https://www.chessscotland.com/docum...

It includes a meeting with Bobby Fischer.

I held my place for the 1968 Olympiad, at Lugano in Switzerland. By then, the duration had sensibly been reduced to a three week event. I travelled ahead of the rest of the Scottish team and, waiting at Milan Airport, happened to see Bobby Fischer, also alone, at the newstand.

I introduced myself and mentioned we had a 16-year-old boy in our team (Roddy McKay) who would be thrilled to meet him, if he could wait. The plane was late, but he still waited for an hour with me before politely saying he had to go.

During that time, he played over some games from the recent British Championship, commenting on the low standard.

I asked him who he thought would win the match between Petrosian and his challenger, Spassky. General opinion then was that Petrosian's style, being very difficult to beat, would prevail.

Bobby said the winner would be whoever the Russians wanted it to be.

Bobby was absolutely natural and a pleasure to chat to, perhaps because, unlike many people, I wasn't looking to take advantage of him in any way, or because he simply wanted to make a young lad's day.

Phenomenon though he was in chess circles, he was not then known to the general public, nor the icon he was to become; and I had no idea that an hour's chat with him was something exceptional.