AThe Guardian London, Greater London, England Wednesday, December 29, 1971 - Page 11
No Sparks From Spassky
The young man with penetrating green eyes and long neatly-trimmed, reddish-brown sideburns sat in the back row of contestants as an official announced the result of the Alekhine Memorial Chess Tournament.
He seemed annoyed at the knot of spectators, staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Some spectators seemed as disappointed as he.
Small wonder. The young man shared sixth place with another player in a field of 18 of the world's best chess players — all grandmasters — who had competed in the tournament named after the late world chess champion Alexander Alekhine.
Sixth place, even if shared with another player, in such illustrious company is no mean feat. Yet it was an obvious disappointment for Boris Spassky.
The handsome man from Leningrad who will be 35 on January 30, is, after all, the official world champion chess player — the man who will have to defend, not only his own title, but also the Soviet Union's reputation of world supremacy in chess when he meets a volatile and imperious challenger, Bobby Fischer, in a title match next spring.
The 28-year-old American challenger is the first non-Russian contender for the world chess crown since 1948, and the coming match — the exact date and location hasn't been decided — obviously weighs heavily on Spassky's mind. “I'm still king, you know,” he said in an interview.
The remark seemed to lack conviction, and the inflection made it seem almost as an attempt at self-assurance, rather than a statement of fact. He added, “I have very much work to do. I have many problems at the moment.”
Perhaps because of his black mood, he declined to spell out the problems, or even assess his performance in the Alekhine. “This is a question I cannot answer at the moment,” he said. “I was not feeling very well.”
Russian chess experts are clearly worried about his chances against Fischer. They grumbled at what they considered his dull performance and seeming lack of enthusiasm. In the Alekhine tournament Spassky displayed none of the brilliant strokes of tactics and strategy that so delight Soviet chess fans.
But the tournament is still about six months away. It will give Spassky time to overcome what he himself considers his natural laziness and seeming lack of determination to retain the crown. And his performance in the Alekhine and his public posture could all be part of psychological skirmishing against Fischer, with the Russian champion playing the role of the tortoise and the American cast as the over-confident hare.
Soviet grandmaster David Bronstein, hinted as much: “Isn't he preparing a surprise for Fischer?” He asked rhetorically. And the American grandmaster Robert Byrne, who played the champion to a draw in the Alekhine, commented “the nerves are terrible in this game. But Spassky is about as even-keeled and rock-solid a chess player as you will ever find. It's a big advantage. I think he is very worried about this match. He'd be a fool not to be, but with him it's hard to tell.”
Spassky's demeanor and play at the Alekhine was in sharp contrast to his reputation as a gregarious, easy-going swinger who enjoys good-living, stylish clothes and pretty women. An excellent mimic, Spassky could have had a successful career as an actor. In fact, he was once offered an acting job. The reputation is somewhat dated, mainly for two reasons — his winning the world championship in June, 1969, and his second marriage.
Spassky won the world crown by defeating his countryman, Tigran Petrosian, 42, of Armenia, who had held the championship for six years. It was Fischer's defeat of Petrosian in Buenos Aires last October that gave the young American the right to challenge Spassky for the world crown.
Spassky won the title by what had been described as almost carelessly adventurous play against a titleholder noted for masterly defensive tactics. Spassky's splash performance, his handsome appearance and glamorous reputation delighted the chess fans. While he remains basically a chess offensive player, Spassky has become a more conservative strategist and tactician. He also has become slower in making his moves so that he occasionally finds himself in time trouble. This may make his chess playing more profound, but it is less crowd-pleasing.
His present low-key stance at the chessboard is part of a national Soviet trend that has resulted in what some experts feel is a decline in the popularity of the game. The coming Spassky-Fischer match has revived the interest.
Spassky is not a member of the Communist Party, and reportedly has been openly critical of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. His political attitudes may be the reason the Soviet Government has not granted his request to tour the United States. In spite of grumbling over his performance in the Alekhine, he is very much the hero to millions of Soviet chess fans and the Government treats him as a pampered celebrity.
He earns about 300(?)500 rubles a month, mainly from his income as a sports trainer, lives in an apartment house for Soviet vip's, and is that rarity among Russians, the owner of a foreign car, a Swedish Volvo. His salary is about five times that of the average Soviet worker. he could make a lot more— but he is lazy. Although a graduate of the faculty of journalism at Leningrad University, Spassky does little writing for publication.
“I am lazy,” he once explained. “I don't take months to prepare for a tournament the way the old chess masters did. But I make up for it by working much harder while the game is in progress.” On another occasion he described himself as a “lazy Russian bear.” — Los Angeles Times.
No Sparks From Spassky Wed, Dec 29, 1971 – 11 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
