Match of the Century

The Match of the Century was the world chess championship in 1972, at the height of the Cold War, between the champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union and the challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States. Fischer was first American-born player to ever contest for the world championship, and the communist Soviet Union had held the title for 24 years.

The drama and quality of play were spectacular, and Fischer-Spassky Game 6 is considered perhaps the finest ever. The score for the match was then tied at 2½ to 2½, and Fischer's victory in it turned the tide in his favor, and he never looked back as he won the title and returned a national hero.

In the match Fischer won seven games, while Spassky won only two plus a game forfeited by Fischer for not showing up in protest. The final score was 12½ points by Fischer to 8½ by Spassky, which included eleven draws.