The Sydney Morning Herald Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sunday, July 09, 1972 - Page 31
Green Light In Big Chess
Reykjavik, Sat (AAP). — There was no major obstacle to endanger the start of the world championship chess match, US chess sources said yesterday.
They said Boris Spassky had given up his demand that Bobby Fischer forfeit the first game in return for Fischer's agreement to postpone the game until Tuesday.
The compromise was worked out in a backstage room of Reykjavik's main sports hall a few minutes before the American challenger and the world champion from Russia appeared on stage to draw lots for the first move.
The 24-game match originally was scheduled to begin last Sunday, but was delayed by Fischer's failure to show up and the Russians demands that he be punished.
Mr. Fred Cramer, a vice-president of the US Chess Federation, said: “One of our conditions to play the match at all was that the Russians give up their demands for the first match point.”
‘Problems’
He said minor obstacles might still crop up before the first game, “but nothing serious enough to endanger the start of the match.”
“Bobby would have liked to start play on Sunday, but we agreed to another postponement,” Mr. Cramer said.
“The Russians apparently felt we had done it once to them and now they wanted to do it to us.
“There are always minor problems when Fischer is playing,” Mr. Cramer said. “But the arrangements are so outstanding here that I don't think there will be any serious problems.”
Mr. Cramer, a retired lighting engineer, said the lighting in the hall was perfect from an engineering point of view, “but Bobby said it was too dimmed last night.”
There was talk of Fischer flying in his own chair from New York unless he finds a suitable one here.
Judge Lothar Schmid has four or five different chess sets from which to pick the match set.
The organizers have also treated the marble playing board with acid to take away the glare on the surface.
Fischer moved on Thursday from his house in Reykjavik—where he had been staying behind drawn curtains since he arrived last Tuesday—and installed himself in the presidential suite at the Loftleider Hotel, the biggest and plushiest in town.
