ON CHESS
Match generated fan participation
Saturday, November 21, 2009 3:10 AM
By SHELBY LYMAN
The move-by-move coverage by PBS of the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky world-title series evoked an extraordinary response despite the apparent chess illiteracy of the American public.
Viewers quickly learned the moves and basic rules.
Those who didn’t could at least follow the ebb and flow of each game with the help of the viewer-friendly presentation.
And people became involved to an unanticipated extent.
Spouses copied down the moves for their better halves — who were at work during the 1-to-6 p.m. broadcast in the Eastern time zone — to review on the way home.
During the first game, Fischer’s position became hopeless. When it was suggested — tongue in cheek — that perhaps someone watching could find a move for him, hundreds of calls were received by the overworked switchboards.
At New York bars, some customers bet $1,000 or more on the next move.
Something out of the ordinary was happening. The Fischer-Spassky audience seemed to have a quality comparable with those of the most engaging sports events.
Alas, during the ensuing years, the initial success of chess on television hasn’t been replicated.
Source: http://www.dispatch.com
It was a one of a kind match.