AThe Daily Times Salisbury, Maryland Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 10
Fischer Accepts Deal For More Cash For Chess
London, (AP) — A British banker said Monday night Bobby Fischer had accepted a deal worth 50,000 pounds—$130,000 at official parity—and was flying to Iceland to meet Russia's Boris Spassky for the chess world title.
Paul Marshall, a lawyer in New York for Fischer, said the 29-year-old American challenger had accepted Slater's offer of the extra prize money and would be in Reykjavik by the Tuesday noon deadline.
Earlier Monday, the sponsors of the championship match turned down Fischer's bid for a cut of the gate receipts in addition to the prize money previously agreed on.
Marshall quoted Fischer as saying of Slater's proposal: “I gotta accept it. It's a stupendous offer,” He said Fischer considered the gesture “incredible and generous and brave.”
Slater said in London he received confirmation of Fischer's acceptance by telephone and had been told the challenger planned to fly to Reykjavik.
Fischer must arrive in Reykjavik by noon Tuesday—8 a.m. EDT—or forfeit his chance at Spassky and the title. The first Tuesday—1 p.m. EDT—postponed from the same time Sunday at Fischer's request.
The Russians protested the granting of the postponement by the World Chess Federation—FIDE.
When Slater offered to put up his own money as an extra inducement to the American grandmaster, he stated: “Fischer has said that money is the problem. Here it is. What I am saying to Fischer now is ‘come out and play.’”
Marshall claimed that the issue with Fischer never had been money.
Caption: SO FAR STILL CHAMPION. Boris Spassky of Russia, present world chess champion, holds thumb up outside his hotel in Reykjavik. Challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States has so far failed to arrive in the Icelandic capital for the championship match that had been scheduled to start Sunday. Officials gave Fischer until today at noon to show up or else risk forfeit. At left is Jivo Nei, a Soviet chess master. (AP Wirephoto via cable from Reykjavik)
New York Times, New York, New York, Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1-14
Fischer Leaves for Iceland After Briton Adds to Prize by Peter Kihss
A chess-playing London investment banker offered $125,000 yesterday to double the world championship chess purse, and Bobby Fischer, the American challenger, agreed to fly to Iceland to meet Boris Spassky for the title.
Fischer told newsmen at a home in Douglaston, Queens, that while he had not studied the offer by the banker, James D. Slater, in detail, he had decided to go on with the matches because “there's an awful lot of prestige of the country at stake.”
After saying he would probably take a private plane, Fischer made his way with three companions by back roads to Kennedy International Airport. There he transferred to an Icelandic Airlines station wagon and, at 9 P.M., was in effect smuggled aboard an airliner.
The flight, scheduled for 7:30 P.M., took off at 10:04. This would take it into Reykjavik at 7:30 this morning—11:30 A.M. Iceland time and five hours before the start of the rescheduled first game. Fischer had said he would probably be able to play right away, but would see how he felt.
Fischer had a reservation for a flight last week, but ran from the plane at the last moment. When he failed to show up for the start of the 24-game match on Sunday, the International Chess Federation granted a two-day postponement, but warned he would forfeit the match if he did not arrive by noon, Iceland time.
Before Fischer spoke to newsmen—who had been trying for days to find him—Paul G. Marshall, one of his lawyers, said Fischer got word of the Slater offer at 8 A.M. New York time yesterday. It took Fischer about six hours to decide to accept, he said. The 29-year-old American grandmaster reportedly had been seeking 30 per cent of the box-office receipts in addition to a share of the purse raised by the Icelandic Chess Federation.
“Fischer thought the offer was incredible and generous and brave,” Mr. Marshall said, according to The Associated Press.
“His only negative comment,” he added, “was that he felt the English were assuming the Icelandic responsibility.
“The offer was couched in a way he couldn't refuse. It said: ‘If he isn't afraid of Spassky, then I, Jim Slater, have removed the element of money.’ So Bobby felt he had to accept. His pride—he couldn't go down as a coward.”
‘Stupendous Offer’
In New York, Mr. Marshall quoted Fischer as saying in his first reaction, “I've got to accept it—it's a stupendous offer.”
The lawyer insisted that the issue with Mr. Fischer had never been money. “It was the principle,” Mr. Marshall said. “He felt Iceland wasn't treating this match or his countrymen with the dignity that it and they deserved.
“And he was furious about the press censorship. He was flying around the room.”
The reference was to the demand by the Icelandic Chess Federation that newsmen file not more than three dispatches during the progress of each game.
Mr. Marshall quoted the challenger as saying: “They're trying to stop America from reading about it. That's what they've done all along.”
Fischer's own comments came during an interview at the home of Fred M. Saidy, musical-comedy author, at 2 Cedar Lane, Douglaston. The press had been invited by Mr. Saidy's son, Anthony, a physician and a chess master who often competes in international play.
Fischer Appears Nervous
Wearing a blue open-neck long-sleeved double-knit shirt and maroon slacks, the 6-foot-2 chess star carried a leather jacket on his arm, paced about and he seemed nervous.
“We've had these problems with the organizations,” he said. “They've been very petty, but it doesn't pay to be petty like they are.”
Asked if he had had any prodding from the United States Government, Fischer rejoined: “No comment.”
Asked whether the backing and filling, the demands he was reported to have made and the objections he was said to have lodged were an effort to make a psychological impact on his opponent, Fischer replied: “I don't believe in psychology. I believe in good moves.”
He declared that he would have preferred an all-or-nothing prize to the winner of the first 10 games.
Under international rules, the challenger must score 12½ points to win; the titleholder need score only 12 points to retain his title. A victory is worth 1 point and a draw half a point.
Mr. Marshall reported that the Rev. William Lombardy, a Roman Catholic priest and one of 10 United States grandmasters, would go to Reykjavik as Fischer's second.
Col. Edmond Edmundson, executive director of the United States Chess Federation, said the way that the chess purse had been increased by Mr. Slater “means chess at last achieves the place in the sun that many people feel it deserves.”
“Whatever else one may think of Bobby Fischer or his recent actions, he deserves the credit for it,” Colonel Edmundson said.
“He is a chess professional in a country which does not provide Government support for chess players, and he should not be condemned for seeking the maximum private income for his endeavors.”
Valley Morning Star Harlingen, Texas Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 7
Bobby Fischer May Play Chess
Reykjavik (UPI) — Gudmundur Thorarinsson, president of the Icelandic Chess Federation, said Monday night he was 95 per cent sure U.S. challenger Bobby Fischer would arrive in Reykjavik, Tuesday morning to play world chess champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the world title.
“I have it from very good sources—sources which I trust—that Fischer will come Tuesday,” Thorarinsson said.
He said he had received word, from sources he would not identify, that Fischer had accepted an offer from a wealthy British banker doubling the prize money from $125,000 to $250,000.
(In London, the Independent Television News (ITN) quoted Fischer's lawyer, Paul Marshall, in the United States, as saying the American champion had accepted the offer made by Jim Slater, chairman of Slater-Walker securities.)
“I am 95 per cent sure he will come before noon Tuesday,” Thorarinsson said and then added a note of caution: “But of course with Fischer you never know. You know he was at the airport in New York once but never got on the plane.”
Icelandic radio also reported Monday that Fischer had accepted Slater's offer.
Fischer had been stalling and forced the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to postpone the start of the 24-game match from Sunday until Tuesday—a move which was sharply criticized by Soviet Chess authorities Monday.
Dr. Max Euwe, president of FIDE, said he had not heard of Fischer's reported acceptance of the new offer and also expressed some fears over what Spassky might do if Fischer turns up two days later. Spassky earlier Monday issued a statement in which he said he had never given FIDE any permission to postpone the game.
The 24-game match between Fischer and the Russian world champion was scheduled to open Sunday but Fischer refused to board a plane until the sponsoring Icelandic Chess Federation promised him more money. Euwe reluctantly agreed to a 48-hour postponement Sunday, making the new deadline for the start of play Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT.
