Friday 5 February 2016

Fischer v Spassky World Championship Match 1972 part 2

Here are some further, less frequently seen, publications on the match.

1972 World Chess Championship; Icelandic Chess Federation's official commemorative program; Boris Spassky vs Bobby Fischer, published by B L & M Entertainment, New York 1972. 64pp

ICF Program front cover

ICF Program contents page

This is one of the most interesting publications on the match and it is packed with numerous photographs, by Chester Fox & Co., Inc., not seen elsewhere. A look at the Contents page will show the variety of fascinating articles included. The games themselves are extensively annotated (I am not sure by whom) with comments after nearly every move. 

ICF Program rear cover detail

The next two publications are not recorded in Lusis.

Match of the Century; Spassky/Fischer, author unknown, published by Shakh Publishing House, Caloocan City, Philippines 1972. 32pp.

Spassky/Fischer, Shakh, front cover

This booklet includes a short introduction and summary of the match, brief biographies of the players and the 21 games with very light notes. The previous five games between Spassky and Fischer are also included along with two brilliancies by Fischer; his game against Donald Byrne in the Third Lessing J. Rosenwald Trophy Tournament in 1956 and his game against Julio Bolbochan at the Stockholm Interzonal Tournament in 1962, both games without notes.

Spassky/Fischer, Shakh, Introduction page

Record of a match between giants for the world chess championship Reykjavik, Iceland Summer 1972; Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky by Barbara & Morley Fox, published by Fox Book Co. Tacoma, Washington 1972. 24pp

Fischer vs Spassky by Fox, front cover

This little booklet, limited to 500 copies,  simply records the moves of each game without any notes. The five previous encounters between the players are also included.

Fischer vs Spassky by Fox, title page

The next two books were published following the 1992 match in Sveti Stefan and Belgrade but they also include the games from the 1972 match.

Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky; Reykjavik July 11 -September 1, 1972; 12.5:8.5; St. Stefan-Belgrade September 2-November 5, 1992; 41:5 (15 draws) edited by Slobodan Adzic, published by Chess-Press, Novi Sad 1992. 32pp

Fischer-Spassky by Adzic, front cover

Brief biographies of the players are followed by the 21 games from Reykjavik without notes but with 1 or 2 diagrams per game. The games of the match held in Sveti Stefan  occupy the second half of the book followed by a short closing interview with Fischer and Spassky.

Fischer-Spassky by Adzic, title page

1972 Spasski Fischer 1992 by Anatoli Matsukevitch, published by Match Chess, Moscow 1992. 52pp

Spasski Fischer by Matsukevitch, front cover

The very small amount of text is in English, German and Russian. The 21 games from 1972 are  included with diagrams and many language-less annotations followed by the 30 games from 1992 without any annotations. In the middle of the book are 8 pages of cartoons and caricatures from the 1972 match.
  

Matsukevitch, title page

 
Matsukevitch, game 6
Finally for now:

Report of the President concerning the decision on the site of play of the match for the World Championship Men 1972 Spassky-Fischer, by Max Euwe, printed by Chess, Sutton Coldfield 1972. 20pp

Report by Max Euwe


This pamphlet contains two reports by Max Euwe in his rĂ´le as president of F.I.D.E.; the first dated February 18th, 1972 and the second dated May 16th, 1972. The reports cover in great detail the protracted negotiations regarding the venue for the match and include the text of many of the numerous telegrams and cables between the parties. Euwe was clearly very irritated and exasperated by the whole matter and concludes that `It is absolutely necessary that F.I.D.E takes the necessary steps to prevent such happenings in the future.´

                                      © Michael Clapham 2016

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