AThe Dispatch Moline, Illinois Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 50
Friendly Game Grows Into Chess Club
“What began as a little chess game between two boys has grown into the 4th St. Chess Club of East Moline,” explains Gene Curry, 3413 4th St. East Moline. Curry's son, Craig, 7, and the neighbor boy, C.J. Lehne, talked their dads into playing in a tournament last summer. “When it came time for the tournament, about 20 little boys came bringing their chess men and boards.” “The boys have a club bulletin board on which they keep track of Bobby Fischer and chess happenings.”
Friendly Game Grows Into Chess Club Sat, Jun 17, 1972 – 50 · The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois) · Newspapers.com
Friendly Game Grows Into Chess Club Sat, Jun 17, 1972 – 50 · The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois) · Newspapers.com
([It surely would be enlightening to read the “reports” Spassky is referring to. Perhaps like the “reports” Vlastimil Hort was referring to, when he was wrongly informed that Fischer “refused” to play, in direct contradiction with New York Times, April 05, 1972, “Fischer Announces He is Ready to Play” (a rumor to the contrary spread by Fischer detractors with no foundation in reality). Spassky has been told, apparently, that Fischer had made remarks he ‘feared Russian players’… which is ridiculous. It was solely Organizers of the coming tournament who had ulterior motives and that's an established fact. Organizers, “Old Hands” Ken Smith called them, were plotting to disqualify and replace Fischer with Petrosian. Spassky seems blissfully unaware of these facts likely due to being isolated and in a state of carefully guarded censorship.])
The Baltimore Sun Baltimore, Maryland Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 3
Spassky answers Fischer barbs
Moscow—Boris Spassky, the generally reserved and modest world chess champion, finally answered his American challenger's psychological warfare campaign yesterday with the cerebral equivalent of a right to the jaw.
The American, Bobby Fischer, “seems to have acquired a sort of persecution complex,” Mr. Spassky said at a press conference here.
The champion made the remarks in response to persistent questioning about his reactions to Mr. Fischer's needling of the Soviet chess establishment.
“One gets the impression,” Mr. Spassky said quietly, “that he thinks that Soviet chess players want to do him harm, to, as we say, play a mean trick on him. But this passion of Fischer's—or, to be more exact, this mania—has not been proven.
“I feel a little sorry for him, frankly. When a sportsman is in competition, he should think more about the contest, about more manly things.”
He suggested further that the well-publicized Fischer concern for the size of the prize offered by the country that hosts the matches is a matter of personal insecurity.
“It is possible,” he said, “that in the United States it is very important, the size of the prize. Maybe this is not a purely financial concern but a struggle for individuality.”
Mr. Fischer, 29, will be the first non-Soviet player to contend for the world title since 1948. He and Mr. Spassky, 35, play their first game in Reykjavik, Iceland, July 2—the same day, the Russian said that his son, Vasily, will celebrate his 5th birthday.
The champion also revealed that he has broken with his long-time trainer, Ivan Bondarevsky, for reasons he described only as “differences of theory and business.”
His new trainer and second for the match in Iceland is Yefim P. Geller, a Soviet grand master who has worked with Mr. Spassky since 1969.
“A Brilliant Player”
His comments about the state of the American's psyche aside, Mr. Spassky maintained his usual even manner yesterday on the subjects of Mr. Fischer and the match.
The challenger, he said, “is a brilliant player. If he didn't exist, it would be very dull in the chess world.”
His own mood, he told the journalists, is very good.
“I look forward to this match as to a great holiday, because it is a rare event—maybe once in a lifetime. Maybe he will win, maybe he will lose…but I think it will be a very interesting match from the viewpoint of the chess art.”
The two men have met five times in non-championship matches. Three ended in wins for Mr. Spassky, two in draws.
The Conservative Game
Mr. Spassky has a reputation, among Soviet fans, for playing the conservative game—preferring the draw over the uncertain chance of a brilliant win.
Mr. Fischer is known for his distaste for draws and his love of the daring attack—a fact that has helped make him an exciting, if irritating, phenomenon for Russians.
In keeping with his custom, Mr. Spassky refused yesterday to provide any details on his training for the match, except to say that he has “devoted a lot of attention to both physical and chess training.”
Taken in historical context…
Bobby Fischer Declares He is “Ready to Play”! (New York Times,April 05, 1972)
“Refuses to Play” ??? (April 26, 1972) Who said?? Ah, the Soviet Rumor Mill… “The World Chess Federation should take tougher measures against American challenger Bobby Fischer to force him into playing, Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovaki's chess grand master in Prague. Fischer has refused to play world champion Boris Spassky of Russia because............................”
