The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, Thursday, July 27, 1972 - Page 7
Fischer Even Admits His Mistakes Costly
Reykjavik, Iceland—Bobby Fischer and world champion Boris Spassky settled for a draw yesterday in hard-fought chess game that the American challenger admitted booting through a series of bad moves.
Grandmasters said Fischer threw away a win by bad play in the last stages Tuesday before the game was adjourned after 40 moves. In his hotel cafeteria after yesterday's play, Fischer agreed. He said he had robbed himself of a clear victory with six or seven bad moves and the draw was inevitable no matter how Spassky reopened the game yesterday.
The draw came after Spassky's 49th move, with both players agreeing to end it less than an hour after Spassky resumed play with his sealed 41st move. Each got half a point to add to the previous score of 3½-2½.
Fischer, a grandmaster from Brooklyn, N.Y., needs 12½ points to take the championship away from Spassky. The Russian can retain it with 12 points.
Spassky opened the resumption of play yesterday with a pawn to king's rook four. Experts said this move, which he had sealed in an envelope at Tuesday's adjournment, assured Spassky of the draw. Seven moves later Spassky was settled into the perpetual check situation that made the draw inevitable.
‘Fischer's a murderer’
The challenger had lost his psychological advantage over Spassky Tuesday by playing a poor end-game which grandmasters said cost him a win and a two-point lead.
They thought his arrival 15 minutes late yesterday was designed to rattle Spassky, sitting alone on the green-carpeted podium.
At one stage Tuesday, Fischer loped off stage for a drink. This was given to him by his bodyguard Saemundur Palsson. Normally very fussy about what he eats and drinks, the American told Palsson there was no ice for his water.
“But don't worry,” he said. “Everything's perfect.”
Although his pieces were scattered, his queen out of play and his king exposed and uncastled, Fischer refused a queen swap at the 18th move.
Grandmasters said this would have given him a draw.
The American grandmaster and aides in a small side press room were jubilant; their boy was going for a win.
“Fischer's a murderer!” exclaimed his friend, Venezuelan Isidoro Cherem.
There are a possible 17 games left to play, with the eighth scheduled for today.
Icelandic officials were still worried by the continuing camera controversy.
Bobby's protests against being filmed threatened to lose both him and the sponsoring Icelandic Chess Federation a lot of money.
Icelandic officials said “There is a possibility Fischer might say: “Let them in, but don't let me know.”
