In 1972, Boris Spassky defended his World Chess Championship against challenger Bobby Fischer. In the end, Fischer won the title from Spassky after winning the match 12.5 to 8.5, becoming the 11th World Chess Champion.
Qualifying for the Match
In order to reach the World Championship match, Fischer first needed to finish in the Top 6 of the 1970 Interzonal Tournament. Fischer had declined to play in the 1969 US Championship, which sent three players to the Interzonal; however, Pal Benko gave up his spot so that Fischer could participate instead.
Fischer easily won the Interzonal in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, finishing with a score of 18.5/23. He lost just one game in the tournament and finished 3.5 points ahead of his closest competitors.
This allowed Fischer to enter the Candidates' Matches. In the first round, Fischer was pitted against Mark Taimanov of the USSR in a ten-game match. While Fischer was regarded as a significant favorite in the match, few imagined the possibility of Fischer winning by the lopsided margin of 6-0.
If that result was shocking, his win over Bent Larsen in the semifinal round was even more unbelievable. Larsen, who along with Fischer was in the discussion as the "Best in the West," had been the only player to defeat Fischer in the Interzonal tournament. But Fischer continued his great form, winning again by the seemingly impossible score of 6-0.
Fischer's final match - this time, a 12-game series - was against former World Champion Tigran Petrosian. While this match was certainly more competitive than the first two, it was still very one-sided, as Fischer won by the impressive score of 6.5-2.5. This qualified Fischer for the 1972 World Chess Championship.
Match Regulations and Expectations
The 1972 World Chess Championship was to be a 24-game match. If the match ended in a 12-12 tie, the title would remain with Spassky. The match was to be played in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Given the Cold War atmosphere, there was tremendous interest even outside of the chess world, as the match pitted an American (Fischer) against a Soviet champion (Spassky). While Spassky had more experience in match play, and had a +3 =2 score against Fischer over the course of his career, Fischer appeared to clearly be the best player in the world at the time of the match. On the FIDE ratings list released in July 1972, Fischer held an incredible 125 point lead over Spassky, who was ranked second in the world.
Taking these factors into consideration, Fischer was seen as the favorite heading into the match - though not by as much as the rating difference between the two might have suggested. Most top players thought Fischer had the advantage, and he was listed as a 6-5 favorite at several London bookmakers.
Before the match began, Fischer made demands that the prize money be increased, which led some to speculate that he might not play at all. Fischer demanded that he and Spassky receive portions of television and film rights, as well as money from ticket sales. While Fischer did not show up in Iceland in time for the match's opening ceremony, he was eventually persuaded to come (in large part due to the prize fund being doubled), and the match began after just a two-day postponement.
The Match
In the first game of the match, the players had reached a drawn endgame when Fischer suddenly overreached in an attempt to gain winning chances. While Fischer may have been able to salvage a draw, further mistakes gave Spassky the win and a 1-0 lead.
After the game, Fischer made increasingly difficult demands on the match organizers, including asking for all cameras to be removed from the playing hall. Ultimately, Fischer would go on to forfeit the second game of the match.
In order to continue the match, Spassky gave in and allowed the third game of the match to be played in a small room away from the playing hall. After examining the camera equipment, Fischer agreed to play, and managed to win a long game with Black, climbing back into the match.
After Fischer gained a strong attack in Game 4, Spassky was able to hold a draw. However, Fischer took advantage of a Spassky blunder to win Game 5 in just 27 moves. The match was now tied at 2.5-2.5 - and Fischer would never look back.
The critical point came in Game 6. Fischer surprised Spassky by starting with 1. c4 instead of his normal 1. e4. Fischer executed a strong attack after a small misstep by Spassky, winning the game and taking a 3.5-2.5 lead.
After a draw in the seventh game, Fischer once against won with the White pieces in Game 8. In that game, Spassky lost the exchange in what was either a poor sacrifice or an outright blunder.
Fischer now had a 5-3 lead. After drawing Game 9, Fischer won the 10th game by outplaying Spassky in a difficult endgame. With Fischer threatening to run away with the Match, Spassky fought back by winning Game 11. After a draw in the 12th game, Fischer held a 7-5 lead. While Spassky was hanging tough, it was clear that he could not allow Fischer to extend the lead once more.
In Game 13, the two players traded blows, watching the advantage swing back and forth before the game was adjourned on the 42nd move. While Fischer's position was technically better, both sides believed the game should likely end in a draw. However, Fischer set several traps after play resumed, and eventually managed to force a win, taking an 8-5 lead.
After this surprising win, Spassky was able to settle down and hold Fischer to draws. Unfortunately for the champion, draws would not suffice while he trailed by three points. Every game between Game 14 and Game 20 ended in a draw, leaving Fischer with an 11.5-8.5 and just four games left to play.
At this point, Spassky would have needed to win the final four games to win the match outright, and just one point for Fischer would clinch him the title. Game 21 was decisive, as Spassky's sealed move after the adjournment was a blunder. Before play resumed on the next day, Spassky called the match arbiter to resign. Fischer had won the match by a 12.5-8.5 score.
Aftermath
While Boris Spassky would never again reach a World Championship match, he did have great success after his match against Fischer. In 1973, he won the Soviet Chess Championship, and would be a World Championship candidate on four further occasions.
Amazingly, Bobby Fischer would not play another competitive chess game for 20 years after this match. In 1975, Fischer refused to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov, which allowed Karpov to take the World Chess Championship by default. Fischer would only again play in 1992, when he defeated Boris Spassky in a return match in Yugoslavia.
