The Baltimore Sun Baltimore, Maryland Wednesday, July 12, 1972 - Page 2
Spassky, Fischer Adjourn Championship Chess Match
Expert says Spassky Has Better Position by Isaac Kashdan
Los Angeles (AP) — The Soviet titleholder, Boris Spassky, has good prospects for a win in the first game of his world championship chess match with Bobby Fischer.
After 40 moves and five hours of play, Mr. Spassky is a bishop ahead. The American challenger has five pawns to Mr. Spassky's three and his king is better placed. This may prove to be sufficient compensation.
Actually, for the first 28 moves, the match was one of the dullest championship contests on record.
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 23d 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, Mr. Fischer took a pawn that was unprotected. Both players knew that the bishop which captured the pawn could be trapped. What had Mr. 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.
But Mr. Spassky could then continue 33. K-N4, B-N8; 34. KxP BxP; 35. B-Q2, and the black bishop is still lost.
In the remaining moves of the session, Mr. Fischer put up all the resistance possible. It remains to be seen whether he can recover from the one error.
