No Crowds Come to Cheer at this Tourney

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Green Bay Press-Gazette Green Bay, Wisconsin Sunday, April 30, 1972 - Page 49

No Crowds Come to Cheer at this Tourney
Of the players, Downen said, “It's a gentleman's game. The people who play it are reserved and diplomatic.”
Although he had said chess is not limited to the “brainy” students, Downen said, “The players who occupy the higher boards are superior students. And the game is helping them to build their IQs or the ability to recognize relationships.”
With the help of American champ Bobby Fischer, the attention given chess is on the rise, Downen said. “If he wins the world championship (against a Russian), interest is going to pick up greatly in the United States.
“The United States has a lot to learn from other countries which have developed chess to a greater degree. We're so busy with physical activity and not so much with the intellectual side.”
Arguments have been made that chess is a game, not a sport. But, said Downen. “It's a sport in the minds of the people involved.”

Now Crowds Come To Cheer At This Tourney 30 Apr 1972, Sun Green Bay Press-Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com No Crowds Come to Cheer at this Tourney Sun, Apr 30, 1972 – Page 49 · Green Bay Press-Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin) · Newspapers.com