AChicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois Friday, July 21, 1972 - Page 2
Spassky Resigns: Fischer Wins Chess Game No. 5 by Larry Evans
Reykjavik, Iceland, July 20 — Under the inexorable pressure of time, Boris Spassky made an incredible blunder on his 27th move in today's fifth game of his match against Bobby Fischer, and promptly resigned.
The players now stand even in the match, each with 2½ points. One point is awarded for a win, and ½ point is awarded each player for a draw. Spassky needs only 12 points to retain his crown, and Fischer needs 12½ points to take it away.
An axiom in chess is that the player with the white pieces, since he moves first, has an initial advantage, but don't tell that to Boris Spassky. He has lost twice to Fischer while playing white.
Oddly enough, Fischer, who for game five, again adopted the same Nimzo-Indian defense as in game one. Trying an unorthodox twist, Fischer promptly swapped a bishop for a knight in order to induce fixed weaknesses in Spassky's pawn formation. Spassky established a frozen pawn wedge in the center, which only hemmed in his two bishops.
In a bold bid to break thru, Spassky made an energetic pawn thrust on move 11. Fischer's reaction was ruthlessly precise. He exchanged a pair of knights and locked the position again. Spassky then tried to switch his attack to the queen side, vacillated, and tried to regroup his forces on the other wing.
At his 20th move, the champion was an hour behind on the clock. His bishops had little scope and he was tied up in knots.
An exchange of rooks eased the pressure and each side was left with reduced forces. Fischer's active knight forced a point of entry on the king side and he was looking for a way to make further progress when, suddenly, on move 27 after only five minutes of thought, Spassky blundered.
Fischer, sensing the kill, almost immediately made a spectacular bishop sacrifice. Thunderous applause rang out in the playing hall for a full minute.
For the first time in the match Spassky was weakening. He had the white pieces, yet was thoroughly outplayed. © 1972 by King Features Syndicate
