The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, October 07, 1971 - Page 6
The Best Chess: Slowly, Slowly
We have mixed feelings about the setback—hopefully only temporary—suffered by Bobby Fischer in international chess tournament play at Buenos Aires. We're rooting for him to win the world championship for the United States but would like to see him start playing not quite so fast and a little less frantically.
Fischer, the acknowledged ace of American chess, was stopped in 32 moves by Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union, which subsidizes chess players no less fervently than pole-vaulters and other comrades in all manner of competition that supposedly demonstrates Communist superiority over decadent capitalists.
But losing one battle does not end the war in tournament chess. Fischer, who has been winning tourneys in this country since he was knee high to a chess table, is still very much alive in Buenos Aires play. The upset may slow him down some—which, in turn, could make him an even more formidable opponent.
Bobby Fischer often has demolished opponents in a dozen games simultaneously without working up a sweat in his thought processes. He has popularized the slam-bang style that offends traditionalists who believe chess should be savored, not devoured—preferably under a shade tree or in front of the fire, depending upon the season.
There is much to be said for the traditionalist point of view. We know one chess veteran who insists that the ideal match should last at least through three beers, a couple of long cigars and a large dish of salted nuts. It is important, by the way, that the nuts be dry roasted—so the chess pieces won't get slippery from handling by greasy fingers. Once the piece has been released, accidentally or otherwise, the move stands official.
Leisurely chess is more than a pleasant pastime and a stimulating battle of wits. It is a game that, when played in the proper spirit and at a sensible pace, enables two people to get to know one another in a way that the hurry-hurry tempo of modern living rarely permits. That, sometimes, can be more rewarding than checkmate.
