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A16 The Orange County Register Tuesday, March 23, 1993Hoax is highest bid for top chess matchBy Edith LedererThe Associated PressLONDON — A chess fan with a “warped sense of humor” upstaged world champion Garry Kasparov and his top challenger, springing a multimillion-dollar hoax Monday at the unveiling of bids for their title match.Kasparov and Nigel Short still will play for a purse of as much as. $3 million — the highest of four legitimate bids. They said they hope to make a decision within two weeks, determining the site and dates of the match they are organizing themselves in defiance of the international chess federation.But they won’t be accepting the offer that generated the most excitement at Monday’s crowded news conference at Simpson’s In-The-Strand, the restaurant that bills itself as one of the oldest chess clubs in the world.Restaurant manager Brian Cli-vaz, who read out the bids, said the top offer of $6.1 million was by Investment Chartwork Ltd. of Warrington, England, on behalf of “an international person who wishes to remain anonymous.*’; Several hours later, Kasparov’s legal adviser, Bob Rice, said it was a hoax. Noel Alms, who runs Investment Chartwork but described himself as a retired chess enthusiast, said he made the bid in pre-World War I reichmarks, which are worthless.“I suppose you could say I made it out of a warped sense of humor,” he said.Kasparov, of Moscow, and Short, of England, called for new bids last month after pulling out of the World Chess Federation and forming their own breakaway Professional Chess Association. The World Chess Federation had accepted a $1.79 million bid from Manchester, in northern England, to stage the 24-game match in August.The two players said they would refuse to play under World Chess Federation auspices because they had not been consulted, as required, before the venue was chosen. The federation said it had consulted the players fully.The four bids the players will consider are:A $2.98 million offer from the London Chess Group, which wants the match played in London.■ A $2.53 million bid from Times Newspapers and Teleworld Holdings based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It did not state a preferred venue for the match.■ A $2,09 million bid from theBrain Trust, a British charity that promotes research into thought processes. It would like the match played in England, Scotland and Wales.■ A $1.79 million bid from British catering organization Monsi, which would like the match played in London.Kasparov and Short said the championship probably will be postponed until September because of the work involved in setting up the new association.For the past five years, Ka-sparoy said, he has wanted chess organized like tennis with a worldwide governing body and a players association that would have sole responsibility for tournaments.Kasparov, a native of Azerbaijan, is the highest-ranked player inchess history and has held the title since 1985.Short, 27 and tied for 11th in the world, will be the first person outside the former Soviet Union to play for the title since American Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky in 1972.Costa Mesa 545 8845 Third Level Crystal Court at South Coast PlazaChildren Portrait SpecialGood for children 12 and under Add $5 for 2 or more children. One special per family.1-8 x 102-3 x 5s 8 - Wallets$34.95wT *' v XLufUSSflUTlMDiscount Prices on all name brand luggage, business cases and travetvtare.,vO?'L-V4 ♦ •Tk ••QUALITYMONOGRAMSERVICE AVAILABLE-Across from McDonald'17775 MAIN ST. IRVINE(714) 250-0774I (800) 551-7090DON ROOTEN
Newspaper Details
Santa Ana Orange County Register
Santa Ana, California, US
Tue, Mar 23, 1993
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Los A.
CA, USA 29 Nov 2022
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