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Chess 02 Jul 1972, Sun Sunday Gazette-Mail (Charleston, West Virginia) Newspapers.com
Fischer vs. Spassky — “It Should Be The Classic Match of Century” by Edward M. Foy
The most publicized and most eagerly awaited chess match in the long history of the Royal Game is scheduled to start today in Reykjavik, Iceland. Never have so many people (players and non-players) been concerned with the outcome of a series of chess games as there will be during the over-the-board encounter between World Champion Boris Spassky of the USSR and the American challenger, Robert Fischer.
This promised to be the most hard-fought, the best-played, and the most exciting world championship match since Dr. Alekhine dethroned Jose Capablanca in their marathon struggle in Buenos Aires in 1927. But the intensity of that famous match of the past was not anticipated as it is in the case of the Spassky-Fischer showdown. The chess world—including Capablanca, underestimated Alekhine, but no one is underestimating the prowess of the rivals who will clash in Reykjavik—least of all the principals themselves. It should be the match of the century!
BORIS SPASSKY was born in Leningrad in 1937. His chess talent developed early; at 16 he played in his first international tournament (Bucharest, 1953) and three years later he qualified for the candidates tournament but failed to get that far the next two times around. It was not until 1966 that he gained the finals and first met Tigran Petrosian for the world title. Spassky failed to win this match—at least partly because he modified his normally dynamic style and tried to beat the wiley and tenacious Petrosian on his own ground.
But Spassky's determination did not falter: it was three years more before he was able to fight his way again into the final series of games. This time he defeated Petrosian and became the chess champion of the world. Dr. Anthony Saidy has written, “Spassky's odyssey to the summit was the most difficult and taxing of chess history … His ultimate victory is a striking vindication of the creative approach to chess.”
…ROBERT JAMES FISCHER was already playing at master strength at the age of 12. A year later he won the national junior championship; that same year he defeated Donald Byrne, in the U.S. Championship tournament, in that wonderful “Game of the Century” to use Hans Kmoch's grandiloquent description. At 14, young Bobby Fischer won the U.S. chess crown and the right to play the next year in the Interzonal at Portoroz where the 15-year-old boy tied for 5th in a field of 21, only 1½ points behind Tal who eventually won the world championship from Botvinnik.
Fischer's headlong drive through tournaments, at home and abroad, appeared for a time as though it would bring him a match for the highest chess honors before he reached his 20th birthday. But, like Spassky, Fischer, too ran into trouble along the way — much of it due to his own [highest of exacting scruples]… fault. Again quoting Dr. Saidy, “The chess world was now confronted with a disturbing paradox: Fischer, widely acclaimed as Caissa's most promising talent, refused to compete for her crown. In his infrequent appearances, he did not cease to dazzle.”
But perhaps genius does have special rights? Anyway, after disdaining to qualify for the Majorca Interzonal, he was permitted to enter anyway. The rest is history: Fischer won the Interzonal with points to spare and swept through three matches, with only one loss and three draws in those 21 match games. Fischer was permitted to cut some corners, while Spassky fought it out “within the system.” Both have worked long and hard. They are the two best chess players in the world—but who is THE best?
