AThe Post-Crescent Appleton, Wisconsin Wednesday, July 12, 1972 - Page 2
Little Excitement in First Match by Isaac Kashdan
Los Angeles (AP)—Soviet titleholder Boris Spassky had good prospects for a win when the first game of the world championship chess match between the Russian and Bobby Fischer of the United States was adjourned Tuesday.
Actually, until near the end, it was one of the dullest championship contests on record. It was no surprise when Spassky, who had the white pieces and made the first move, started with advance of his queen pawn.
After 40 moves and five hours of play, Spassky was a bishop ahead. The U.S. challenger had five pawns to Spassky's three and his king was better placed. This may prove to be sufficient compensation.
When the game was adjourned, Spassky wrote down his 41sty move and sealed it in an envelope which he gave to the match referee, in accordance with regulations.
Move Recorded
The envelope will be opened and the move revealed to Fischer at 5 p.m. Reykjavik time Wednesday, when the game will be resumed in the Icelandic capital.
Long hours will be spent by both players and the seconds in examining all the possibilities of the position. Each principal has a grandmaster to assist him, Yefim Geller for Spassky and the Rev. William Lombardy for Fischer.
Of most interest to chess buffs in the opening game was the question of who would be the aggressor.
Would Spassky try for a quick initiative, or would he develop quietly to see what Fischer would do? Fischer practically always goes for a win, whether ahead or behind.
Each of the players has been preparing for the other for years. They knew that some day they would meet in a set match, and that the stakes would be high.
Each one knows every published game of his opponent. Each has undoubtedly prepared many innovations specifically for this match. Would one of them be sprung in the opening game?
Fischer played a defense popularized in the 1920s by Aron Nimzovitsch of Denmark.
For the first nine moves, the game was identical to one played in 1951 between Petrosian and Tolush of the Soviet Union.
Two moves later, the queens were exchanged, and the pawn formation was left in exact balance. More pieces soon went off the board, including all the rooks by the 23rd move. At that point, it seemed only a question of time before one of the players would propose a draw and the other would accept. The chance of error was not worthy of consideration with players of this stature.
But it happened. On his 29th turn, Fischer took a pawn that was unprotected. Both players knew that the bishop which captured the pawn could be trapped. What had Fischer seen?
It must be put down to a rare miscalculation by the American genius. Perhaps he had thought of a resource by 32. … P-R6, when the bishop might escape.
Spassky could then continue 33. K-N4 B-N8; 34. KxP BxPl 35. B-Q2 and the black bishop is still lost.
In the remaining moves of the session, Fischer put up all the resistance possible. It remained to be seen whether he could recover from the one error.
In describing chess play. K stands for King, Kt or N for Knight, Q for Queen, R for Rook, B for Bishop, P for Pawn. The hyphen indicates a move, the “x” a capture of a piece and the numbers the position on the board. Thus B-Q2 indicates that the Bishop has been moved to the second square from the end of the board and in front of the Queen's original position.
