The Province Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Thursday, May 13, 1971 - Page 55
World Chess - Clash of Masters in Jeopardy by Paul Raugust
Today's world chess quarter-final at the University of B.C. between Robert Fischer of the U.S. and Mark Taimanov of the Soviet Union may have been checkmated before the first pawn has been played.
The Soviet grand master, after inspecting the Graduate Centre on Wednesday, complained that the proposed playing room, about 20 feet by 35, was too small. There would not be enough room to breathe, Taimanov said.
Fischer, whose demands often provoke controversy at chess tournaments, also said the lighting was poor and that hallway noises may interfere with play.
The room had been selected to meet Fischer's demand that there be no spectators. The Russian had protested this some months ago, and even threatened to withdraw its four quarter-finalists, but World Chess Federation president Dr. Max Euwe of Holland, a former world champion, ruled in Fischer's favor.
On Wednesday Dr. Euwe said he could not find a major fault with the facilities but said an arrangement would have to be made to satisfy Taimanov.
Chief arbiter Bozidar Kazic of Yugoslavia also expressed disappointment with the facilities. He said it was unusual for matches of such importance to be held in anything but a large theater-like hall.
Canadian Chess Federation officials were attempting to mediate the dispute on Wednesday night and hoped a solution would be found to enable the match to get under way this afternoon.
If it does, it will be an event for which Fischer says he has been preparing all his chess life. The victor stands one match away from meeting Boris Spassky for the world title.
The match is scheduled for 10 rounds, but ends whenever one player reaches 5½ points.
Experts have predicted an easy victory for Fischer, New York Times columnist Al Horowitz, whose column appears weekly in The Province, said most serious analysts of the game don't expect Taimanov to win more than 2½ points.
