Calcutta: A pall of gloom descended on the chess fraternity as the news of Bobby Fischer’s death trickled in on Friday evening.

India’s first IM Manuel Aaron told The Telegraph: “He was a very simple and straightforward person.”

Aaron was the only Indian to play against Fischer during the Inter-Zonal in Stockholm. Aaron predictably lost but after it was over Fischer analysed the game with his opponent.

“Fischer had drawn the first two games and I was paired with him in the third round. It was a King’s Indian defence and I succumbed in about 30 moves,” Aaron recalled.

“I had a long chat with him during the meet. He was fond of good clothes and want to come to India…to get his clothes stitched as he had heard that the Indian tailors were good. I wanted to buy electric shavers and remember asking him about it… He advised me against buying them as they gave electric shock…”

“Later I said about this to GM Olafsson who advised me, ‘Don’t listen to what Fischer tells you apart from chess, but follow everything what he says about chess’,” the veteran national champion recalled.

“It’s a shocking news and a great loss for chess,” said Grandmaster Neelotpal Das. “No other sportsman has done so much for the game like Fischer had. He took the game to new heights. His personality too was inspiring. The way he fought single-handedly against the Soviets was phenomenal. I also learnt a lot from his positional games which are instructive even today,” added GM Neelotpal.

GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly, who is participating in the Parsvnath International tournament in Delhi, said: “It’s a sad day for chess. He was my all-time chess favourite, my idol. His games were crystal-clear and highly instructive. His games still motivate me. Every time I see his games I learn something new from them.”

Surya added that Fischer’s book — My 60 memorable games — inspired him to fight against all odds even when the chips were down. “I liked Fischer’s attitude… because he would go for the kill in all his games. He had an exceptional hunger to win. He defeated GM Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen 6-0, 6-0 in the Candidates Tournament in 1991 and was unbelievable those days.

“I also found his biography Profile of a Prodigy very instructive and informative… ” Surya said from Delhi.