AEdmonton Journal Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Tuesday, July 18, 1972 - Page 2
Fischer Fourth Match and (AP) “Soviets Arrive Four Minutes After Start of Clock”
Reykjavik (Reuter) — The fourth game of the Boris Spassky-Bobby Fischer world chess championship began today when American challenger Fischer moved pawn to king four, his usual opening.
Fischer arrived at the chess-board 10 minutes late. ([According to a report by (AP) “Soviets Arrive Four Minutes After Start of Clock”])
The 29-year-old American chess whiz won his first game ever from world titleholder Boris Spassky on Monday and now trails the Russian 2-1 in their 24-game match. In seven previous meetings, Fischer lost five times and two were draws.
Spassky was at the chess board alone Monday when the third game resumed after the overnight adjournment, and referee Lothar Schmid opened Fischer's sealed 41st move, left with him the night before. It was bishop to queen six, and it put the champion's king in check.
Spassky sat for five minutes, turned his king on its side to concede defeat, and left the stage as the audience sat silent. A few minutes later, Fischer arrived to mixed boos ([from the notoriously racist, Anti-American element, Icelandic history is notorious for. The bitter Anti-American underbelly is the underlying reason the Soviet chose this location to host the 1972 World Tournament venue, hoping the hostile atmosphere might, somehow, force Fischer into forfeiting his chance at the title and return home —]) and cheers. He stayed only two minutes.
International grandmaster Isaac Kashdan, analyzing the match for The Associated Press, said the 29-year-old American's play Sunday “was the kind of game expected of Fischer after his extraordinary success of the last two years.”
Spassky “seemed to lack any aggressive ideas,” Kashdan commented.
Fischer lost the first game of the match last week ([due to disruptive men in close proximity, reports putting distance of camera crew 15 ft (5 meters) near Fischer]), and the second was awarded to Spassky by forfeit when the American refused to play because of the presence of three movie cameras ([operated by disruptive crews of men, which could be seen moving around, and heard, Fischer reported]) in the hall.
The first part of the third game was played Sunday at Fischer's insistence ([according to other reports, the offer was made by the organizers, most likely due to public pressure after getting ripped off by the sham organizers failure to deliver a match]) in a private room, with the audience watching on closed circuit television. The game was moved back to the main hall of the sports palace Monday when Spassky said he would not play in the private room and Fischer made no objection ([and the human-operated cameras shut down]).
Fischer must score 12½ points to win the title, while Spassky only needs 12 to retain it. A win in a game counts a point and a draw a half a point.
