Nice Guys Finish Last

The war of wills between World Chess Champion Boris Spassky of the U.S.S.R. and Challenger Bobby Fischer of the U.S. took a subtle but significant turn in Reykjavik, Iceland, last week. Boris, rumored to be suffering from defeatism, professed a new-found determination: "The first half of this match was not very interesting for me. The second half will be." The usually difficult, demanding Bobby, on the other hand, seemed downright congenial. After taking a commanding lead in the match, Fischer at one point uncharacteristically consented to attend a cocktail party at the U.S. Information Agency in Reykjavik. Reports that he "mixed well" worried Fischer fans. As Bobby watchers know, the more complacent he be comes, the less effectively he plays.

Sure enough, battling Boris attacked benevolent Bobby with a vengeance in the eleventh game. Fischer, playing black, followed the same risky, pawn-snatching opening that he had got away with in the seventh game, apparently believing that Spassky and his team of analysts had not yet worked out a suitable reply. Fischer was wrong. On the 25th move, Bobby suffered the humiliation of having his ambushed queen cut down by a lowly pawn. Though hopelessly lost, he played on for six more moves before resigning. "Fischer has never been knocked out as he was by Spassky," gloated one Soviet grand master.

The twelfth game was a shocker of a different sort. For the first 16 moves, Fischer and Spassky duplicated a game played in 1936 between World Champion Jose Capablanca and Swedish Grand Master Gideon Stahlberg. Then Spassky, playing black, deviated and skillfully held off Fischer until both players agreed to call the game a draw after 55 moves. Before the 13th game, Fischer began complaining about the air-conditioning and the autograph hounds. Because of what he called "excessive spectator noise" in the playing hall, he demanded that the first seven rows of seats be left empty. Fischer, the Bobby watchers were quick to note, had again become his old surly, unbeatable self.

Spassky found that out soon enough in the 13th game. Apparently surprised by Fischer's Alekhine defense, a variation the challenger rarely plays, Spassky faltered in the early going and Bobby seized and held the initiative until the game was adjourned after 41 moves. After a long night of analyzing the position, the two players resumed play the next day in the most harrowing, hard-fought encounter in the match so far. Though behind, Spassky repeatedly countered the menace of Fischer's advancing pawns with some brilliantly conceived threats of his own. Finally, however, after 74 moves and nearly nine hours of play, Bobby's multifaceted assault proved too formidable and Boris resigned. That gave Fischer an 8-to-5 lead (as challenger he needs 121 points to win; Spassky needs 12) and a seemingly insurmountable advantage --barring any further attacks of congeniality, that is.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.