Bobby Fischer's 1972 match against Boris Spassky was a groundbreaking event that captivated the nation.

What was the Match of the Century?

The match was a world championship contest that pitted the American Bobby Fischer against the reigning champion, the Russian Boris Spassky.
It was called the Match of the Century due to its historical significance and the intense rivalry between the two players.
The match took place in Iceland and was broadcast on PBS Channel 13, with Shelby Lyman providing commentary.

Why did it matter?

The match was not just about chess, but also about the Cold War and the struggle for supremacy between the Americans and the Soviets.
Bobby Fischer's victory was seen as a patriotic duty, with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger urging him to play.

What was the atmosphere like?

The atmosphere in New York City was electric, with people gathering in front of department store windows to watch the match on TV.
The electronic zipper in 1 Times Square broadcast the latest results, and ABC pre-empted regularly scheduled programming to bring special coverage of the match.
LeRoy Neiman, the celebrated sports illustrator, was sent to Iceland to sketch the players and the venue.
He said, "I thought that going up to that chess match would be like watching the grass grow, but it was far more exciting than I ever expected it to be."
The match was watched by up to 2 million people in New York City, becoming the highest-rated public television program of all time.
Andrew Soltis, a young reporter at The New York Post, was asked to write daily updates about the match.
He was also a master-level chess player who would later become a grandmaster.
The prize fund for the match was $250,000, roughly $1.5 million in today's terms, making it a major sporting event.
Dick Cavett, who had Bobby Fischer on his show, said, "It was the Super Bowl, the audiences were gigantic, people stayed home from work."
The match had all the elements of great theater, with the backdrop of the Cold War and the outsize persona of Bobby Fischer.
A new movie, Pawn Sacrifice, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Tobey Maguire as Fischer, recounts his rise to prominence and the tense atmosphere in Iceland during the match.