AThe Herald-Press Saint Joseph, Michigan Thursday, August 30, 1962 - Page 6
A Russian First 30 Aug 1962, Thu The Herald-Press (Saint Joseph, Michigan) Newspapers.com
A Russian First
Russians, who are noted for ungentlemanly habits, have been accused of cheating at chess. Not garden variety cheating, but cheating at the international challenge level.
Bobby Fischer, a young American who is one of the world's best chess players, has explained how the Russians do it. At tournaments against non-Russians, they assure good records against each other by agreeing to draw-tie-their matches. Then, when one Russian reaches a good score by beating other players, the other Russians throw their matches with him, assuring that the leading Russian will win the competition.
The result, Fischer charges, is that no non-Russian has any chance of winning. Fischer vows he will enter no more international tournaments until the rules are changed to prevent such collusion.
Back in the Stalin days, the Russians claimed they had invented everything from the automobile to electric lights. It is doubtful if they invented chess, which came from somewhere in the mysterious East.
They have invented the first efficient way to cheat at it.
