Daily Press Newport News, Virginia Saturday, July 08, 1972 - Page 4
Bobby Fischer “Antics”
Bobby Fischer jeopardized his chances at wresting the world chess championship away from the Russians by delaying the start of the matches in Iceland and in the process made himself the villain of the piece. ([Among the very long list of offenses of villainy by Eastern organizers who were unleashing a flood of false reports in earlier months to support their plots to disqualify Bobby Fischer, and replace with Tigran Petrosian, along with their refusal to any direct communication to iron-out pre-match details…demanding Fischer orally agree to new arrangements he'd neither seen nor read when Belgrade dropped the first half of the matches and Euwe then reneged on his word to offer the first half of the matches “first come, first serve”; Australia bidding a whopping $225k -- with a mere 25k going for organization expenses and Mexico bidding $175k! et cetera]) The Soviet demand that the first match be forfeited ([further of the most un-sportsmanlike conduct!]) to titlist Boris Spassky could have been heeded and even the entire series conceivably was in the balance. There was in fact no real precedent for the chess world to handle such misconduct as that of the always irrepressible American grand master.
But Bobby Fischer got what he wanted (more money in the kitty) and may also have upset the composure of his opponent: “psyching” is a familiar tactic when grand masters meet each other, and is Fischer's particular forte. Moreover, the was never one to worry about whether people liked him.
In trying to judge Fischer's conduct, however, it is important to note that the Russians subsidize their top chess competitors on a grand scale while nothing like that happens in this country, where chess activities are seldom given prominence. And Fischer's grab for funds wasn't so dissimilar from what has been going on in the main arena of American sports.
The American challenger did redeem himself somewhat by apologizing twice to Spassky for the delay (the matches are now set to begin on Tuesday) and for any distress or discomfiture he caused — a gesture that hardly was in keeping with his “bad boy” reputation but perhaps for that reason more effective.
The Russians take chess very seriously and if Spassky loses it will for them be a national catastrophe. Youngster there take up chess on the scale that young Americans try to develop skills in baseball, football and basketball; the world championship has been in Soviet possession 35 years. Undoubtedly if Fischer wins it will be a start toward putting chess on a new footing in this country and excellence in this mind-testing endeavor is something of which anyone would have reason to be proud. We'll still be rooting for Bobby Fischer even though he has done much to make that difficult. ([Further “Antics,” such as keeping the Saturday Sabbath, which was contrary to the mainstream American's day of worship, Sunday, kept by the overwhelming majority of Xtian Protestants, along with the irreligious Soviets, cause, and license to ridicule and denounce a man as “temperamental” in their antisemitic fervor, public scorn in the press when he chooses to walk out while in the lead at a tournament rather than risk offense to his God. If it were the other way around, had Fischer's dispute been against being forced to work on “Sunday,” American press editorials would've given Fischer nothing but high praise and shining reviews of Fischer's example to all on his personal “Devotion to Faith”.])
Bobby Fischer "Antics" 08 Jul 1972, Sat Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia) Newspapers.com
