ATucson Daily Citizen Tucson, Arizona Saturday, July 15, 1972 - Page 18
Justifiable Walkouts Over Organizers' Many Mischiefs, Frequent in Fischer's Career
New York (AP)—So Bobby Fischer has walked out on another chess match. So what else is new? ([Fails to elaborate on overbearing ultimatums of Soviet organizers, refusing to communicate with Fischer before match. Australia's legal $225K bid snubbed by Russia, threatening they "would not play". USSR selected Anti-American, Racist Iceland who restricted entry of blacks and news coverage. CAMERAS? “At 11:58 P.M., two minutes before the deadline Cramer, handed a formal written protest to Schmid.” - Paul Marshall. “instead of..video tape film that didn't make any noise they had guys with film cameras that were..all around..making a racket..and visually you could see them moving around.”- R.J. Fischer, “Under agreed rules of the match, [Fischer] had the right to object and to demand removal of the cameras if they disturbed him.” -Edmondson, USCF])
Any ideas that the chess wizard of the checkered board had mellowed or outgrown his refusal to compromise on his demand for higher standards were dashed Thursday when he failed to show up for his game against world champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Long before the current imbroglio, Fischer, 28, was internationally famous for his chess genius and refusal to be pushed around by pushy organizers, or leaders of state. Ask Fidel Castro.
In 1965, when the U.S. State Department denied Fischer a visa to play in a Cuban tournament, Castro arranged a New York-Havana teletype hookup so the teen-aged marvel could take part. Castro then claimed “a propagandistic victory.”
Fischer promptly cabled his withdrawal unless the Cuban premier guaranteed that his government would “seek and claim no political benefit” from Fischer's participation. Castro reluctantly agreed, and Fischer re-entered and tied for second.
A few years earlier, the teen-aged Fischer, already a grandmaster, walked out on Sammy Reshevsky, himself a grandmaster, during an exhibition tour in a dispute over times. In doing so, he gave up a share in an $8,000 purse ([because the time was illegally changed without Robert Fischer's consent to suit Referee Irving Rivise who was scheduled to appear in San Francisco, California at the U.S. Open the following day. See August 14, 1961, Los Angeles Times, “The time had been advanced, it was explained, to permit the referee and the committee to be on hand for a championship tournament scheduled to open in San Francisco today. A spokesman for the committee said Fischer had protested the starting time was “too early” and that he wanted the match to begin at the time originally scheduled, 1:30 p.m.” https://bobby-fischer-1961.blogspot.com/2018/06/chess-champ-forfeits-by-failing-to.html. William Lombardy describes the situation, “I think there should have been a little more leeway,” Lombardy said. “It appeared that the officials threatened him [Fischer with loss of the game]. I know Bobby well enough to know he would not consent to play any game at 11 o'clock in the morning.” William Lombardy perhaps spoke for many fans when he said, “Reshevsky did not have to accept this forfeit and victory. I feel it is a hollow victory for him. When only two men are involved in a match, it seems that the officials could schedule the games at a time suitable for both players.” Four-time U.S. Champion, 18-year-old Grand-master Fischer complained that he is not given the consideration of more mature players. “They treat me like a kid,” said Fischer of the officials. Apparently, the shifting was done without Fischer's approval, and there was no reason why, as Lombardy stated, agreement could not have been reached with both men involved.])
Since then, he has played Reshevsky and even shaken hands with him. He has also shown an immense interest in making money, and many chess people cite this desire as the cause of his current intractability. ([Failing to mention however, most of his earned money, was charitably donated to his church, afterwards. And speaking of “walk outs” don't fail to mention Tunisia… how Fischer was in the lead, and organizers knowingly scheduled tournament matches in a way to impinge on Fischer's observance of the Saturday Sabbath, knowing he would rather walk out, refuse to play than dishonor his religious beliefs. The Anti-Semitic organizers put Fischer in a position, irreconcilable with practicing his faith.])
On the other hand, observers are at a loss to explain why Fischer has jeopardized his twin desires — to win the world championship and earn a huge purse — just when they appeared within his grasp. ([See above. In his letter to the organizers in Reykjavik, Iceland, Fischer asserted: “The bungling unknowns who claimed to be professional cameramen were clumsy, rude and deceitful. The only thing invisible, silent and out of sight was the fairness on the part of the organizers.
“I have never compromised on anything affecting playing conditions of the game itself, which is my art and my profession.
“It seemed to me that the organizers deliberately tried to upset and provoke me by the way they coddled and kowtowed to that camera crew.
“I am keen to play this match, and I hope game two will be scheduled for Sunday, July 16 at 5 in the afternoon.”
Fischer declared that when all the camera equipment had been removed “I will be at the chessboard.” and in an interview of November 1972 Fischer explains “I was more disappointed than anybody that this thing wasn't televised because, you know, there was a lot of publicity and a lot of money involved and I wanted the people to see me in action. Let's face it. But they had these 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.” Why couldn't the organizers simply make the necessary effort to make the conditions of the tournament, tolerable for play to proceed on time??])
Knowledgeable chess watchers also point out that Fischer's behavior is consistent with that of any other genius. He combines the single-mindness of an ant with the creativity of Beethoven.
It has been suggested that part of Fischer's VERY PREDICTABLE disposition lies in the fact that he is firmly self-adjusted person, refusing to be pushed around or expected to change himself to suit stubborn organizers.
“If he were,” says Col. Edmund Edmondson, president of the American Chess Federation, “he wouldn't be a chess genius.”
Fischer's headstrong attitude is regarded by experts as important as his consummate skill in demolishing opponents. One man described the phenomenon as “Fischer-fear”.
“There is some strange magnetic influence in Bobby.” said the Soviet grandmaster Yuri Averbakh. “His opponents are spiritually wrecked after the first couple of games.”
Meanwhile, Spassky, the Russian world champion remains on top of the tournament, 2-0, and shows no symptoms of “Fischer-fear.”
Robert Fischer Boycotts Second Match in Protest Against Men Hired to Disruptively Operate Cameras 15 Jul 1972, Sat Tucson Citizen (Tucson, Arizona) Newspapers.com
