Chess final hopes ’slim’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33791, 13 March 1975, Page 11

Chess final hopes ’slim’

■ I ! (N.Z. Press Association) AMSTERDAM , ; Max Euwe president of the I International Chess Federation (F.1.D.E.) rates as “very slim’' the chances of a world chess championship between the title-! holder Bobby Fischer (United 1 States), and the Soviet chai , lenger, Anatoly Karpov. The president, who had just returned to F.I.D.E; head -II quarters ’ after a chess pro-1 mation tour of Africa, said: “] j rate the chances at 15 per cent,! and perhaps even then I am ‘ showing too much optimism." The championship is scheduled ■. to start in Manila next June. 1 Meanwhile a group of Soviet chess grandmasters in Moscow issued a thinly-veiled threat to 1 i boycott future tournaments (organised by F.I.D.E. over whath they said was favouritism to L wards the American champion. i Bobby Fischer. ’ An open letter from seven/ 'prominent Soviet chess figures!, was the latest move in an esca-: 1 Jating Soviet campaign against ■ Fischer’s demands for rule] changes in his title match this summer with the 23-year-old : Russian contender, Anatoly Kar- i pov. I ( The g) among them . the former world champions, Tigran Petrosyan and Mikhail I Thai, condemned F.I.D.E. for ] agreeing to hold an extraordin- , ary conference in the Netherlands from March 18 to 21. The 1 meeting will examine Fischer's 1 demands that the contender win i by at least 10 points to eight over an unlimited number of games. 1