Euwe said he expected Fischer to accept the new offer but reiterated that if he does not arrive before 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday he will be disqualified from the match.
“We will know by 10 p.m. New York time if Fischer is on one of the planes to Reykjavik,” Euwe said. “If he is not, then the game is off.” No other planes that would get Fischer to Iceland in time for the match leave after 10 p.m.
By doubling the $125,000 prize money the winner would get $150,000 and the loser $100,000 under the present terms calling for a five-eighths split for the winner and three-eighths for the loser.
Slater said that if this did not satisfy Fischer he would offer an outright $125,000 extra to the winner, bringing his prize money to $200,000, with nothing extra for the loser.
“Fischer has said that the money is the problem,” Slater said in London. “Well, here it is. What I am saying to Fischer now is: “Come out and play.”
In addition to the prize money each player also will get 30 per cent of television and film rights from the Icelandic sponsors. Fischer also had asked for 30 per cent of the gate receipts from the 3,000-seat theater where the match was to be played.
Arizona Daily Star Tucson, Arizona Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 23
Fischer Flies To Chess Championship
$130,000 Added To Pot. New York (AP) — Bobby Fischer, who held out right down to the line for more money for his world championship chess match in Iceland, got it from a British banker Monday and flew to Iceland with only hours to spare.
As Fischer was airborne from Kennedy Airport a few minutes after 10 P.M., he had just 10 hours to make the five-hour flight and prepare himself for the noon (5 a.m. Tucson time) deadline for the start of preliminary activities before beginning the match in Reykjavik with Soviet champion Boris Spassky.
The 29-year-old Fischer, whose dislike of press coverage and photographs is well-known, was sneaked aboard the plane a half-hour before the scheduled 9:30 P.M. (EDT) takeoff.
It was not explained why the plane was a half-hour late getting into the air.
While about 50 newspaper, radio and television newsmen waited for him at the airport, airline personnel drove Fischer and a party of four others to the plane in a station wagon. He was unsmiling.
Among those in the part was Freystrinn Thorbergsson, Icelandic chess player and old friend of Fischer who flew here Sunday night to persuade Fischer to meet the deadline and play the 24-game championship match.
Fischer had deliberately missed plane after plane for which he had reservations, as his representatives in Iceland sought to increase his share of the take from the match which was originally scheduled to start Sunday and has drawn chess fans from throughout the world.
One of them, British banker James D. Slater, was so anxious to see the match go on that he offered to add $130,000 to the prize money, on a winner-take-all or percentage basis.
A spokesman for Fischer said the chess giant thought the offer “stupendous” and elected to take the latter option, which would split Slater's money by the same percentage as the original purse.
This would give the winner $156,000 instead of $78,125, and the loser $104,000 instead of $46,875, the spokesman for Fischer said. The two players also are to receive 30 per cent each of the income from television and photographic rights.
Slater's private enrichment of the post could be used to boost the winner's prize to $156,000, with the remainder of his funds going to boost the loser's share. He said another alternative would be to add the entire $130,000 — or 50,000 pounds — to the winner's cut for a total of $208,125.
The London investment banker said he made his offer through Dr. Max Euwe, president of FIDE explaining: “I like chess and have played it for years. Many want to see this match … if Fischer does not go to Iceland, many will be disappointed.”
The federation is said to have discussed a Fischer demand for a quarantine from the press and the public during his stay in Iceland. The federation has offered him all the police protection he would need.
The Evening Sun Hanover, Pennsylvania Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 6
Banker Says Fischer OKs Chess Deal
London (AP) — A British banker said Monday night Bobby Fischer had accepted a deal worth 50,000 pounds—$130,000 at official parity—and was flying to Iceland to meet Russia's Boris Spassky for the chess world title.
Investment banker James D. Slater said he had received a telephone call from Fischer's lawyer saying the American challenger was flying Monday night to Reykjavik for the tournament.
It was Slater who offered the extra money as an inducement to Fischer to meet Spassky. He said at the time: “Fischer has said that money is the problem. Well, here it is. What I am saying to Fischer now is ‘come out and play.’”
The Russians, from Spassky here in Iceland to the Soviet Chess Federation in Moscow, protested the fact that the World Chess Federation — FIDE — granted a postponement of Fischer's appearance until Tuesday. The match had been scheduled to start Sunday. The day saw these developments:
—The six-man board of the Icelandic Chess Federation, sponsors of the 24-game match, rejected Fischer's demands for 30 per cent of the gate receipts. This would amount to considerable sums for both Fischer and Spassky because the match could last as long as two months. Under present terms for the match, the winner is to received $78,125 and the loser $46,875. In addition each would receive 30 per cent of the income from sales of television and photographic rights.
—In London, investment banker James D. Slater announced that he would pour 50,000 pounds into the kitty. At the official rate of exchange, this amounts to $130,000. He proposed that the winner receive $156,000 and the loser the remainder. Another alternative, Slater said, would add the entire $130,000 to the winner's cut, making it a total of $208,125. “I like chess and have played it for years,” said Slater. “Many want to see this match … if Fischer does not go to Iceland, many will be disappointed.
—The Soviet Chess Federation, issuing a protest in Moscow, declared that on the basis of what Fischer has already done—failed to appear for the scheduled start of the match on Sunday—he merits “unconditional disqualification.”
Banker Says Fischer OKs Chess Deal 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com
The Orlando Sentinel Orlando, Florida Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1
Added Prize Of $130,000 Luring Fischer To Chess?
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP) Bobby Fischer was reported ready last night (Monday) to meet Soviet titleholder Boris Spassky for the world chess championship and a prize pot sweetened by $130,000 from a London banker.
Paul Marshall, a lawyer in New York for Fischer, said the 29-year-old American challenger had accepted banker James D. Slater's offer of the extra prize money and would be in Reykjavik by today's noon deadline. Earlier yesterday, the sponsors of the championship match turned down Fischer's bid for a cut of the gate receipts in addition to the prize money previously agreed on.
Marshall quoted Fischer as saying of Slater's proposal: “I gotta accept it. It's a stupendous offer.” He said Fischer considered the gesture “incredible and generous and brave.”
Slater said in London he received confirmation of Fischer's acceptance by telephone and had been told the challenger planned to fly to Reykjavik.
Fischer must arrive in Reykjavik by noon today, postponed from the same time Sunday at Fischer's request.
The Russians, from Spassky here in Iceland to the Soviet Chess Federation in Moscow, protested the fact that the World Chess Federation (FIDE) granted a postponement of Fischer's appearance.
When Slater offered to put up his own money as an extra inducement to the American grand master, he stated: “Fischer has said that money is the problem. Here it is. What I am saying to Fischer now is ‘come out and play.”
Marshall claimed that the issue with Fischer never had been money.
“It was the principle,” Marshall said. “He felt Iceland wasn't treating this match or his countrymen with the dignity that it and they deserved. And he was furious about the press censorship. He was flying around the room.”
Marshall said Fischer told him: “they're trying to stop America from reading about it. That's what they've done all along.”
The sponsors announced restrictions in move-by-move and photo coverage of the 24-game match because the rights had been sold.
Slater made his offer after the Icelandic Chess Federation's board rejected Fischer's demands for 30 per cent of the gate receipts. That would have amounted to considerable sums for both Fischer and Spassky because the match could last as long as two months.
The original terms call for the winner to receive $78,125 and the loser $46,875, plus 30 per cent for each of the income from sale of television and photographic rights.
Slater's private enrichment of the pot could be used to up the winner's prize to $156,000, with the remainder of his funds going to boost the loser's share. He said another alternative would be to add the entire $130,000 (or 50,000 pounds) to the winner's cut, for a total of $208,125.
The London investment banker said he made his offer through Dr. Max Euwe, president of FIDE, explaining: “I like chess and have played it for years. Many want to see this match … if Fischer does not go to Iceland, many will be disappointed.”
