Carmine Nigro, 91; Taught Chess to Bobby Fischer

Carmine Nigro, 91, the first chess teacher of former world champion Bobby Fischer, died of stomach cancer Aug. 16 at a hospice in Peachtree City, Ga.

Nigro was president of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Chess Club when he met Fischer, then 9, in 1951. Fischer’s parents were divorced and his mother was looking for a way to occupy her son’s time.

Nigro taught Fischer for nearly three years, but after a couple of years the student began beating his mentor. Fischer later dedicated his book, “Bobby Fischer’s Games of Chess,” to Nigro.

“Mr. Nigro was possibly not the best player in the world, but he was a very good teacher,” Fischer wrote.

In the mid-1950s, Nigro left Brooklyn and his star pupil and moved to Florida, where he mastered golf.