The Gift of Chess

Notice to commercial publishers seeking use of images from this collection of chess-related archive blogs. For use of the many large color restorations, two conditions must be met: 1) It is YOUR responsibility to obtain written permissions for use from the current holders of rights over the original b/w photo. Then, 2) make a tax-deductible donation to The Gift of Chess in honor of Robert J. Fischer-Newspaper Archives. A donation in the amount of $250 USD or greater is requested for images above 2000 pixels and other special request items. For small images, such as for fair use on personal blogs, all credits must remain intact and a donation is still requested but negotiable. Please direct any photographs for restoration and special request (for best results, scanned and submitted at their highest possible resolution), including any additional questions to S. Mooney, at bobbynewspaperblogs•gmail. As highlighted in the ABC News feature, chess has numerous benefits for individuals, including enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, improving concentration and memory, and promoting social interaction and community building. Initiatives like The Gift of Chess have the potential to bring these benefits to a wider audience, particularly in areas where access to educational and recreational resources is limited.

Best of Chess Fischer Newspaper Archives
• Robert J. Fischer, 1955 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1956 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1957 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1958 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1959 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1960 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1961 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1962 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1963 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1964 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1965 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1966 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1967 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1968 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1969 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1970 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1971 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1972 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1973 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1974 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1975 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1976 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1977 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1978 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1979 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1980 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1981 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1982 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1983 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1984 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1985 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1986 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1987 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1988 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1989 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1990 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1991 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1992 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1993 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1994 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1995 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1996 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1997 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1998 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1999 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2000 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2001 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2002 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2003 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2004 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2005 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2006 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2007 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2008 bio + additional games
Chess Columns Additional Archives/Social Media

Fischer, Spassky Set To Do Battle

Back to 1972 News Articles

The Charlotte Observer Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday, July 09, 1972 - Page 8

Fischer, Spassky Set To Do Battle by Bob Quincy
Two men with viewpoints and a dedication to excellent have made a chess match the most exciting “sports” event of the week.
Chess, indeed, is a game. In the past month it has become a sport, commanding headlines the size written for Wimbledon tennis and Olympic qualifications.
Until Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky came along, a championship chess match rated no more than a couple of paragraphs on the third page. On second thought, why not peddle the results to the entertainment editor?
Fischer is a whiz kid from Brooklyn. He was beating some of the best brains in the business at the age of 10. He is brash, a loner and displays the confidence of Muhammad Ali.
“No one is in my class,” puffs 29-year-old Bobby. “The odds are listed as three-to-one in my favor. They should be 20-1.”
Spassky is a Russian celebrity who must carry his country's zeal for chess championships. He lives in a swank (by Russian standards) apartment, earns 550 rubles (about $600) per month and is not a member of the Communist party.
The match is slated for a small arena. In Reykjavik, Iceland, I once spent a couple of days in Reykjavik and, as I recall it, a chess match would have been welcome entertainment. Polar Bears catch pneumonia up there. The wind blows constantly and the nearest tree is somewhere across the Atlantic.
Big money is at stake. Fischer, playing the role of a holdout, stimulated inflation and new glamour. The winner's share will be $100,000, almost 75 times greater than in the past. Chess was played for peanuts before the Fischer-Spassky showdown. It will come off Thursday, unless one of the combatants begins to sulk or goes in hiding.
Each man has supreme confidence in his own ability, but Fischer appears to be the sharper of the two over the past year.
The Russian is an ex-soccer ([track and field]) player who works out constantly. He jogs and shadow boxes to keep his 5-foot-10, 176-pound frame in trim. Fischer stands 6-2, weights 190 and he bikes and punches a heavy bag to keep in shape. Both men sleep until noon daily.
Watching Spassky compete with Fischer won't provide the same thrills as the Stanley Cup playoff's or the Super Bowl. Each of the 24 games will last five hours. Few words will be spoken. The crowd will not applaud. No cheerleaders will out out, “Give me an F…”
Yet, the amazing angle of the operation is the attention the match has drawn. People who had never seen a chess board outside a department store are suddenly fascinated.
It is the same game that has been played for thousands of years, but it has now been turned into an extravagance. Whether the competitors intended to reach the public with a jazzed-up campaign isn't known. If there is a blueprint for the present popularity, those who drew it up should be knighted.
It is easier to explain the operation of a television set than to explore the fine points of chess to the beginner. A crack chess player's concentration power is one of the rare gifts of man.
Alexander Alekhine, a Russian, once took on 32 opponents while blindfolded and played every game to a finish. Players like Spassky and Fischer are thinking eight to 10 moves ahead as they confront the board.
If Fischer thumps Spassky on Tuesday the Russians won't take kindly to the loss. The American is perhaps the most unpopular foreigner in sport as far as the Russians are concerned. ([An "Anti-American" underbelly is well documented since 1951. Reporters cite a 10% Soviet population in Iceland spreading Anti-American hubris. Icelandic government had secret agreement with U.S. Government forbidding blacks to serve at Keflavik NATO base. Fischer's mentor/guest Archie Waters reports being the ONLY black man at or anywhere near the Sports Arena during the match! Anti-Americanism is "why" Soviet Union chose the racist haven for the match.]) They consider chess their national game.
But Bobby Fischer plays to win and he is given a good chance to humble <strike>Spassky</strike> ([the Soviet Machine]).

Fischer, Spassky Set To Do BattleFischer, Spassky Set To Do Battle 09 Jul 1972, Sun The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina) Newspapers.com

'til the world understands why Robert J. Fischer criticised the U.S./British and Russian military industry imperial alliance and their own Israeli Apartheid. Sarah Wilkinson explains:

Bobby Fischer, First Amendment, Freedom of Speech
What a sad story Fischer was,” typed a racist, pro-imperialist colonial troll who supports mega-corporation entities over human rights, police state policies & white supremacy.
To which I replied: “Really? I think he [Bob Fischer] stood up to the broken system of corruption and raised awareness! Whether on the Palestinian/Israel-British-U.S. Imperial Apartheid scam, the Bush wars of ‘7 countries in 5 years,’ illegally, unconstitutionally which constituted mass xenocide or his run in with police brutality in Pasadena, California-- right here in the U.S., police run rampant over the Constitution of the U.S., on oath they swore to uphold, but when Americans don't know the law, and the cops either don't know or worse, “don't care” -- then I think that's pretty darn “sad”. I think Mr. Fischer held out and fought the good fight, steadfast til the day he died, and may he Rest In Peace.
Educate yourself about U.S./State Laws --
https://www.youtube.com/@AuditTheAudit/videos
After which the troll posted a string of profanities, confirming there was never any genuine sentiment of “compassion” for Mr. Fischer, rather an intent to inflict further defamatory remarks.

This ongoing work is a tribute to the life and accomplishments of Robert “Bobby” Fischer who passionately loved and studied chess history. May his life continue to inspire many other future generations of chess enthusiasts and kibitzers, alike.

Robert J. Fischer, Kid Chess Wizard 1956March 9, 1943 - January 17, 2008

The photograph of Bobby Fischer (above) from the March 02, 1956 The Tampa Times was discovered by Sharon Mooney (Bobby Fischer Newspaper Archive editor) on February 01, 2018 while gathering research materials for this ongoing newspaper archive project. Along with lost games now being translated into Algebraic notation and extractions from over two centuries of newspapers, it is but one of the many lost treasures to be found in the pages of old newspapers since our social media presence was first established November 11, 2017.

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