The Soviet Chess Federation, issuing a protest in Moscow, declared that on the basis of what Fischer has already done — failed to appear for the scheduled start of the match on Sunday—he merits “unconditional disqualification.” Spassky followed up with a statement in Reykjavik saying he was not satisfied with the decision that allowed Fischer a postponement. That decision was made by Dr. Euwe and FIDE.
“As I have heard that I have given permission to delay the beginning of the first game for two days, I want to declare that I have not given any such permission, not to the president of FIDE or to anybody else,” Spassky said. “All talk about such permission from me, therefore, does not reflect reality.”
The Tribune Scranton, Pennsylvania Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 2
Report Fischer Okays Spassky Chess Match
Reykjavik (UPI)—Icelandic Radio Monday night reported American challenger Bobby Fischer had accepted a new money offer from a British banker and would be prepared to come to Iceland to play world champion Boris Spassky for the chess world championship title.
However, Icelandic officials and Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), said they could not confirm the report.
(Fischer boarded a plane in New York Monday night and was expected to arrive in Reykjavik at 7:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. EDT) today.)
The radio said Fischer's lawyer, Paul Marshall, had contacted wealthy British investment banker Jim Slater, who offered earlier Monday to double the prize money to $250,000 to entice the 29-year-old, unpredictable American to play the 24-game series against the Russian world champion.
“I have heard nothing of this, but I have heard there are some stories in the London newspapers about this,” Dr. Euwe said. At the same time, he expressed fear that Spassky may not play, although he said he had no definite indications from the Russians.
He said he based this on Spassky's statement Monday, in which the world champion said he had never given permission for the match to be postponed.
The 24-game match between Fischer and the Russian world champion was scheduled to open Sunday but Fischer refused to board a plane until the sponsoring Icelandic Chess Federation promised him more money. Euwe reluctantly agreed to a 48-hour postponement Sunday, making the new deadline for the start of play Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT.
Euwe said he expected Fischer to accept the new offer but reiterated that if he does not arrive before 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday he will be disqualified from the match.
The Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1 ★
Stakes Doubled, Fischer Heading for Chess Match by Harold Dondis, Globe Correspondent
Reykjavik, Iceland — Thanks to the extra inducement of $130,000 put up yesterday morning by a wealthy British banker, reluctant Bobby Fischer decided last night to show up, after all, for his summit chess match here against Boris Spassky of Russia.
He flew from New York last [night] after accepting, through his attorney, the offer of investment banker James D. Slater to double the pot for the once-delayed meeting between the American challenger and the present world champion.
It ended, for the moment, a day of off-again, on-again bulletins and charges and counter-charges. Fischer had said he wouldn't show up unless the Icelandic Chess Federation, sponsor of the 24-game match, met his demands for 30 percent of the gate receipts.
Then, a delay was granted and Fischer was given until this noon (8 a.m. EDT) to get here or forfeit the match. It was originally scheduled to begin Sunday and Fischer was due here Saturday. He refused to leave New York and another type of “chess game” was on.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Chess Federation, protesting the postponement, said Fischer merited disqualification because of his demands for more money. A statement out of Moscow accused Fischer of “blackmail” and accused the International Chess Federation of “connivance.”
Slater, a millionaire British banker, stepped into the breach and put up an additional 50,000 pounds ($130,000). He proposed that the winner receive $156,000 and the loser the remainder, or that the winner receive the entire sum, making the winning total $208,125.
“Fischer has said that money is the problem,” said Slater in London. “Well, here it is. What I now am saying to Fischer is, ‘Come out and play.’ I hope my offer will help remove the problem of money from Fischer so that the match can go ahead.”
After some six hours of deliberation, Fischer said through his lawyer, Paul Marshall, that “I gotta accept it. It's a stupendous offer.” And Fischer was heading for the airport in New York to make a late night flight.
“It was the principle,” said Marshall. “He felt Iceland wasn't treating this match or his countrymen with the dignity that it and they deserved. And he was furious about the press censorship. He was flying around the room.”
The “censorship” was the three-releases-per game limitation which the Icelandic Chess Federation made for reporters covering the match. “They're trying to stop America from reading about it. That's what they've done all along.” Marshall quoted Fischer saying.
Stakes Doubled, Fischer Heading for Chess Match 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 6 ★
The Great Chess War: Now Spassky Walks Out on Fischer
Reykjavik, Iceland (UPI) — Russian chess champion Boris Spassky refused today to play American challenger Bobby Fischer in a 24-game world championship match until the International Chess Federation (FIDE) punishes Fischer for “insulting me personally…and the USSR.”
Match officials postponed the opening of the tournament for the second time but did not set a new starting date.
Spassky said he would not yet leave Iceland and left the door open to a possible solution.
“I still want to play the match if there is a solution,” Spassky said. “I will not play today. I will make my decision in the next few days.”
In a statement, datelined in Reykjavik, Tass, the official Soviet news agency, quoted Spassky as saying Fischer broke the rules by refusing to show up for the opening ceremonies last Saturday.
“By this, Fischer insulted me personally and the chess federation of the USSR which I represent,” Spassky said.
Fischer delayed the tournament for two days while he haggled for more money. He finally agreed to play after a British banker agreed to double the prize money.
It was not clear exactly what effect Spassky's refusal would have on the match, which was scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EDT today.
Spassky earlier stalked out of a meeting set to determine who would get the first move in the opening game. Fischer, who did not arrive in Reykjavik until early today, did not attend the meeting. He stayed in his hotel room to sleep to prepare for the game.
Dr. Max Euwe, president of FIDE, said after Spassky's walkout that he was pessimistic the match would be held.
“The situation is critical. I don't know if the match will be played at all. I am very pessimistic,“ he said.
Spassky's statement, in Russian, was turned in as a formal protest to Fischer's two-day delay of the tournament.
“The public opinion in the USSR and I, personally, are (sic) indignant over Fischer's conduct. Under all human notions, he discredited himself completely,” Spassky said.
“By this he jeopardized his moral right to play in the match for the world chess crown. Fischer must bear the just punishment before there is a hope of holding the match. Only after this can I return to the question about the possibility of holding the match,” Spassky said.
Spassky has been waiting in Iceland one week preparing for the match.
Only Spassky attended the meeting to determine who would get the first move in the opening game.
Fischer stayed in his hotel room to sleep and sent his second, the Rev. William Lombardy, and two attorneys, Paul Marshall and Andrew Davis.
Spassky turned over his protest and walked out.
Lothar Schmid, the official arbiter of the match, said he would need a translation of the Soviet protest before he could act upon it.
“What happened was that Spassky lodged a protest against the fact that Fischer did not arrive in time Sunday and he walked out of the meeting,” Euwe said.
The match was postponed for two days while Fischer haggled for more money.
He agreed to play after the British banker said he would double the prize money and Fischer boarded an Icelandic Airline flight from New York Monday night. The flight was held for one hour to wait for Fischer.
Fischer's delaying tactics revolved around money. The organizers had put up $125,000 for the match, which has gained more world interest than any chess encounter in history. About 60 per cent was to go to the winner, with the loser taking the rest.
British millionaire James D. Slater came to the rescue Monday by offering to double the purse. He said he was putting up the additional $125,000 from his own pocket because he loved chess and wanted the match played.
The 24-game series starting today is to be played on alternate days, with the extra days allowed to finish incomplete games. A win counts as one point, a tie a half-point for each. As champion, Spassky needs only 12 points to retain his title, while as challenger, Fischer needs 12½ points to win.
The Soviet chess federation condemned Fischer for “blackmail” ([no, Belgrade was guilty when they illegally demanded a 35,000 USD “guarantee” and USCF Edmondson refused to pay their extortion fees]) and said his actions “merit his unconditional disqualification” from play.
Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), expressed some fears over what Spassky might do. The Soviet champion said in a statement Monday he never gave FIDE permission to postpone the game from its original Sunday starting time.
Icelandic chess officials declined to say where Fischer would stay. The American had the choice of a private guest house or a hotel.
