Bobby Fischer's father, by James O'Fee

Bobby Fischer's biological father was a Hungarian Jewish Communist named Paul Felix Nemenyi - not the German scientist, Gerhardt Fischer, to whom Bobby's mother, Regina Fischer, was married at the time of bobby's birth. Peter Nicholas explains this conclusion of his research in an article in yesterday's Los Angeles Times -

Chasing the king of chess

Regina divorced Gerhardt soon after Booby was born in 1943. But Paul Nemenyi would visit Regina and Bobby in New York from his home in South America. He took Bobby out on expeditions and paid money to Regina.

Nemanyi, Regina and Gerhardt were all Communists. Peter Nicholas has discovered that the FBI had a file on Nemanyi of which he has obtained a copy under Freedom of Information. A photograph of Nemanyi shows that Bobby bore a striking physical resemblance to the Hungarian.

Bobby Fischer became an outspoken anti-Semite who denied the Holocaust. The discovery means that Bobby was Jewish on both his parental and maternal sides.

Nicholas is planning to visit Hungary to find out more about Nemanyi's family background.