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Chess Stories: Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen and more | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

2025-08-30 News & Politics
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Chess Luminaries, Political Battles, and Community Transformation

Discover how chess legends like Fischer, Kasparov, and Carlsen navigated physical demands, geopolitical conflict, and personal demons—and how the game is now revitalizing a rural American community.

Short Summary

  • Chess champions require intense physical and mental endurance, often leading eccentric or monastic lifestyles (Fischer, Carlsen).
  • Garry Kasparov used his chess fame to become a leading critic against the Russian political establishment, labeling modern Russia a "police state."
  • Bobby Fischer's legacy is complex, marked by genius, non-negotiable demands, and eventual public turmoil.
  • A dedicated coach brought chess to rural Franklin County, Mississippi, leading students to dominate state championships against better-resourced rivals.
  • The report emphasizes that high-level chess is not a passive game; it demands intense concentration, physical conditioning, and emotional fortitude.

This compilation archives segments from "60 Minutes" profiling world-class chess figures across five decades, contrasting their individual struggles and impacts with the surprising success of a grassroots educational program in the American South.

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Description

From 1972, Mike Wallace’s profile of controversial U.S. chess champion Bobby Fischer. From 1996, Morley Safer’s interview with Garry Kasparov, who became a world champion at 22. From 2007, Steve Kroft’s interview with Kasparov about his involvement in Russian politics. From 2012, Bob Simon’s interview with Magnus Carlsen. And from 2017, Sharyn Alfonsi’s report about the positive impact of a chess program introduced to school children in rural Franklin County, Mississippi. #news #chess 0:00 Intro 0:11 Bobby Fischer - April 9, 1972 12:41 King of the Chessboard (Garry Kasparov) - October 27, 1996 24:40 The Match of his Life (Garry Kasparov) - September 23, 2007 37:32 The Mozart of Chess (Magnus Carlsen) - February 19, 2012 50:18 Chess Country - March 27, 2017 "60 Minutes" is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen's Top 10. Subscribe to the "60 Minutes" YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/60minutes Watch full episodes: https://cbsnews.com/60-minutes/full-episodes/ Get more "60 Minutes" from "60 Minutes: Overtime": https://cbsnews.com/60-minutes/overtime/ Follow "60 Minutes" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/60minutes/ Like "60 Minutes" on Facebook: https://facebook.com/60minutes Follow "60 Minutes" on X: https://twitter.com/60Minutes Subscribe to our newsletter: https://cbsnews.com/newsletters/ Download the CBS News app: https://cbsnews.com/mobile/ Try Paramount+ free: https://paramountplus.com/?ftag=PPM-05-10aeh8h For video licensing inquiries, contact: [email protected]

Top Comments (10)

@joelyelcanio 2025-08-30

Who storages this footage for decades and now allows us to enjoy!?!? Thank you!

198 7 replies
@stevenhill3136 2025-08-30

As a fan of Bobby Fischer the first story of him back in 1972 was amazing to watch

105 1 replies
@60minutes 2025-08-30

0:11 Bobby Fischer - April 9, 1972 12:41 King of the Chessboard (Garry Kasparov) - October 27, 1996 24:40 The Match of his Life (Garry Kasparov) - September 23, 2007 37:32 The Mozart of Chess (Magnus Carlsen) - February 19, 2012 50:18 Chess Country - March 27, 2017

70 2 replies
@ancos2505 2025-08-31

8:37 - “It looks like… taking your final exam." - Bobby Fischer Definitely the most precise definition of playing rated chess I ever heard.

59 1 replies
@Tony_Rizzo 2025-08-30

Man was way ahead of his time. If you live by yourself, train yourself, do EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF, you will have NOBODY TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF.

57 4 replies
@Mayimbeoo7 2025-09-03

The Franklin County story deserves to be made into a movie. Everyone loves a good underdog story. The teacher and silent partner are amazing to have given rural Mississippi children a chance at life.

48 5 replies
@qw6939 2025-08-31

Love Bobby’s intensity

36
@mildeyedmelancholy 2025-09-02

Bobby had amazing swagger.

35
@percybyssheshelly 2025-09-25

Back at that particular time there was no American rated over 2600 USCF. Bobby Fischer’s USCF rating was 2825. He was in a class by himself.

24
@padsmoka5193 2025-10-04

Analyzing all by himself without computer engines required enormous mental capacities before

12

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