EP.202 - Dr. Frank Brady
Dr. Frank Brady has led a long and distinguished career both in and out of the chess world. Before retiring, he was the Chairman of the Department of Mass Communications, Journalism, Television and Film at St. John\u2019s University. Frank is also the Founding Editor of Chess Life Magazine, and is well known for writing multiple books about Bobby Fischer, who Frank knew since Bobby\u2019s teenage years, and about whom he is a leading authority. Dr. Brady is best known for his best-selling and brilliant 2011 biography of Fischer, Endgame: Fischer\u2019s Rise and Fall from Remarkable Prodigy to the Edge of Madness. In our conversation, Frank shares many personal recollections about his interactions with Bobby, including a first-hand account of what it was like to be at the famed Fischer-Spassky Match of the Century in Reykjavik in 1972. Frank contextualizes the brilliance and the faults of Bobby Fischer, and tells some great stories from his personal experiences.\xa0You will not want to miss this first hand account of chess history! Please read on for more details, relevant links, and timestamps.\xa0\xa0\nFor more detailed show notes, go to:\nwww.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/11/17/episode-202-dr-frank-brady\n02:00- What was it like to attend the \u201cMatch of the Century\u201d between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in person in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972?\xa0\n\xa0\n10:30- Frank discusses the question of whether Bobby knew who his father was, and whether he was aware of his Jewish heritage.\xa0\xa0\n18:30- How would Frank describe Bobby\u2019s personality?\xa0\n\n28:00- What chess improvement advice did Bobby Fischer give to Frank Brady?\xa0\n\n32:30- Does Frank think that Bobby Fischer had Asperger\u2019s Syndrome? How did Frank find out Fischer\u2019s IQ?\xa0\n\n40:15- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. If you would like to learn about the chess brilliance of Bobby Fischer utilizing their patented Movetrainer technology, you can check out GM Garry Kasparov\u2019s My Great Predecessor\u2019s Volume 4, among other books and courses:\xa0\nhttps://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-4/course/29726/\n\n41:00- Frank answers a question from the Patreon mailbag relating to the history of The Log Cabin Chess Club.\xa0\n47:00- What were Bobby\u2019s political views before they became more radical? When was Bobby\u2019s chess peak? Does Frank think that Bobby was clinically insane?\xa0\n52:00- What did Bobby\u2019s Icelandic friends from his later years think of Bobby?\xa0\n\n53:30- Douglas Griffin asks Frank whether he is aware of Fischer being particularly influenced by GM Isaac Boleslavsky.\n\n56:00- What were Frank\u2019s interactions with GM Boris Spassy like?\xa0\n\n1:00:00- Frank's encounters with famed artist Marcel Duchamp\n\n1:04:00- Frank still plays the occasional tournament chess game, and he is in great health as an 86 year-old. What health advice can he share?\xa0\n1:05:30- As an expert on film and chess, Frank compares the smash-hit Netflix series The Queen\u2019s Gambit as it compares to other representations of chess in film/on television.\n\n1:10:00- To what does Frank attribute the success of Endgame outside of the chess world?\xa0\n\xa0\n1:17:00- Whom does Frank think I should interview?\n\n1:19:30- More discussion of The Queen\u2019s Gambit.\n\n1:25:00- Thanks so much to Dr. Brady for an amazing interview! You can reach him via email at bradyfm at msn.com\n\nIf you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: \nDonate \u2014 The Perpetual Chess Podcast\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices