The Real Bobby Fischer: A Year with the Chess Genius

The Willfully Inscrutable Bobby

Bobby Fischer, the enigmatic 11th World Chess Champion, lived in Germany for almost a year beginning in April 1990. He had connected with a woman, Petra Dautov, who had reached out to him two years before. It was not a romantic relationship, but quite intriguing nevertheless. In her own words, "My intention in describing the experiences in this book was to show the human side of the chess genius and allow everyone to make up their own minds."

As noted by the venerable Fischer biographer Dr. Frank Brady in his Foreword to the book:

"...[T]he result is a lively reading experience through the authentic dialog captured by the author. [Fischer] would spend a year in the city of Wiesbaden and mostly in the little town of Seeheim, [the author's] long-term residence. During this time as constant companions they spent almost every day together.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book are the glimpses into the continuous intransigence shown by Bobby concerning matters of deep import to him...The dialog in this book rings true simply because it is authentically chronicled by Petra..."

Petra Dautov (née Stadler;1961-2020) was a German club player and played in a few open tournaments in Hungary. But she found it much more fun to spectate, which is why she was a regular visitor to major chess tournaments. She was also a close personal friend of many members of the chess elite at that time. She first met Bobby Fischer in 1988 and a close friendship developed. This is her story.

This book is an unabridged translation of the original German edition (1995) of "Bobby Fischer ̶ wie er wirklich ist ̶ Ein Jahr mit dem Schachgenie."