ADetroit Free Press Detroit, Michigan Saturday, October 30, 1971 - Page 3
Another Hero Near Pinnacle
One more giant step and you can add Bobby Fischer's name to the roster of kings of competition, along with such as Gordie Howe, John Unitas, Muhammad Ali and Arnold Palmer.
If you haven't been following, Fischer just fought his way to a chance at the world heavyweight chess title by defeating Tigran Petrosian of Russia, the former top dog, after a tough match in Buenos Aires. Next, this 28 year-old American gets a crack at the present potentate, Boris Spassky, also of Russia, in a 24-game marathon.
Sacrilege to include a cerebral giant in a list of sports figures? Not a bit. There is a physical as well as mental drain on a chess master that is as demanding as anything an athlete does on the field.
I first watched Fischer in action many years ago at the Chess Mate on Livernois just off the University of Detroit campus. Fischer was the Boy Wonder then, and some detractors felt he would be burned out before long.
He came to Our Town to play a simultaneous match against several combatants who paid a fee for the privilege and provided their own pieces, boards and tables.
Fischer was dressed in the uniform of the trade, a tuxedo that seemed incongruous in the Sunday afternoon sun, and was charged with an almost overpowering vitality. He has broad shoulders and the quick sure motions of a highly trained athlete as he made his swing past the tables, giving only a few seconds of attention to each of some 20 opponents before moving on to the next.
The master's sure touch is the key to the attraction of such a contest. Most of his adversaries were excellent players themselves, and had much more time to study their moves, sweating with concentration and the awareness of the kibitzers peering over their shoulders.
The Boy Wonder lost not a single game. It wasn't long before Fischer would charge up to a board to see the king turned flat on his side, indicating surrender.
But there were three people who are recalling to their friends on this day: “Let me tell you about the time I drew with Fischer.” And they remember the game move for move.
