The Vancouver Sun Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Friday, September 03, 1971 - Page 1
U.S. Wins Twice at Chess Parley by Bill Rayner
The United States scored a significant double victory today as the World Chess Federation (FIDE) ended its congress at the University of B.C.
FIDE president Dr. Max Euwe announced that the nodraw system will be in effect in the next world championship cycle.
This has long been proposed by U.S. grandmaster Bobby Fischer, who contends that drawn games are ruining chess.
Euwe also said that Buenos Aires will be the site of the final challengers' elimination match between Fischer and Soviet Union grandmaster Tigran Petrosian.
Buenos Aires had been favored by the U.S., while the Soviet Union had wanted Athens, and no change in the drawing system.
Winner of the Buenos Aires match, to begin Sept. 30, will meet world champion Boris Spassky, of the Soviet Union, for the title, probably in April of 1972. Site of that match has not been determined.
In the next world championship cycle, from 1972 to 1975, the congress decided that only wins will count in the challengers' series.
With draw games not counting, three wins will be needed in the quarter-final matches, four in the semi-finals, and five in the final challengers' match.
The world championship match in 1975 will be decided by the first player to score six wins.
The structure of the world championship cycle has also been altered.
There will now be two interzonal tournaments in 1973, instead of one.
Eight grandmasters will be seeded into this tournament without having to qualify. They will be picked by a FIDE committee.
Also seeded will be six defeated challengers from this year's matches and a top junior player.
The inter-zonals will select three players each to join the two seeded players from the world championship final, as previously. No sites for the inter-zonal have yet been chosen.
The site for the Fischer-Petrosian match was drawn by lot after it became apparent that the congress would be widely split over the choice of sites.
The congress earlier this week decided to choose the site after the U.S. and Russian negotiators could not agree.
Winner of the match will get $7,500 and the loser $4,500.
U.S. Chess Federation executive-director Ed Edmondson said he was highly pleased with the outcome of the congress.
“We've been pushing for the no-draw system for some time now,” he said. “It will make chess a lot more interesting.”
Edmondson said he was also happy over the choice of Buenos Aires, even though the U.S. victory was by chance.
