([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?”
