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Chess Sun, Feb 20, 1972 – 212 · The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) · Newspapers.com
Site for THE Match to be Split in Two by Harold Dondis
The site of the Match of the Millennium — Spassky vs. Fischer — will be a split affair when it gets underway on June 25.
The first 12 games will be held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and the second 12 in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The World Chess Federation made the final decision, when the contestants could not agree.
Choice was among Belgrade, Sarajevo, Reykjavik, New Amsterdam in Holland, and Paris.
Fischer favored the high bidders, whereas the Russians want a northern site, on the theory that the climate is best for Spassky. Some, however, suspect that the Russians were hoping for Iceland, in order to play down publicity surrounding the match.
Fischer will go into seclusion, beginning about March 1, to study for the match. He will settle down in quarters, probably in suburban New York or Los Angeles, where he can have peace and quiet but yet be near a city where he can wander about; and he must be handy to tennis courts.
Fischer now, it appears, never thought he was in danger during the Petrosian match, even when the score was drawn. He had a bad cold and figured he would win when the cold subsided.
Nor does Fischer agree, as some analysts say, that Petrosian had the better of the openings in those tense days when Petrosian was holding his own.
Our choice: Fischer over Spassky by 5 points.
