AThe Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle Milwaukee, Wisconsin Friday, September 01, 1961 - Page 2
The Bobby Fischer Explosion
Chess, some people believe, is a quiet, reflective game. It is a game, they persist in thinking, that lacks action and drama. They are wrong, of course, and now even the casual sports fan knows it because Bobby Fischer exploded in his match with Sammy Reshevsky, and the noise went all across the country and the world.
By this time, many readers know what happened. But the events are worth recapitulating. Reshevsky and Fischer were tied at 5½ points each in a 16-game match. The stakes were $8,000, with the winner to get 65 per cent of the money and the loser the rest. Both men had won twice, with the rest of the games drawn. There wasn't much to choose between the 18-year-old grand master and the older man (49) who had been a prodigy and was anxious to regain his claim to the No. 1 spot in American chess.
Reshevsky is an orthodox Jew and he doesn't play on the Sabbath. Nevertheless, the officials who arranged the details of the match (which was played in New York and Los Angeles), set one of the games (the 12th, for a Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. But ten days earlier, that game had been re-scheduled for the following Sunday morning at 11 a.m.
[TRANSCRIPTION CORRECTION: Game time was rescheduled to accommodate the Sabbath at 1:30 P.M. Sunday afternoon which Fischer originally agreed to. Then, without adequate explanation Referee Irving Rivise and organizers pushed start time up to 11 A.M. Sunday morning to accommodate their own personal trip to San Francisco U.S. Open.]
Fischer balked, said he didn't want to play — he wasn't at his best, he claimed — so early in the morning. The officials forfeited the game to Reshevsky, ordered Fischer to play the 13th game and when he refused, they gave the match to Reshevsky.
Too Early To Play
Fischer had said he didn't want to play at 11 a.m. “Why should I accommodate him? Maybe he hoped I'd be tired and he'd get a draw.” He added, “We agreed before the match that there could be no forfeits. They've been making the adjourned games at screwy hours so I'll be tired.” His remark about the referee was “He just thinks I'm a kid or something.”
Fischer was willing to play the 13th game in New York, but only if it was considered the 12th. Meanwhile, he suddenly was a full point behind because of the forfeit. When the officials threatened to go to court over the matter, Reshevsky said, “I abide by the rules of the committee. I am willing to continue the series.” Fischer said, “All right, I'll take it into court, too. I'm willing to begin play against with the 12th game, but I won't resume the match at the 13th. They're just trying to trap me into continuing the match.”
When Fischer didn't show up for the 13th game, the officials of the sponsoring American Chess Foundation, gave the match to Reshevsky. Reshevsky said, “It's unfortunate it had to happen this way, but it couldn't be helped.” But another player, the No. 2 man in the country, William Lombardy perhaps spoke for many fans when he said, “Reshevsky did not have to accept this forfeit and victory. I feel it is a hollow victory for him. When only two men are involved in a match, it seems that the officials could schedule the games at a time suitable for both players.”
Unhappy Turn of Events
It is an unhappy turn of events, and there is evidence that the officials did not give Fischer any the best of it.
Apparently, the shifting was done without Fischer's approval, and there was no reason why, as Lombardy stated, agreement could not have been reached with both men involved. The schedule, as posted on the board of the Manhattan Chess Club in New York did reveal that a game was set for Saturday evening. The shifts followed with the result that Fischer was asked to play at an hour when he did not feel fresh. Surely it didn't have to bog down this way. There was no issue raised by Fischer on the Sabbath issue; mainly he complained he was being pushed about. As he is the American champion, he was entitled to consideration, even if he is 18 to Reshevsky's 49.
! The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Monday, August 14, 1961 - Page 73, (★) “Chess Champ Forfeits by Failing to Appear”
