European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse To records refers Schmald calming Down Spassky and Fischer in 72 match. A hard Day s Knight with Fischer & Spassky by Bob staff writer Hen Bobby Fischer played Tigran Petrosian in Buenos Aires in -1971, the two grandmasters were quartered in the same hotel and occasionally they would meet in the elevator. Fischer changed hotels because i he could not stand to look into that face of Petrosian he was so 1 sad looking " later during their matches Fischer requested that Petrosian when he would walk around the stage should never walk in a part of the stage where Fischer could look the Man relating these stories is Lothar Schmid. A German grandmaster in his own right and a referee of the Fischer a trosian match in 1971 and the Fischer Spassky world chess championship match in 1972. Five years ago defending world chess Champion Boris Spassky met challenger Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik Iceland in a 24-game world chess championship match. It was called the chess match of the Century by Many and nothing like it has been seen since. The Duel made front Page news. Would Fischer play How much Money would it take to make the unpredictable american grandmaster face the russian Champion what was Fischer doing forfeiting the second game in five previous meetings Fischer had never beaten spas sky could Fischer once he decided to play break the russian domination in world chess play planned for april moved to july then postponed for two Days the matches might never have begun if a banker in England had t agreed to add $125,000 to the prize Money. When Fischer failed to appear for the scheduled second match Schmid was bound by the rules to award the game to Spassky. Schmid did As the rules directed but the possible consequences of his action worried him. He found the tension surfacing in his sleep. I was so exhausted in my bed that about four or five o clock in the morning. I woke up and found myself crying. The tears came everywhere. I remember the dream i had. It was about Morphy. Morphy was an american chess player the Star of 100 years ago. He was the greatest the Best became mad and had to retire from the Schmid feared that if the game was awarded to spas sky. Fischer would withdraw retire from chess and never play again. Attic game was Given to Spassky. Fischer protested but did not pull out. Instead he forced a Compromise on a Dif Ferent front his failure to appear for the second match stemmed from an intense dislike of television cameras in the main playing Hall cameras which Fischer admitted he could not hear or see but Only feel. The Compromise resulted in the two besi giants playing in a room behind the stage the Ping Pong room in Schmald s words where Only one camera for the closed circuit system in toe Ball would record the playing. It was there when Fischer appeared for the thin game that the most terrible situation of the whole tournament occurred. We had one camera in the Ping Pong room and he Fischer saw it. And thought it was for television. He said what s that it is a closed circuit camera. Ash maybe it is television. Switch it on. Switch it off the game was going on now with Spassky to move. I stopped the game and Spassky at that moment said i do not wish to play further i said Boris you promised me to play Here. And so please be kind now i Don t know How. But there is a picture. Of me with my Back to the closed circuit camera. And i was taking Spassky and Fischer and pressing them Down. And they played suddenly. This was the most terrible situation of the whole tournament. Because if Fischer would have continued to quarrel Spassky As i could have understood would have said i Stop now and the match would have been the third game was played the moves relayed to the main Hall by the single camera. Playing the Black pieces Fischer beat Spassky for the first time. The third game was a Pivotal Point in the match. Spassky was to win Only one More time Enro Ute to losing us championship title to Fischer to i to 8 i. Fischer had broken Spassky s hold on his game. The american was not through complaining or submit Ting outrageous demands but the actual playing was never again threatened As ii had been up to the third game. When Spassky s game began to deteriorate As it did in the fifth game when be blundered on the 27th move and resigned after Fischer s answering move the russians began to question things Fischer style. The chairs used. For the matches were suddenly suspect was something foreign in the chair affecting Spassky s play the lights also were suspicious were they emitting harmful rays which someone could direct at the russian player there by affecting his concentration the russians delivered a letter of protest stating their suspicions. Laser beam specialists were brought in and the chairs were a Rayed. A Surprise was awaiting them the a Ray indicated an uncommon