The Palm Beach Post West Palm Beach, Florida Saturday, July 01, 1972 - Page 14
Superbowl of Chess
For the past several months 29-year-old Bobby Fischer has been spending about eight hours a day in rigorous physical exercise and another eight hours in deep mental concentration. Yet, unfortunately, few Americans are aware of the two-man superbowl he has been training for.
There won't be any pretty cheerleaders or live TV coverage when Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky face off over a chess board Sunday. In the United States chess ranks just a cut above Scrabble as a quiet pastime.
But the young American challenger certainly deserves a good measure of support from this country. He is beginning a 24-game series for the world championship against a Russian grandmaster who counts chess as his national sport.
The Soviets have dominated the ancient game throughout this century, while the United States has never had a player who could even reach the finals. Bobby Fischer has not only earned the right to play the Soviet Union's champ but has done it all alone with little financial or moral backing. This title match has been his goal since he became the U.S. champion at age 14.
It will take 12 and a half grueling wins to beat Boris Spassky. The pressure of tournament play requires physical stamina and mental alertness that exceeds the performance many Americans admire so much in champion athletes.
Bobby Fischer may be playing on “neutral” territory in Iceland, but the Russian spectators undoubtedly will outnumber the Americans. That is an advantage U.S. citizens ought to make up in well-wishes for the challenger.
Superbowl of Chess 01 Jul 1972, Sat The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida) Newspapers.com
