The Sydney Morning Herald Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Tuesday, May 02, 1972 - Page 3
Chess Bid Made to Boost Australia
Mr. Linden Prowse flung his hands in the air and said: “Everybody wants to know why! Is there anything wrong with doing something for Australia?”
Mr. Prowse's “some-thing for Australia” is his unnamed syndicate's $225,000 bid for the right to stage in Sydney the world chess championship match between America's Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.
Yesterday Mr. Prowse, a 37-year-old businessman, said: “It's all our own money. We don't want the Government to help. It's up to Australian business people to get off their backsides and do this sort of thing for Australia.”
But he also conceded that if the syndicate went the right way about it “we might make a few pennies out of it.”
The profits would come largely from the sale of copyright to press representatives throughout the world.
“It is a contest between individuals—the old world of Tolstoy versus the new world,” he said.
“At least 800 million people are interested in playing and watching chess. This would be a great event for Australia.”
He said he had had “stacks of phone calls” yesterday from people offering financial support.
Mr. Prowse said that $200,000 of the $225,000 would go towards prize money, with the remaining $25,000 for expenses.
He was confident the offer would be accepted by Spassky and Fischer.
For Fischer it had the advantage of being a “neutral” country, and for Spassky, all 24 games being held in one country.
Mr. Prowse, who described himself as a poor chess player—“but you don't have to be a chef to enjoy good food”—said that he would not make any further offer if the present one was rejected.
“We are not running in an auction.” Mr. Prowse was one of the founders of LUV Pet-foods, which was acquired by US interests last year.
The organizing secretary of the Australian Chess Federation, Mr. G. Koshnitsky, said last night he had sent Mr. Prowse's offer to the International Chess Federation in Amsterdam.
The Australian offer had to be considered with several others.
“However, we have a few advantages,” he said.
Mr. Koshnitsky said he expected a decision “in the next few days.”
