AAsbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Monday, December 27, 1971 - Page 3
Fischer Imposes Match Condition
Belgrade, Yugoslavia (AP) — Bobby Fischer will play Soviet world chess champion Boris Spassky in Europe only if financial offers from this continent exceed those from America.
The U.S. chess champion made the statement in a three-way radio interview with Spassky and Svetozar Gligoric, Yugoslavian grandmaster. The interview was broadcast by Radio Belgrade yesterday.
Fischer is scheduled to challenge Spassky next year in an encounter that could end the domination of world chess by the Russians which has lasted more than 30 years.
While Spassky said he would prefer to play at a location with a climate similar to Leningrad, his home town, Fischer said: “For me the first and the most important thing is money. Climate comes second. I repeat, money is the most important.”
According to Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation and a former world chess champion, Yugoslavia and the Netherlands now stand the best chance to stage what is billed as “the chess match of the century.”
Four cities in Yugoslavia offered to play host to the match to start next summer — Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Bled. The top offers from Yugoslavia are about $60,000.
Another issue to be decided is time. Dr. Euwe wants the match to start by May 10. Fischer contends he will not be ready before June 30, and Spassky likewise wants the match to begin around the end of June.
Both Fischer and Spassky said they might go to Amsterdam to discuss this issue with the World Chess Federation.
Asked to comment on his challenger, Spassky said: “The playing of Fischer impresses me.”
But Fischer was less enthusiastic about Spassky: “I believe he has had a moderate success in Goteborg. In Moscow he shared sixth place … What can I say?”
