(New York, NY -- October 2, 2011) As someone who knew Bobby Fischer from the time he was quite young, Frank Brady been asked hundreds of times, "What was Bobby Fischer really like?" Brady writes in his book Endgame that: “Paradoxes abound. Bobby was secretive, yet candid; generous, yet parsimonious; naive, yet well informed; cruel, yet kind; religious, yet heretical. His games were filled with charm and beauty and significance. His outrageous pronouncements were filled with cruelty and prejudice and hate. And though for a period of decades he poured most of his energy and passion into a quest for chess excellence, he was not the idiot savant often portrayed by the press.”
Brady will elaborate on Fischer this Sunday, October 2 from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. at John Jay College (889 Tenth Avenue, Manhattan) when he speaks as part of the Robert V. Tishman Lecture Series offered free to Sundays at JASA registrants.
As his friend, Brady secured unique access to the champion’s papers and family archives. He is the author of numerous critically acclaimed biographies, including Bobby Fischer: Profile of a Prodigy (the first edition of which appeared in 1965 and focuses on the young Bobby). Until recently, Brady was the Chairman of the Communications Department at St. John’s University and remains a full professor there. He is the President of the prestigious Marshall Chess Club and was the founding publisher of Chess Life.
Sundays at JASA presents college-level courses for those 55+ on a wide range of topics, including current events and American history, to elder law and communication online, from foundations of traditional Chinese medicine and Tai Chi, to crossword puzzle construction and music appreciation. Additional Robert V. Tishman Lectures will be held October 9, 16, 23, 30; and November 6, 20; December 4, 11, 18. All lectures are at John Jay College from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m.
To register, contact Sara Tornay, 212-273-5304; stornay@jasa.org.
