AThe Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday, July 29, 1972 - Page 14
Russian Reporters Disappointed With Spassky
Moscow (AP)—For the first time since the start of the world championship chess match in Reykjavik, Soviet chess commentators betrayed concern Friday that champion Boris Spassky might lose to challenger Bobby Fischer.
One commentator said the eighth game Spassky debacle Thursday night was “the worst game of his career.”
Chess is taken seriously here, and any competition involving a Russian player or team against foreigners involves a certain amount of national prestige. And the Soviet chess establishment has long been unfriendly toward Fischer, especially after his antics preceding the start the start of the Reykjavik match.
Now, with Spassky seemingly on the ropes and trailing five to three, a certain note of gloom has crept into reports in the government controlled newspapers.
Some park bench players have been heard to mutter that Spassky is “playing like a shoemaker.” The official commentators are less acid.
Thus Yakov Rokhlin who comments on the match for the Soviet news agency Tass, could report there were those who saw some promise in Spassky's 15th move sacrifice. But by the end of the game he said the Soviet champion's defeat “was the result of two amazing mistakes on the 15th and 19th moves,” adding: “It should be said it did not take much effort on the part of Fischer to capitalize on the material advantage of the white.”
And he concluded that with the score now five to three, Spassky “should now display the maximum creative and technical efforts” to make a radical turn in the match.
Salo Flor, an international master of advanced years, said after the seventh game, in which Spassky demonstrated his “fighting qualities” it was to be hoped he would be stimulated and make a turning point in the next game.
“Unfortunately, the turning point never came.” Flor wrote in the newspaper Evening Moscow “On the contrary, the eighth game brought new disappointments. If until now we could consider the sixth game the worst, the eighth game was even worse. Worse isn't the word—it was the worst of all in Spassky's career.”
David Bronstein, the chess master writing for the government newspaper Izvestia, stopped short of praising Fischer, saying he “used an unusual attacking disposition” and Spassky found a means to develop his figures, bravely sacrificing a rook for a bishop and a pawn.”
But then, he noted, Spassky made a mistake that allowed Fischer “to mount a decisive attack.” Bronstein said: “Undoubtedly Spassky's nervousness played a role, since after a good start he has lost a few games.”
Bronstein also voiced concern about the way the match is going. “Millions of admirers of the world champion are hoping that after two days of rest he will manage to re-establish his creative and sporting strength.”
