Newsday (Nassau Edition) from Hempstead, New York • 85

It Looks Like Spassky First Game: Reykjavik Iceland (AP) Bobby Fischer made his opening assault on the Soviet chess fortress last night but world champion Boris Spassky repelled it and held the only chance of victory after 3Vfe play when the first match was adjourned until today Fischer who arrived eight minutes after the start of the game could only hope-to settle for a draw after losing his last bishop for two pawns Spassky still had a bishop and three pawns to five pawns when the two adjourned after 40 moves The game was to resume at 1 PM EDI' US grandmaster Robert Byrne said: is going to have trouble making a draw I see how Spassky can Svetozar Gligoric the Yugoslav grandmaster commented: is doubtful whether black can save a Fischer is playing the black pieces and Spassky the white which means the Russian had the first move Fischer has played Spassky five times in the past The three times he played the black pieces he lost Playing white he was able to salvage two draws but has never triumphed over the Russian Spassky was up at 8:30 this morning and waited for the rain to stop so he could get in his daily set of Fischer was reported still asleep at noon Discussing the game with newsmen Spassy said: you are playing a man like Fischer you have to watch all the Asked if he watched the whole board when he played Spassky said I watch two or three pieces where the effort is Spassky made his first move yesterday all by himself in the shadowless illumination of the stage at An Analysis: Harry Golombck an international ciess grandmaster has been three limes British chess (ham-pian and a judge in six previous uorld ihrss championship matches He is chess correspondent for the Times of Ixtndon Since Fischer is known for his predilection for the Grunfeld Defense it was a little surprising that he drifted into the Nimzo-lndian opening Maybe he feared use of the Grunfeld again after his loss to the world champion at the Fiegen Olympiad in Germany in 1970 At first the experiment appeared rewarding at least as far as the draw was concerned Early exchange of the queens was followed first bv the exchange of minor and then by the exchange of major pieces so that very rapidly the game come down to a level bishop-and-pawn ending Surely this was going to he a draw we all thought Suddenly there came a most astonishing iwirt to the game Against all expectations captured a rook pawn with his bishop and doomed the bishop to destruction Could the grandmaster have ovtr-looked something or had he seen dreer than fire rest of us? The only real winning chance for while lies in getting the king track so as io prevent pawns from advancing Once this is done hlmk is entirely without winning pnxqic'cts Rut il in not clear how white can make further progress It is upon this problem no doubt that the Russian giund-master will pass the night in analysis 2 500-seat Sports palace There was something surrealistic about the world championship series with prize money of about $300000 starting with only one man sitting at the chess table Fischer as usual was late He arrived eight minutes after Spassky had moved his pawn and referee Lothar Schmid pressed the button to start clock The game went cautiously at first with the players allotted hours each to make 40 moves The experts said Fischer was trying for a draw by exchanging pieces simplifying trying to reduce the advantage Spassky had by choosing the opening He galloped his bishop down a long black diagonal snatching up a Spassky pawn In a few moves the bishop was trapped In the exchange Fischer lost the bishop for two pawns Byrne called it a blunder But if it was a blunder it was an attempt to inject life and perhaps victory into an apparently stalemated game The Rev William Lombardy a Franciscan Roman Catholic priest who acta as second said when the game was adjourned: a difficult position to analyze Since have to analyze it for Bobby before the adjourned match resumes tomorrow I probably say The loss of his bishop was typical of the American It was an attempt to break the game open avoiding a standoff What surprised many was the cautious play in the opening and middle moves by Fischer who has a reputation for killer instinct Experts from five countries said it appeared the challenger was trying to force a draw and a split point for the first game The 29-year-old American needs 12 points to lift crown in the 24-game match which could spread over two months Spassky 35 needs only 12 points a draw to retain the championship which has been in Soviet hands since 1948 Before the players separated last night Spassky wrote his 41st move on a sheet of paper sealed it in an envelope and gave it to Schmid the referee from West Germany Schmid will open the envelope this afternoon and make first move for him Fischer dressed in a dark suit leaned forward with his head propped on his fist during the game or rocked back in his swivel diair to get a longer view of thp forces silently colliding on the marble and slate chess board Spassky seemed more comfortable with his forearms on the padded edge of the table His legs were bent back under his chair toes downward Sometimes Spassky walked offstage as he waited for Fischer to respond to a move Spectators sat in near darkness most of them too I Move-by-Move 1 The progression of moves in the first game cf woiid chess championship match between I Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union and chaJIenger Bohby Fischer of the United States: i In British-American usage each move in a chess game is recorded using letters for each chesa i jitte and numbers for each square on the bcaid 1 The squares are numbered along the columns tor files) and named for the piece initially sitling 1 at the first square of the file For example the thiid square in front of the rook on the side of I king is numbered: KR3 or King's Rook 3 1 (The letters and their corresponding pieces aie: iK-King Queen Bishop KT Knight Rook Pawn i (An between letters indicates the first piece captured the second 0-0 indicates castling indicates or that the King is Ihitstened i with capture) far away to 'make out what was hapircning onstage But above and in front ol the stage a scricn 3(1 ft cross displayed the positions on the Iroard In the corridors outside the silence gave way to animated discussion as ieople lined up for of'c and sandweihes before a lunch counter At table's chess fans replayed the inovi on ture chess boards talking to tlx him Ives in a dcen languages Rill Wheeler 29-vcaruld t'oipus fhristi Tex computer oM-ratr quit his job and brought a savings to Iceland to watch the match A two-time chess champion of Texas Wlrrelcr looked around anil said: chess players are quite Spassky (While) FUihcr (Black) I'M I 144 When the player adjourned after 40 move each this was tha view from Fischer's side: A king and five pawns (black! against Spassky's king three pawns and a bishop (white) 85 Wedftudoy Jirfy 12 1972.