The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friday, July 07, 1972 - Page 3
Fischer's Apology Is Accepted; Chess Matches Start Tuesday
Reykjavik, Iceland (UPI). — After more than a week of psychological warfare ([From the Soviet Empire's side. Fischer knew the value of the match and the Soviet attempted to strong-arm a devaluation to approximately HALF the value, {i.e., Australia offered bid at $225,000, Mexico's bid at $175,000} as part of their “psychological warfare” campaign against Fischer. No empire is innocent, especially a power-frenzied behemoth like the U.S.S.R. and it was, after all, the U.S.S.R. with its worldwide network of rabble rousers in media networks, vs. the wits of one soul, Robert J. Fischer who couldn't even be quoted correctly half the time, whose words were either taken out of context or words following the Soviet narrative, put in his mouth]), chess geniuses Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky met face to face Thursday night with the Soviet champion drawing the white pieces which will give him the first move in their world championship showdown.
Spassky, 35, the Soviet titleholder, and Fischer, the American challenger, play the first game in the $250,000 contest Tuesday.
Fischer earlier sent Spassky a “Dear Boris” letter apologizing for my “petty dispute over money” ([A token apology, for had the stakes not be raised to their correct value, it's unlikely Fischer would've appeared for the match … with the Soviet demanding acceptance of peanuts as payment for performing “circus tricks” like a monkey or an elephant. “Here Bobby… here's a banana. Be satisfied,” croaks the Kremlin. Yes, Fischer demanded more, and rightly so]) which had delayed and threatened to cancel the 24-match championships ([the SOVIET threw up roadblocks, such as refusal to directly communicate person to person, which assuredly caused severe delays of the match; Ken Smith testified literal plots to cancel Fischer and replace the challenger as Petrosian, throughout the Spring months of 1972. Smith refers to them as “old hands” in Belgrade and Reykjavik. Those apologies are five decades overdue!]).
A FEW HOURS LATER Spassky sent word that he was satisfied with the apology, and the two met for the drawing and to inspect the hall and playing facilities.
Harry Golombek, a member of the central committee of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), announced that “the two players have now agreed to start the match on next Tuesday” in Reykjavik's 3,000-seat sports hall.
“Fischer has apologized in writing and the president of FIDE has declared that the rules of FIDE will be strictly followed in the future,” Efim Geller, Spassky's second, said.
Geller also indicated that the SOVIET EMPIRE had given up their ([excessive]) demand Fischer forfeit the first game point because he failed to show up in time for the opening game originally scheduled for Sunday, July 2.
Under match rules, the winner of each game gets one point. If the game is tied, each gets one-half point. Spassky needs only 12 points to retain his title but Fischer needs 12½ points to win.
Fischer spent three hours— from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. — drawing up his “Dear Boris” letter of apology and made sure it was delivered personally to Spassky.
“Please accept my sincerest apology for my disrespectful behavior in not attending the opening ceremony. I simply became carried away by my petty dispute over money with the Icelandic chess organizers.” ([Have they apologized for their petty racism, discrimination and anti-American attitudes and policies? No. Both Russian and Icelandic wrongly believing they have done nothing wrong for the past 71 years!])
“I HAVE OFFENDED you and your country, the Soviet Union, where chess has a prestigious position,” Fischer said.
“I know you to be a sportsman and a gentleman and I am looking forward to some exciting chess games with you,” Fischer said.
Fischer also apologized to Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation and thousands of chess fans around the world for delaying the match. ([Fischer did exactly what any American sportsman would do when organizers were holding out on equitable share of profits! So an “apology” was completely unnecessary, but a technicality demanded by the Soviet Empire's powerful worldwide network of smear campaign professionals.])
