Widow of chess ace Bobby Fischer to inherit: court

(Reuters) - An Icelandic court said on Thursday the widow of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer should inherit his estimated $2 million estate, which has been in dispute since his death in 2008.

Fischer spent the last years of his life as a fugitive from U.S. authorities because he defied international sanctions against the former Yugoslavia, spending time in the Philippines and Japan before moving to Iceland, where he was offered citizenship in the mid-2000s.

Miyoko Watai of Japan had claimed before the court she was Fischer's wife and heir while two of the chess master's nephews had questioned the legitimacy of the marriage.

In 2009 Iceland's Supreme Court overturned a municipal court decision that Watai was the rightful heir, saying definite proof of the marriage had not been made available.

On Wednesday Reykjavik's municipal court judge Ingridur Eiriksdottir ruled the marriage was legal and declared that Fischer's nephews must pay Watai 6.65 million Iceland crowns ($57,520) in costs. Fresh documentation was provided for the latest judgment.

Fischer, a child prodigy became the United States' only world chess champion by defeating Soviet masters, but refused to defend his title and relinquished it to the Soviet champion Anatoly Karpov in 1975. He died in Reykjavik at the age of 64.

The nephews' lawyer told Icelandic state radio they would appeal the court ruling.

(Reporting by Omar Valdimarsson via Stockholm Newsroom; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Thanks for the update.

She was able to claim his property without any proof whatsoever?

partner getting your property after your death/divore is bs anyway, nothing more than a legalized extortion scheme.

I'm not so sure. If it was a "common law" marriage/relationship, she may have a legitimate claim, not so?

Really?  Extorting a dead man?  WTF are you trying to say?  Who should get the estate?  Iceland?  The US government?? If the guy was married then she is his closest living realitive. What exactly do you thing should happen?

I believe that people's wealth should go to whoever they state should get it in their will after they die and people should get absolutely nothing from divorce, property and $ from bank should go to the government if a will is not written.

in this story she could've forged the documents and I don't see any reason why someone that is not genetically related should get fischer's $ unless she bears his children and they're minors.

divore rate would go way down if people get nothing out of it, people just marry and divorce for $ these days

.. So if there is no will then what would happen in your universe? Marriage is a contractual arrangement, regardless of any spiritual or religious belief. Common law marriage is the states way of noting the existence of a verbal contract. These things hav e to be settled one way or another and it is up to the state (courts) to decide who has a valid marriage contract. ..

comradedew wrote: polydiatonic wrote: comradedew wrote: She was able to claim his property without any proof whatsoever? partner getting your property after your death/divore is bs anyway, nothing more than a legalized extortion scheme. Really?  Extorting a dead man?  WTF are you trying to say?  Who should get the estate?  Iceland?  The US government?? If the guy was married then she is his closest living realitive. What exactly do you thing should happen? I believe that people's wealth should go to whoever they state should get it in their will after they die and people should get absolutely nothing from divorce, property and $ from bank should go to the government if a will is not written. in this story she could've forged the documents and I don't see any reason why someone that is not genetically related should get fischer's $ unless she bears his children and they're minors. divore rate would go way down if people get nothing out of it, people just marry and divorce for $ these days

It seems they were married, as she has supplied a certified copy of the marriage license.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/world/europe/05chess.html?_r=1

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7057

As chairperson of the Japanese Chess Association, she should be well placed to do justice to the legacy of RJF.

it started from rich families then was taken over by the church for a % of the $ and in somewhat modern times by the government for the same reason and political as well.It's such nonsense when someone not genetically related could get $ from the person's death or by divorce, at least in some countries like the USA you could have prenups

at the very least the $ should go to his genetically related nephews if he had no children

"Ms. Watai’s claim to the estate was initially denied by an Icelandic court, though she had supplied a copy of her marriage license certified by the Japanese Embassy"

I think in addition of wanting the $, she was ordered by her government to do it.

I dont agree that his nephews are entitled to anything. What did they ever do for him ?  Nothing that I am aware of. His wife was by him at the end and helped him through his terrible ordeal when he was locked up in Japan. Relatives deserve nothing if they have basically ignored you your entire life. 

Well comrade, when you create your own country you can elect yourself king and make up your own rules.  Until then you have swallow it like EVERYONE ELSE.   Btw, I don't like the way your rook moves. So when we play you won't be able to move it the way you normally do.  I, on the other hand, will do what I want.  Get it?

If everyone just swallow whatever is given to them and kept to their place then there wouldn't be any wars or revolutions now would there?

I don't intend to live my life the way an organization or the majority tells me to, I'll either migrate or even attempt to 'elect' myself as the king if there is no country on earth with people and laws that fits my point of view.

"I dont agree that his nephews are entitled to anything. What did they ever do for him ?  Nothing that I am aware of. His wife was by him at the end and helped him through his terrible ordeal when he was locked up in Japan. Relatives deserve nothing if they have basically ignored you your entire life. "

It seems fishy that the legal marriage paper suddenly appeared out of the thin air in the appeal and fischer was not granted japanese citizenship for it?

the $ will still have to go somewhere even if there was no1 that cared for him when he was alive and I'm just saying that I would've preffered his nephews get it than a supposed wife that seems suspicious

Very interesting. I wonder if the "jews" have something to do with it?  S n a r k.

I see I'm being trolled here

sorry to break it to you but not everyone is an extremist here, maybe you shouldn't stereotype people based on the country they reside in.

GOOD DAY SIR!

Yes i was testing you.  Good job not being a complete nut job.  I do find it interesting that Fischer took to the airways in the Phillipines to voice his extremist views.  Why would he do it there?  I don't know,  I'm must wondering.

Or was that in Indonesia?

hehehe

rofl at troll spray

Did Fischer leave a will ?

It is possible to challenge a will posthumously. See Marshall, J Howard ...