By REY BANCOD
Manila Bulletin
Marilyn Young and her daughter Jinky live in a three-bedroom, twostorey house located in an upscale neighborhood in Davao City which they claim was bought by the late
chess legend Bobby Fischer.
Fischer made a down payment in 2002 and wired money to complete the monthly amortization in 2005, according to Marilyn who is originally from Cotabato City.
The revelation came as a surprise even to his lawyer Sammy Estimo who is handling Young’s bid to secure Fischer’s huge estate estimated over P140 million.
“I was not aware of that,†Estimo admitted. “The new information will strengthen our case and will be presented as part of secondary evidence.â€
The apparent oversight could be attributed to Young’s reluctance to share information.
In fact, when the question was first asked, her first reaction was: “Kailangan pa ba ‘yun?â€
Not used to the limelight, Young pleaded not to be interviewed in person or their photograph taken, for which, Estimo begged for understanding.
“Marilyn is a simple and extremely shy person. She’s not used to talking to strangers and doesn’t offer anything unless asked,†Estimo said.
On Wednesday, the Icelandic Supreme Court allowed the exhumation of Fischer’s body for paternity test to determine if Jinky is indeed his biological daughter.
Months before Fischer died, Young said, there were plans for Fischer to visit them in Davao City.
“Pero nagbago isip ni Bobby kasi natatakot siya na baka i-cancel na naman passport niya at ikulong siya,†she said. (“Bobby changed his mind for fear his passport would be canceled and be jailed.â€)
Fischer was detained by Japanese authorities for nine months in 2004 and 2005 after his United States passport was revoked.
Instead, Fischer asked mother and daughter to visit him during the summer of 2008. His untimely death in January of that same year aborted plans.
Young is still bitter over how they were ignored by those responsible for Fischer’s funeral.
“Nalaman ko na lang sa news namatay na pala si Bobby. Tawag ako ng tawag pero di ako sinasagot,†she recalled. (“I only learned about Bobby’s death in the news. I kept on calling [those responsible for his funeral] but they did not answer my call.â€)
Young said it was uncharacteristic for Fischer not to call her.
“Araw-araw tumatawag si Bobby to check on us. Pag di siya makatawag, gumagawa siya ng paraan. Noong na-bartolina siya sa Japan, may tumawag sa akin na Pilipino, pinakiusapan ni Bobby na tawagan ako para sabihing OK siya,†she narrated. (Everyday, Bobby calls up to check on us. If he can’t call, he would find ways to communicate. When he was jailed in Japan, he asked a Filipino to call us just to say he was OK.â€)
Young said she expected someone from Iceland to contact her, knowing that Fischer communicated with them everyday.
“Pero walang tumawag,†she rued. (“No one called up.â€)
It took nearly a year before the Youngs were able to visit Fischer’s tomb during a visit last December in the company of Estimo and chess grandmaster Eugene Torre, Fischer’s close friend.
Reykjavic had been Fischer’s home since his release from Japanese detention and was the site of his greatest triumph.
Fischer defeated then world champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, capping his phenomenal rise as one of the world’s greatest chess players.
He showed his potential at the age of 13 when he defeated chess master Donald Byrne in what was later hailed as the game of the century.
Starting at the age of 14, Fischer won eight US championships and became a grandmaster at 15.
His 11-0 record in the 1963-64 US championship remains the only perfect score in the history of the event.
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