The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky Thursday, February 16, 1978 - Page 37
Spassky vs. Fischer Still Fascinates Many
A lot of water has gone over the dam since I attended the 1972 world-championship match between the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky and America's Bobby Fischer, but the fact that I still get questions about it attests to the tremendous and lasting impression it made on players and nonplayers alike.
Why did the match catch the public imagination as it did, not only in the two nations represented, but worldwide? There were many reasons:
Fischer's genius many believe greater than that of any other master, living or dead. Also, there was the challenge by an American of Soviet dominance of the chess world for many years, plus the remarkable fact that in games before this match, Spassky had beaten Fischer, 3-0.
Sometimes people want to know which game of this memorable match I considered best. Well, I would have to say that the game that impressed (perhaps I should say depressed) me most was the eleventh encounter, which was one of only two games Fischer actually lost over the board.
I am not suggesting that this was the best game of the match, but from Spassky's standpoint it was far and away the best. Certainly Fischer played far below his form in this encounter. Why? Maybe he couldn't stand prosperity, because he had run off five wins and three draws in the previous eight games.
This game was played on a Sunday, and the Sports Palace was jammed, while hundreds of others, unable to gain admission, watched outside on closed-circuit television sets.
An audible gasp of disbelief ran through the auditorium when Fischer made the rash capture of Spassky's NP on the eighth turn.
Here's the position after Fischer played 13…B-Q2. How does Spassky reply?
(a) Why a player of Fischer's stature would make this risky and highly-questionable capture has long been debated.
(b) A fine move that puts the Black Queen in jeopardy.
(c) Resignation is overdue. That Fischer elects to continue play shows how difficult it is for him to accept defeat.
