ASpringfield Leader and Press Springfield, Missouri Wednesday, June 28, 1972 - Page 13
It's $5 a Game To See Champs
By Ann Hencken
New York (AP) — Promotional aspects of the Fischer-Spassky world championship chess match are becoming as important as they are in any big league sport.
Chess matches are not usually world happenings. But with the keen interest sparked by American Bobby Fischer challenging Russian Boris Spassky for the world title, its a different situation.
The Icelandic Chess Federation has put up close to $200,000 for the 24-game match to be held for two months in Reykjavik, Iceland, starting July 2.
The games will be played in the Reykjavik Sportshall, which seats about 3,000 people. The match will be open to the public and tickets will cost $5 a game or $75 for the 24 scheduled games.
Of the $200,000 put up, some $125,000 will be paid in prizes to the players, according to the federation.
Fischer, 29, and Spassky, 35, will also divide 60 per cent of the income from films and television.
The federation has signed a 99-year contract with Chester Fox and Co., Inc. for exclusive worldwide visual rights, including rights to film the match and still photos of the match taken inside the Sportshall.
Fox and the federation will split the profits equally.
The price Fox paid for the rights is undisclosed. But he did say he would have to spend some $200,000 for the color filming.
“I guess it's a coup, but it's quite an undertaking,” Fox said in New York.
He has asked for bids from interested television stations in countries throughout the world. He is concerned with the highest bidders in each country, and if a contract is signed, he will send them film clips as the match progresses.
“We'll be negotiating straight through Sunday and beyond. It's been very hectic. There's a lot of interest in it, more so in the rest of the world than in the U.S.,” said Fox, who adds that the only two countries which have sent cables saying they would not bid are Kuwait and Jordan.
“We've spoken with Tass, briefly… There hasn't been that much interest from the Russians.” says Fox, adding that he will not name countries negotiating, or those which have signed contracts, until negotiations are finalized.
In the United States, ABC has contracted for exclusive film rights. The Fox film segments will be shown Saturdays on the ABC program “Wide World of Sports.”
Fox declined to say how much ABC paid for the rights. He did comment that he has not suggested bid prices for those interested.
“I find the news media have their own way of evaluating this. They're immensely fair,” said Fox, adding he has used a sliding scale depending on the country.
However, in the United States, Channel 13—WNDT. New York, and Teleprompter Cable T.V. have planned programs discussing the action at the match, without the use of the Fox film.
Channel 13 plans a move-by-move commentary and analysis on the match, by chess master Shelby Lyman, who will work from a studio in Albany, N.Y. using vertical boards to illustrate the moves.
The extensive coverage would start Sunday, July 2 and run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., nationally. It would continue three times a week throughout the match, with shorter broadcasts Tuesday and Thursday for cities on the Eastern seaboard.
Richard Gitter, lawyer for Channel 13—WNDT, said Fox and the federation threatened to go to court, if these plans were not abandoned.
He told them that plans were being continued and that he was authorized by Teleprompter to similarly inform.
“There's something outrageous about the Chess Federation and Fox trying to limit coverage,” said Gitter, “It could have been any kind of major news event.”
“I think the people who'll be watching us will not be the same people who're watching Wide World of Sports. I don't think we're competitive,” said Frank Leicht, vice president and director of programming and administration at Channel 13—WNDT.
“We have stated that we are in favor of absolute the total dissemination of the news. However where a device is used to recreate or simulate private property, well, that is not the use of news but an abuse,” said Richard C. Stein, lawyer for Fox.
He further added, “Mr. Fox has exclusive film rights granted to him by the federation and those are his rights. Any reproduction would appear to infringe on those rights to the detriment of the Federation and Mr. Fox.
James Halperin, lawyer for the Icelandic Chess Federation, denied a report they were served an injunction.
“Our law office hasn't served anyone with a restraining order, he said, adding he would not comment on future plans.
Roone Arledge, president of ABC Sports, has no objections to the proposed plans for outside program on the match.
“I think that would be excellent programming and a good thing for them to do… We're going to do it in a condensed, limited way. As long as we can do what we want to do, we'd be delighted to cooperate,” said Arledge.
“If they do a move-by-move thing, I'll be watching,” he said.
