AAsbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Friday, April 07, 1972 - Page 24
Funds Are Shy For Chess Match
New York (AP) — A spokesman for the U.S. Chess Federation said yesterday the organization does not have $35,000 to guarantee the appearance of Bobby Fischer of the United States at the world champion chess match in Belgrade.
“We can't make such a guarantee for a very good reason. The federation does not have that kind of money,” the spokesman said.
Earlier, a spokesman for the Belgrade match organizers had said, “If the Americans agree to deposit the $35,000 pledge that Fischer will arrive to play his match, we would be ready to get the entire machine rolling again.
Fischer, who is to meet in the match the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky, the current world champion, was not available for comment.
Fischer has agreed to abide by the decision of the International Chess Federation to play half the title matches in Reykjavik, Iceland, and half in Belgrade. But he has been demanding more money.
The financial demands had induced the Belgrade organizers to announce last week they were cancelling plans to hold the match June 22 as planned.
Fischer has insisted that all profits from the match after expenses he divided equally between himself and Spassky.
The original agreement called for 72 per cent of the $138,500 purse to go to the winner and 28 per cent to the loser.
The newspaper Polituka Ekspres which printed the comments of Belgrade spokesman Aleksander Matanovik quoted him as saying only an insurance policy against ill health would be required from Spassky, the current world champion.
“Spassky is a reasonable man,” Matanovik was reported as saying.
