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Chess By Isaac Kashdan Sun, Apr 9, 1972 – 143 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com
USCF Guarantees Fischer Will Play
The match for the world chess championship between American ace Bobby Fischer and titleholder Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union is a reality again.
For a time last week it appeared Fischer would be disqualified, as a result of his demands for a change in the financial conditions of the match. The organizers in both Yugoslavia and Iceland claimed they could not go ahead with their plans in view of the uncertainty.
Cables and telephone calls to three continents were required to resolve the conflict. Dr. Max Euwe, president of the International Chess Federation, was reached in Canberra, Australia, on his world tour of chess centers.
Euwe immediately sent an ultimatum to Fischer and the U.S. Chess Federation, requiring that the American body send a guarantee by April 4 that Fischer was ready to play according to the conditions previously agreed to.
Edmund B. Edmondson, executive director of the USCF, complied after several conferences with Fischer. The confirming cable stated that Fischer would be in Belgrade on June 22 ready for the first game.
Fischer would not comment on the basic cause of the controversy, his demand that any profits as a result of the match should be turned over to the players.
U.S. Championship
The invitational U.S. Championship Tournament will be held in New York from April 23 to May 14. It will be a round-robin with 14 of the strongest players in the country.
The event is of special importance this year, as it is also a Zonal Tournament, to qualify two players into the next cycle for the world chess championship.
Invitations were sent to the leaders on the rating list of the U.S. Chess Federation. Heading the list with 2824 points, the highest mark ever established in the history of the rating system, is Bobby Fischer, who has held the national title eight times.
However, Fischer has stated that he will not participate this year. Much more important to him is the match with Boris Spassky for the world championship.
Current U.S. champion Samuel Reshevsky of Spring Valley, N.Y. will most probably be on the scene to defend his title. Reshevsky is fourth on the rating list, with 2544 points.
A distant second to Fischer is Lubomir Kavalek of Washington, D.C., former champion of Czechoslovakia. He has 2560 points. Third is former U.S. champion Larry Evans of Reno, with 2548.
Others in the 2500 bracket are William Lombardy, 2538; Pal Benko, 2513, and Robert Byrne, 2512. All are from New York.
The others who received invitations, in rating order, are William Addison, Ken Rogoff, Donald Byrne, Andrew Soltis, Edmar Mednis, William Martz and Arthur Bisguier.
