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Chess 01 Aug 1992, Sat The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Newspapers.com
Chess; Stars to Shine as Fischer-Spassky Rematch Takes Shape by Larry Bevand
There it was in black and white.
Last Sunday, while vacationing in Cape Cod, I picked up the Boston Globe and a headline read: Spassky-Fischer Rematch Set.
The article went on to say that the $5-million, nine-game rematch will be played in Yugoslavia, beginning Sept. 2. The winner would pocket two-thirds of the purse while the remaining third would go to the loser.
It has been exactly 20 years since Bobby Fischer, an American, defeated Boris Spassky, a Soviet, to become world champion and put chess on the map. To give you an idea of the impact this match had on chess in this city, the 1972 Quebec Open, held in October, drew 750 participants compared to about 50 in previous years. Fischer has not played since, although he has been offered sums larger than this in the past.
While this is great news, before we get too excited, let's look at this thing a little more closely.
The money has been put up by Jesdimir Vasiljevic, owner of a Serbian bank. He has stated that the match has been organized to defy UN sanctions. (The Security Council has imposed a trade embargo on Yugoslavia.)
The report indicates that Spassky has confirmed he will participate, although there is no mention of Fischer. Spassky has always been a willing participant. This event will make him a millionaire and he could retire from the tournament scene which he no longer enjoys. Fischer, on the other hand, has always been the wild card.
Rumors like this have cropped up on a regular basis since 1972. The encouraging news is that the date mentioned is only a month away. While objectively, I can't see what makes this event more likely to happen than previous proposals, I've still got my fingers crossed.
Of course, a rematch would make everyone a winner as chess might experience another boom. Paramount Pictures, which is presently filming Searching for Bobby Fischer, in Toronto, would have a new ending and an instant success. Who knows, maybe the idea of making a comeback, exactly 20 years later, appeals to Fischer.
From the 1992 Chess Olympiad
Gata Kamsky vs Lajos Portisch
Manila Olympiad (1992), Manila PHI, rd 10, Jun-18
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation (E12) 1-0
