The Arizona Republic Phoenix, Arizona Thursday, July 13, 1972 - Page 4
Russian Beats Fischer in First Game
(UPI) Reykjavik, Iceland — World Chess Champion Boris Spassky of Russia defeated Bobby Fischer in the first game of their $250,000 championship match yesterday, putting the unpredictable American one point behind in what could be a 24-game series.
Fischer, who had walked off the stage for 35 minutes to protest the presence of two closed circuit television cameras high above the contest stage, conceded to the Russian on the 56th move.
He gave up when he saw he could not prevent Spassky moving his only surviving pawn to Fischer's side of the board, thus turning it into a Queen, the most powerful piece in game.
Fischer stood up, made a helpless gesture to the audience and walked off. The second game is scheduled for today.
Judge Lothar Schmid said Fischer was “angry and upset” when he left the playing board to protest the closed circuit cameras that televised the moves to the audience in the hall.
“I told him it's allowed in the rules to have these cameras,” Schmid said, “but then he said he had not signed any rules. I know this story is not finished yet. We will hear more about these cameras from Fischer.”
Fred Cramer, one of Fischer's seconds, said, “Bobby was naturally very disappointed, but he is a pro and I believe he will be able to come back if we can just get the practical conditions sorted out.”
“Nobody likes to lose a chess game—Fischer least of all,” Cramer said. “But he has got the strength to overcome an initial disappointment.”
Play in the interrupted first game resumed on time, but Fischer walked out after three moves to protest the two television cameras. Match organizers covered the cameras with a cloth, but Fischer said they still bothered him. ([Which is fully understandable since a “human operated camera crew” accompanies these cameras! and news reporters and organizers keep trying to rewrite these details and hide it from Americans, hoping to mislead future generations to believe Fischer was just exhibiting reactions to “imagined noise” emitted from perfectly silent and invisible cameras swarming with men who were noisy and making a visible commotion to disrupt Fischer's concentration… kill four birds with one stone — 1) achieve Soviet censorship of match coverage, 2) force Fischer into a forfeit of his games via distracted play exploiting a contract Fischer had never signed nor had opportunity to read to give “legal consent,” 3) make a smear campaign in newspapers, as if he were merely “paranoid and imagining the camera men's disruptions”; 4) an excuse for Soviet liaison, Chester Fox, to hound, persecute, harass Fischer, for the next decade+ with threat of a lawsuit hanging over the head of Robert Fischer for 3.3 Million dollars, post-tournament… a Trojan Horse “gift” included between the lines in Moscow's “contract” that Fischer never signed.])
CAPTION: Bobby Fischer, deep in concentration in first game with Boris Spassky.
Spassky, wearing a slate jacket and beige trousers, made the first move yesterday, taking one of Fischer's remaining pawns. Fischer then took a pawn from Spassky with his king.
After 40 moves and 4½ hours of play Tuesday, Spassky held the advantage with a bishop and three pawns against Fischer's five pawns. Play was halted when Spassky, 35, asked for an adjournment and Fischer agreed.
Experts agreed that only the Russian master could win the first game. They said the best Fischer could hope for was a draw.
The match may go for 24 games. Spassky as champion must get 12 points to win. Fischer as challenger must get 12½. Each win counts for one point and a draw ½ point.
The two chess masters have played each other five times in the past. Spassky won three of the games and two were draws.
Fischer, 29, arrived for Tuesday's opening game eight minutes after Spassky, playing the white pieces, made his first move. The American challenger responded to Spassky's opening queen gambit by setting up a Nimzo-Indian defense.
