Bobby Fischer Ends Soviet Domination

Let’s take a pause from the Kenyan chess scene and look at some of the world’s greatest chess players.

Many consider Bobby Fischer to be the best chess player who ever lived. He played for the World Chess Championship against Boris Spassky in 1972 at the height of the Cold War. In the run-up to the championship, Fischer had crushed his opponents in the Candidate Matches.

Surprisingly Fischer found himself 2-0 down after blundering in the opening game and forfeiting game two. After that Fischer went on to dominate the match with 7 wins, 11 draws, and 1 loss. Fischer’s win ended 24 years of Soviet domination of the World Championships.

In today’s Game Spotlight, we look at game 6 where Fischer got Spassky into a stranglehold.

Fischer was scheduled to defend his title in 1975 against Anatoly Karpov. Prior to the match, Fischer made several non-negotiable demands that FIDE could not meet. In response Fischer resigned his title; had he not already shown that he was the world’s best chess player?

That’s all for today. Stay on top of COVID-19 by following the WHO Guidelines and keep crushing your opponents like Bobby Fischer in his quest for the world title.