Chess officials issue ultimatum to Fischer

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32970, 17 July 1972, Page 1

Chess officials issue ultimatum to Fischer

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

REYKJAVIK (Iceland), July 16.

Chess officials today issued an ultimatum to the temperamental United States challenger, R. K. Fischer: he must appear at the chess board by Tuesday or forfeit his chance of winning the world championship.

The chief tournament arbiter, Mr Lothar Schmid, made the announcement in Reykjavik today after Dr Max Euwe, president of the World Chess Federation, ruled last night that B. Spassky will retain his title if Fischer is disqualified. Dr Euwe sent a warning cablegram from Amsterdam to the 29-year-old American grand master. If Fischer forfeited today’s third game, as he forfeited the second last week, and again failed to turn up for the fourth game on Tuesday, then the championship would be over, the cablegram said. Should Fischer discontinue the match, it is thought be will never be allowed another chance to win the world title. Veteran chess experts believe that if the match is abandoned, it will wreck

Fischer’s chess career. SOURCE OF DISPUTE Fischer, now 2-0 to Spassky after losing the first game and forfeiting the second, is battling with the organisers to reverse the decision on the forfeiture, and to remove the television cameras from round the stage of the playing hall. Fischer says they distracted him.

■ Early this morning, Mr . Schmid released a report of the arbitration committee, ' which reaffirmed that the ■ television cameras would not be removed and that Fischer would forfeit the second game. ■ Immediately afterwards, Mr , Fred Cramer, the United . States representative on the committee, told reporters that ' the American side would not accept the forfeiture decision or the ruling on the cameras. ! He taxed the Russian grand i master, N. Krogius, Spassky’s i second, of “torpedoing the match” by insisting at the . meeting that the cameras I were part of the championship. . Asked to confirm that the match had been torpedoed, [ Mr Cramer replied: “If it is torpedoed. Krogius will be re- , sponsible.” ; Earlier, Fischer — who ! sleeps by day and exercises, swims and goes sightseeing

by night—appeared in the lobby of his hotel. He walked through a crowd of reporters maintaining a stony silence when asked: “Will you play tonight?”

Then he lunged at a photographer trying to take a picture of him and ran back into the lift. COMMITTEE’S SESSION Mr Schmid’s announcement to reporters came after a marathon session of the tournament arbitration committee. Mr Cramer indicated that he walked out of the meeting because the Russian side was advocating the retention of the television cameras. The rules provide for the presence of cameras in the tournament hall as long as they are inaudible and unseen. Mr Schmid told reporters during a break in the committee meeting: “All our decisions will be exactly according to the rules.” The decision to abide strictly by the rules seems to have left the petulant Fischer little room to manoeuvre in his battle with the organisers.

One suggestion made by the organisers yesterday in their efforts to keep the championship going was for the chess board to be temporarily moved from the main hall into a secluded back room. If play went there the cameras would be absent and only the two match arbiters and three other officials would watch the players. But no pronouncement on this idea seems to have come from the Fischercamp.