ANew York Times, New York, New York, Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 37
Spassky Rates Fischer Stronger Than in Last Meeting by Harold C. Schonberg
Reykjavik, Iceland, June 26 — Boris Spassky, the chess champion of the world, who has played Bobby Fischer five times and never been beaten by the American, said today that since their last encounter Fischer's game had become “much stronger than before.”
Fischer is scheduled to meet Spassky in the opener of their 24-game match for the world title here on Sunday.
Fischer, the Soviet grandmaster said, has a style that is “very practical, with immense energy.” He compared his American challenger to Jose Raoul Capablanca, a dashing Cuban who held the world chess championship from 1921 to 1927.
In a rare public interview, held in the Saga Hotel before a group of Western journalists — the four Soviet newsmen who are expected to cover the championship have not yet arrived—Spassky said his chess style tended to be less classical than that of Fischer or Capablanca.
Spassky Holds Edge
Spassky defeated Fischer in two of their five games, and the three others were drawn. The last time they met was in September, 1970.
Asked how he would counter Fischer's all-but-inevitable opening move—pawn to king 4—the Soviet champion grinned and said: “That is a professional secret.”
Spassky, a handsome, medium-sized man with thick brown hair, blue-green eyes and the figure of an athlete, parried most of the questions thrown at him with diplomatic tact.
Caption: Boris Spassky, right, with Jivo Nei, left, international master from the Soviet Union, and interpreter, during news conference held yesterday at Saga Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Yes, he has always liked Iceland. No, he hasn't seen the hall yet, but he is sure that everything will be just fine. No, he will not be bothered by the long hours of daylight—the Arctic Circle just brushes the northern tip of Iceland and, though the sun dips below the horizon for about an hour, there is no real darkness at this time of year.
A Purse of $125,000
Spassky avoided discussing politics, though he did say, when pressed, that he was not a member of the Communist party. As for the match with Fischer—which has been widely touted as an East-West confrontation — he said: “While seated at the chess board, I am a chess player and not a politician.”
Iceland is putting up a purse of $125,000, with the winner to receive 62.5 per cent. Asked how much of the purse he would be allowed to keep, Spassky replied, “If I only knew myself,” then wryly added: “How much will Fischer be allowed to keep?”
He said he was fond of Fischer. Asked if that meant fond enough to call his rival Bobby, Spassky replied with a perfectly straight face and after thinking for a moment: “I refer to him as Robert James.”
Fischer, who was scheduled to arrive today, canceled his flight at the last moment. And Spassky, when asked whether he thought Fischer was playing a game of nerves, replied:
“I think that Fischer is the commander in chief of his own ideas.”
Another questioner wondered about reports that Spassky was demanding a room temperature of 21 degrees centigrade—about 70 degrees Fahrenheit—while Fischer was insisting on 24 degrees. How could such a problem be resolved?
“I haven't asked for 21 degrees,” Spassky said. “But if there is a problem, we can add 21 and 24 and divide by two.”
4 Aides For Champion
Spassky arrived last Wednesday accompanied by an entourage that included two grandmasters, one international master and a psychologist.
Fischer is going to come here by himself, without an official second to help him work out adjourned games. The only American acting for Fischer in Reykjavik is Fred Kramer of Minneapolis. Kramer, who is a vice president of the International Chess Federation, arrived on this morning's flight and indicated that Fischer would turn up later this week.
But that does not satisfy the sponsors of the championship match, which is scheduled to be played in the 3,000-seat Sports House. They are nervous, and nobody is going to breathe easily until the two players actually confront each other and the first move is made.
Even that is no guarantee. Fischer has walked out of tournaments when things were not to his liking, as he did at the elimination tournament in Sousse, Tunisia, in 1967, even though he was in first place at the time.
Or he may not like the lighting and will refuse to play because it is too bright, or not bright enough. It may have been not without significance that Kramer, in private life a lighting engineer, was observed today at the Sports House with a light meter in his hand.
Or it may have been not without significance that Kramer was observed looking carefully at the rooms reserved for Fischer at the Loftleidir Hotel. Bobby is very finicky about his hotel rooms. In Buenos Aires, during his recent match with Tigran Petrosian, he changed rooms something like three times in three days.
