ASpringfield Leader and Press Springfield, Missouri Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 12
As We See It: Bobby vs. Boris
THE ATTENTION of some 25,000 Americans who play tournament chess, plus a considerable number of amateurs who simply play for fun, will be focused on Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday and for several days thereafter.
That is the day that Bobby Fischer, representing the United States and Russian Boris Spassky, the current world champion, begin a 24-game title match. At least, that's when they are supposed to start play.
As of now, it may depend on whether Challenger Fischer's hassle with television crews over lighting arrangements can be resolved. Fischer claims he can play only under fluorescent lights. The tv people say that kind of lighting won't produce good results for their color cameras. This may or may not produce an impasse — probably not.
This isn't the first argument that has developed over the championship match. There was a considerable amount of wrangling over where the games would be played. Fischer preferred Belgrade; Spassky held out for Iceland's capital. Spassky won. Fischer wanted rules which would require playing to win; Spassky insisted on being allowed to force tie games, which would be to his advantage. Spassky prevailed. (For non-chess players, it is possible for an adroit player to maneuver a game so that a draw results.) Fischer must score 12½ points to take the championship; Spassky can keep his title by scoring 12. (A win counts one point, a tie half a point.) Finally, Spassky has defeated Fischer in all five of their previous meetings.
So, it may appear to a lot of observers that the cards are stacked against the American, but it doesn't appear that way to Bobby Fischer. He has repeatedly expressed supreme confidence in his ability to win the championship. And, despite his record in his previous games against Spassky, he is given a slightly better than even chance to win this match.
If he does, he'll upset a long-standing tradition. Russians have monopolized the international title since organized competition began in 1948. All challengers in the final rounds have been Russians. One reason for this may well be that chess is a top-ranking sport among Soviet citizens, about four million of whom regularly compete in tournaments. On the other hand, most Americans are inclined to regard the game as pretty dull stuff, strictly for the intellectuals.
It does, of course, require a considerable amount of cerebration, but it also demands a great deal more brawn than a none-player might think. An experiment conducted at Temple University a couple of years ago showed that chess is as physically taxing as a strenuous session of boxing or football. For that matter, pro football players frequently play chess because, they say, it sharpens their mental ability on the field.
In any case, Fischer — and presumably Spassky, although he doesn't talk about it — follows a strict physical training regimen, including calisthenics, swimming, tennis and bowling.
And Bobby says he is ready for the confrontation in Iceland — which, incidentally, has for centuries been just about as interested in chess as have the Russians. Ready, that is, if he can just get the right lighting.