Fischer, who balked earlier in the year over a selection of sites for the world championship, postponed his departure for Iceland four times and finally threatened to stay away from the championship altogether unless his demands for more prize money were met.
The Iceland Chess Federation refused and FIDE threatened to disqualify the American as challenger to Spassky's world title.
But Slater, a British banker, industrialist and chess enthusiast, finally came to the rescue.
Now Spassky Walks Out on Fischer 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com
The Vancouver Sun Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1
Boris Checks Chess Match
Reykjavik (AP) — Hours after Bobby Fischer ended his holdout and gave the world chess championship new life, Russian Boris Spassky put the match in doubt again today.
Spassky lodged a formal protest objecting that Fischer, the American challenger, “has violated the rules of the match,” by failing to appear in Iceland for its scheduled start on Sunday.
The world champion told Max Euwe, president of the World Chess Federation, that his decision to allow a postponement in Fischer's favor to today was unacceptable. Fischer arrived Monday night.
Then Spassky and his aides, who were expected to draw lots for tonight's match, staged a glum-faced walkout.
Spassky, asked whether there was a chance for a game today, said: “It is not known.”
Speaking to reporters after the Russian walkout, Euwe was much more forthright.
Asked whether he considered the Russian move threatened to wreck the whole match, he replied: “Certainly.”
Representatives of the American grandmaster later conferred with Spassky and his aides in search of some compromise to what the organizers termed “complications.”
Tass news agency said Spassky accused Fischer of violating rules and wanted him punished.
Less than two hours before the match had been scheduled to begin, Spassky and his second, Yefim Geller, drove to the Soviet Embassy, presumably to consult with authorities in Moscow.
This supported the sentiment that Spassky's belated protest after a week of complications caused by Fischer was on Moscow's orders.
A new starting date for the 24-game series was given on Thursday.
A Tass dispatch said Spassky had refused to play Fischer until the American “is punished by the International Chess Federation.”
“Spassky is of the opinion that Fischer insulted him personally and the Chess Federation of the U.S.S.R. by failing to appear at the ceremony opening the match on July 1,” the official Soviet news agency said.
“Fischer jeopardized his moral right to play in the match. Spassky will return to the possibility of holding the match after sanctions are applied to Fischer,” the dispatch said.
Because of the protest and the walkout there was no drawing of lots to decide which player would play the white piece and have the first move of the match.
The 29-year-old American challenger flew here from New York after accepting London banker James D. Slater's offer to match the $125,000 purse put up by the Icelandic Chess Federation. Now the winner of the 24-game match will get $156,250 and the loser $93,750.
Each will also get 30 per cent of the $250,000 paid for the TV and movie rights to the match — $75,000 each.
The match, which could last two months, had been scheduled to start Sunday afternoon, but Fischer stayed in New York, demanding a 30 per cent cut of the gate receipts.
The International Chess postponed the first game 48 hours and told Fischer he had to be in Reykjavik by noon today or forfeit the match. He arrived about five hours before the deadline.
Fischer, wearing red trousers, a blue sports shirt and a brown suede jacket, was met aboard the plane by a nervous Fredrik Olafsson, an Icelandic grandmaster and friend of the American challenger.
A crowd of reporters and photographers waited at plane-side but when Fischer finally left he bounded down the stairs and into a waiting limousine and pushed newsmen away.
Spassky, who won the world championship in 1969, has been in Iceland two weeks preparing for the 24-match world championship.
Ladbrokes, the London bookmakers, today quoted Fischer as a 5-to-2 favorite to win his challenge against Spassky if they play.
A stewardess on the plane said Fischer appeared calm during the flight of four hours and 40 minutes from New York but slept for only a few minutes at a time.
The Icelandic Chess Federation, after negotiating since last week with one of Fischer's lawyers, Andrew Davis, rejected the demand for a cut of the gate receipts.
But almost simultaneously Slater came forward with his offer to put up $125,000, saying: “Fischer has said that money is the problem. Well, here it is.
“I like chess and have played it for years,” said Slater.
“Many want to see this match and everything has been arranged. If Fischer does not go to Iceland, many will be disappointed.”
Fischer was quoted Monday by a representative in New York as saying of the offer, “stupendous … incredible and generous and brave.”
The spokesman, lawyer Paul Marshall, said Fischer holdout had been a matter of principle: “He felt Iceland wasn't treating this match or his countrymen with the dignity that it and they deserved.”
Marshall also said that Fischer, who abhors reporters and ([protects himself from aggressive Paparazzi]) “was furious about the press censorship.” ([Does that excuse the Soviet and Icelandic Chess Federation colluding to stipulate in their contract, an unconstitutional suppression of journalism? Because that's what it is: Unconstitutional Censorship. Encroachment on Civil Liberties of citizens around the world. But the Soviet knew nothing of “Democratic Principles.” like freedom of speech and free press. Perfectly reasonable that Fischer was furious coverage of the match was being censored by Soviet government, and achieved by connivance.])
The Icelandic federation has restricted move-by-move and photo coverage of the match because of its sale of the TV and movie rights.
The Soviet chess federation condemned Fischer for “blackmail” and said his actions “merit his unconditional disqualification” from play. ([Blah. Blah. Blah.])
The 24-game series is to be played on alternate days, with the extra days allowed to finish incomplete games.
At win counts as one point, a tie half a point each.
As champion, Spassky needs only 12 points to retain his title. Challenger Fischer needs 12½ points to win.
Boris Checks Chess Match 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Newspapers.com
World Chess Tourney Again Cast in Doubt 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Newspapers.com
U.S. Grandmaster Bobby Fischer Arrives at Reykjavik, Iceland 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Newspapers.com
The Charlotte News Charlotte, North Carolina Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 4
Fischer's Chess Holdout Is Over
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP) — Ending his holdout which threatened to wreck the world chess championship series, American grandmaster Bobby Fischer arrived in Iceland today about 10 hours before he was scheduled to meet Soviet titleholder Boris Spassky for their first game.
The 29-year-old American challenger flew from New York after accepting London banker James D. Slater's offer to match $125,000 purse put up by the Icelandic Chess Federation. Now the winner of the 24-game match will get $156,25 and the loser $93,750.
EACH will also get 30 per cent of the $250,000 paid for the TV and move rights to the match, or $75,000 each.
The match, which could last two months, had been scheduled to start Sunday afternoon, but Fischer stayed in New York, demanding a 30 per cent cut of the gate receipts.
The International Chess Federation postponed the first game 48 hours and told Fischer he had to be in Reykjavik by noon today or forfeit the match. He arrived about five hours before the deadline.
The Icelandic Chess Federation, after negotiating since last week with Fischer's lawyer, Andrew Davis, rejected the demand for a cut of the gate receipts. But almost simultaneously Slater came forward with his offer to put up 50,000 pounds, saying, “Fischer has said that money is the problem. Well, here it is.”
“I like chess and have played it for years,” said Slater. “Many want to see this match and everything has been arranged. If Fischer does not go to Iceland, many will be disappointed.”
Fischer said Slater's offer was “stupendous … incredible and generous and brave,” according to a representative in New York.
This spokesman, lawyer Paul Marshall, claimed Fischer's holdout had been a matter of principle: “He felt Iceland wasn't treating this match or his countrymen with the dignity that it and they deserved.”
Marshall also said that Fischer, who abhors newsmen and runs at the sight of them, “was furious about the press censorship.” ([Does that excuse the illegality of the unlawful suppression of freedom of honest journalism and freedom of the press? But what could the Soviet Union care about Democratic principles, such as Constitutional Laws?])
The Icelandic federation has restricted move-by-move and photo coverage of the match because of its sale of the TV and movie rights.
The Windsor Star Windsor, Ontario, Canada Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1
White Knight Shows Up!
Reykjavik, Iceland (UPI) — U.S. grand master Bobby Fischer, finally wooed to the board by a British banker's offer to double the prize money, arrived in Iceland today hours before the opening match in his chess showdown with world champion Boris Spassky.
Fischer arrived aboard an Icelandic Airline flight from New York delayed more than one hour for him.
