Chess - The Scotsman 13/08/12

EXACTLY 40 years ago, Reykjavik unwittingly joined Berlin, Cuba, Vietnam and Korea as one of the key flashpoints of the Cold War.

Through the summer of 1972 Iceland’s capital played host to the most surreal confrontation between East and West: the battle over the chessboard between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky to be world chess champion.

For Fischer the showdown in Reykjavik was “sort of a microcosm of the whole world political situation”. Richard Nixon agreed, sending Fischer his “personal congratulations” and assuring him that “I will be rooting for you.” And when Fischer threatened to walk out on the match, Henry Kissinger, on the behest of Nixon, put in a call: “America wants you to go over there to beat the Russians.” And with that, Fischer decided to play.

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The rest is history, with Fischer winning the so-called Match of the Century, 12.5-8.5, to temporarily put an end to the Soviet hegemony of the world championship. The turning point proved to be game six that was easily the best game of the encounter between the two, and from then on the American dominated the match.

On winning, Fischer said: “All I want to do, ever, is play chess. But sadly for his legions of fans, apart from a bizarre 1992 anniversary “rematch” with old foe Spassky, in civil-war-torn Yugoslavia, in violation of a UN embargo, Fischer became a virtual recluse right up to his death in exile, in 2008, aged 64, in his newly adopted homeland, Iceland.

R Fischer - B Spassky

World Championship, 1972 (6)

Queen’s Gambit Declined

1 c4 e6 2 Nf3 d5 3 d4 Nf6 4 Nc3 Be7 5 Bg5 0–0 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 b6 8 cxd5 Nxd5 9 Bxe7 Qxe7 10 Nxd5 exd5 11 Rc1 Be6 12 Qa4 c5 13 Qa3 Rc8 14 Bb5 a6 15 dxc5 bxc5 16 0–0 Ra7 17 Be2 Nd7 18 Nd4 Qf8 19 Nxe6 fxe6 20 e4 d4 21 f4 Qe7 22 e5 Rb8 23 Bc4 Kh8 24 Qh3 Nf8 25 b3 a5 26 f5 exf5 27 Rxf5 Nh7 28 Rcf1 Qd8 29 Qg3 Re7 30 h4 Rbb7 31 e6 Rbc7 32 Qe5 Qe8 33 a4 Qd8 34 R1f2 Qe8 35 R2f3 Qd8 36 Bd3 Qe8 37 Qe4 Nf6 38 Rxf6! gxf6 39 Rxf6 Kg8 40 Bc4 Kh8 41 Qf4 1–0

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