more accurate than the Bobby Fischer movie they made

[@overlordghs1081]

when the Iceland police came in and flipped the table LMAO.

[@Dan1elAndrade]

The story is surprisingly accurate.

[@LJLMETAL]

@5:48; did anyone else notice that the board is set up wrong? The dark square is on the right. You set it up with "White On Right."

[@lucindaryan4054]

I did. Immediately after reading your post. Good call. And for me, as well.

[@videoaddict961]

“Not the Klondike..bars”

[@ljbrandt500]

This is the best one for sure!

[@trippybby687]

+ljbrandt500 i think all of them are awesome! very educational and very hilarious! lol you learn the things your history teachers didn't teach you :)

[@DiamondDecoy]

I never realized Chess was so metal.

[@gusramirez5647]

It be like that

[@mikethered4864]

Just got into and have been binging this series, and this is the drunkest person I've seen so far 😂 if anyone wants to recommend an even more wasted story, please let me know

[@woody_you_want]

Anyone here after queens gambit?

[@AllFouRoux]

I love how at 0:21 Black has a pawn on F8 and a black night on H4.5

[@daethule]

This is definitely the drunkest narrator I've seen on one of these.

[@folklore_of_beth]

daethule have you seen the kkk one?

[@21GeeOff21]

When I saw it was about Bobby Fischer I thought for a split second that this might be Chris Hardwick. That dude loves chess and Bobby Fischer! But then I remembered that it's drunk history, not a dozen years sober history...