Photograph of Washington Square Park chess table by Paulo C on Flickr Brilliant, reclusive and eccentric, Chicago-born and Brooklyn-bred Bobby Fischer died at age 64 in Iceland. His spokesman said the cause was kidney failure, after a long illness. Fischer, who grew up playing in chess clubs in Brooklyn and Manhattan, beat Boris Spassky in a 1972 match, becoming the first and only American to become world champion, a Cold War hero, and popularized......

Former FBI agent Roy Lindley DeVecchio has been on trial for four counts of murder, as prosecutors have accused him of being a mob informant. And the trial is being described as a "blockbuster" because it's "one of the worst law enforcement corruption cases in U.S. history." But DeVecchio wasn't centerstage yesterday - news about former Mayor - and former U.S. Attorney - Rudy Giuliani riveted the court. DeVecchio worked with mob informant Gregory Scarpa......

There's nothing like testifying in front of Congress as the Daily News puts you on the front cover and asks you to "come clean" about the post-WTC collapse toxic air in an editorial. Today, Christie Todd Whitman appeared before a Democratic-controlled Congress; the Daily News editorial demanded that former EPA head explain why she and the EPA led New Yorkers to believe the air downtown was safe. During her testimony, Whitman spent the time denouncing......

The men's hockey team at Columbia has been suspended by the school's administration until next January over language used in a flier the team put up on campus. According to the Columbia Spectator The controversy began when the team distributed fliers in early September with the phrase "Stop being a pussy." On Sept. 21, the presidents of Columbia's four undergraduate councils sent a letter to several administrators asking them to take action regarding the......

Some of our best memories of New Orleans involve the rich Cajun and Creole culinary traditions of its people and its restaurants. The New York Times lists several upcoming restaurant-related fundraisers, several of which are designed specifically to assist those in the New Orleans restaurant industry: A fund has been established to benefit restaurant and hotel workers. Contributions may be sent to: New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, Greater Houston Community Foundation, 4550 Post......

On Sept. 10 and 11, readings of Sarah Tuft?s play 110 Stories were held at the Public Theater as benefit events for the Leary Firefighters Foundation. Writer Tuft (also the Director and Producer) created this work as a response to September 11th. Immediately after that day, she sought out and recorded first-person accounts from survivors and recovery personnel. Tuft wove them into narrative form, and the result made for an extremely compelling evening of theater.......