Video Description

James Burke reports from Reykjavik, Iceland, on the World Chess Championship, which sees the outspoken American Bobby Fischer compete against Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. Before a single move has been made, many are already dubbing it the "Match of the Century" This is a rare chance to meet Fischer - a controversial and secretive man, a man who has been called a genius, a man who lives for chess and who has been obsessed by the game since the age of nine. In an exclusive interview Bobby Fischer talks about his sensational career, the life of a professional chess player, his struggle to gain acceptance for chess in the USA, and his belief that he has been the unofficial champion for the past ten years, but has been denied his chance to compete due to Russia's desire to keep the prestigious title in Soviet hands. Also taking part in the documentary are Danish chess grandmaster and writer Bent Larsen and grandmaster Svetozar Gligorić of Yugoslavia. Extracts taken from This Little Thing With Me and Spassky, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 2 July, 1972. You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults. Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?sub_confirmation=1 You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive