A Strategist

                                                              Object to be Destroyed by Man Ray
Image1: Courtesy of Tess' Mag

Image2: A Digital Chess Clock
Sourced through Wikimedia Commons (here)

The constant ticking
Eyeing them at every move
In the process determines
No one exceeds his given time
The likes of the grueling showdown of
The Fischer and Spassky of old (here)
A classic never surpassed

The disciplined mind of a Grandmaster
Never cowed nor succumbed to pressures
Psychological or political
It gripped the attention of the world
Made Reyjavik known
A duo who battled with their wits
At the height of the Cold War
More for the country than personal glory

Unlike Fischer, Spassky was given to
backing of the powers that be
But the onslaught, mental strength and strategies
of a determined eccentric Fischer proved himself
a genius right through till the end

Written for Tess' Magpie Tales #146