Fischer will not have much time to adjust his biological close to the new time zone. Spassky has already made the adjustment and every day he runs and plays tennis. He says that he likes exercise, and that it is necessary to have a strong body for the rigors of a brain-bubbling match that could last two months if all 24 games (three a week) are played out.
The Orlando Sentinel Orlando, Florida Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 10
Spassky Confident Bobby Will Come
Reykjavik, Iceland (UPI) — World chess champion Boris Spassky of Russia said he hoped his American challenger, Bobby Fischer, would show up in time for their first match next Sunday even though he failed to arrive as scheduled Monday at this tournament site.
“I don't know why he didn't arrive,” Spassky told a news conference. “Only commander-in-chief Fischer knows,” he added with a broad smile.
But Spassky, 35, said he was confident that Fischer would turn up at the capital of Iceland for the start of their 26-game match for the world chess title.
“I am hopeful we will play the first game next Sunday as planned,” Spassky said.
Officials of the Icelandic Chess Federation said they expected the 29-year-old challenger Wednesday. He had been scheduled to arrive early Monday but officials said he cancelled his bookings at the last minute.
CHESS SOURCES said Fischer was in seclusion in Los Angeles and quoted him as saying he had every intention of flying to Reykjavik in time for the first game.
Spassky told his news conference he had arrived last week in order to get used to conditions and climate and was doing physical exercises and playing some chess in preparation for the match.
The Russian player said he was satisfied with arrangements and not even the 24-hour daylight bothered him. “I have good curtains in my hotel,” he said.
SPASSKY LOOKING calm and relaxed, refused to predict the outcome of the match. Asked whether Fischer was the best chess player of the 20th century, he said, “I will answer that one when the match is over.”
Fischer, he said, was “more of a classical chess player than I am. He is a very practical player.”
Tampa Bay Times St. Petersburg, Florida Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 27
ABC To Telecast Chess Championship
New York — The American Broadcasting Company said Monday it has acquired exclusive rights to televise the world chess championship between Bobby Fischer of the United States and Russia's Boris Spassky in Iceland.
Highlights of the championship games, to start next Sunday, will be shown on ABC's “Wide World of Sports,” starting July 8.
Games will be played Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday for up to eight weeks, with ABC showing highlights on “Wide World” each Saturday.
Springfield Leader and Press Springfield, Missouri Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 12
As We See It: Bobby vs. Boris
THE ATTENTION of some 25,000 Americans who play tournament chess, plus a considerable number of amateurs who simply play for fun, will be focused on Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday and for several days thereafter.
That is the day that Bobby Fischer, representing the United States and Russian Boris Spassky, the current world champion, begin a 24-game title match. At least, that's when they are supposed to start play.
As of now, it may depend on whether Challenger Fischer's hassle with television crews over lighting arrangements can be resolved. Fischer claims he can play only under fluorescent lights. The tv people say that kind of lighting won't produce good results for their color cameras. This may or may not produce an impasse — probably not.
This isn't the first argument that has developed over the championship match. There was a considerable amount of wrangling over where the games would be played. Fischer preferred Belgrade; Spassky held out for Iceland's capital. Spassky won. Fischer wanted rules which would require playing to win; Spassky insisted on being allowed to force tie games, which would be to his advantage. Spassky prevailed. (For non-chess players, it is possible for an adroit player to maneuver a game so that a draw results.) Fischer must score 12½ points to take the championship; Spassky can keep his title by scoring 12. (A win counts one point, a tie half a point.) Finally, Spassky has defeated Fischer in all five of their previous meetings.
So, it may appear to a lot of observers that the cards are stacked against the American, but it doesn't appear that way to Bobby Fischer. He has repeatedly expressed supreme confidence in his ability to win the championship. And, despite his record in his previous games against Spassky, he is given a slightly better than even chance to win this match.
If he does, he'll upset a long-standing tradition. Russians have monopolized the international title since organized competition began in 1948. All challengers in the final rounds have been Russians. One reason for this may well be that chess is a top-ranking sport among Soviet citizens, about four million of whom regularly compete in tournaments. On the other hand, most Americans are inclined to regard the game as pretty dull stuff, strictly for the intellectuals.
It does, of course, require a considerable amount of cerebration, but it also demands a great deal more brawn than a none-player might think. An experiment conducted at Temple University a couple of years ago showed that chess is as physically taxing as a strenuous session of boxing or football. For that matter, pro football players frequently play chess because, they say, it sharpens their mental ability on the field.
