Courier-Post Camden, New Jersey Tuesday, May 02, 1972 - Page 17
World Chess Match Site Selection Ready
Amsterdam (UPI) — Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation, said Monday he would make a final decision on the world championship match of Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union within the next few days.
“I have just returned from a chess-promoting world trip. Tuesday, I will check all information with my secretariat,” he said. I have already made up my mind about a line of action. I will make a final decision within the next few days. The affair has been going on already too long.”
At a meeting in Amsterdam, March 20, representatives of the two players and of the Soviet, American, Yugoslav and Icelandic federations agreed on a procedure for the 24-match series.
The first leg was scheduled to start June 22 in Belgrade and the second leg would be played in Reykjavik.
The two cities offer prize money of $138,000 of which 62.5 per cent would go to the winner and 37.5 per cent to the loser.
The Belgrade sponsors backed out after Fischer wanted more money. The international federation received various offers to take over, including one from Reykjavik to organize the complete match.
The Soviet federation has demanded that Euwe should accept the Reykjavik offer and force Fischer to do so too under the threat he would be deprived of his challenging rights.
An Australian syndicate made a $226,000 bid Monday for the world chess championship between Spassky and Fischer to be played in Sydney. The bid was announced by Linden Prowse, a businessman who declined to name the members of the syndicate. They cabled the offer to Amsterdam.
