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From the archives: Bobby Fischer in 1972

Before he became a mad recluse, chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer gave an unforgettable interview to Mike Wallace in 1972
From the archives: Bobby Fischer in 1972 09:18

This week on the broadcast, the world's No. 1 chess player, Norway's Magnus Carlsen, tells Bob Simon that winning a chess match is more than just defeating your opponent-- it's destroying him.

"I enjoy it when I see my opponent...really suffering," Carlsen said with a grin.

It's not the first time we've heard this kind of talk. In 1972, Mike Wallace profiled the infamous Bobby Fischer, who was then only 29 years old and training for his Cold War showdown against Russia's Boris Spassky. Here's an excerpt from that story:

WALLACE: Winning for winning's sake is important, but do you like to beat another man?

FISCHER: Yes, I like to beat another man.

WALLACE: You smile about it. Do you like to crush another man's ego?

FISCHER: Uh-huh, so when they go home that night, they can't kid themselves that they're so hot.

We all know how Fischer's story ended, sadly, but the board is still a world of opportunity for today's young superstars.

Watch 60 Minutes’ profile of chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen, produced by Michael Gavshon and Drew Magratten.


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