AThe Capital Times Madison, Wisconsin Friday, July 07, 1972 - Page 37
Chess Championship Highlights on Channel 27
Highlights of the World Championship Chess Tournament between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union will be telecast on ABC's “Wide World of Sports” Saturday at 4 p.m. on Channel 27.
The championship games, which will run a maximum of eight weeks, are being held in Reykjavik, Iceland. This is the first time in history the matches will be played outside the Soviet Union.
A maximum of 24 games will be played. As soon as one competitor earns 12½ points, the championship is decided and play is terminated. One point is awarded for a victory, a half point for a tie. Defending champion Spassky needs only a 12-12 tie to retain his world title.
Fischer, a prodigy who stunned the world by winning the United States national championship at the age of 14, has faced Spassky only five times in his career and has never won, losing three games and tying twice between 1960 and 1970. Yet, following his relatively easy succession of triumphs in preliminary competition, Fischer is probably the favorite.
Spassky is the latest in a long line of Russian champions. A representative of the Soviet Union has held the World Championship for the past 23 years.
The two players will split a $250,000 purse and will receive $75,000 each for TV and radio rights.
In addition to providing exclusive coverage of the actual play, ABC Sports will have interviews with Fischer and Spassky, coverage of their training methods and analysis of strategy and vital moves.
Chess Championship Highlights on Channel 27 07 Jul 1972, Fri The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com
