AQuad-City Times Davenport, Iowa Tuesday, August 17, 1971 - Page 17
World Chess Champ?
Probably relatively few Americans have heard of Bobby Fischer but then a great many of them obviously aren't interested in chess.
The 28-year-old Fischer, representing the United States in world chess competition, won 12 straight games against a pair of chess-masters in the preliminaries, Mark Taimanov, a Russian and Bent Larsen of Denmark.
If Fischer can defeat another Russian next month he then will face the reigning world champion, Boris Spassky, for top world honors.
In Russia chess is a national pastime but in this country it never has attained the status of football, basketball or baseball — or bridge.
Russians have dominated in chess in part because the Soviet government subsidizes players. About four million Russians play chess in organized competition. Only about 24,000 play in rated tournaments in this country.
If Bobby Fischer can win the world championship, interest in chess in this country probably will gain considerably. At any rate Fischer has done nobly thus far and merits more accolades than he has received in his own country.
