The News Journal Wilmington, Delaware Monday, July 17, 1972 - Page 2
Edge Bobby's--But Will He Play in Hall?
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP)—Bobby Fischer goes into the playoff of the third game of the world chess championship today holding the initiative over titleholder Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.
The American challenger, after keeping the match in limbo with protests against ([disruptive men operating]) TV and movie cameras, forced the start of the third game yesterday to a private room offstage.
Spassky threw the competition into doubt early today by saying he would refuse to play again in the private room. Chief Referee Lothar Schmid announced shortly after noon, however, that the adjourned game would go on in the main hall where the 24-game match began last Tuesday.
FISCHER had said that the cameras in the main exhibition hall of the Sports Palace disturbed him. ([Actually, Fischer said “…they had these characters there, who instead of having, some kind of video tape film that didn't make any noise, just, nobody around to operate them, just sort of stationless and they just had guys there with film cameras that were worrying, and they were all around me. Making a racket. A nuisance. Too much noise, and visually you could see them moving around.”])
The opening of Fischer's 41st move was the signal for the resumption of play.
The 29-year-old Brooklynite appeared yesterday for the third game in a small upstairs room of the Reykjavik sports hall. Spassky, 35, playing the white pieces, had already made his first move.
Fighting to overcome the Russian's 2-0 lead, Fischer forced Spassky to the defensive midway in the 5-hour 18-minute session. At adjournment he was in a position to threaten the Russian's king. At the pause, each player had his king, queen and one bishop remaining while Fischer had six pawns to Spassky's five.
Isaac Kashdan, the international grandmaster analyzing the match for The Associated Press, said Fischer had excellent winning chances.
In five previous meetings Fischer had never beaten Spassky. He lost three playing black and had drawn two when he played white and had the first move.
Fischer needs 12½ points to dethrone Spassky while the Russian can retain his title with only 12. A player gets a point for winning a game and half a point for a draw.
Spassky won their opening game at Reykjavik last week and was declared winner of the second by forfeit when Fischer failed to appear because he objected to ([disruptive camera men operating]) television cameras filming the match.
OFFICIALS overruled the American's appeal against the forfeit ([which was illegal, according to what the US Chess Federation who helped draft the rules, “Under agreed rules of the match, [Fischer] had the right to object and to demand removal of the cameras if they disturbed him.”]) and until the last minute it was uncertain if Fischer would continue. ([Snipping embellishments about Fischer booking flights on every airline in Iceland, every day, for over a week or more. William Lombardy put these rumors to rest, saying he certainly hoped it wasn't true and that he had heard nothing about it, and that nothing was decided yet.]) At Fischer's insistence ([other articles state it was the organizers themselves who made the recommendation]), the match was moved to the small room and the audience of paying fans in the big sports hall downstairs watched on closed circuit television. Apparently Fischer had no objection to that TV equipment.
Spassky's aides described the offstage room as a “chess cupboard” and warned that the Russian would not play any more games in it. ([Picky. Picky.])
Asked how Fischer would react to this, one of the American aides said “I don't even know if he knows.”
Schmid said he moved the game site under Rule 21 providing that the competition can be in private if either player demands it because of disturbance.
Edge Bobby's--But Will He Play in Hall? 17 Jul 1972, Mon The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) Newspapers.com
Edge Bobby's--But Will He Play in Hall? 17 Jul 1972, Mon The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) Newspapers.com