Soviet Chess 1917–1991 - Page 303
Andrew Soltis
Spassky added: “When we have all lost to Fischer, will all of us be dragged on the carpet?”
([It surely would be enlightening to read the “reports” Spassky is referring to. Perhaps like the “reports” Vlastimil Hort was referring to, when he was wrongly informed that Fischer “refused” to play, in direct contradiction with New York Times, April 05, 1972, “Fischer Announces He is Ready to Play” (a rumor to the contrary spread by Fischer detractors with no foundation in reality). Spassky has been told, apparently, that Fischer had made remarks he ‘feared Russian players’… which is ridiculous. It was solely Organizers of the coming tournament who had ulterior motives and that's an established fact. Organizers, “Old Hands” Ken Smith called them, were plotting to disqualify and replace Fischer with Petrosian. Spassky seems blissfully unaware of these facts likely due to being isolated and in a state of carefully guarded censorship.])
The Orlando Sentinel Orlando, Florida Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 7
Spassky: Fischer 'Livening'
Moscow (UPI) — Boris Spassky, the world chess champion, said Friday he felt sorry for American challenger Bobby Fischer because of his “persecution mania” but considered him a “remarkable” player without whom the world of chess would be “very dull.”
“If I had the freedom to choose my challenger I would ask for Fischer,” Spassky told a news conference. Their world championship matches start July 2 at Reykjavik, Iceland.
SPASSKY, 35, was reluctant to comment on the 29-year-old Fischer's boasts that he would win the championship and his accusations that the Russians had plotted to deprive him of the title by arranging to hold the games in Iceland.
But, after repeated questioning, he said Fischer's “remarks make a strange impression. He appears to have a persecution mania and thinks Soviet chess players want to harm him. There is nothing to it and I feel sorry for Fischer.”
Spassky also defended Fischer against charges of an overriding interest in making money from chess.
“IN MY opinion, although he is anxious to make money out of chess that is not the only thing he cares for,” Spassky said. “His talk about money may be only an effort to assert his individuality in a country like the United States where there is a lot of money.”
Spassky refused to predict the outcome of their match. “I do not know who will win but I am certain it will be an interesting and important event,” he said. When the two grand masters last met in West Germany in 1970 Spassky won three games and the other two were drawn.
BUT IN a conversation with a Western newsman several days ago Spassky said that unlike Fischer he did not set out to be a world champion and that he would be “the happiest man alive if I were no longer champion.” “I like to play chess for fun and not fame,” he said. “My idea of a pleasant evening is to share some wine with friends and play chess. Sometimes I lose on purpose to please my friends.
“I look forward to Reykjavik as if it were a holiday.”
On June 25, the Orlando Sentinel begins a five-part series by Larry Evans on the “Chess Match of the Century.”
Bobby Fischer Declares He is “Ready to Play”! (New York Times,April 05, 1972)
“Refuses to Play” ??? (April 26, 1972) Who said?? Ah, the Soviet Rumor Mill… “The World Chess Federation should take tougher measures against American challenger Bobby Fischer to force him into playing, Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovaki's chess grand master in Prague. Fischer has refused to play world champion Boris Spassky of Russia because............................”
([It surely would be enlightening to read the “reports” Spassky is referring to. Perhaps like the “reports” Vlastimil Hort was referring to, when he was wrongly informed that Fischer “refused” to play, in direct contradiction with New York Times, April 05, 1972, “Fischer Announces He is Ready to Play” (a rumor to the contrary spread by Fischer detractors with no foundation in reality). Spassky has been told, apparently, that Fischer had made remarks he ‘feared Russian players’… which is ridiculous. It was solely Organizers of the coming tournament who had ulterior motives and that's an established fact. Organizers, “Old Hands” Ken Smith called them, were plotting to disqualify and replace Fischer with Petrosian. Spassky seems blissfully unaware of these facts likely due to being isolated and in a state of carefully guarded censorship.])
The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 19
Chess Master Says Fischer Has Complex
By Murray Seeger
Times Staff Writer
Moscow—Looking relaxed and in fine physical condition, Boris Spassky, the world champion chess player, said Friday that the American challenger, Bobby Fischer seemed to have a “persecution com-tricks.”
The Russian champion was asked about published statements by Fischer that “the Russians cheat at chess to keep the world title; they have tried by every means to avoid me.”