The controversial American challenger, who won a two-day postponement in the world championship while he bartered for more prize money, was driven down the runway to the airplane in New York to avoid newsmen.
Fischer, wearing red trousers, a blue sports shirt and a brown suede jacket, was met aborad the plane by a nervous Fredrik Olafsson, an Icelandic grand master and friend of the American challenger.
A crowd of newsmen and photographers waited for Fischer at planeside but when the challenger finally deplaned he bounded down the stairs and jumped into a waiting limousine.
Reykjavik police surrounded the limousine and pushed newsmen away. Fischer left without a word.
Spassky, who won the world championship in 1969, has been in Iceland two weeks preparing for the 24-match world championship.
The champion and challenger were drawing at noon (8 a.m. EDT) to see who plays white in the opening match.
The first game was due to start at 1 p.m. EDT—only 10 hours after Fischer arrived in Reykjavik. It already had been postponed two days when the 29-year-old American challenger failed to turn up Sunday as scheduled. There were indications that Spassky, 35, might protest the postponement.
Fischer's delaying tactics revolved around money. The organizers had put up $125,000 for the match, which has gained more world interest than any chess encounter in history. About 60 per cent was to go to the winner, with the loser taking the rest.
British millionaire James D. Slater came to the rescue Monday by offering to double the purse. He said he was putting up the additional $125,000 from his own pocket because he loved chess and wanted the match played.
The 24-game series starting today is to be played on alternate days, with the extra days allowed to finish incomplete games. A win counts as one point, a tie a half-point for each. As champion, Spassky needs only 12 points to retain his title, while as challenger, Fischer needs 12½ points to win.
The Soviet ches federation condemned Fischer for “blackmail” and said his actions “merit his unconditional disqualification” from play.
Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), expressed some fears over what Spassky might do. The Soviet champion said in a statement Monday he never gave FIDE permission to postpone the game.
White Knight Shows Up! 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) Newspapers.com
White Knight 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) Newspapers.com
The Times-News Twin Falls, Idaho Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 18
British Banker Offers More Money for Fischer
Reykjavik (UPI) — A wealthy British investment banker offered to double the prize money Monday to convince American challenger Bobby Fischer to go through with his world championship chess match against Russian Boris Spassky.
“This money is more than the 30 per cent of the gate receipts Fischer has asked for in addition to the prize money and I do hope that he will now decide to come here and play,” Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), said.
The offer was communicated to Paul G. Marshall, a lawyer representing Fischer in New York where the 29-year-old chess star was in hiding, Icelandic Radio said. Marshall was not immediately available for comment there.
The 24-game match between Fischer and the Russian world champion was scheduled to open Sunday but Fischer refused to board a plane until the sponsoring Icelandic Chess Federation promised him more money. Euwe reluctantly agreed to a 48-hour postponement Sunday, making the new deadline for the start of play Tuesday at 5 p.m. (1 p.m. EDT).
Euwe said he expected Fischer to accept the new offer but reiterated that if Fischer does not arrive before noon (8 a.m. EDT) Tuesday he will be disqualified from the match.
“We will know by 10 p.m. New York time if Fischer is on one of the planes to Reykjavik,” Euwe said. “If he is not, then the game is off.”
The offer to double the prize money was made by Jim Slater, chess-playing chairman of Slater Walker Securities of London, after the Icelandic Chess Federation refused Fischer's demands.
By doubling the $125,000 prize money the winner would get $150,000 and the loser $100,000 under the present terms calling for a five-eighths, three-eighths split.
Slater said that if this did not satisfy Fischer he would offer an outright $125,000 extra to the winner, bringing his prize money to $200,000, with nothing extra for the loser.
“Fischer has said that the money is the problem,” Slater said in London. “Well, here it is. What I am saying to Fischer now is: Come out and play.”
In addition to the prize money each player also will get 30 per cent of television and film rights from the Icelandic sponsors but Fischer had asked also for 30 per cent of the gate receipts from the 3,000 seat theater where the match was to be played.
Euwe said Spassky, 35, told him he had to “await instructions” about Slater's offer “but when I told him about it I had the impression that he was happy about it.”
The Soviet Chess Federation condemned Fischer for “blackmail” Monday and said his actions “merit his unconditional disqualification” from play.
The statement carried by Tass, the official Soviet news agency, also sharply criticized Euwe for allegedly allowing violations of FIDE rules. ([But Tass was silent in its criticism of Belgrade's illegal violation of demanding a 35,000 USD “guarantee” earlier in the year which the USCF REFUSED to pay, because, it was illegal. No, Tass did not criticize, rather, it chose to play along, so it should do some deep introspection before casting that stone.])
Spassky later issued a statement saying he had not “given permission to delay the beginning of the game for two days.” Euwe acknowledged this and said that he had announced only “that the Russians said they would not object to the postponement.”
Euwe admitted his decision to allow the postponement was “not quite legal but I did it because I felt we could not damage so many people here in Iceland and the game of chess by just calling off the match Sunday.” ([Although nobody seems to care that it is illegal, an affront to Constitutional law, that suppression of the free press has been mandated by the Icelandic Chess Federation, willful, deliberate media blackout, as instructed by Soviet Chess Federation.])
Pensacola News Journal Pensacola, Florida Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 31
'I Gotta Accept It' -- Bob Fischer
New York (AP) — “It's a stupendous offer! I gotta accept it.”
That is how chess star Bobby Fischer is reported by his lawyer to have reacted to $130,000 offered by a British banker if Fischer would show up in Iceland and play Boris Spassky in a world championship match.
The lawyer, Paul Marshall, said Fischer planned to leave New York for Reykjavik, Iceland, Monday night. The first scheduled match is Tuesday.
The offer of 50,000 pounds—or $130,000 at official parity—came from James D. Slater Monday morning.
Slater put up his own funds because he wanted to solve Fischer's reported money questions and get the match under way.
“What I'm saying to Fischer, now is, ‘Come out and play,’ Slater said in making the offer.
Marshall said he called Fischer as soon as he got word of the offer at 8 a.m. New York time and it took Fischer about six hours to decide, calling Marshall back with his acceptance at about 2 p.m.
“Fischer thought the offer was incredible and generous and brave,” said Marshall. “His only negative comment was that he felt the English were assuming the Icelandic responsibility.”
Fischer accepted after previously requesting and receiving a two-day postponement of the match.
Why did Fischer accept?
“The offer was couched in a way he couldn't refuse. It said ‘If he isn't afraid of Spassky, then I, Jim Slater, have removed the element of money,’ said Marshall. “So Bobby felt he had to accept. His pride … he couldn't go down as a coward.”
Slater, chairman of Slater Walker Securities, proposed several deals. In one, all $130,000 would go to the winner, raising the winner's prize to $208,000.
However, Fischer took the deal to double the original prize money for the match, which stands at $125,000. The winner would get $156,000 and the loser $104,000, splitting the extra prize money in the same percentage as the original purse.
William Lombardy, grandmaster, of New York City, will be Fischer's official second for the match, said Marshall.
All along, the issue hasn't been the money, Marshall said.
“It was the principle. He felt Iceland wasn't treating this match or his countrymen with the dignity that it and they deserved. And he was furious about the press censorship. He was flying around the room,” said Marshall.
Marshall was referring to the three-releases per game limitation which the Icelandic Chess Federation made for reporters covering the match.
“They're trying to stop America from reading about it! That's what they've done all along,” Marshall quoted Fischer as saying.
Fischer himself has shunned newsmen because he feels the press often misrepresents him, Marshall said.
“He's not a trained interview subject, and he's very frank and outspoken … Plus he's in training,” said Marshall.
He added that Fischer has been in good spirits.
“Last night, he was jocular and relaxed,” he said.
Fischer fled from the airport last Thursday to avoid newsmen who were waiting for him, Marshall said. It was not a ploy to make Spassky nervous, said the lawyer.
