The Gift of Chess

Notice to commercial publishers seeking use of images from this collection of chess-related archive blogs. For use of the many large color restorations, two conditions must be met: 1) It is YOUR responsibility to obtain written permissions for use from the current holders of rights over the original b/w photo. Then, 2) make a tax-deductible donation to The Gift of Chess in honor of Robert J. Fischer-Newspaper Archives. A donation in the amount of $250 USD or greater is requested for images above 2000 pixels and other special request items. For small images, such as for fair use on personal blogs, all credits must remain intact and a donation is still requested but negotiable. Please direct any photographs for restoration and special request (for best results, scanned and submitted at their highest possible resolution), including any additional questions to S. Mooney, at bobbynewspaperblogs•gmail. As highlighted in the ABC News feature, chess has numerous benefits for individuals, including enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, improving concentration and memory, and promoting social interaction and community building. Initiatives like The Gift of Chess have the potential to bring these benefits to a wider audience, particularly in areas where access to educational and recreational resources is limited.

Best of Chess Fischer Newspaper Archives
• Robert J. Fischer, 1955 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1956 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1957 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1958 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1959 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1960 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1961 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1962 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1963 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1964 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1965 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1966 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1967 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1968 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1969 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1970 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1971 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1972 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1973 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1974 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1975 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1976 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1977 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1978 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1979 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1980 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1981 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1982 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1983 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1984 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1985 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1986 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1987 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1988 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1989 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1990 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1991 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1992 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1993 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1994 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1995 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1996 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1997 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1998 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 1999 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2000 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2001 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2002 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2003 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2004 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2005 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2006 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2007 bio + additional games
• Robert J. Fischer, 2008 bio + additional games
Chess Columns Additional Archives/Social Media

U.S. Champ Eyes World Chess Title

Back to 1972 News Articles

Courier-Post Camden, New Jersey Monday, April 03, 1972 - Page 12

U.S. Champ Eyes World Chess Title
Though an American was hailed as the world's best chess player 114 years ago, Robert J. Fischer may become the first player officially to bring the title to the United States.
Brooklyn-born Bobby Fischer, 28, is given a good chance to defeat reigning champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in their 24-game match scheduled to begin June 22 in Belgrade.
Fischer and Spassky will play three games a week. After 12 games, the match will move to Reykjavik. The winning player will receive almost two-thirds of the $138,500 prize money offered by the Yugoslav and Icelandic capitals for the international championship bout.

IF FISCHER wins, he will be the first non-Russian to hold the world chess title since World War II. Even the prewar champion, who retained the title from 1927 with only one two-year lapse, was a Russian emigre, Alexander Alekhine.
Chess never has been as popular in the United States as in the Soviet Union, where the government rewards Spassky with a handsome salary and spacious Moscow apartment.
Yet when international chess matches were in their infancy, Paul Morphy of New Orleans defeated all his opponents here and abroad to be acclaimed the world champion of the game in 1858. He held his title four years, then retired from competition.

THE FIRST recorded international tournament may have been a match between Italian and Spanish players in 1566, but chess itself dates from antiquity. India generally is credited with creating chaturange or “four arms,” the game that evolved into to-day's chess.
In the Indian version, the king and his counselor took the field flanked by their elephants, cavalry, and war chariots. The fourth arm of the army, the foot soldiers, were ranged in front.
Victorious Persian armies took the game home with them. Checkmate, signaling the end of the game, comes from Persian shah mat, mean-ing “the king is dead.”

MOSLEM conquerors learned the game in the seventh century and it traveled with them to Spain. Because the Koran forbade images, they substituted abstract pieces for the carved figures previously used. Pieces whose V - cut tops were supposed to suggest elephant tusks looked like bishops' mitres to European eyes, and became bishops. The war chariots were turned into boats in Russia and towers in Europe.
The counselor was a messenger, a wise man, or a court jester before it became a queen. A rule change allowing a pawn advanced to an opponent's rear rank to be promoted to queen alarmed purists in the Middle Ages, who pointed out the move could make the king a bigamist.

CHESS players in China were more pragmatic. In the Chinese game a captured pawn is dead, as is true elsewhere. But a captured general goes back into play—now working for the other side.
Chess frequently has involved high stakes and high tempers, and was described by a 17th-century writer as “a testy cholericke game and very offensive to him that looseth the mate.”
The author may have had in mind King Canute, said to have been so furious at losing a game that he had the hapless winner beheaded.

U.S. Champ Eyes World Chess Title
Duplicates · · · ·

'til the world understands why Robert J. Fischer criticised the U.S./British and Russian military industry imperial alliance and their own Israeli Apartheid. Sarah Wilkinson explains:

Bobby Fischer, First Amendment, Freedom of Speech
What a sad story Fischer was,” typed a racist, pro-imperialist colonial troll who supports mega-corporation entities over human rights, police state policies & white supremacy.
To which I replied: “Really? I think he [Bob Fischer] stood up to the broken system of corruption and raised awareness! Whether on the Palestinian/Israel-British-U.S. Imperial Apartheid scam, the Bush wars of ‘7 countries in 5 years,’ illegally, unconstitutionally which constituted mass xenocide or his run in with police brutality in Pasadena, California-- right here in the U.S., police run rampant over the Constitution of the U.S., on oath they swore to uphold, but when Americans don't know the law, and the cops either don't know or worse, “don't care” -- then I think that's pretty darn “sad”. I think Mr. Fischer held out and fought the good fight, steadfast til the day he died, and may he Rest In Peace.
Educate yourself about U.S./State Laws --
https://www.youtube.com/@AuditTheAudit/videos
After which the troll posted a string of profanities, confirming there was never any genuine sentiment of “compassion” for Mr. Fischer, rather an intent to inflict further defamatory remarks.

This ongoing work is a tribute to the life and accomplishments of Robert “Bobby” Fischer who passionately loved and studied chess history. May his life continue to inspire many other future generations of chess enthusiasts and kibitzers, alike.

Robert J. Fischer, Kid Chess Wizard 1956March 9, 1943 - January 17, 2008

The photograph of Bobby Fischer (above) from the March 02, 1956 The Tampa Times was discovered by Sharon Mooney (Bobby Fischer Newspaper Archive editor) on February 01, 2018 while gathering research materials for this ongoing newspaper archive project. Along with lost games now being translated into Algebraic notation and extractions from over two centuries of newspapers, it is but one of the many lost treasures to be found in the pages of old newspapers since our social media presence was first established November 11, 2017.

Special Thanks