Chicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois Thursday, April 13, 1972 - Page 47
Yugoslavs' Move Puts Challenger Fischer in Check
The Belgrade sponsors of the world chess championship have given American challenger Bobby Fischer until Friday to post a $35,000 guarantee that he will take part, championship director Milivoje Molerovic said Wednesday.
Otherwise, Molerovic said, the June 22 match, between Fischer and title-holder Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, will definitely be off.
“What we need is a cable from Fischer or the American Chess Federation that they will stick to the original financial arrangement, and a $35,000 deposit as a guarantee Fischer will take part,” Molerovic said.
“We cannot wait any longer than Friday because of technical and other preparations we must make for the match to begin June 22,” he said.
The officials said that the sponsors demanded the guarantee because of the 29-year-old challenger's reputation for being unpredictable.
A similar request for a $35,000 bond against Spassky's nonappearance has already been met by the Soviet Chess Federation, the officials said.
Yugoslav chess officials said Tuesday they would definitely not set up the Fischer-Spassky championship match here.
The statement followed an announcement by FIDE, the International Chess Federation, that the U.S. Chess Federation had not given a final answer on a requested $35,000 guarantee that Fischer would appear in Belgrade.
The bond was set by Yugoslav authorities after American Bobby Fischer demanded a share in any profits organizers might accrue, in addition to the $138,500 prize money. He was turned down by both Belgrade and by Reykjavik, Iceland, the other match site.
The head of the United States Chess Federation, E.B. Edmondson, denied that his organization had failed to respond. He said it replied, turning down the demand for bond.
“Not only did we respond,” said Edmondson from the U.S. federation headquarters in Newburgh, N.Y., “we got a message from FIDE today acknowledging our response.”
Edmondson reiterated that the U.S. federation was neither wealthy nor government-supported and criticized what he called the breakdown in communications during the negotiations.
He asked why the Yugoslavs have not tried to talk to Fischer directly to avoid “this farce that has been going on for a couple of weeks.”
“It's foolish,” Edmondson said, “for the Yugoslav communications to go to FIDE, from FIDE to me, and from me to Mr. Fischer and then the whole thing repeated in reverse to reply.”
Edmondson said the U.S. federation's position on the bond was that Belgrade's demand for a guarantee was illegal. No such bond is provided for in FIDE regulations; it is contrary to any agreements so far governing the proposed match and contrary to Fischer's rights, he said.
Fischer and Spassky had agreed to March 20 to play the 24-game match, beginning in Belgrade June 22 and continuing in Reykjavik. Fischer announced eight days later he had changed his mind.
The second leg of the 24-game world title match was scheduled to begin Aug. 6 at Reykjavik, Iceland.
