Santa Maria Times Santa Maria, California Monday, September 04, 1972 - Page 1
Still Griping – Success Can't Spoil Fischer
Reykjavik (UPI) — Has success spoiled Bobby Fischer? Apparently not — Fischer turned up 53 minutes late at official closing ceremonies for his world chess championship, remarked how small his winner's gold medal was, asked for his money and sat down to play some more chess with the man he beat for the title. The crowd attending the banquet ceremonies closing the championship cheered louder for loser Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union than it did for Fischer, a 29-year-old New Yorker. But Fischer, busy playing chess on a pocket board, seemed not to notice.
While Spassky sat at one end of the banquet table chatting with his wife Larissa, Fischer did what he has done so superbly the past two months—he played chess.
Fischer, dressed in a velvet tuxedo, made no speech and interrupted a game with himself on a pocket chess board only once—to walk across the hall and accept a check for the $76,125 winner's purse from Icelandic Chess Federation President Gudmunder Thorarinson. Fischer smiled, took the envelope with the check, looked inside and returned to his seat without a word.
Spassky collected the loser's share—$46,825. Another $150,000 put up by British millionaire will be split the same way at some future time. He doubled the original purse when Fischer said it wasn't enough.
Fischer arrived 53 minutes late for the lamb and roast suckling pig dinner, held in the small hall in which his 21-game “match of the century” against Spassky took place.
When he saw Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), he asked him: “Did you bring the money?” —the prize money Fischer had won. “Yes, sir,” Euwe replied, and Bobby walked away, apparently satisfied.
Euwe introduced Fischer to the sellout crowd of 1,150 persons who had paid $22 a head to attend the dinner. They cheered as Euwe placed a wreath around Fischer's head and presented him with the world champion's gold medal as a band played the Star Spangled Banner.
Fischer looked incredulously at the medal and said, “Thank you. Such a little one (medal).”
Then Euwe presented Spassky with a silver medal and the crowd cheered even louder. But Fischer, already back in his seat and studying his pocket chess board, seemed not to care.
At one point, Fischer rose from his seat and went over to Spassky with the pieces of his chess board in the adjourned position of the final game.
Spassky said: “I sealed the wrong move. I should have sealed king to rook three (instead of bishop to queen seven).”
“No Boris, it was lost whatever you did. Your sealed move was as good as any,” Fischer replied.
Spassky then lit a cigarette and the champion and former champion played through the position several times before Fischer returned to his seat.
After the ceremonies, Fischer and Spassky stood together for questions from newsmen. Asked how he felt, Fischer said: “Just wonderful. It's a great moment.”
Spassky, smiling for one of the few times during the evening, said: “I feel as if I had just the title from Bobby. I'm not sad. In fact, in one way I'm relieved that the tension and pressure is over.”
Fact Checker: Bobby Fischer does not comment on the “size” of the medal. Rather he says, “The medal don't have my name.”
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