Initially things looked gloomy for Bobby Fischer. Because he had refused
to participate in the 1969 US Championship, he had missed his chance to
qualify for the 1970 Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca. Only
when another American, Pal Benko, withdrew in his favour, and after the
officials were willing to bend the rules, could Bobby enter the contest.
And begin his phenomenal run that would end with the Match of the
Century in Reykjavik against World Champion Boris Spassky.Fischer
started out by sweeping the field at the 23-round Palma Interzonal to
qualify for the next stage of the cycle. In the Candidates Matches he
first faced Mark Taimanov, in Vancouver. Fischer trounced the Soviet
ace, effectively ending Taimanov's career. Then, a few months later in
Denver, he was up against Bent Larsen, the Great Dane. Fischer
annihilated him, too. The surreal score in those two matches, twice 6-0,
flabbergasted chess fans all over the world.In the ensuing Candidates
Final in Buenos Aires, Fischer also made short shrift of former World
Champion Tigran Petrosian, beating the hyper-solid 'Armenian Tiger'
61/2-21/2. Altogether, Fischer had scored an incredible 36 points from
43 games against many of the world's best players, including a streak of
19 consecutive wins. Bobby Fischer had become not just a national hero
in the US, but a household name with pop-star status all over the
world.Jan Timman chronicles the full story of Fischer's sensational run
and takes a fresh look at the games. The annotations are in the author's
trademark lucid style, that happy mix of colourful background
information and sharp, crystal-clear explanations.
