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Chess: Personal Notes from Reykjavik 16 Jul 1972, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
Personal Notes from Reykjavik
Notes from Reykjavik, before the tournament got under way:
Life for newsmen in Reykjavik has been a series of ([Soviet dominated, Soviet controlled]) press conferences moving from hotel to hotel to chess clubs.
Fischer's arrival was electrifying. He arrived somewhat disreputable looking but raring to play. He immediately went to sleep but was prepared to play.
He was apparently in a good mood, is living in a new house to be sold by lottery, but a number of new houses have been reserved for him.
The drawing to see who would move first in the first game produced a new drama. Spassky, his assistant Gellers and other Russians arrived at the Hotel Esja, Fred Kramer, a USCF official was on hand for Fischer.
Spassky, about 5 feet 8 or 10, with wavy blondish hair and strong, rugged features, looked very determined. He conferred with Euwe and suddenly left.
Euwe then announced that the Russians refused to draw lots but gave no reason for their protest.
Father William Lombardy and Paul Marshall, Fischer's lawyer, intended to seek out the Russians at their hotel. Conferences continued.
Fischer had continued to attack the news coverage and is bitter about limitations on play by play reporting of the games during the match.
Spassky and the Russians had avoided the press and Federation officials, but Spassky's relatively moderate actions and Fischer's ([refusal to be bogged down by Soviet tricks and maneuvers]) have brought the public in Reykjavik to favor him.
Among the correspondents at the match in Arthur Koestler for the London Sunday Times. Norman Mailer and Vladimir Nabokov also were expected.
The tournament (finally under way) is building up as a sporting event of Olympic proportions.
Boston will soon watch another episode in the onward march of chess computers…
