Quick review on media gaslighting of the public about Bobby Fischer. A particularly notorious detractor who made repeated attempts to grab headlines around the 1990s is a character, “Ron Gross”.
According to E. J. Rodriguez, Gross is claimed to have been 13 years of age, moved to New York, mid 1950s, becoming fast friends with young Robert Fischer. “Two thirteen year olds walk through the streets of New York,” E. J. Rodriguez summarizes in Spanish.
Fact. Ronald Gross was 19 when Bobby Fischer was 11.
I recommend skeptics check chessgames.com, notably conspicuous are the absence of games one would expect from “two thirteen year old” chess addicts, living in New York, IF such claims were true.
Ron Gross was a lifetime resident of Compton, California from the 1950s till the 1970s when his residency changed to Long Beach, California.
The L.A. Times Sunday Chess column by Isaac Kashdan, New York Times and California Chess Reporter confirm the residency, membership and participation of Ron Gross in Southern California chess circles.
The logical conclusion is, Ron Gross was never a close childhood friend of Bobby Fischer.
Ron Gross was not even in the same chess league as Bobby Fischer.
California Chess Reporter notes Ronald Gross and M. K. Saca were drawing in the California Open Tournament when Bobby Fischer was capturing the 1957 Cleveland tournament, beating out Arthur Bisguier.
By 1958, young Fischer would be on his way to not only capturing the national championship, but winning International tournaments.
Ron Gross was known to Bobby Fischer only in an obscure sense, hence, the chessgames.com archive is absent of games between Fischer and Gross. Contemporary newspapers between 1955 and 1972, fail to mention Bobby Fischer knowing, or even acquainted with Ronald Gross. However, Bobby Fischer does mention William Lombardy and vis versa, because their friendship was a well established fact.
Throughout my newspaper archives which focus on Bobby Fischer in 1955, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61 and so on, the name of Ronald Gross is absent.
Bobby Fischer invited his close, endearing friends to accompany his entourage to the 1972 World Championship when Fischer met Boris Spassky including the ONLY BLACK MAN in attendance at the event, Archie Waters, whom Fischer regarded as a mentor.
But Ron Gross was absent.
(Edit) 1:45 "Bobby Fischer was known to Ron Gross only in an obscure sense." Because Bobby Fischer likely wouldn't have known Ron Gross from a hole in the ground.
