AFitchburg Sentinel Fitchburg, Massachusetts Saturday, February 22, 1964 - Page 8
International Grandmaster—Chess Ace Fischer, 20, Performs Here March 2
Robert J. “Bobby” Fischer, 20-year-old international grandmaster on his first transcontinental tour, will appear at the Wachusett Chess Club headquarters at First Parish Church hall on Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m.
Fischer is the subject of a feature story in the current edition of one of the most popular national magazines.
This youthful chess genius, only player to clean sweep the United States championship, will play simultaneously against 50 opponents and will deliver a lecture.
His appearance will be exclusive to this particular area since Fischer will perform in Rhode Island the day before coming here and in Connecticut the day following his local showing.
A general admission fee of two dollars will be charged here and since a full attendance is expected the sale of tickets will be limited. General admission and a reservation to play in the simultaneous exhibition will be five dollars.
Tickets may be purchased from any Wachusett Chess Club member, by being at the organization's regular Wednesday night meeting at the church hall located at the Upper Common or by writing to Edmund N. Wheeler, 133½ Blossom Street, this city. Checks should be payable to the WCC.
At the age of 14, Fischer became the youngest U.S. champion in the history of chess.
Since that time he has proven his chessmanship in international tournaments and matches. His latest international triumph was in 1962 at Stockholm in the Interzonal, when he won by a handy margin against the leading players of the world. In 1963 he won the Western Open Championship at Bay City, Mich., in a field of 160, and in the same year scored a clean sweep of 8-0 in the first N.Y. State Open, at Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
A six-time winner of the coveted U.S. Championship Crown, Fischer has become the most widely-written about and controversial chess personality of this generation. Considered by many experts to be the greatest chess master of all time, Fischer gave credence to this contention by winning all his games against the strongest U.S. masters in the 1964 U.S. Championship. An incredible performance! Final score 11-0! This result electrified even the non-chess playing public throughout the entire world, and he is being acclaimed as the world's greatest chess master.
The controversy engendered by his famous “unfinished” match with Reshevsky made world-wide headlines. It actually culminated in an even score, but in the two subsequent encounters with Reshevsky, Fischer won both games.
Having learned to play chess at the age of six, Fischer gave early evidence of amazing talent, and at the age of 13 became the youngest player ever to win the National Junior Championship. At the age of 14, he won the U.S. Open Championship in a field of 175. This victory made him eligible to play in the U.S. Chess Federation's Championship Meet of 1958, when he succeeded Arthur B. Bisguier as U.S. Champion, making him the youngest player in history to achieve this monumental honor. Winning the Lessing J. Rosenwald and Frank J. Marshall Trophies, he qualified to enter the Interzonal competition, which was held in 1958 in Yugoslavia.
During 1959, 1960 and 1961, Fischer successfully defended his U.S. Championship title. He chose not to enter the 1962 tournament, and Larry Evans, a former U.S. Champion won the 1962 title. In 1963, Fischer became a 5-time winner by succeeding Evans as the title-holder.
There is no secret that Fischer's greatest ambition is to meet the present world champion, Tigran Petrosian, in a title match. A substantial purse to be the prize — and winner to take all! Fischer's first encounter with a world champion took place in October 1962, at the Chess Olympics finals at Varna, Bulgaria. Here he played the then world champion, Botvinnik and the encounter ended in a draw. Bobby had an easily won game, but his attention became distracted.
A serious student of the techniques of past and present masters, Fischer has achieved his own special niche in the technique hall of fame, by his masterful play in all stages of the game. His famous prize-winning “Game Of The Century,” at the age of 13, in the 3rd Lessing & Rosenwald Trophy Tournament, 1956, is included in “Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess,” published by Simon and Schuster. He also contributes to the literature of chess in articles for Chess Life, American Chess Quarterly, and other publications. Presently he is serving as editorial consultant to the American Chess Quarterly.
