The Baltimore Sun Baltimore, Maryland Saturday, February 12, 1972 - Page 1
Stubborn Fischer Vexes Russians by Dean Mills, Moscow Bureau of The Sun
Moscow—The Soviet-American battle for the chess championship of the world is months away, but the Russians began fighting yesterday, charging both the Americans and the International Chess Federation with foul play in the selection of a site for the match.
Soviet chess officials demanded that the international body choose the location from among the four choices submitted by the world champion, Boris Spassky of Russia. His choices were Reykjavik, Iceland, Amsterdam; Paris or Dortmund, West Germany.
They argued that the American challenger, Bobby Fischer, had lost his right to a say in the matter by failing to submit his list of choices until four days after the January 27 deadline agreed upon by both sides.
But it apparently was another action by Mr. Fischer that particularly angered the Russians and promoted them to reveal the details of the hitherto secret negotiations yesterday.
[(Neither Fischer nor Spassky are present during this conference between Edmondson and Soviet delegates, to agree to anything. Why was Spassky forbidden to attend the conference in Amsterdam where he could have made a binding agreement with Fischer, in person.)]
The Russians disclosed at a press conference that they had reached a “preliminary agreement” February 7 with Edmund B. Edmondson, the head of the American Chess Federation, to hold the match in Reykjavik beginning June 25.
But the announcement was to be held until both players approved the decision. Since Mr. Edmondson had come directly from Iceland, where Mr. Fischer was staying, the Russians indicated, they assumed this step would be only a formality.
Then, Wednesday, they were informed by telephone that Mr. Fischer had rejected both the proposed time and place.
In the statement released by the Soviet officials, they said they thought the time had come to make public the details of the negotiations “so the public could get a correct understanding of the situation which has been created.”
Declaring “an official protest against the breaking of regulations,” the Russians demanded that the international federation “reject the attempts of the challenger to arrange conditions pleasing only to him.”
The Russians revealed that Mr. Fischer named five cities on his list—Belgrade and Sarajevo, Yugoslavia; Chicago; Buenos Aires, and Montreal.
Only the Yugoslav locations satisfy the condition set by Mr. Spassky that the match be in a European country. And they do not meet the Russian's preference for a “moderate” climate.
“The fact that the champion did not mention a Yugoslav town,” the director of the Central Chess Club said, “can be explained, we assume, by climatic conditions. July and August are hot months there.”
Stubborn Fischer Vexes Russians Sat, Feb 12, 1972 – 1 · The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) · Newspapers.com
