AThe Town Talk Alexandria, Louisiana Monday, August 21, 1972 - Page 3
Fischer Inches Nearer Crown: 16th Game in Chess Match Draw
By Jim Ward
Reykjavik (UPI) — In the corridor Ewfim Geller and Nikolai Krogius, two of world champion Boris Spassky's seconds, waited more than an hour in their raincoats. Inside the dark hall on the brightly lighted stage, the champion and challenger Bobby Fischer played on and on.
“Are they crazy? It has been a dead draw since the 33rd move,” Krogius said and glanced at the closed circuit television screen where the moves piled up.
Geller smiled and chatted with Larissa, Spassky's wife. He was not chain-smoking, a sure sign the champion was not in trouble.
Finally after the 60th move Fischer looked up from the board, nodded and offered his hand. Spassky pressed it and the 16th game in the $250,000 world chess championship ended in a draw.
Although Fischer picked up another half-point and inched closer to the 12.5 points he needs to win, grandmasters said the challenger's standard had fallen in the last couple of games. “I don't know if Fischer is trying to play safe,” said Icelandic grandmaster Fridrik Olafsson “but the score is even with a win each and four draws in the last six games. There was not much punch in his play today.”
But what the 16th game lacked in excitement on the board, Fischer provided between the moves.
Three times the temperamental chess genius snapped out of his $470 swivel chair and stalked across the stage to German arbiter Lothar Schmid.
“First time Bobby complained about people coughing in the auditorium,” Schmid said later.
“Then twice he demanded that I move the game to a private table tennis room backstage because of the noise. I refused and told him the noise level was not sufficiently high to warrant such a drastic move. There was no real disturbance.”
Watching the record crowd of 3,000 persons filing out of the hall Schmid said, “I think people were good today although I had to admonish a few during the game.”
After each refusal, Fischer shrugged and walked back to the table without pulling out the written protest, U.S. sources said he stuck in his pocket before going to the hall.
The Icelandic Chess Federation issued a statement during the game protesting being named co-plaintiffs in a $1.75 million lawsuit movie producer Chester Fox filed against Fischer.
The statement, signed by the five committee members, said “we deeply regret that seeds of suspicion have been thrown against us and we are unable to explain how this happened. It has never been the slightest intention of the federation to sue Mr. Robert Fischer for huge amounts.”
Fox, who returned from New York early Sunday, said “All the legal aspects are in the hands of my lawyers. All I know is that Fischer has prevented me from fulfilling my exclusive contract with the federation by refusing to allow cameras into the hall.”
The 17th game is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday with Spassky playing the white pieces and moving first.
The Town Talk Alexandria, Louisiana Monday, August 21, 1972 - Page 3
Play-by-Play of 16th Chess Game
Chart shows the location of the pieces after Booby Fischer and Boris Spassky agreed to a draw Sunday in the 16th game of the world chess championship match at Reykjavik, Iceland, after the 60th move. Fischer now leads the 24-game, $250,000 match by a score of 9.5 points to 6.5 for Spassky. Fischer needs 12.5 points to win the match. Spassky needs 12 points to retain his crown. (UPI Telephoto).
