The Kansas City Star Kansas City, Missouri Thursday, July 06, 1972 - Page 3
Match Widens Interest in Chess by Andrew C. Miller
A month before Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky arrived in Iceland for the international chess championships, chess devotees at The Chess House here were hashing over the match.
“Interest in the game as a whole is mushrooming,” said Jack Winters, the proprietor of the new chess store and playing room at 3909 Main.
“I think Spassky is kind of upset. I think they'll settle their differences and if they play, I think Fischer will win decisively.”
From the back of the room, Elliot Winslow, 20, the Missouri champion, interrupted. He was sitting among the eight chess boards at the new Chess House, alternately replaying games on a pocket chess board and plucking at a guitar.
“I don't think Fischer will hold together,” Winslow said. “In games before, he has gotten the advantage and then lost it.” Winslow said that when Fischer and Spassky played before, Spassky won three games and two games were drawn. Fischer's downfall came when he was faced with new strategies that had to be thought out “across the board.”
“Fischer did somehow find the right way, but then somehow he lost his way,” Winslow said.
Winters disagreed. “Fischer learned from his past mistakes and has improvements ready should he be forced into the same line (of chess play) again,” the shop owner said.
The Chess House opened in May, just in time to capitalize on the Fischer-Spassky matches. It is patterned after similar game rooms in New York City.
Winters offers chess lessons at $4 an hour and sells chess equipment and books. But most of all board space is rented at 35 cents an hour, and chess buffs gather there almost every evening to play — or talk — chess.
“In the last 10 years interest in tournaments has grown,” Winters said. He is a 33-year-old former student and tavern owner who turned his hobby into a business that is doing better than breaking even.
“Chess used to be an old man's game. Today already I'm an old man as far as chess is concerned. The bulk of tournament players are under 21, when 10 years ago most were over 35.”
Back in 1964 Winters played against Fischer in a simultaneous exhibition at Lawrence. Fischer played against 43 persons. He beat all but one player—he played to a draw with Winters.
“That got me really interested in the game,” Winters said. Since then Winters has reached an expert's rating in the numerical point system of the U.S. Chess Federation.
Winters plays often at The Chess House. He joins the other players as they hop around the room, matching skills against whoever enters the store. He won't play against Winslow, however. The two play such different games, and are so vocal about chess strategies, that a recent game ended in an argument.
On a recent afternoon Winters was playing a customer as Winslow was getting ready to leave. Guitar case in hand, Winslow glanced quickly at the chess board.
“He's got the advantage on you,” he told Winters.
“No, he doesn't,” Winters shot back. “Pawn to K4; pawn to K4. Knight to KB3;knight to QB3. Knight to B3; knight to B3. Then he went bishop to B4.”
The chess hieroglyphics finished, Winslow agreed, nodded gravely, and left.
Winters won.
Match Widens Interest in Chess 06 Jul 1972, Thu The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) Newspapers.com