'I Gotta Accept It' -- Bob Fischer 04 Jul 1972, Tue Pensacola News Journal (Pensacola, Florida) Newspapers.com
Fischer Accepts Offer From British Banker 04 Jul 1972, Tue Pensacola News Journal (Pensacola, Florida) Newspapers.com
The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 7
Fischer Ends His Boycott as Prize Money Is Doubled by Joe Alex Morris, Jr.
Reykjavik, Iceland—American challenger Bobby Fischer decided Monday night to end his boycott of the world chess championship and fly here for the first match today against Russia's Boris Spassky, the Icelandic Chess Federation president said.
Fischer boarded Icelandic Airways Flight 202A bound for Reykjavik Monday evening at New York Kennedy's International Airport.
It's the Englishman who did it,” said Gudmunder Thorarinsson, the Icelandic chess official. By this he meant the dramatic offer by British banker Jim Slater to double the prize money if Fischer would end his holdout.
Thorarinsson was somewhat less than jubilant, however. “Fischer made it to the airport before,” he pointed out. The 29-year-old American fled from hordes of waiting photographers at the airport when he originally was scheduled to fly to Iceland last week.
Comments Confirm Reports
Thorarinsson didn't name the source of his information but he appeared to be confirming reports that Fischer's lawyer had said he would play. On the other hand, neither International Chess Federation President Dr. Max Euwe nor Fred Cramer, one of Fischer's unofficial representatives here, could confirm the story.
(Slater, the British chess buff-millionaire, said in London he had received confirmation of Fischer's acceptance, Associated Press reported. He had described his offer of $130,000 of his own money as, in effect, “saying to Fischer … ‘Come out and play.’”
(In New York, Fischer's lawyer, Paul Marshall, quoted the American challenger as saying: “I gotta accept it. It's a stupendous offer … incredible and generous and brave.”)
Dr. Euwe expressed concern that all the troubles may not be over even if Fischer does arrive. He said the Russians were now showing a tough and exasperated mood, signified by their insistence that the extraordinary steps taken to save this competition were totally illegal.
Dr. Euwe didn't deny his steps were illegal. He merely pleaded they were vital if the competition was to go on.
No one knows yet whether the Russians will agree to a capitalist banker increasing the money in the pot either.
After maintaining an admirable sporting and diplomatic posture through days of mounting tension, the Russians suddenly opened up with full broadsides against both Fischer and the International Chess Federation.
The Soviet Chess Federation accused Fischer of “blackmail,” and said he should be “unconditionally disqualified.” But it indicated Russia would go along with the postponement of the match, which should have started Sunday, until noon today.
Euwe also was accused by the campion, Spassky, of distorting their position in his press conferences. This came out in a story from Tass, the official Soviet news agency.
[THUS BEGAN THE BASELESS RUMORS SPREAD BY BRAD DARRACH et al., WHICH FISCHER ADAMANTLY DENIED]--> Tass, like Life magazine, has an inside track. Life got its special position by contracting with Fischer.<--[FISCHER ANSWERS TO THIS NOTORIOUSLY FALSE REPORT, 9/23/1972, QUOTE: “…Fischer told a reporter that the story that he had sold Life magazine an exclusive interview during the match with Spassky was ‘a dirty lie.’” ‘I was busy,’ he said. ‘If I'd given an interview to every body that asked, I'd have lost the match.’” - New York Times, September 23, 1972] The Soviet simply named the Tass chess correspondent, a grand master himself, as an official member of their delegation.
To compound the confusion here, Spassky announced a press conference, then failed to show up. He did send a statement, however, in which he declared he had never given anyone permission to delay the start of the tournament. Dr. Euwe pointed out he had never said Spassky had done so, but simply stated the Russians had not objected.
On the new money offer from a capitalist British banker, Euwe said Spassky had not yet reacted. “I had the impression Spassky had to wait for orders from Moscow,” the Hollander said.
The Star Press Muncie, Indiana Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1
Banker's Bid Lures Fischer to Iceland
New York (UPI) - Chess whiz Bobby Fischer, lured out of seclusion by a British banker's offer to double the world championship prize money, flew to Iceland Monday night, just hours before the start of his match with the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky.
Avoiding newsmen at Kennedy International Airport, Fischer, accompanied by three associates, was driven directly onto the runway and boarded Icelandic Airways Flight 202 through a rear door.
Fischer, unsmiling and wearing red slacks and a blue blazer, got on the plane shortly after 9 p.m., more than an hour and a half after the flight was scheduled to take off. The plane finally left at 10:04 p.m.
The Icelandic DC8 was expected to arrive in Reykjavik at 7:30 a.m.
THE MATCH WAS scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
He had been scheduled to leave more than a week ago and the chess match was to have begun Sunday afternoon but Fischer's representatives succeeded in obtaining a two-day postponement.
If Fischer had not left Monday night, he would have been disqualified and the match forfeited to Spassky.
Earlier, Gudmunder Thorarinsson, president of the Icelandic Chess Federation, expressed optimism that Fischer, of Brooklyn, N.Y., would make it Tuesday for the match.
THE TWO-DAY postponement granted by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was sharply criticized by Soviet Chess authorities Monday.
Dr. Max Euwe, president of FIDE, said he had not heard of Fischer's reported acceptance of the new offer and also expressed some fears over what Spassky might do if Fischer turns up two days late. Spassky earlier Monday issued a statement in which he said he had never given FIDE any permission to postpone the game.
Fischer, 29, of Brooklyn, flew to New York from Los Angeles last weekend and went into hiding, while his representatives battled over the money terms.
MONDAY, British banker Jim Slater offered to double the $125,000 prize money which would mean the winner would get $150,000 and the loser $100,000. Fischer had been seeking 30 per cent of the gate.
Slater said if his offer did not satisfy Fischer he would give an extra $125,000 to the winner and nothing to the loser.
“Fischer has said that money is the problem,” Slater said. “Well, here it is, What I am saying to Fischer now is ‘come out and play.’”
Fischer's delayed start caused much concern in Iceland, which has invested a great deal of money in preparations for the match, including a 300-pound marble inlay chess table ([Which even referee Lothar Schmid confessed: “Fischer's representative and the chief arbiter, Schmid, a German publisher of Wild West books, agreed that the special chess board to be used in the match was not good. It reflected glare from the fluorescent lights insisted upon by Fischer.”])
SPASSKY ARRIVED for the match on schedule and has spent his time calmly playing tennis. The Soviet news agency Tass said at one point that if Fischer was playing a “war of nerves” against Spassky, Fischer was losing.
“This money is more than the 30 per cent of the gate receipts Fischer has asked for in addition to the prize money and I do hope that he will now decide to come here and play,” Euwe said.
The offer was communicated to Paul G. Marshall, a lawyer representing Fischer in New York where the 29-year-old chess star was in hiding, Icelandic Radio said. Marshall was not immediately available for comment.
In addition to the prize money each player also will get 30 per cent of television and film rights from the Icelandic sponsors.
Banker's Bid Lures Fischer to Iceland 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana) Newspapers.com
The Herald-Journal Logan, Utah Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 2
A New Crisis For Chess
Reykjavik (UPI) — The world chess championship match between Bobby Fischer of the United States and World Champion Boris Spassky ran into a new crisis Tuesday when the Russian left a meeting with Fischer's representatives after lodging a protest over Fischer's behavior.
Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), said he was not sure himself what the situation was.
“What happened was that Spassky lodged a protest against the fact that Fischer did not arrive in time Sunday and he walked out of the meeting,” Dr. Euwe said.
He said the Russian walkout, which he felt was ordered by Moscow, put the match in danger again.
“The situation is critical. I don't know if the match will be played at all,” Dr. Euwe said.
“I am very pessimistic,” he said.
Dr. Euwe said the protest, as he understood it, was aimed only against Fischer's failure to show up Sunday when the match was originally scheduled to begin.
When Fischer arrived from New York early this morning most experts here felt the crisis had been solved and the match would begin with the first game Tuesday night.
