Bobby Fischer light of day during that period, and that the staff had ignored his complaints about constant tobacco smoke in his cell. Tokyo-based Canadian journalist and consultant John Bosnitch set up the "Committee to Free Bobby Fischer" after meeting Fischer at Narita Airport and offering to assist him. Boris Spassky wrote a letter to US President George W. Bush, asking "For mercy, charity", and, if that was not possible, "to put [him] in the same cell with Bobby Fischer" and "to give [them] a chess set". It was reported that Fischer and Miyoko Watai, the President of the Japanese Chess Association
World Chess Championship 1963 as Geller was a candidate at Zurich in 1953 and Filip at Amsterdam in 1956. The favourites were Tal (the recently dethroned World Champion) and Fischer, based on his powerful Interzonal showing. Botvinnik also picked Tal, as did a poll of Russian readers, narrowly ahead of Fischer. Former world champion Max Euwe picked Petrosian. Keres said Fischer deserved to be favourite but had faith that a Soviet player would win; and similarly Alexander Kotov and Svetozar Gligorić thought one of the Soviets would win ahead of Fischer. American magazine Chess Life picked Fischer ahead of Tal. Of the others it