When we were Kings IX: Little Earthquakes

Small Earthquake in Chile - Not Many Dead

Claud Cockburn

I have a friend who lives in Canterbury. She, it turns out, had no idea that the British Championships were being played in her home town until I mentioned it to her a few days ago. As a matter of fact, she even works at the University and yet still didn't have a clue what was happening right on her doorstep. We're not exactly writing the songs that the whole world sings are we?

As EJH mentioned on Monday, the Evening Standard's decision to ditch Leonard Barden's chess column right in the middle of the British was rather symbolic of the how chess gets treated by the mainstream media in general right now. I'm not sure it's our fault particularly, in fact I'm sure it's not, but the fact remains that these days we have a bit of a problem getting anybody to notice us. The current, rather dismal, state of affairs certainly stands in marked contrast to how things were in the '70s.

Claud Cockburn once famously claimed to have created the least interesting headline in newspaper history. I wonder what he would have made of,

“Spassky Calls Off Chess Game Because of a Cold”

This zinger appeared not once but twice in The Times in December 1977 and shows better than anything else just how newsworthy our favourite game was back then. It's not just that it used to be front page, mainstream news. When we were Kings chess even got reported even when it wasn't played.

The Times
10th November 1977
page 7

INJURED KORCHNOI HAS TO PUT OFF SPASSKY MATCH
Frauenfeld, Switzerland, Nov 9. – Viktor Korchnoi, the Russian chess grandmaster, was injured in a road accident last night and will have to postpone his world championship semi-final against Boris Spassky.

Korchnoi, aged 46, who defected from Russia last year, suffered a broken hand and other minor injuries when a taxi in which he was travelling collided with a Swiss Army vehicle.

The semi-final match against Spassky was to have started in Belgrade on November 15. Swiss chess officials said the two men’s managers were discussing another date. – UPI

The Times
16th November 16, 1977
page 11

KORCHNOI DELAYS SPASSKY MATCH
Belgrade, Nov 15. – The world chess championship semifinal match between Viktor Korchnoi and Boris Spassky will start next Monday instead of tomorrow as had been planned.

Korchnoi, who injured his hand in a car accident recently, asked for a postponement today and Spassky agreed. – Agence France-Presse

The Times
3rd December, 1977
page 5

SPASSKY CALLS OFF CHESS GAME BECAUSE OF A COLD
Belgrade, Dec 2. – Boris Spassky, the former world chess champion, today called off the sixth game in this match against Viktor Korchnoi because he had a cold. The game will be played on Monday.

Korchnoi is leading in the match by 3 ½ points to 1 ½. The winner will challenge Anatoly Karpov, the present champion, for the world title. – Reuter.

The Times
8th December, 1977
page 6

SPASSKY CALLS OFF CHESS GAME BECAUSE OF A COLD
Belgrade, Dec 7. – Boris Spassky, losing 2-4 to Viktor Korchnoi in the match to decide who will challenge Anatoly Karpov for the world chess championship, called off the seventh game today because of a cold. The game will be played on Friday.

Each player has the right to three postponements during the 20-game match. Spassky has now exercised the right twice.

The Times
19th December, 1977
page 5

KORCHNOI PUTS OFF GAME
Belgrade, Dec 18. – The tenth game in the match between Boris Spassky and Viktor Korchnoi to find a challenger to Anatoly Karpov, the world chess champion, adjourned on Friday night and due to be resumed last night, was put off until tomorrow at Korchnoi’s request. – Reuter.

See also: Trio
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