AThe Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, July 02, 1972 - Page 20
Chess Championship Opens and Absent Fischer Asks Delay by Joe Alex Morris Jr., Times Staff Writer
Reykjavik, Iceland — The world chess championship was formally declared open Saturday night despite the fact that American challenger Robert J. (Bobby) Fischer was nowhere in sight.
And the likelihood that the American challenger would appear in time for the scheduled 5 p.m. (10 a.m. PDT) start of the first game of the 24-game match appeared even dimmer when Fischer's lawyer asked to postpone the match until Tuesday.
Lothar Schmidt of Germany, the chief referee, said early today he didn't recognize the legitimacy of the request made by Andrew Davis, Fischer's lawyer.
Flags and Oratory
The pomp and circumstances—complete with flags, oratory by the Soviet ambassador and the American charge d' affaires, and national anthems—went on as scheduled. Icelandic authorities could not imagine that Fischer would abandon his long struggle to the chess summit because of an argument over a paltry few thousand dollars.
They were not giving up hope that the 29-year-old American prodigy would be on hand to face Russian world champion Boris Spassky in the first of 24 matches scheduled to run until Aug. 24.
But grave doubts were cast over the whole picture by an unseemly squabble with Icelandic authorities over money. Fischer was demanding the players get 30% of the gate in addition to the $125,000 plus 60% of television and picture rights the Ice-
Chess, Continued from First Page
landers have already promised them.
“We are trying to avoid financial disaster,” said Iceland Chess Federation President Gudmundur Thorarinsson. “We are not budging.”
The financial rewards were 10 times greater than for any previous match, he said.
Spassky was asked if the match would start today. “I don't think so,” he answered in English.
The financial dispute jeopardized Fischer's chance to end 45 years of Soviet domination over world chess and also his chance to become the second American world champion. The first was Paul Morphy, who in 1857 was the second world champion.
Fischer's representative and the chief arbiter, Schmid, a German publisher of Wild West books, agreed that the special chess board to be used in the match was not good. It reflected glare from the fluorescent lights insisted upon by Fischer.
Schmid also suggested the organizers lay deep pile carpeting in the hall, normally a sports arena, to muffle noise. The chairs have been changed for the same reason, and every furniture store in Reykjavik was ransacked Saturday for possible seats for the two competitors themselves.
Fischer was not expected Saturday. He belongs to the Church of God, which considers Saturday as the Sabbath and forbids travel on that day.
As it stands, he could make a flight arriving here this morning. But this leaves him less than 12 hours to rest up and to go over the final details of arrangements.
Under normal tournament rules, Fischer could miss three games before forfeiting. Spassky would get three points for those games, of course, and he needs only 12 to retain his championship whereas Fischer needs 12½ to win.
The Russians has been here since June 26, playing tennis and riding about in a Ford Bronco, the car he asked for and which travels well over this volcanic island's rough tracks. Fischer asked for a Mercedes limousine with automatic drive.
The Icelanders are particularly bitter over Fischer's tactics because they were counting on filling the hall here with 3,000 persons every night, at least at the start, to bring in the revenue they need to stage this tourney.
They've already spent $50,000 and will spend much more even if Fischer never shows.
“People are not coming to Iceland and the Icelandic people are not buying tickets until they are sure Fischer is here,” said federation chief Thorarinsson. So far, they've sold only two-thirds of the tickets for the opening match, and far fewer for the subsequent ones.
The Icelanders nevertheless were putting on the best front possible.
“He accepted to play in Iceland,” Thorarinsson said, “and he's not the type to break his word.”
The match has created intense excitement in the relatively large world of chess fanatics, not only because of the big power aspects of an American challenge to Soviet domination but because it had seemed likely to be an exciting match. Fischer is a dramatic and sometimes almost impulsive player, a strategist first and foremost, whereas Spassky is a supreme tactician.
The match almost bogged down in a tremendous hassle—just when it seemed arranged that half the games be played in Reykjavik (Soviet choice) and half in Belgrade (Fischer's choice and the city offering the most money.)
That arrangement collapsed when the American Chess Federation refused a Yugoslav demand for a financial guarantee that Fischer would show up — a move which in today's hindsight ([was not “wise” it was ILLEGAL and that's why USCF's Edmondson refused to go along with extortion. If Belgrade and Reykjavik couldn't handle this match, they should have left it up to those more financially equipped to, such as Australia, Mexico or Argentina. Belgrade accused Fischer “might not show up”? It appears he's making good on their idle-rumor mill.)]
On past record Spassky should beat Fischer. He has done so three times and drawn twice in five matches with the American. But he is 35, which is pushing the old age limit for chess champions, and the brash young American may still be approaching the height of his prowess.
If Fischer does not show up, Spassky will play the Russian defensive strategist, Tigran Petrosian, for the title.
Considering that he has put his life into getting to this very point, many of the chess buffs gathered here found it inconceivable that Fischer would throw it all away for a few thousand extra dollars.“If he wins here, he'll be set for life,” one said. “Bobby is no fool, and only a fool would throw away this opportunity.”
Chess 02 Jul 1972, Sun The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com
