AThe Vancouver Sun Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Monday, July 17, 1972 - Page 1
Fischer Scores First Victory
Sealed Move Defeats Spassky—Reykjavik, Iceland — Bobby Fischer won his first game ever from world chess champion Boris Spassky today — and he wasn't even present.
The controversial U.S. grandmaster was still en route to the sports hall here when Spassky resigned their adjourned third game in the protest-plagued world chess title series.
The game had been adjourned Sunday night with Fischer in a commanding position over the Soviet champion. Today, when chief referee Lothar Schmid opened Fischer's sealed, 41st move, Spassky pondered his hopeless position for a few minutes then tipped over his king to signify defeat.
The move, B-Q6ch, was the obvious one and further enmeshed Spassky in mating net.
As spectators in the main hall set in silence, Spassky walked off the stage.
About 10 minutes later Fischer strode in to find he had finally beaten Spassky for the first time in eight attempts dating back to 1960. Some of the crowd cheered.
Fischer's look of concern quickly changed to one of relief when he learned of Spassky's resignation. He left the hall two minutes later.
Spassky now leads the 24-game match, 2-1.
Whether the match will continue to a conclusion, however, is still obscure. Sunday's game was shifted from the main stage to a small, upstairs room because of Fischer's objections to ([men disruptively operating]) television cameras in the main hall.
Following adjournment Sunday, the Russians warned Schmid that Spassky would not play again in the small room, and Schmid today moved the adjournment back to the main hall.
How Fischer will take this latest decision is not yet known, and probably won't be until fourth game starting time Tuesday.
But informed sources said that, after some bitter debate, a solution to the problem appeared to be in sight when a telephone call from Fischer's senior lawyer, Paul Marshall, in New York, revealed that the American Broadcasting Co. was giving up its rights to television coverage of the event.
However, it was not immediately clear whether this meant the definite withdrawal of cameras from around the stage in the auditorium, which is the demand Fischer has been making.
