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The Game of Kings Sat, Mar 11, 1972 – 52 · The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) · Newspapers.com
King Only a Pawn
It appears now that nothing has been settled definitely regarding the site and date of the Spassky-Fischer world championship match. What has been released so far turns out to be only a progress report toward a final decision. It is obvious that Spassky can't make any decisions on his own, as he never appeared at the Amsterdam meeting, or did any USSR official at the stated deadline of January 31. FIDE President, Dr. Max Euwe, allowed a further ten days recess, during which Mr. Edmondson, flew to Moscow to confer with Russian chess authorities personally. After a five-hour talk with Victor Baturinski at the Central Moscow Chess Club an official announcement spoke of “a useful exchange of views, but nothing definite”. Dr. Euwe then rightly went ahead and decided that the 24-game match would be split between Belgrade and Reykjavik. The Russians claim they didn't even make a list of preferences, which was one of the requirements of trying to reach an agreement. Earlier reports were that Spassky preferred Iceland, and Fischer, Yugoslavia (Belgrade). Both sides have the power of one veto and it seems the Russians intend to use it.
Good Faith, Bad Faith
E.B. Edmondson, USACF official, who has been Fischer's invaluable aide-de-camp throughout the current world series battles, has written as follows to the Swiss publication “Chess Express”:
“Chess Express” is read worldwide and it pains me to see vital news reported inaccurately therein. World champion Spassky did not show up as scheduled in Amsterdam. No one came from the USSR. Fischer and I were there in good faith to negotiate an agreement under Dr. Euwe's supervision, in keeping with the spirit of FIDE. It is difficult to reach an amicable agreement when one of the main parties is not available. To me, the essence of our inability to reach an agreement within a reasonable time was the absence of Spassky. Regards,
E.B. Edmondson,
Executive Director, USACF.
