A< Prev Index Next >
The Chess Column Sun, Apr 23, 1972 – 5 · The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) · Newspapers.com
The world championship match between Robert Fischer and Boris Spassky remains clouded with controversy. Ken Smith, Fischer's formally designated aide for openings research, insists that, despite recent news stories, the match should be considered “on” until FIDE releases an official announcement to the contrary.
Smith attributes the current disputes to the untiring efforts of a group “of 'old hands' in Belgrade and Iceland.” Smith claims to have documents and memoranda of phone calls which substantiate his charge that Fischer is being victimized by an envious camarilla. He does, however, believe that the organizers sincerely want to see the match played but are victims of behind the scenes maneuvers.
As to Fischer's condition, Smith says he has never been mentally sharper and that “Fischer is afraid of no man over the chess board, and the hard, hard work of Spassky preparations were and are not being done by Fischer for the fun of it.”
