The Sydney Morning Herald Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sunday, March 19, 1972 - Page 48
Chess Men Ready For Big Tussle
Brisbane, Saturday. — Diplomacy will reign when chess giants Robert Fischer and Boris Spassky meet for the world chess championship on neutral ground later this year.
Half of the 24 matches will be played in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and half in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Professor Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation, said in Brisbane today that Belgrade had been the choice of the American Fischer, while current world champ, Spassky chose Reykjavik.
The glamour boy of the American chessboards, Fischer, was quoted in January as saying he was sure he would be sabotaged if the play-off was held in Russia.
AGGRESSIVE
Professor Euwe said he thought the importance of Fischer's statement had been distorted.
The professor said he had seen both champions play and had noted their different techniques.
“I would say Spassky is a very aggressive player,” he said, “while Fischer is a strategist.”
Chess players were inclined to be temperamental under the stress of an important game.
Fischer had demanded complete silence and as far as possible this would be maintained.
The temperature in the playing-room would be maintained at a desirable level, neither too hot nor too cold.
There was also a clause in the conditions of play that prevented either player postponing games more than three times, the professor added.
“When a player loses two games in a row its quite common for him to develop a psychological illness and postpone the next one. This condition won't allow him to take his illness too seriously.”
Professor Euwe gave four reasons why Russia had dominated chess play for so long.
“First, its a big country with a big population: then it has long, cold winters—the right conditions for indoor games: The Slav races are artistic, imaginative and logical people — necessary qualities for a good chess player, and probably most important, the government sponsors the game as it does in no other country.”
The professor, who started playing at the age of 4 and rose to become world champion by 34 (in 1935) said he believed the game was a good mental discipline for young people.
