LiamToo wrote:
If Fischer were a poker player, he could have been a great
one too. As they sat down to play, Bobby saw poker tells from Spassky.
He saw fear.
I remember that there was a commentator who made the comment that
Spassky had the same deadpan expression whether he was mating or being
mated, or at least I think I do.
I think Spassky was a ball of conflicting ideas and emotions, and this
heightened during the match, which makes speculation difficult. But I
am not sure if Spassky gave anything away by facial expressions or body
language.
Again, this is the product of an aging memory, but I always thought the
most appropriate thought was that at some point in the match Fischer
"smelled" victory - and I use that term deliberately, almost like an
animal that tracked his rather conflicted and sometimes lazy prey.
One of my favorite and most fruitless what ifs is what if both players
had been clicking on all cylinders - the popular vote goes to Fischer,
but I still think Spassky could have won....