Evening Standard London, Greater London, England Monday, July 17, 1972 - Page 11
What Fischer Can Do For A Victory by Leonard Barden
CAN Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky with his extra pawn?
This was the question facing the battlers in the world chess championship fight as Fischer planned his next move and a hint of trouble came from the Russian camp.
The hint of trouble centres on the venue of play. The Russians want to return to the main auditorium and away from the “little back room.”
They threaten that the next game may be canceled if their request is not met.
The Grand Masters are still arguing, but Fischer alone knows his next move, which he wrote down at last night's adjournment in Reykjavik, and sealed in an envelope.
This envelope is now the hottest property in Reykjavik and will be guarded by the match referee, Lothar Schmid, until the game is resumed this evening.
Swap
Fischer, already one pawn up, can make it two by the obvious capture … QxP. But then Spassky would threaten an immediate checkmate by 42. B-N2.
Another idea for Fischer is to swap queens by 41. … Q-B7ch; 42. Q-Q2 QxQch; 43. BxQ B-K5; 44. B-B4 BxP; 45. BxP. This end-game would almost certainly be a draw with Spassky's king and bishop keeping out Fischer's pieces and blocking his pawn.
The move I would play is 41. … B-Q6 ch. Now, if Spassky plays 42. K-Q2 he loses his bishop to Q-B7ch, and if 42. K-K1 he loses another pawn by QxPch.
(CAPTION: THE POSITION at the adjournment, after Spassky's 41st move. Fischer (black) placed his 41st move in a sealed envelope, to be opened when play resumes.)
If after 41. … B-Q6ch Spassky advances his king up the board by 42. K-K3 then 42. … Q-Q8; 43. B-N2 (if 43. Q-N2 P-B6) Q-B6ch; 44. K-Q2 Q-K7ch; 45. K-B3 Q-B7 checkmate.
Verdict: It looks good for Bobby Fischer to score his first win of the world title match and his first victory against his great Russian rival Boris Spassky.
Fischer, 29, bounced back last night with a striking display of originality and aggression, taking almost instant command in the game which was played in a secluded back room of Reykjavik exhibition hall.
Spectators had to make do with closed-circuit television coverage of the game instead of watching it live on the main stage.
Play will resume in the same room tonight with Fischer (black) apparently on the verge of crushing Spassky in a pincer movement which had the Russian in check on the 28th and 39th moves.
Icelandic officials said that, despite the audience and its huge size, the auditorium is quieter than the upstairs room, where the sound of cars and children playing outside can be heard ([but this does not detract from the fact Fischer was disrupted by “guys with film cameras that were..all around..making a racket..and visually you could see them moving around.” - Robert J. Fischer, Nov. 1972 Interview])
Afterwards he was informed the match could continue in the back room away from the battery of ([disruptive crews of men operating]) television cameras he said had distracted him in the first match which he lost.
