ACourier-Post Camden, New Jersey Monday, August 14, 1972 - Page 4
Bobby and Sammy the Cop Best of Pals in Reykjavik
By Jim Ward, Reykjavik, (UPI) — It was past midnight and outside the suburban villa all was still.
Police officer Saemon “Sammy” Paalson was ready to go off duty when a first-floor window opened and a voice asked:
“Any journalists around?”
“No sir,” he replied.
Two minutes later, U.S. chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer peeped out, then slammed the front door and came up to Paalson's police jeep.
Started to Walk
“Which direction towards the town,” he asked. The officer pointed and Fischer started to walk. Paalson called the police headquarters and was ordered to follow Fischer.
“He was already off-line,” Sammy recalled, “so I drove up and asked him if he knew the number of his house and the name of the street.”
“No indeed.” Bobby replied. “But I'm cold, so please take me back to get a sweater.”
That was the start of the friendship between Bobby the chess genius and Sammy the cop.
Three Days Late
Fischer had arrived three days late for the $250,000 “match of the century” against world chess champion Boris Spassky, but he refused to leave his villa until all his conditions had been accepted.
Standing in the crowded corridor outside the dark hall where Bobby rocked back and forth over the wooden board in deep concentration, Paalsson smiled when he recalled that first night.
“When Bobby came out again with his sweater I asked him, just as a joke, if he wanted to go for a drive. You could have knocked me down when he climbed into the seat and said, ‘Let's go.’ After all, I was an ordinary cop on duty and he the greatest chess player in the world.
Drove Inland
“First we drove inland and watched horses graze. Then I took him to a salmon river and told him about the fish. Finally, he pointed to the mountains and we went there. We didn't get back until 4 a.m. and I had to go on duty three hours later,” Paalsson said.
For two weeks, Sammy doubled as guard during the day and as nightly companion for the erratic and temperamental American, who fought Spassky, the organizers, television cameras and arbiters before the match finally got under way.
“It was great but I started to feel the strain. I never got more than a few hours of sleep and only said hello and goodbye to my wife and kids,” Sammy recalled.
Flight from Calif.
“Then one day, Bobby's sister Joan (who flew in from California with her husband and three children) phoned and said she and Bobby were worried over the amount of sleep I missed. Would my police chief accept to assign me permanently as Bobby's guard?”
The answer was yes, and since then, the 36-year-old athlete has been Fischer's constant companion. Once the uncrowned rock king of Iceland, who toured with a dance band to Elvis Presley hits, Sammy settled down as carpenter only to join the police force three years ago.
He narrowly missed winning the Icelandic judo title last year “because I underestimated the opposition and stayed up all night, a bad habit of mine even before Bobby came along,” he said.
Made Fischer Laugh
His English is good and Sammy picked up enough American expressions during a New York visit some years ago to make Fischer laugh.
Whenever the challenger is in the mood, the two will go bowling after midnight at the U.S. Keflavik airbase, 25 miles west of Reykjavik. Paalson is also there when Fischer plays tennis, ping-pong or goes swimming in the hotel Loftleider's indoor pool.
Bobby is also a welcome visitor in the Paalsson home next to the indoor tennis court.
“Bobby will spend hours playing with my kids. I've got five of them, and he likes whatever the missus come up with…herring, lamb chops and big steaks—not to mention his favorite dish, Skyr” (an Icelandic milk specialty a la yogurt).
“My house is on the coast towards Keflavik and we pick up the American television programs with no trouble. The other night Bobby watched ‘Perry Mason,’ a favorite of his. Then he'll switch on my radio and sit listening to shortwave broadcasts from Russia and Germany—but best of all BBC's foreign service,” said Sammy.
“It's so funny listening to him mimic the (British) broadcaster's perfect accent,” he said.
“Bobby is the nicest guy once he comes out of his shell. I have never heard him speak one bad word of Spassky, whom he admires and calls the friendliest Russian he ever met. He said Spassky had always gone out of his way to be friendly and Bobby thinks he is a great player,” said Paalsson.
“I've got an old chess board and Bobby will explain the basic rules for me and try me out with small puzzles, laughing when I make a mash of the things,” Sammy said. “He also found a 1941 edition of Al Horowitz's book on chess and played several of the games listed there.”
Suddenly a burst of applause came from the dark hall. This time Spassky had demolished the challenger in 31 moves, but Sammy was already back-stage waiting for Bobby.
