Evening Standard London, Greater London, England Friday, July 21, 1972 - Page 17
Did Bobby Turn on Evil Eye? by Leonard Barden
WHAT's WRONG with Boris? Chess masters in Reykjavik and the huge audiences of Russians following the world title match on open-air boards in Moscow are all asking the same question after last night's fifth game.
Boris Spassky has seen his comfortable two-point lead over Bobby Fischer wiped out in the space of four days while the challenger has grown in confidence. Bobby has won twice with the black pieces, and in world chess early wins with black are a frequent pointer to the eventual match victor.
Fatal Move
Gligoric, the Yugoslav Grand Master, called the fatal 27th move, Q-B2, the worst blunder of Spassky's career. After Fischer's reply BxP, Spassky cannot play 28. QxB, because then QxP threatens two checkmates simultaneously.
If White escapes from both mates by 29. K-B2, then N-Q6 wins Spassky's bishop.
If Spassky declines Fischer's bishop sacrifice and moves his attacked queen, then Fischer still wins quickly by swapping bishops followed by QxP.
Fischer has shown astute chess psychology by choosing a different reply each time to the queen's pawn opening which is Spassky's favourite.
Below Form
Before the match all the experts thought that Fischer was vulnerable against the queen's pawn, but he has made waste paper of all the thick Russian dossiers on his pet variations by switching to new systems in the Nimzo-Indian and Benoni openings.
Only in the fourth game of the match has Spassky caught Fischer out in the opening, and then the world champion botched a winning position.
Chess masters will be seriously asking now whether Bobby Fischer has a sort of evil eye which makes his opponents blunder.
Fischer's three previous defeated rivals in the world title elimination matches all, like Spassky, played well below form.
Taimanov and Larsen had high blood pressure during their matches with Fischer, while Petrosian had to take a rest because of nervous exhaustion.
I would not be surprised if Spassky appeared with a doctor's certificate before the next game scheduled for Sunday. Meanwhile the Russians may make a protest of their own before long again at Fischer's special swivel chair which enables him to spin around in his seat between moves in Spassky's field of vision.
Fatal Move 21 Jul 1972, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
