The Guardian London, Greater London, England Tuesday, July 18, 1972 - Page 4
Classic Move by American by Michael Lake, Reykjavik, July 17.
Bobby Fischer scored a convincing victory over Boris Spassky here tonight in the third game of the 24-game world chess championship. Since Fischer was already two games down — one lost ([due to disruptive camera crews placed there by the Icelandic/Soviet Chess organizers]) and one forfeited in a blaze of controversy ([over the disruptive camera crews placed there by the Icelandic/Soviet Chess organizers]) — and since he was playing disadvantageously with black, his victory is all the more impressive and promises to make the contest what it was always billed to be — the match of the century.
This is the first time Fischer has beaten Spassky and now he has broken his duck he can be expected to play with ever more aggression.
Fischer controlled the game from the beginning with a surprise move that had him always one jump ahead of Spassky. The referee, Herr Lothar Schmid, who is himself a grand master remarked privately that Fischer's game was a masterpiece.
Mr. Jack Collins, the disabled master said tonight the game reminded him of the great Capablanca at his classic best.
At last night's adjournment at the forty-first move and with black to move, Fischer put his move in a sealed envelope as is customary. At the appointed time today, the move was made for him ([by the arbiter, as is customary]).
Chess players who had spent half the night and most of the day calculating what this would be, decided that it was the end for the Soviet champion. So it was: without waiting for Fischer to arrive, Spassky resigned and left the building. Fischer turn up to find the hall emptying.
The game was resumed on the stage of the auditorium after Spassky had protested to the referee that Fischer's determination to play in a back room away from all television cameras ([operated by crews of men hired to disrupt play]) was no longer acceptable.
But the cameras of Mr. Chester Fox of New York ([but, like the Icelandic organizers, a very friendly ally of Soviet Russia]) who had the exclusive rights have now been removed altogether. Mr. Fox is without a job and is making no secret of his intention to seek redress through the courts. ([Then surely the Icelandic Chess Federation should repay every dime on a contract that everyone, worldwide in media outlets and Fischer himself agreed was unconstitutional and should've never been drawn up in the first place. Especially considering Fischer was never given a fully-disclosed description of the nature of the arrangements, to make a fully-informed consensual agreement. Fischer was being misled about what kind of cameras were to be used…up to the opening match, when he was given a tour of the auditorium, but the camera crews were absent. Fischer was Misled to believe the devices were to be automatic close-circuit cameras… not noisy crews of men, operating large, bulky cameras… now, the Soviets plan to vicariously sue Fischer in hope he permanently parts way from the chess world in future competitions]).
