September 2, 2004 - Book Review

David Edmonds and John Eidinow: Bobby Fischer Goes To War

Faber and Faber $8:99

Many of us who were not around in 1972 to appreciate the immediate impact of Fischer - Spassky, but all of us are to a degree affected by the legacy of the events in Reykjavik. The book is also highly topical at present as the US administration seeks to deport Fischer for 'sanctions busting' as a result of playing his re-match with Spassky in 1992. This book, copies of which are in Ottakers, has already been critically acclaimed, and is surely one of the best chess books by non-chess players. It concentrates not on the chess moves themselves but on the build up to the match, the disputes during the match and the context of the contest amongst other issues seeking to examine whether the popular Cold War imagery was really relevant. (Spassky - as the authors demonstrate - was hardly a model Soviet, and Fischer was hardly a model anything!) The absence of game scores does not mean that there are no game references but these are along the lines of references to individual moves and openings ie 'such an such an opening was deployed', 'Spassky retreated a knight on move 16 etc'. These seem to be a natural part of the narrative but those who've not played the games before may like to do so as well.

If you want to understand one of the leading chess events of the 20th century this is an excellent read. However, I would caution against use of some of the gamesmanship used here and in other world championship matches - the clocks, sets and boards are perfectly satisfactory in our club. There are no hidden cameras and very little glare!

Written by: Jon Melsom