The Daily Plainsman Huron, South Dakota Thursday, March 02, 1972 - Page 4
Stalling The Checkmate
Summitry its problems. Merely making the preliminary arrangements so the main event can take place can tax the expert diplomat.
In arranging such a relatively simple matter as a champion chess match between Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, the initial conditions have proved troublesome.
Among the first decisions to be made was a site for the contest. The contestants opted for different locales and neither budged.
So the International Chess Federation settled that question by ruling the first half of the match would he held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (Fischer's choice) and the second half in Reykjavik, Iceland (Spassky's selection).
Now the negotiators move on to other matters. Before much more effort has been expended on the tedious maneuverings, someone might well ask why the games cannot be played by mail. Providing an agreement could be reached on a courier, that is.
