AThe Hanford Sentinel Hanford, California Friday, July 14, 1972 - Page 1
Fischer May Get Request
Reykjavik, Iceland (UPI) — The organizers of the $250,000 international chess championship said today they might give in to Bobby Fischer's request to remove closed circuit television equipment from the chess hall, but flatly refused to overturn Referee Lothar Schmidt's decision awarding the second game to Russian Boris Spassky.
Spassky also turned down a personal request from Fischer to replay the forfeited second game.
The committee, after a two-hour meeting, rejected Fischer's protest against Schmidt's ([ILLEGAL]) decision ([since the protest, in writing, was delivered by Fred Cramer 2 minutes before the deadline, and therefore legally binding]) The committee ruling left Spassky, the reigning world champion, with a 2-0 lead.
The group said it would meet again later in the day to take up Fischer's protest against the presence of the ([crews of disruptive men operating]) the television cameras. Fischer boycotted Thursday's game because of the ([disruptive men operating the]) cameras.
“If it all boils down to cameras or no cameras, I guess I will try to remove them,” ([only after the Soviet got a 2 point headstart for itself, depriving Fischer of a fair tournament]) said Gudmundur Thorarinsson, president of the Icelandic Chess Federation.
The next game is scheduled for 5 p.m. (1 p.m. EDT) Sunday with Fischer moving to black just as though Thursday's game had been played. Fischer would have played white—which would have given him the first move—in Thursday's game.
Russian sources said Fischer asked Spassky to replay the second game but Spassky refused.
“In contrast to Mr. Fischer, the world champion abides by the…rules for the match,” said Nikolai Krogius, one of Spassky's seconds. ([Such as “the rules” that required officials to acknowledge delivery and receipt of the formal (written) protest, legal and binding, delivered by Fred Cramer at 11:58 p.m. beating the deadline by two minutes and yet, Soviets who have a bad habit of breaking rules, ignored the petition and steal a point? Fischer too had a point, when he called Soviet officials “a liar.”])
Under match rules, Fischer will not receive any prize money if he fails to complete the match but Spassky presumably would be able to claim his share if he is declared the winner.
The big question remained one that has haunted the championship almost from the beginning: Would Fischer walk out?
Icelandic grandmaster Fridrik Olafsson, managed to get into the suite of rooms where the challenger is staying in a downtown hotel.
“He talked to me about anything else but the match,” Olafsson said. “He lost interest in it six months ago.”
Fischer dropped the first of the possible 24 games to Spassky, who needs 12 points—a win counts one point, a draw one-half point—to retain his title. Time for the second game came and went Thursday and Fischer did not arrive. Aides said he stayed in bed to protest the ([disruptive men hired to operate the]) television cameras.
At the appointed time, 5 p.m., Spassky was in the hall. Promptly at 5, Schmid started the time clock. There were 60 minutes of hushed silence while everybody waited for Fischer.
Andrew Davis, one of Fischer's lawyers in New York, put through a call at 5:30 p.m. — when there was still 30 minutes till Fischer's deadline — to Richard C. Stein, lawyer for the owner of the TV and film rights and asked Stein to remove all cameras for Thursday's game and give Davis time to fly to Iceland and discuss the matter in detail.
Stein said he agreed and even made out a written agreement backstage in the hall. Fischer was told via telephone that such an agreement existed, but the American did not respond, Stein said.
Father William Lombardy, Fischer's official second and former world junior chess champion, met newsmen who tried to get into Fischer's hotel suite after the game and told them “the situation is very serious.”. ★
