孤独地对抗全世界（下）

Although Bobby made a concession to some extent, he lost the first two games: the first one he helped his opponent win with an inexplicable fault; the second one he was judged losing for absence. Fischer’s indiscretion caused strong resentment among Icelanders, mass of Meykjavik residents demonstrated outside the American embassy, shouted “if Fischer goes on taking the game rashly, we will take back American bases!” (In another words, Icelanders was going to drive off U.S. station troops if Fischer went on disappointing them). Kissinger had no other choice but persuade him once more. On the other hand, Spassky was reluctant to defeat him without a fight, so, in everyone’s mediation, the organizer consented to move the ground to a table tennis room without audience and television cameras, only in this way did Fischer concentrate himself on the game. At this time Fischer appeared to get into the groove, he displayed his talent thoroughly and attacked his rival with all kinds of eccentric tricks. In the following two months, Fischer and Spassky fought 21 rounds, with the points 12.5 to 8.5 Fischer was crowned world champion. American citizens seethed, Bobby was warmly welcomed by his motherland as a hero. The popular saying went like this: Fischer defeated the Soviets in their own field, destroyed the Soviet chess empire in a move, earned American “the first round” in the cold war. Without being too particular about his objectionable eccentricities, he was regarded as a “national hero”. Even President Nixon himself tendered his congratulations to him. It is alleged that Fischer rejected Nixon’s interview, because the president was unwilling to pay for it, Spassky’s popularity nosedived after returning to Russia, he was accused widely, could not but emigrate to France and never touch chess again. A few months later when Nixon visited Soviet Union, he present the General Secretary Brezhnev a pocket chess as a gift, which embarrassed the latter.