Courier-Post Camden, New Jersey Thursday, July 13, 1972 - Page 5
Fischer Threatens Walkout Over TV
Reykjavik, Iceland (UPI)—Bobby Fischer, already one game down in his drive for the world chess championship, today threatened to walk out on the second match with titleholder Boris Spassky unless all television cameras are removed from the hall.
Fischer's demands were presented by Fred Cramer, a vice president of the U.S. Chess Federation, at a closed meeting with representatives of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Icelandic organizers and representatives of U.S. companies owning the television rights to the match, international chess sources said.
The referee of the match, Germany's Lothar Schmid, said Fischer will lose the second game by default if he does not turn up for the scheduled start today. Schmid also said organizers will not keep spectators from the first two rows of seats in the hall as they did during the first game on Fischer's request.
35-Minute Absence
The 29-year-old New Yorker walked out for 35 minutes yesterday to protest two television cameras hidden above the stage where the players sit at the chess board for their championship match, scheduled to run a maximum of 24 games.
Although he went into the much-postponed first game a heavy favorite, Fischer made what appeared to be a beginner's error and went down to defeat at the hands of the 35-year-old Soviet world champion.
The moment of truth was painful. Fischer rose from the massive mahogany chess table, made a helpless gesture and resigned at the 56th move. Before walking out of the hall, he reached over to shake Spassky's hand.
Fischer Upset
Fischer obviously was upset but Cramer, who is a member of the American's camp, said “he is a pro and this is part of the game. I believe he has got enough to come back in the match. After all, there are 23 possible games left.”
Fischer locked himself into his hotel suite with his second, Father William Lombardy, a Catholic priest who is a grandmaster, to analyze the lost game and prepare for today's encounter.
The challenger lost the first game at the 29th move when in taking one of Spassky's pawns he allowed his bishop to be trapped. By doing this he in effect exchanged one bishop for two pawns—an action which favored the champion.
Although Fischer made a desperate attempt to turn the game into a draw, it became obvious that Spassky could not be kept from promoting a pawn to a queen, thus making an eventual checkmate a certainty.
