AThe Burlington Free Press Burlington, Vermont Wednesday, July 05, 1972 - Page 5
Chess Players Call Fischer Publicity-shy, Spassky Usually Calm by Thomas Kent
(AP) Two top chess players from Connecticut and New York Tuesday described American Grandmaster Bobby Fischer as frightened of publicity and Russian Boris Spassky as a normally calm player who has seemed nervous only once; the last time he played Fischer.
Fischer was scheduled to challenge Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the world championship, but the match was postponed Tuesday after Spassky protested Fischer's behavior and walked out of a meeting with the match organizers.
Martin Harrow, of North Haven, Conn., the 1967 New England chess champion, said Fischer “was taken advantage of” by reporters who quoted him on many subjects far removed from chess when Fischer was young.
“When he was 13 or 14 he was already in a sense world famous,” Harrow said, “He wasn't too worldly then.”
Harrow, who is a Yale University psychologist, added, “People have profited at his expense. He has some basis for worrying about being taken advantage of.”
Fischer has long shunned publicity and avoided reporters.
“Maybe he's overly worried now,” Harrow said.
The Yale psychologist played to a draw with Fischer in two matches in the 1950s.
Edmar Mednis of New York City, one of about 20 U.S. Senior masters, remembers Spassky from three games he played with the champion.
“He's a sort of normal, quiet man,” Mednis says of Spassky.
“But during his 1970 game against Fischer in West Germany he was visibly much more nervous than Fischer was.
“Spassky normally shows no sign of nervousness, but I think he realized how important that game was. Fischer was known to be his only strong challenger.”
Spassky beat Fischer in that game and Mednis said the Russian chain-smoked his way through it.”
“Boris is basically a very well-rounded person with many normal interests. He has normal feelings, normal emotions. He thinks chess when he is actually playing it or preparing for a tournament.
“Fischer is in a class by himself. His whole life revolves around chess.” Mednis said.
