The Morning Record Meriden, Connecticut Wednesday, March 22, 1972 - Page 6
Another World Series
There won't be any cheering from the stands, there won't be any hot dogs or beer sold, but the interest of the spectators and followers around the world will be no less fervid when the world series of chess opens later this year.
The series of 24 games will be played in two European cities, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and Reykjavik, Iceland, starting June 22 in Belgrade.
The contestants will be Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, the defending world champion. There is $138,500 in prize money involved. The winner will take 72½ per center; the loser the remainder. If the match ends in a 12-12 tie, Spassky will keep the title; the money will be divided equally.
Three games will be played weekly, the last Belgrade match is scheduled for July 18. If the match goes the full 24 games, the last game will be played Aug. 41 in Iceland's capital.
Chess is the most complex and profound competitive intellectual exercise, calling for analytical ability, memory, imagination, boldness in offense, resourcefulness in defense. The origins of chess are lost in obscurity. The game has developed over the centuries in many lands, increasing in complexity. So-called modern chess began about the 15th Century, first in France and then in Spain. The English school of chess dates from the 19th Century. Among the modern chess masters have been Lasker, a German; Capablanca, a Cuban; and Alekhine, a Russian. Chess is a popular sport in the Soviet Union, playing by young and old alike, not only in homes and at chess clubs, but in parks and playgrounds.
For the most part, Americans have not distinguished themselves in chess. There have been two exceptions, however: one is Bobby Fischer, the present challenger, who lives, eats, breathes, and sleeps chess. The other was another young man, Paul Morphy (1837-1884), who was taught chess by his father at the age of 10. His brilliance in international competition has scarcely been equalled, and while his career was short, it was meteoric.
The fact that the United States now has another player of world championship caliber for the first time in more than a century is cause for national pride. Bobby Fischer's performance at Belgrade and Reykjavik will be watch with intense interest by chess fans throughout the entire world.