In any case, Fischer — and presumably Spassky, although he doesn't talk about it — follows a strict physical training regimen, including calisthenics, swimming, tennis and bowling.
And Bobby says he is ready for the confrontation in Iceland — which, incidentally, has for centuries been just about as interested in chess as have the Russians. Ready, that is, if he can just get the right lighting.
The Raleigh Register Beckley, West Virginia Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 4
With Braun And Brain Can Bobby Beat Boris?
Championship chess is a contest that calls for prodigious amounts of physical as well as mental exertion. To determine how much energy is actually expended by a chess player in a tournament game, a bio-kinetic experiment was conducted at Temple University in 1970. Pulse, heartbeat and other physiological measurements were taken on 12 volunteers during play. The surprising result: Chess is as physically taxing as a strenuous session of boxing or football.
Thus, both Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union are keeping their bodies in fighting trim as they prepare for their world championship chess match in Reykjavik, Iceland, starting July 2. The close-lipped Spassky has declined to reveal details of his training program, although it is known he likes to play tennis. Fischer's daily regimen includes morning calisthenics in front of his television set, followed by swimming, tennis and bowling.
By the same token, professional football players find that chess sharpens their mental agility on the field. Ron Johnson and Bob Tucker, both of the New York Giants, are engaged in a marathon match that has been in progress for several years. But Harold C. Schonberg argues in Harper's that chess brings greater rewards: “It is an affirmation of personality. The game requires imagination and creativity—the ability to see, or sense, possibilities hidden to less refined minds.”
DESPITE THE NEED for brawn as well as brain, chess is regarded with indifference, at best, by most Americans. The game is thought of as boring and strictly for the cerebral elite. As a result, the United States ranks about as poorly in world chess circles as it does in international Ping Pong competition. The Soviet Union has around four million chess players who compete in tournaments, the United States only about 25,000.
Still, the unofficial world champion of chess in the mid-19th century was Paul Morphy of New Orleans. Since organized international competition began in 1948, the Russians have had a monopoly on the title. Not only that, all challengers in the final rounds have been Russians, too. Now, Fischer is given a slightly better than even chance of dethroning Spassky. But skeptics point out that Spassky has beaten Fischer in all five of their previous meetings.
THE TWO FINALISTS already have jousted over a sire for their showdown match. Fischer wanted Belgrade, while Spassky favored Reykjavik. A compromise under which games would be played in both cities finally fell through. The entire match, consisting of a maximum of 24 games, will take place in the Icelandic capital. As, challenger, Fischer must amass 12½ points to win, while Spassky needs only 12 to defend his title.
Iceland may seem an odd choice for a championship sporting event of any kind. But as chess columnist Harry Golombek of The Times of London pointed out, “There is a long tradition of the popularity of chess in that country, going right back almost to the beginning of the game in Europe.” The oldest known European set of chessmen, now on display in the British Museum, is believed to have been made in Iceland in the 12th century.
Many other countries, including India, China and Spain, also have contributed to the lore of chess. The word checkmate, signaling the end of the game, comes from the Persian phrase shah mat. Appropriately enough, it means “The king is dead.”
Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 5
ABC To Air Telecasts Of Title Chess
New York (AP) — The American Broadcasting Co. said yesterday it has acquired exclusive rights to televise the world chess championship between Bobby Fischer of the United States and Russia's Boris Spassky in Iceland.
Highlights of the championship games, to start next Sunday in Iceland, will be shown on ABC's “Wide World of Sports,” starting July 8.
Games will be played Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday for up to eight weeks, with ABC showing highlights on “Wide World” each Saturday.
A spokesman for ABC said the network had not heard a report that Fisher was dissatisfied with the type of lighting proposed under the six—figure TV contract. Fischer reportedly insisted on only fluorescent lights.
The network said it will test lighting approved by Fisher, and if necessary, photograph with film rather than tape because film requires less light.
However, the spokesman said, there will have to be sufficient light or the games just won't be televised.
Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida Tuesday, June 27, 1972 - Page 9
Wet Chess
We'd like to see Bobby Fischer try this one. Two ambitious teenage chess players in Edinburgh, Scotland, wanted to play an uninterrupted and peacefully quiet game. The only place they could find that fit their needs was the bottom of a local pool. (NANA Photo)