The meeting was called for the drawing of lots for Tuesday night's expected game. Spassky showed up but Fischer stayed in his hotel to sleep and sent his second, Father William Lombardy and his lawyers, Paul Marshall and Andrew Davis to represent him.
However the drawing never took place. The Russians instead handed in their protest—in Russian—and left.
Lothar Schmid, the Official Arbiter of the match, said he would need a translation of the protest before acting on it.
Meanwhile Lombardy and Marshall went to Spassky's Reykjavik hotel to try to persuade the Russian to come back into the match.
Daily News New York, New York Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 3
Bobby Takes Sterling Move: He'll Play For Bundle From Briton
Reykjavik, Iceland, July 3 (Special)—Confronted with an ultimatum to show up by noon tomorrow or forfeit his bid for the world chess title, Bobby Fischer was reported tonight to have accepted a bid by a British buff of the game to almost double the pot.
Fischer was believed to be at a New York City hideaway, but in London, the buff, British investment banker James D. Slater said Fischer's attorney had accepted the offer, and Fischer was preparing to fly to Reykjavik. Slater said Fischer's lawyer had telephoned him acceptance of the offer.
The six-member Icelandic Chess Federation board, sponsor of the 24-game match, turned down Fischer's demand for 30% of the gate receipts in the match against Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.
Present terms call for the winner to get $78,125 and the loser $46,875, with each taking a 30% cut of TV and photo sales income.
Slater, president of the philanthropic group Friends of Chess, offered to put up $130,000, which would roughly double the previously agreed purse, thus giving the winner about $156,000. As an alternative, Slater said, the entire $130,000 could be tacked onto the winner's share, making the first prize total some $308,000.
Slater said: “The idea is to remove the problem of money from Fischer and see if he has any others.”
He said he was acting basically because of his love of chess. “Many want to see this match … Fischer does not go to Iceland, many will be disappointed.”
Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation, said Slater's offer to sweeten the pot should satisfy Fischer. “I do hope that he will now decide to come here and play,” he added.
Euwe—who granted the delay in the start of the match—and the world federation drew criticism and complaints today from the Soviet camp. In Moscow, the Soviet Chess Federation protested against Fischer's failure to appear yesterday for the scheduled beginning of the match and said this action merits the American's “unconditional disqualification.”
Here in Reykjavik, Spassky complained that he had been incorrectly reported to have agreed to the delay. “I want to declare,” he said, “that I have not given any such permission, not to (Euwe) or anybody.”
The Icelandic federation turned down not only Fischer's bid for the 30% slice of the gate receipts. ([Repeats an idle falsehood which is omitted here due to being nothing but a vapid rumor, the product of an irrational mind, and spread by Fischer's Soviet detractors. Apparently the Soviet-controlled Icelandic Chess Federation is the source of this odious rumor. Fischer agreed to the additional Slater funds to be EQUITABLY DIVIDED between himself and Spassky, and so history shows it was done.])
The Icelandic federation also discussed a Fischer demand for a quarantine from the press and public during his stay in Iceland.
Bobby Takes Sterling Move 04 Jul 1972, Tue Daily News (New York, New York) Newspapers.com
Fischer OKs Bonus Offer 04 Jul 1972, Tue Daily News (New York, New York) Newspapers.com
The Guardian London, Greater London, England Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 1
Slater Saves Chess Match
Bobby Fischer, the American challenger for the World Chess Championship, last night left New York by air for Reykjavik to take part in the championship against Boris Spassky.
Mr. Paul Marshall, Fischer's lawyer, said that he would do so because of the offer of the British financier, Jim Slater, to put up £50,000 to be added to the contestants' share of the gate money.
Fischer was “overwhelmed by the gesture and challenged by the terms,” he told the Guardian's chess correspondent, Leonard Barden, who conveyed the Slater offer to the Americans.
Mr. Barden, a former British champion, who was telephoned by Mr. Slater yesterday morning and asked to get in touch with Fischer's lawyers and the President of the International Chess Federation, said that Fischer had taken an hour to think over the offer.
He had then decided that the £50,000 should be split between winner and loser rather than on a winner take all basis because, his lawyers said “he wanted Spassky to go home with something.”
Mr. Barden said that when Mr. Slater, a chess enthusiast who shares the sponsorship of the Hastings International Congress every year, telephoned him he said that it looked as though the match would be off because of the dispute about the gate money.
Although he believed there might be other reasons, he proposed to remove the money question by offering Fischer as much as he demanded from the gate, either split between the players or on a winner take all basis.
Late Riser
The first call was put through to Mr. Marshall in New Jersey at about 5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. When he was woken and heard the offer, he gasped. He was still unwilling to wake Fischer, whose habit is to rise at four in the afternoon.
Fischer was finally told about 9 a.m. and after an hour's reflection, mainly about the split of the money, agreed to accept. His decision reached London at 6:30 last night but Mr. Barden was at first unable to contact Mr. Slater to inform him because his number is ex-directory and calls were refused.
Mr. Barden said he had been told by the lawyers that Fischer had decided that the offer was too good to refuse. Apart from the wrangle over the gate money, his lawyers had said that he continued to feel that the choice of Reykjavik was a bad one (Fischer had opted for Belgrade) and that the Icelandic organizers were not as sympathetic as they might have been to his wishes over the match.
Mr. Barden, who partnered Fischer in a radio consultation game on the only visit he has made to Britain, in 1960, was told that Fischer would be flying last night and had been asked to obtain some specific books and articles to assist him in his preparation.
Michael Lake writes from Reykjavik: The president of the International Chess Federation, Professor Max Euwe, said that Fischer's arrival deadline of noon today would not be altered. In the meantime he offered Spassky who, he said, had already been “damaged” by the postponement, two free days off to recover.
Spassky meanwhile issued a statement insisting that he did not give permission for the postponement. He claims that the match was begun with the opening ceremony on Saturday, and that he is therefore already entitled to the winner's prize of £32,000 by default. ([Moscow scripted, with Spassky as mouthpiece.])
The Springfield News-Leader Springfield, Missouri Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 3
Soviet Chess Group Protests Postponement
Moscow (AP) — The Soviet Chess Federation, protesting the postponement of the world chess championship in Iceland, said on Monday American challenger Bobby Fischer merits disqualification because of his demands for more money. ([Whilst the Soviet Federation protested and agitated ceaselessly for a reduction in prize money, as low as possible! then approved of an illegal 35,000 USD extortion fee “guaranteeing” Fischer would turn up in Belgrade. Doesn't that equally warrant total disqualification from chess, forever?])
In a statement distributed by the official news agency Tass, the Soviet federation also assailed the International Chess Federation—FIDE—and its president, Max Euwe.
“On the eve of the match and again with the connivance ([there goes that invective fallacy]) of the FIDE leadership the American grandmaster resorted to blackmail ([do these people know what blackmail is? What “compromising or damaging information” was Fischer threatening to reveal, to “extort” prize money? Ah. They mean “extortion”, but the facts are, Australia was willing to pay upwards $200,000 in prize money to the two champions, and Mexico would have shelled out another whopping $175,000… but Soviet demanded instead to deprive chess players of an incentive to compete. They demanded the lowest monetary reward offered among the bids, chosen for the site, where a media blackout could be achieved for lack of Satellite communications. The Soviet wanted to bury the most exciting chess event in history. In other words, the Soviet was bad for chess.]) and did not appear for the opening of the match, for the drawing of lots,” the statement said. ([Fischer agreed to play “under protest.” is all. He kept his word.])
