Bobby Fischer Goes to War [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

From Edmonds, author of the unexpectedly popular Wittgenstein's Poker (2001), comes this intriguing look at the world of competitive chess, circa 1972. That was the year Boris Spassky, the Russian, and Bobby Fischer, the upstart American, fought it out for global chess supremacy. It was a match that held the world spellbound, a two-month marathon that hit the front pages (during the last stages of the Vietnam War and the early stages of Watergate) and turned millions of people into chess addicts. But, as the authors demonstrate, the story was not just about two chess masters; it was about politics, about two countries fighting a cold war. Could Fischer break Russia's decades-long hold on the world chess championship? And, by association, could the U.S. vanquish its nemesis? The narrative never really takes off here, as it did in Wittgenstein's Poker, but the book does a very good job of setting the scene, of making us feel as though it's 1972, and we are witnessing something of truly global importance. Good reading, especially for chess buffs. David Pitt
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An intriguing account of the Cold War chess match between American, Bobby Fischer and the Soviet champion, Boris Spassky. National press coverage. 10pp b/w illus.

Since 1948, the USSR had dominated the World Chess Championships - evidence, Moscow claimed, of the superiority of the Soviet system. But then came Bobby Fischer. A dysfunctional genius, Fischer was uniquely equipped to take on the Soviets. His every waking hour was devoted to the game and he had steamrollered all opposition to reach the championship. When he became increasingly volatile, Henry Kissinger telephoned Fischer and urged him on to fight for his country. Against him was Boris Spassky: complex, sensitive, the most un-Soviet of champions. As the authors reveal, when Spassky began to lose, the KGB decided to help him to fight back.