ABack to April 07, 1972 News Articles
The Province Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Friday, April 07, 1972 - Page 2
Yugoslavs Refuse Further Chess Talks
Belgrade — The Belgrade organizers of the Boris Spassky-Bobby Fischer world title chess match have made it clear they do not intend to negotiate new terms with Fischer as the price of ending the dispute over arrangements for the match.
Paul Marshall, representing both Fischer and the American Chess Federation, is expected here next week to try to persuade the Yugoslavs to change their minds over withdrawing their offer of Belgrade as the location for the first half of the championship encounter.
But the organizers here say there can be no question of further negotiations.
The location and date for the match, due to start June 22, were fixed by an agreement in Amsterdam March 20, but Fischer rejected it, the organizers noted.
The second part of the match is due to be held in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The president of the International Chess Federation, Dr. Max Euwe, threatened Fischer with disqualification from the match unless his national federation guaranteed he would play.
The organizers here said that while Fischer now had agreed to play in Belgrade June 22, he had still left open whether or not he agreed to the financial conditions, the main issue in dispute.
Under the original agreement, Belgrade and Reykjavik offered $138,500 total prize money, of which 62.5 per cent would go to the winner and 37.5 per cent to the loser.
But Fischer, who defeated the former champion, Russian Tigran Petrosian in Buenos Aires for the right to challenge Spassky, also of the Soviet Union, is reported to want a larger share guaranteed him, including a proportion of television and other rights.
