by Richard Fireman (first published in Chess Life 1989)
He had been nothing like the image I'd expected of him, the media depiction of the crazed recluse, the impossible boy wonder who made life impossible for everyone he met. In fact, he'd been downright friendly. Piecing it together later – after the shock wore off - I concluded that he'd probably felt much more comfortable among us, who were not only not of the media but not even his peers, and who looked up to him rather than down or suspiciously; that we made him feel not only admired but, more importantly, welcome.