piece of Metal in Spassky s chair. La the presence of representatives from both sides the Chain were opened. There we nothing Schmid says with a smile and toe lights when inspected yielded two dead Schmid defended the actions of the two grandmasters allowing that All serious chess players have something out of the while the press of the world was making headlines out of Fisher s and Spassky s de mands. Schmid claimed that serious chess players know of their fellow players eccentricities and expect a certain amount of strange Fischer would show up late for Many of the matches with the time being taken off his clock when he did so yet Bobby was never in time trouble. Fischer s ability to move quickly was the secret of his Success Schmid said. O what has happened in International chess Competition since Fischer s win it s like waiting for the Prophet to see if hell return Schmid said. Everyone would like to see Al sub or title was taken away from Fischer in 1975 because he would not play against the russian challenger Anatoly Karpov. Fischer would not agree to play by the inter National chess federation s rules. He suggested new rules for the chess federation. Parts were accepted from his Idns but not Fischer s refusal resulted in Karpov being named world Champion. Someone says that Karpov is world Champion and the next question is Well did he beat Fischer and he did t. So there should be a rematch. Karpov himself feels it is necessary. And he has no fear no More. Karpov has grown. Two years ago i might have said Fischer would win but now i m not so Fischer was a fantastic Man with Schmid said he was a Type of Cassius Clay in his ways. I Don t think he did it for Money. I think he did it be cause he thought it is Correct what i am thinking it is fair what i am thinking in fact he did a lot for the chess masters. The chess masters Are poor people. They play in tournaments and Only receive a Quarter of what Tennis player or a Golf player Schmid visited Fischer in California two Yean ago. Fischer was wearing a Beard. Schmid reported and though he had just lost the title prior to Schmid s visit the american grandmaster was not in Schmid s words if Page 14 the stars and stripes is a Man of principle. He said that if the conditions Are As he suggested then he will play. If not be re during a match with Petrosian Schmid found himself outwitted by the armenian had White pieces against me and he wanted to win that game. He had quite a Good position so i offered him a draw. He refused it so we played further on. He was playing to win of course. Then just before the adjournment came he made a move which was not Correct in the ending. And i had anyway quite a Safe position but in the moment i had probably a win. This win i did t see it in the moment but i could have Analysed it a Little bit later. It was at this moment when i sealed my move. For the adjournment which would have been a winning move that he offered a draw. I accepted the draw without first thinking. I had guests that evening including Petrosian. I was very Busy. I was Happy with the draw. And a Little bit later he himself told me yes you could have won now his wife was quite angry with him. This is not quite fair to do so but you see in fact every trick. Is Cor. Rect in chess. If the opponent is not Clever enough to understand Why not Schmid has a chess Library at his Home in Bamberg of More than 15,000 books including a copy of the first printed reference to chess. The Book is in latin written by Monk who wrote an allegory about life using chess As a Model. Schmid estimates the Book was printed around1450, about the time Gutenberg is supposed to have started printing books with his Block press. Schmid estimates he has bought "20 to 30 libraries just to get the German grandmaster is also an avid set col 3 Lector with sets from Thailand Kashmir India Tad / Africa of Well As an arabian Knight from the 18thrllth Century. Schmid plans to travel to London during August where he and seven other chess players will compete in a match for bbl television. After each Day s play they will de scribe the thought processes and reasons for their Schmid played Host for five Days to Bobby Fetcher when the american was 17 Yean old. The american chess player s age caused a problem when Schmid took him to a Casino the Casino rules had a minimum age Rule of 18 years. Would t let him into the Casino Schmid said and smiles As he tells the Story so finally i said i would a responsible for him and they let me take him la the entire time they played in the Casino Fischer Only played the Blacks and the reds he never played to numbers. Schmid would love to see a match Between Karpov and Fischer. It would be fantastic Schmid says and his eyes Widen a the thought Karpov is like a machine. Everything is Perfecta Fischer " we cod eat us to b that would be a fantastic match to As for his opinion of Fischer Schmid has a he is thursday
