ALincoln Journal Star Lincoln, Nebraska Wednesday, January 26, 1972 - Page 30
Don Forsythe, Journal Sports Editor:
Chess doesn't immediately come to mind when you're discussing lucrative paychecks for participation, but the stakes will be impressive when Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky of Russia meet sometime this year for the world championship.
Lincoln's Aleksander Liepnieks who keeps close watch on the chess world, offered a briefing on the Fischer-Spassky showdown after a visit last week with Col. Ed Edmondson, executive director of the U.S. Chess Federation who serves as Fischer's manager.
At the moment, deliberations are continuing on a playing site. Yugoslavia has bid $152,000 for the right to conduct the competition with other bids of $150,000 from Argentina and $125,000 from Iceland.
Liepnieks speculates the championship will be held in Iceland. “The Russians won't agree on Yugoslavia. Fischer is very much liked in Yugoslavia. He's a national hero there. He's also very popular in Argentina.” he says.
Even though the Iceland bid isn't as great as the others the Fischer-Spassky winner stands to collect over $78,000 from a $125,000 purse. Fischer, who defeated Tigran Petrosian in Buenos Aires in the championship series semifinals, is hopeful of becoming the first official world champion from the U.S. Russians have held the title since 1948.
Fischer, incidentally, had his tournament start at age 12 in the 1955 U.S. Junior Chess Championship in Lincoln.