“All this is in crying violation of FIDE rules without parallel in the history of sports competitions. ([No, actually, the Soviets were doing it themselves just about three months earlier, to sabotage the games in Belgrade, so they could achieve a total media blackout in their chosen Icelandic location.]) Fischer's actions can only be condemned ([by whom? The Soviets who use every trick in the book to monopolize sports titles to prove their illusion of 'political superiority'? Knowing, if Fischer wins it will wield a crack, so irreconcilably wide, that eventually the Soviet players themselves will begin defecting and turning against the 'Soviet superiority' illusion by the droves. The rigged matches via 'Grandmaster Draws'.. which Soviet defectors would later testify were in fact, executed among pre-arranged games. Fischer didn't imagine it. The illusions soon began crumbling after Fischer wielded that huge crack in the facade that even citizens on the other side of the Iron Curtain SAW with their own eyes and could not ignore.]) and merit his unconditional disqualification. ([so USSR can walk away with the title won through DEFAULT, by yet another paper champion? Spassky had more guts than Karpov. Spassky refused to win on technicalities… as Moscow instructed him to do behind the scenes. Spassky was no “paper champion” like Karpov and insisted to win across the chess board, not by technicalities.)]
“But instead of this, FIDE President Max Euwe undertook the more than unseemly role of Fischer's defender and, even without having any officials requests from Fischer or from persons authorized by him, decided to postpone the match for two days, using as motivation Fischer's non-existing request and mythical illness.” ([This is untrue. Whilst Cramer and co., are reported to have given false report of “fatigue” Fischer pointedly informed by phone he was neither fatigued nor in a state of illness, and Fischer knew, the match must go on WITH him … or Reykjavik would lose big. THAT is why Euwe chose to postpone the match.])
The Soviet press also was critical of Fischer and Euwe. ([complaining seems all the official Soviet magazine Tass exists for. It's called “Prima Donna tactics” and quite “temperamental” for supposedly grown adults working with the Soviet government.])
The Charleston Daily Mail Charleston, West Virginia Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 9
World Title Bout by Bill Smith
CHECKING ON a great event.
“This is your famous sports announcer Coward Hosell coming to you from that great sports capital of the world—Reykjavik, Iceland.
REYKJAVIK? That's pronounced Reykjavik! It is famous for … Well it's famous for … Well, ice for one thing.
“Now it will go down in the pages of history as the great city where two men—one a champion, the other a challenger—clashed in mortal combat.
“These two greats—perhaps the greatest of all time—are a contrast in styles. One is a man of almost fierce intensity. A veteran of combat.
“He has to rely on his years of experience. His game is steady. he makes few mistakes. He takes little chances. But, he's a winner. He's the champion. Champions are proud.
“THE OTHER IS somewhat of an upstart. A rookie in the talented ‘sport.’ He is good. He plays the game with the nerve of a riverboat gambler. he takes chances. He lets it all hang out. Rookies are that way. They have no fear … They haven't acquired the ‘Yips’, yet.
“This kid, at the mere age of 29, has been considered the next champion of the world.
“HE FOUGHT HIS way out of a tenement in Chicago. His inspiration was his sister, who started him on his career when he was six.
“Well, … actually she taught him to play this game.”
“This rookie reached the brink of fame several times, but he always drew back. He charged that the game was fixed. It was a conspiracy against him and his talent.
World Title Bout 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, West Virginia) Newspapers.com
$225,000 Purse
“FOR WHATEVER THE reason, charges flew that he was a spoiled brat. That he was afraid he would choke. After all, he had gone against this world champ five previous times without victory … He lost three and two battles ended in ties.
“But, the stage has been set here in Reykjavik (?) for more than a year. The championship bout was arranged … The veteran went into hiding and training.
“THE ROOKIE worked himself into top condition. He trained with severe dedication. he punished himself. He was ready.
“On the eve of the bout, the rookie drew back again. Was he afraid? No. He was holding out for more money. A puny $78,000 purse for the winner wasn't enough. he wanted more, more. He wanted a share of the gate receipts. He wanted a share of the teevee money.
“Why not. Teevee was going to give a blow-by-blow account of the fast and furious action.
“AMID HOWLS FROM the Iceland promoters, the rookies forced his demands and won. Now, if he becomes the new champ, he will take home $156,250 plus another $75,000 from teevee. That's more than $225,000. Even if he loses, he'll pocket nearly $170,000.
“That's money worth fighting for.”
“AND, WE COME down to that final moment—the moment of truth. The combatants are ready … ready to battle in a ‘sport’ that has been going on for 1,400 years … since the siege of Troy when it was a war game.
$225,000 Purse 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, West Virginia) Newspapers.com
Battle Of Ideas
“TODAY, THE EYES of the world will be on this great arena in Reykjavik (?). The lights will go out. The spotlight will center on the champion and challenger. The gigantic crowd will be hushed.
“They know this is a rendezvous with destiny for these two ‘athletes’. The starting buzzer will sound and it will be a bitter duel … a duel until one loses, surrenders, collapses.
“THERE WILL BE vicious attacks, feints, counterattacks, flares of temper. Oh, the tension will be terrible.
“This game is ruthless demonstration of logical superiority of ideas. This ruthlessness can utterly exhaust one player—or both.
“That is why the air will be electric when the moment of truth arrives.
“BORIS SPASSKY, world chess champion from Russia, will come out, take his seat and stare at this upstart who dares to try and dethrone him.
“Across the board, young Bobby Fischer of the United States will for his reckless charge … a charge for glory and money.
“The action will begin … Kt-KB3, Kt-KB3, P-KKt3, P-QB4, Kt-B3, B-Kt2, P-Q4 … Oh, what action! Even my hands are shaking.
“If only my colleague, Dondy Dan, could be here to witness this combat.”
“WHY, MAN, I'm right here with you, Coward. This heah is something. I know this, before this day is over one of these heah men going to get rooked.”
“Dondy, you do pop up in the strangest places. Excuse me, but look at what's happening. The Russian is walking out now.”
“WHAT's THAT DUDE want, Coward? More money … or more ice. Hey, by the way, what did you say the name of this heah place we're in was … Raykjavik?
“Spell that for the folks, Coward.”
Battle Of Ideas 04 Jul 1972, Tue The Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, West Virginia) Newspapers.com
The Crowley Post Herald Crowley, Louisiana Tuesday, July 04, 1972 - Page 13
Bobby Fischer Apologizes For Delaying Chess Match
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP) — Bobby Fischer apologized today for delaying the start of his $300,000 chess match with world champion Boris Spassky of Russia.
The American, whose dispute over prize money forced organizers to postpne the world championship round, said he had the greatest respect for Spassky as a man and as a player.
The statement, prepared by Fischer's lawyers, was read to newsmen by Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation—FIDE.
It was not known whether this would be sufficient to overcome Russian objections to starting the match.
In a statement Tuesday, Spassky said he would consider starting play only if Fischer paid the penalty for his behavior.
Spassky told The Associated Press Tuesday afternoon he still did not know whether the match would begin Thursday. He said there would be an announcement by the Russian delegation later.
After holding out for more money and getting it, the American challenger came to Iceland for the postponed opening match Tuesday. But Spassky walked out of the noon drawing to decide who would move first because Fischer was not present. He had sent his second, a Roman Catholic priest.
Officials announced a new 48-hour postponement of the opener, originally scheduled for last Sunday. They hoped both players would be ready to meet on Thursday.
Fischer arrived in Reykjavik early Tuesday. The Icelandic Chess Federation had rejected his demand for 30 per cent of the gate receipts, but he agreed to come after a London investment banker doubled the $125,000 purse which he and Spassky will divide.
The 29-year-old American grandmaster was resting from the overnight flight in a guarded villa at the edge of town when Spassky counterattacked in the holdout department.
The 35-year-old Soviet champion read a prepared statement calling the American's conduct insulting and intolerable. It said Fischer, by refusing to appear at the opening ceremony last weekend, had insulted Spassky personally and the Soviet Chess Federation and had jeopardized his right to play for the title. The statement demanded that Fischer be punished.
However, Max Euwe, president of the international federation, said the Soviets had not formally requested punishment.
“What should I do?” he asked.
“Put him in the corner?”
Fischer was staying away from newsmen and did not comment on the Soviet statement.
With the contribution from the London banker, James D. Slater, the winner is to get $156,250 and the loser $93,750. In addition, each player will get another $75,000 from the television and film rights.
