AThe Gazette Montreal, Quebec, Canada Friday, July 14, 1972 - Page 2
Cameras Bug Him: Fischer Stays Away, Forfeits 2nd Match
Reykjavik, Iceland — (AP) — Bobby Fischer forfeited yesterday's chess game with world champion Boris Spassky. He stayed in his hotel room, because of disruptive cameras crew men in the playing hall.
His balk for the second in a 24-game schedule left the score 2 to 0 in the Russian's favor. This gave Spassky a powerful psychological advantage over Fischer, who has never beaten the champion.
Fischer knew before he came to Iceland to play for the world title that the match would be filmed. And Chester Fox, the promoter who owns the three cameras, said they were out of Fischer's sight and hearing. ([But this is not true. Fischer's lawyer states: “...if there was to be television filming it would be so protected as to be unnoticeable by the players. ... one of them, with a crew of three, placed 15 feet from Fischer.”])
“He said just knowing they were there bothered him,” Fox said, adding later: “I pity the poor guy.”
All attempts to get Fischer to the chess table — where he lost the first game to Spassky Wednesday — proved futile.
The future of the match, said chief referee Lothar Schmid, now depends on whether Fischer persists in his walkout.
SUNDAY GAME
Schmid said that International Chess Federation could intervene and disqualify the American challenge, allowing Russia to keep the world title it has held for 24 years. But at the end of the day, Schmid said there would be a game Sunday as scheduled.
The row over the cameras began early yesterday when Fischer said he couldn't play alongside them in the 2,500-seat Sports Palace. Fox, whose purchase of television and film rights for the match allowed the Icelandic chess federation to offer a record $125,000 in prize money ([which the persist in claiming they can not afford to pay… compared to Australia who made the generous bid of $225,000 and confirming a paltry $25,000 only was necessary to cover expenses. Why is Iceland sorely mismanaging their funds and running into such financial problems that neither Australia, Mexico or Argentina appeared to experience?]), said the cameras had to stay.
In an attempt at compromise, Fox's lawyer Richard Stein sent Fischer a letter at 5 a.m. appealing to him to at least talk about the problem.
“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,” Stein's letter said.
IGNORED IT
Fischer ignored the appeal. Ten minutes before the match was to begin, Fred Cramer, a U.S. Chess Federation official, called the match organizers to say Fischer wasn't coming.
Spassky entered the hall on time and took his place at the table. At game time, Schmid started Fischer's clock as the rules required. Spassky looked perplexed.
At the end of an hour, Schmid announced to an angry crowd: “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.”
During the hour there were telephone calls back and forth between the Sports Palace and Fischer's hotel.
Spassky, who left the stage at times, emerged from behind the curtains after Schmid's announcement, bowed to the crowd and left.
NOT FIRST
It was not Fischer's first complaint against the ([disruptive men operating the]) movie cameras. Shortly after play began Wednesday, he walked out for 30 minutes, complaining that one of the cameras made him nervous ([according to Golombek, one of these disruptive camera men were crawling around on the roof, and that got Fischer's attention and distraction. According to Schonberg of the New York Times it was camera men at the side of the stage. According to another reporter, the disruptions were coming from the back of the hall. According to Fischer, “…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.”])
During the walkout Schmid told Fischer nothing could be done about the ([disruptive men operating the]) camera.
Film and television rights for the match were sold to Fox. Fischer and Spassky were to get a share of the proceeds, estimated at $27,500 each.
Stein said he had been up all night with Fischer's second, Rev. William Lombardy, and Cramer, trying to settle the question.
The cameras had been officially sanctioned. Under Rule 21, the taking of pictures during the match by official photographers is allowed as long as cameras are “neither visible nor audible.” ([Which, as Fischer's lawyer points out during interview, “Bobby has never allowed television on any match,” he said, “but for this match, he agreed. Iceland promised that he would not know there was filming taking place, so he could concentrate. In two inspections prior to the match, he was not shown the television equipment.” Marshall said Fischer would make his appeal on grounds that Iceland had not adhered to the rules.”] But the Soviet Union doesn't care if a breech of verbal or written contract occurs, just as long as they can force a default and retain the title.)
