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A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

Theres nothing like a good chess match to heat up a Cold War.

On July 11, 1972, the World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union began play in Reykjavik, Iceland.

It must be said, Fischer, from Brooklyn, New York, was a hard man to like. A true prodigy, he was arrogant and standoffish. News reports of the day labeled him as a tough and aggressive opponent, but he was prone to throw tantrums, be petulant and belittle others.

His match with the classical Spassky became an image of the Cold War, fought on a chess board in Iceland, of all places. Non-chess fans began following the games, and news organizations reported on it. One can only imagine what the frenzied following would be today in this social media world.

Fischer lost the first match and forfeited the second, as he complained about everything and everyone.

But then the American caught fire, and over the next 30 days built a significant lead.

And newspapers of the day followed the contest. Americans loved his antics. It was called the Match of the Century.

On Sept. 1, Spassky resigned the match just as Game 21 was to resume. He actually conceded by phone, perhaps fed up with the Americans antics.

Fischer won $250,000. He is still the only American to win the World Chess Championship. Russian-born players had dominated the sport for decades.

After a challenging life where the chess prodigy seemed often at odds with the world, and maybe himself, over a variety of issues, Fischer died in early 2008 at age 64. He died in Reykjavik, site of his famous triumph.

Fischers victory was widely seen as a symbolic triumph for democracy over Communism, and it turned the new champion into an unlikely American hero. He was invited to the White House by President Richard M. Nixon, interviewed on television, hounded by journalists, wooed unsuccessfully by commercial interests. Sales of chess sets skyrocketed; so did fees for chess lessons, as scores of poverty-stricken chess players benefited from the cachet that Fischer had conferred on them, his Associated Press obituary read.

Here are a selection of stories from the Deseret News archives:

Defiant Spassky vows to send Bobby Fischer back into obscurity

U.S.s only world champion found lost again

Chess master Bobby Fischer is dead at 64

Bobby Fischer lives on at Sundance Film Festival

Icelandic court allows exhumation of Bobby Fischer

Is Bobby Fischer fishing for trouble?

`Bobby Fischer celebrates the wonder of a sane genius

Most consider Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen and Fischer as the greatest chess players of all time.

Im sure there is a computer somewhere that would disagree.

The most recent world chess drama involves Carlsen, rival Hans Niemann and cheating allegations. But it might be a fork/double attack. Maybe a decoy/deflection?

World chess champion resigned from match after first move. Heres what happened

Chess cheating scandal whats in the 72-page report?

Read more:
Deseret News archives: Fischer beat Spassky in chess Match of the Century - Yahoo! Voices