ADayton Daily News Dayton, Ohio Wednesday, July 19, 1972 - Page 3
Fischer Takes Spassky 45th Move Draw Offer
Reykjavik, Iceland—(UPI)—Bobby Fischer all but danced off the stage. Minutes earlier the 29-year-old challenger had clasped Boris Spassky's hand after accepting a draw on the 45th move of the fourth game for the world chess championship.
Spassky appeared to have the game won, but a couple of mistakes in the 27th and 29th moves by the 35-year-old titleholder allowed Fischer to escape from his grasp and come out of the game with a draw rather than a loss.
WITH FOUR games behind them, Spassky has won two, Fischer one, and one was a draw. That gives Spassky 2½ points Fischer's 1½, with Fischer needing 12½ points as the challenger to win while Spassky needs only 12 points to retain his title.
The fifth game in the 24-match championship is scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m.
Shortly before the Tuesday start Fischer opened a new round in his battle against ([crews of disruptive men operating]) television cameras in the 3,000-capacity hall. Some 1,500 spectators waited while the American challenger arrived seven minutes late. In fact neither player was present when German referee Lothar Schmid strolled up to the delicately carved board and started Fischer's clock.
Then Spassky walked in with the dignity of a champion. FInally Fischer appeared and rushed straight to the board to push forward his king pawn, his favorite opening.
THE END came on the 45th move. Fischer, according to experts, had played a dubious 19th move only to escape through Spassky's blunders later in the game.
With the crowd noisy and excited, the “silence” sign flashing off and on, Fischer pushed forward a pawn and looked up. Spassky, sitting very erect in his simple wooden chair, nodded and offered his hand over the board. Fischer accepted with an almost imperceptible nod, indicating a draw has been accepted.
“It was almost like a Yankee stadium during a baseball match,” said one U.S. observer.
All worries might not be over for Fischer. The Icelandic organizers said the television cameras that caused Fischer to walk out on the second game, forfeiting it to Spassky, might be back in the hall for Thursday's match.
Federation president Gudmundur Thorarinsson said “We know Fischer is absolutely opposed to being filmed ([by disruptive crews of camera men, hired to disruptively operate the television cameras]), but there is one solution he has agreed upon. I cannot disclose what it is.” ([Perhaps for instance, the “solution” Fischer was misled to believe by Icelandic/Soviet organizers and Chester Fox, Inc would actually be the case from the start: “…some kind of video tape film that didn't make any noise, just, nobody around to operate them, just sort of stationary…” as quoted by Robert Fischer in November 1972 to Johnny Carson on national U.S. television.])
19 Jul 1972, Wed Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Newspapers.com