Spassky said: “It seems to me that Fischer has developed a sort of persecution complex. He is afraid the Russians are out to get him using kids' tricks.”
The two men will play 24 games in Reykjavik, Iceland, starting July 2, to determine if Fischer, the 29-year-old genius who is America's greatest player, can end the five-year Russian dominance of international chess competition.
Spassky answered correspondents' questions at the Journalists Club Friday, five days before he plans to leave for last-minute training in Iceland.
Slim, fair-haired, muscular and of average height, Spassky said: “My mood is very good before the match. I am approaching it like a holiday. Such things happen rarely, perhaps once in a lifetime. Whether Fischer wins or he loses, it will create great interest in chess. I love chess.”
Won't Discuss It
Spassky, 35, a native of Leningrad, refused to discuss his program for training himself physically and psychologically for the long world championship match. Nor would he disclose if he developed any new strategy to combat Fischer's potent, attacking game style.
“I must be modest and keep my professional secrets,” he answered with a smile.
Only once in the 35-minute press conference did Spassky allude to some of the bitter commentary that filled the Soviet press earlier in the year when Fischer and the Russian Chess Federation were wrangling over a proper site for the battle. That was when Spassky talked of the “persecution complex.”
Spassky said it also appeared that Fischer is greatly concerned about making money but added that this was typical of America “where the size of the prize is more important than the strength of one's game.”
“I have a very high regard for Fischer as a chess player,” the champion added. “He has done a lot for world chess. If it were not for him, the chess world would be very boring.”
Spassky has been world champion since 1968, when he defeated another Soviet player, Tigran Petrosian.
Fischer Won
Fischer defeated Petrosian last October for the right to meet Spassky.
The champion and Fischer have played five times, with Spassky winning three and two ending in draws.
Among Russians, chess is about as popular a game as gin rummy is among Americans. The winter bitterness over finding a site for the championship match has disappeared from recent press articles. Now, the papers are carrying long analyses of Fischer's personality and style of play.
“Soviet grand masters agreed that he has a passion for chess, that he is extremely gifted and incredibly hardworking,” Alexander Roshal, a chess commentator, wrote this week in the New Times magazine.
Like Fischer, Spassky started playing chess as a boy. Spassky became a grand master at 19 while Fischer reached that rank at 15, the youngest ever.
Spassky has been married twice. From his first marriage he has a daughter, Tanya, 12, and from the second a boy, Vassily, who will be 5 the day the championship starts.
Bobby Fischer Declares He is “Ready to Play”! (New York Times,April 05, 1972)
“Refuses to Play” ??? (April 26, 1972) Who said?? Ah, the Soviet Rumor Mill… “The World Chess Federation should take tougher measures against American challenger Bobby Fischer to force him into playing, Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovaki's chess grand master in Prague. Fischer has refused to play world champion Boris Spassky of Russia because............................”
The Vancouver Sun Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 14
Spassky Owes Fischer 'Big Barrel of Vodka'
Belgrade (UPI) — World chess champion Boris Spassky figures he owes rival Bobby Fischer “a big barrel of vodka.”
In an interview published today by the Belgrade weekly magazine the Soviet champion dispelled rumors of personal animosity between him and America's Fischer, who plays Spassky in Iceland for the world title next month.
Spassky said his prestige in the Soviet Union has been so enhanced by Fischer's challenge that the Spassky family has been given a new apartment in Moscow's exclusive Podmoskovje suburb.
“All my family consider we owe Bobby a big barrel of vodka. Thanks to him, we have a good apartment for the first time,” Spassky said.
“Bobby is a very charming guy. His popularity is not politically motivated. It comes from real esteem and admiration for Fischer's game,” Spassky said.
Spassky also said much of the American master's support among fans from chess-crazy South America and central Europe stems from sheer boredom with traditional Russian domination of the game.
“The hegemony of Soviet chess is boring everybody in the West and even some in the Soviet Union,” Spassky said.
The blonde, blue-eyed Spassky, 35, has a wife who works as a technician in a refrigerator plant, and two children aged five and 12.
Asked if Fischer has any weaknesses, the Russian replied “yes, he has some very serious weaknesses. But don't ask me what they are because for the time being that is my secret.”
In preparing for his title match, Spassky has spent several weeks at a resort hotel on the Black Sea. “I get up at 8 a.m. and go to bed at midnight. More or less the whole day is spent in chess studies. I devote particular attention to physical conditioning," Spassky said.
