AThe News Journal Wilmington, Delaware Friday, April 14, 1972 - Page 10
Scheduled to Start in June: Fischer-Spassky Match Not Till Fall, Says Slav
Belgrade (UPI) — The Belgrade organizers of the world chess title match between Soviet champion Boris Spassky and U.S. challenger Robert Fischer said today the event may take place in Belgrade in October instead of June.
“There is no chance the match will begin as scheduled on June 22,” championship director Milivoje Molerovic said. “We may only discuss the holding of the match some time in October after the 20th chess Olympic games in September,” Molerovic said.
The Yugoslav chess official was commenting on the International Chess Federation (FIDE) communique yesterday saying that the first leg of the match in Belgrade June 22-July 18 has been canceled because the U.S. Chess Federation failed to deposit a financial guarantee.
“We have not yet received FIDE's formal decision but learned about it from news agency reports. Anyway, the match in Belgrade scheduled to begin in June is now definitely off,” Molerovic said.
“We are surprised that nobody in the United States was willing to deposit a guarantee,” he said.
The FIDE requested financial guarantees that Fischer and Spassky will play under the conditions agreed among the interested sides in Amsterdam on March 20.
The Soviet Chess Federation has replied positively to the FIDE request for the financial guarantee for Spassky.
The second leg of the Spassky-Fischer match was scheduled to be played in Reykjavik, Iceland, starting Aug. 6.
