Iceland extends visa to Bobby Fischer

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Timsan

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4102367.stm

What is your take on this? I think it is rediculous that the US wants to detain him for playing a chess match a show match in Yugloslavia. Though American's were not permitted to do business there i would hardly constitute a chess match as a business transaction.

I hope he decides to move ot Iceland.
 
He is being detained in Japan and is wanted in the US for violating international sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing there in 1992.
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Wasn't be recognised as a kind of American hero in 1972 when he won the match (and World Championship) against the Russian player?
 
Well he earned something like $3mil from that chess match so I would kind of class it as a business transaction. His trade was chess and he got money from it. If you're going to violate the laws of your country how can you not expect to be punished if you're caught? Best thing is hope not to get caught.
 
Japan Times : Fischer gets break as Iceland grants him full citizenship

Bobby Fischer has been granted Icelandic citizenship after 9 month of detention in Japan. The Icelandic ambassador in Japan said that Icelandic people had deep respect for the chess player, who won the world championship held in Reykjavik in 1972.

Bobby Fischer also intends to marry his longtime companion Miyoko Watai, who heads the Japanese chess federation. Under such circumstances, I don't really understand why Japan gave him such a hard time rather than granting him either refugee status or citizenship, as they did with Jenkins, who was not as famous and respected as Bobby Fischer.
 
I think most Americans would prefer it if Bobby Fischer never came back to this country. He's been somewhat of a national embarassment ever since he started going off about his anti-semetic views in public, and he's pretty much only gotten worse since then.

Honestly, he's always been kind of a fruitcake, but I'm convinced he's certifiably bat-**** insane these days. Have you read the hand written letter he sent to the Iclandic Embassy? If I was reading that I would be like, "What????? Are you crazy???"

Also:

What is your take on this? I think it is rediculous that the US wants to detain him for playing a chess match a show match in Yugloslavia. Though American's were not permitted to do business there i would hardly constitute a chess match as a business transaction.
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There were UN sanctions against Yugoslavia at the time and yes, believe it or not - there was a prohibition against holding sporting events in the country. Technically chess is a "sport". So Mr. Fischer did violate U.N. sanctions and its (unfortunately) our governments duty to attempt to prosecute him. I'd be pretty willing to bet that the state department really just hopes he crawls under a rock someplace and stops embarassing the crap out of us, but oh well ><
 
Mal said:
There were UN sanctions against Yugoslavia at the time and yes, believe it or not - there was a prohibition against holding sporting events in the country. Technically chess is a "sport".
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I would never consider chess as a sport. The Oxfor Dictionary definition of sport is pretty much how I understand it : "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment". Chess is normally described as a game (in fact it can even be played on a computer exactly the same way as the board version, while sports can't without becoming just a video game).
 
The first defintion for sport in the standard american dictionary is:
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1 a : a source of diversion : RECREATION b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in
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Evidently we americans consider recreation activity of any type (Chess, anyone?) to be sport. Since Fischer was charged by the American government, it would make sense that our definition of the activity is the one we would use :D
 
Mal said:
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1 a : a source of diversion : RECREATION b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in
-----

Evidently we americans consider recreation activity of any type (Chess, anyone?) to be sport. Since Fischer was charged by the American government, it would make sense that our definition of the activity is the one we would use :D
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My Oxford dic says that the (5th) meaning of sport as "entertainment, fun" is "dated". Sometimes this happens between BrE and AmE. For example the verb "slay" is often used in US newspapers, but archaic or literary in the UK. On the other hand "shall" or "whom" are not used as much in the US as in the UK.

In Europe, some people argue that "table tennis" or "racing" are not really sports, as there is enough physical activity (although I disagree).
 
Fischer just got on a plane for Iceland a few hours ago.

We'll see what happens when he hits the ground there. Reykjavik has an extradition treaty with Washington.

/wow I can't believe I remembered Reykjavik was the captial of Iceland.
// I think I even spelled it right too... way to go crappy US public school system!
 
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