Eight weeks after our last report (31 December 2004) on Robert J. Fischer's detention in Japan and seven months after he was first detained, Bobby was again making mainstream news. When we last reported on Bobby, Iceland had just offered him residency.

Local support for Fischer is best seen through the eyes of an Icelandic group calling itself the RJF Committee. The group includes Gudmundur Thorarinsson, former Member of the Icelandic Parliament, former president of the Icelandic Chess Federation, and Chief Organizer of the 1972 Fischer - Spassky World Championship match.

• A status report from RJF Committee - Iceland • 'The situation in the Bobby Fischer affair against the US and Japanese Authorities seems to be a stalemate, at least for the time being.' [15 January; The Week in Chess (TWIC)]
  
  
• Chess Legend Fischer Could Become Icelander • 'Iceland is considering granting citizenship to United States chess legend Bobby Fischer, a parliamentary official said in Reykjavik today.' [28 January; Scotsman.com]
  
  

In order for Fischer to travel from Japan to Iceland, both countries must agree. According to our favorite Japanese news source for this story (Mainichi Shimbun), Japan's position is 'no'. As of this week, Iceland's position is a qualified 'yes'.

• Bobby Fischer's Reykjavik refuge plan put on ice • 'Jailed chess genius Bobby Fischer suffered a damaging blow in his quest for freedom Wednesday morning after Justice Ministry lawyers told the Tokyo District Court they had no intention of letting him leave Japan for Iceland.' [19 January; Mainichi Newspapers]
  
  
• Bobby Fischer gets passport from Iceland • 'Icelandic authorities have reportedly agreed to issue incarcerated chess champion Bobby Fischer with a special passport that would allow him to travel throughout Western Europe. [...] The document would allow him to travel freely between the 15 countries of the Schengen zone, a region covering much of Western Europe where passports are not required, but not to the United States.' [23 February; Mainichi Newspapers]
  
  

It's not clear what the American authorities will say. Fischer's supporters often overlook that he has his detractors, even among the American chess community.

• An Open Letter to the People of Iceland and the RJF Committee • 'My name is Ilya Gurevich. I am an American Grand Master who has followed with interest your quest to free Robert Fischer from his jail cell in Japan. After watching the developments of this ongoing saga, I felt like I should weigh in with some thoughts.' [9 February]
  
  

Spotted on the Web: Finally, here's what appears to be an excerpt from an early draft of Garry Kasparov's recent book on Fischer.

• The Great Hermit • 'From the 4th volume of a new book after G. Kasparov "My Great Predecessors" expected to be published in December 2004.'
  
  

See also Finding Bobby Fischer, an index of About Chess articles on Robert James Fischer.