AAustin American-Statesman Austin, Texas Friday, July 14, 1972 - Page 1
Fischer's Chess Appeal Rejected by Officials
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP)—An appeals committee rejected today Bobby Fischer's protest against his loss of Thursday's world championship chess game by forfeit.
The four-man committee supported the decision of chief referee Lothar Schmid to award the game to Boris Spassky because Fischer failed to appear ([in protest to disruptive camera man such as the disruptive man operating a camera, present on the roof reported by Golombek; camera men from the side of the stage according to Schonberg of NY Times, while other reporters state Fischer's complaint was in relation to disruptive camera men located at the back of the hall, among other locations described and varying number of camera operators, Fischer's lawyer also reports a 3-man crew was posted 15 feet away from Fischer, within plain view, and heard by the contestants. According to Fischer, “…characters there, who instead of having, some kind of video tape film that didn't make any noise, just, nobody around to operate them, just sort of stationless and they just had guys there with film cameras that were worrying, and they were all around me. Making a racket. A nuisance. … Too much noise, and visually you could see them moving around.”])
The decision left Fischer two games down in a 24-game match where Fischer needs the equivalent of 12 victories and a draw to take Spassky's title.
Andrew Davis, Fischer's lawyer who arrived this morning from New York, was in the anteroom when assistant referee Gudmundur Arnlaugsson of Iceland announced the forfeit would be maintained.
Asked if his client would play the next scheduled game on Sunday, Davis replied: “I can't comment on that.”
Davis, who appeared upset at the ruling, said he had not seen Fischer since he got here.
Fischer stayed in his hotel room Thursday and refused to play unless three cameras ([operated by disruptive men]) filming the match for movie and television sales were removed from the hall. Since the American challenger lost the first game on Wednesday, referee Lothar Schmid's forfeit ruling gave Spassky a 2-0 lead. ([Because cheating, breaking their word on the guaranteed ‘filming would not be disruptive, or detected by either of the contestants’ and then publishing misleading reports in U.S. newspapers to cover up their misdeeds, yet Schonberg and Golombek certainly report “detecting” two separate locations of disruptive camera men. But disrupting Fischer's concentration is now the only hope the Soviet has of surviving this tournament.])
Schmid said the third game of the 24-game match would be held on schedule Sunday, but the future of the match was very much in doubt.
Schmid said it depends on whether Fischer continues his boycott. He added that the World Chess Federation — FIDE — could step in at any time and disqualify him. But Dr. Max Euwe, president of the organization, said Schmid was still in charge of the match and must decide how to handle the American. ([Try forcing the Icelandic Chess organizers and the Soviet organizers to OBEY THE RULES.])
A spokesman for promoter Chester Fox, who bought the movie and TV rights for the match from the Icelandic Chess Federation ([a highly unconstitutional unlawful thing, done in the shadows by Icelandic and Soviet organizers and Moscow's blessings, but publicly denied, because it overtly accomplished burying coverage of the humiliating defeat of the illusion of Soviet supremacy]), said the cameras had to stay because “the whole financial structure of the match depends on it.” ([Then Iceland should return the unethical Chester Fox money, declare the arrangement null and void, and fulfill its financial obligations to FIDE and the two representative nations of Spassky and Fischer. That is, Australia bid $225,000 with only $25,000 going to organization expenses and yet, said nothing of deficits. If Iceland is claiming it is suffering with “deficits” this early in the game, it is evidence that it could not afford to host the venue and should never made a bid. Perhaps they could loosen their grip on those gate receipts…]) It was the prospect of movie and TV sales that allowed the Icelanders to offer a record $125,000 ([and an unethical excuse to keep 100% of the gate receipts and profits, for their financial investors]) purse to the two players, and Fischer and Spassky are also to divide a share of the ([paltry]) movie-TV money ([dividing between two men]) an estimated at a minimum of $55,000.
Fox said Fischer admitted he couldn't hear or see the three cameras ([this is patently false. Fischer's lawyers confirm Fischer could see and hear the disruptive men operating the cameras, as well as Mr. Schonberg (NY Times) and Mr. Golombek, the disruptive camera men were visible and audible, but Fox is attempting to cover up his misdeeds, and following Fischer's boycott of the second game, Fischer changed his mind and said he wanted all cameras and the men operating them OFF the premises. When Fox' and Stein and ilk tried to persuade Fischer further, Fischer refused, saying now, after a loss of 2-0 thanks to disruptive camera men,]) but “he said they bothered him because he knew they were there.” ([So Fischer has spoken. No more cameras, the rest of the match. Fischer is now tired of playing the Soviets' mind games.])
Fischer had objected first to the cameras Wednesday night and left the chess board in the sports palace for half an hour before conceding defeat in the first match. Intense negotiations through the rest of the night and all day Thursday failed to coax him from his hotel room.
“We did everything we could,” said Richard Stein, Fox's lawyer. He even sent a letter to Fischer urging him to discuss the problem ([that Fischer was not told the truth? Not even shown the camera equipment or the disruptive camera operation crews … men that would be seen moving around and heard during the match, prior to the opening. The problem of being greviously misled? and then try to brush it under the rug in reports published across the sea in U.S. newspapers? Misleading readers in America to wrongly assume the Fischer's complaints were against “inanimate cameras” that presumably, “operate themselves” by carefully omitting mention of the 3-man crews operating some of them]) He wrote: “As a folk hero of the Americans, you must permit millions of Americans to share this experience with you in their homes, for the benefit of chess and for the benefit of the rest of the world.”
Fischer didn't budge, and five minutes before the starting time a U.S. Chess Federation official, Fred Cramer, telephoned that Fischer would not appear.
Spassky had arrived meanwhile and was seated behind the black figures before a crowd of about 1,000, or less than half the capacity of the sports palace.
The white pieces, and with them the first move, were Fischer's as the loser of the first game. At 5 p.m., the scheduled starting, Schmid started the playing clock. When the hour time limit for the first move by Fischer passed, the referee announced:
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Fischer did not appear in the playing hall. According to Rule No. 5, if a player is more than one hour late he loses the game by forfeit.”
Spassky was given a standing ovation as he left the hall.
Fischer's Chess Appeal Rejected by Officials 14 Jul 1972, Fri Austin American-Statesman (Austin, Texas) Newspapers.com
Chess: Fischer Boycotts Disruptive Men Operating Cameras 14 Jul 1972, Fri Austin American-Statesman (Austin, Texas) Newspapers.com
