ASt. Louis Post-Dispatch St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, November 14, 1971 - Page 46
'But That's Chess'
What is the most grueling sport? Auto racing, boxing, football, bicycle riding . . .? Of course not, it's chess.
Aficionados of the sport of kingmakers have been telling us this for a long time. One more example has been provided by the titanic struggle between America's Bobby Fischer and Russia's Tigran Petrosian.
Mr. Fischer, the winner will have a chance to become the first American world champion in his upcoming tournament with the present title-holder, Boris Spassky, also of Russia.
The massive concentration on thousands of delicate alternatives, the nerve-shattering quiet, the protracted agony of uncertainty over a crucial move, the queasiness as the match begins to turn in the opponent's favor—these are the traumas that demoralize strong, proud men, that twist the intellect into knots of manic depression.
In the contact sports, a player can relieve his tension but in chess the loser sits in a spotlight of knowing smiles while his vanity drips upon the checkered field like life's blood.
Mr. Petrosian, we are told by news reports, “made the bid despite his age (42), which is considered old for the exhausting demands of tournament play. Fischer, 28, is at his peak.”
Even boxers, who in 10 rounds may use their legs more than a baseball player does in a season, have won world championships at more advanced ages. It's sad to be over the hill at 42. But that's chess.
