There is a theory that Alekhine agreed to publish the articles in order to obtain protection for his then-wife, who was Jewish. (He was apparently promised an exit visa for her.) It's also very likely that the articles were heavily edited by Pariser Zeitung, a pro-Nazi newspaper.
As for playing in tournaments during Nazi occupation, playing chess was his job, and he played, as did others.
The Fischer interview in POC always struck me as a bit odd, simply because it has Fischer opening up on so many subjects, in contrast to his quite guarded behavior on television interviews from the 60's. I have to wonder how genuine the article really is, and indeed how much the article might have contributed to Fischer's later persecution complexes and social reclusion.
Well, I'm not so sure about obsession but it seemed like a smug arrogance. Here are some of the quotes from Fischer.
"If you got seventeen suits, you can rotate them. They wear a long time. That's where the poor man gets it coming and going. His suits wear out fast and he never has a wardrobe to choose from. Yeah, some Hungarian uptown makes them (referring to his shoes). They cost a hundred bucks a pair. I've got five pairs."
On John F Kennedy
"He has it too soft, you know? I don't think he's ever had any hardships. Besides, he doesn't have any class. He puts his hands in his coat pockets. God, that's horrible!"
"You know they say you can tell the decline of a nation when the people begin to lose interest in their clothes. Nowadays if your'e dressed up people think you're a dandy. In the olden days the most virile men were men who dressed the best.
On travel by subway
"Unfortunately, yes (upon being asked whether he used the subway). It's dirty- kids there see I have nice shoes on so they try to step on them on purpose. People come in their work clothes and all, people com charging like animals, it's terrible. People sitting and staring directly across the aisles at you, it's barbaric."
"Oh, I wouldn't touch them (referring to ready-made clothes.) I have my shoes made to order, my shirts everything. I like to dress classy. I have seventeen suits now, all hand-tailored.
I don't know if obsessed was the right word, but he put a lot of value into what people wear. I just find it interesting reading this side of Fischer. I don't think it has extreme significance either, it just piqued my interest.
Hey, I just read the book "Personality of Chess" by Horowitz and found it to be a very interesting read (Specifically on Morphy, Fischer and Alekhine). I was looking for some discussion, as some of the articles in there were very interesting. Does anyone else have views or opinions on this book?
One interesting thing I learned, but don't know probably due to my age is Fischer's obsessions with suits. I found it funny looking at his quotes about how much value he put in what people wear.
Also, I recall reading about Alekhine's disposition towards those of Jewish heritage but I don't recall reading that he had disputed those claims afterwards and said that the articles had been forged in his name. I was wondering if anyone knew if anything came from his denials.
And according to this book Morphy was psychologically degraded by Staunton into quiting chess (along with a few other factors), but Horowitz seems to attribute it mainly to Staunton. Is this well known?
Just a few things I was wondering about in this book.