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*24 2-1 lonafieoch Prm*Y«t99wni VWwidiv, Oct. H. 1IWIniMMitftf. VmUvt, Od. H, 1WSecluded in PasadenaEccentric Bobby Fischer expected to defend titleBy DAN BERGERLOS ANGELES (AP) -Despite numerous reports that world chess champion Bobby Fischer won’t defend his title next year, a biographer of the eccentric chess master says Fischer will play.Brad Darrach, who says he’s one of the few people to know what Fischer has been doing the past two years, says Fischer's enormous ego, his desire for money and his hatred of the Russians will provide the sparks needed to put Fischer back into action.“The threat of Anatoly Karpov (a Soviet chess master) is too important to dismiss as just a passing annoyance,” said Darrach, who says he saw Fischer, 31, just a few weeks ago in suburban Pasadena, living a spartan life.“Karpov is the main reason Fischer will play for the title again. He can’t afford not to because his ego is at stake, Darrach said.Last June, Fischer resigned his title and said he wouldn’t participate in the World Championships in February. He told theInternationa! Chess Federation that he objected to its 36-game limit to determine the world champion in 1975. The limit includes games that, end in a draw.Fischer does not want any limit put on the number of games to be played, nor does he want draws to be counted.Some of Fischer’s friends say Ids refusal to defend his title is merelya bluff, reminiscent of his behavior in the on-again, off-again match with Russia’s Boris Spassky two years ago in Reykjavik, Iceland. Fischer argued about the amount of money he was to receive and complained about playing conditions.Fischer is the firstAmerican to hold the title of world champion. Another American, Paul Morphy, defeated top European players in the late 1850s, but this was before world titles were designated officially.Darrach quoted Fischer as saying: “I’U destroy him, when talking about Karpov, the 23-year-old Soviet phenomenon, who is Jeding countryman Viktor Korchnoi in a matchthat will decide the challenger to Fischer.“Bobby made $150,00(1 for winning the title at Reykjavik, Darrach said, “and not a penny after that because of his strange ways.“He refused to got into any ventures because he didn’t trust people — and his attorney says he could have made as much as $19 million in two years.THE TITLE MATCH,presumably with the spectacular Karpov, “mighl be the most excitingFoodbuy morethan foodThe average consumer may be pleased to learn that your so-called food dollar’’ buys a lot morethan just food today.If you are the average American shopper, you spend $6.06 out of a $20 bill for non-food items at the supermarket.This will include such items as beer, wine, distilled spirits, candy, soft drinks, paper goods, soap, pet foods, health and beaut.v aids, and manvsporting event in history this time around,” said Darrach, who recently completed a book about Fischer called Bobby Fischer vs. The Rest of the World,”Fischer’s erratic and suspicious nature caused Darrneh’s friendship to be strained when Bobby found out a book was being written about him. “Seven countries haveoffered to hold the matchand two of them have said they would guarantee a minimum of $1 million for the purse,” said Darrach.“The Shah of Iran has also expressed an interest and the reported figure for the match, if he could hold it near Teheran, would be $5 million.” Fischer dropped out of public sight after the 1972 title match victory, and Darrach said: “Bobby had heard of the (fundamentalist) Worldwide Church of God on their television shows so he visited their headquarters in Pasadena.“He liked it so much he told the founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, that he wanted to give the church $31,000.“But he has never become a church member. He is what is known as a co-worker of the church.“FOR THE LAST two years he’s been living in athree-bedroom apartment owned by the church, His door is guarded by a church member, his window shades are always drawn closed and he looks quite pale.He hasn’t been working out like he used to — no tennis or paddle ball or swimming, and many people who have seen him, even the church members who see him all the time, feel he won’t defend his title.“But I’m sure he will.“Bobby is just saving up his energy for another tremendous outburst, like the one at Reykjavik.He’s getting very antsy, Darrach said. “There was a period when he was dating girls, and that’s ait he thought about.“Chess wasn’t a part of his life at all. But a few months ago, when he sat clown to write his demands for next year’s title match, he started smelling battle again. And when he sniffs that in the wind he knows he has to respond.He has always responded well to big challenges, and Karpov presents the biggest challenge in a long time,”DARRACH SAID that about, five months ago,Fischer began to hunger for chess again, but unlike other masters, he doesn't play the game to stay inshupe.He studies and he calls his friends. His phone bill is enormous. He calls Ken Smith in Dallas, Fred Cramer in Milwaukee, Larry Evans in Reno and even Svetozar Gligorieh in Yugoslavia, to hear the latest chess gossip and to get copies of books on new analyses of the game,”His physical condition, however, may betray him, Darrach said.“He looks very sailow and pale,” the author said. And Karpov is young, younger than anyone Fischer has ever faced in an important match.”Fischer won 21 consecu-tive champinnship-series games in 1970 and 1971 for an all-time record against top competition, but Darrach said that Karpov has won more prestigious international events than Fischer did at a comparable age.Yes, Fischer lives in darkness and seclusion and doesn’t appear on the surface to be a world champion. But he’ll be back very soon. The championship match will be a spectacular affair.WINNER of the first place trophy for best firefighters at Long Beach Veterans Hospital was the Manual Arts Therapy Team, headed by Hick Woosley, left. Long Beach Fire Chief Virgil Jones presented the trophy asthe climax to the just-concluded Fire Prevention Week.fvtviviviriTnfXPIftiS NOV. 7Z?ft JMYJM HBMITkiiW TOSTADA, flQLWmi minimum• 3*4? I. AKTIStA « T600* HONIII UYO. NOftWALX IOHQ ftlACH (Nfil la Rrjyi ML.1.1
Newspaper Details
Press Telegram
Long Beach, California, US
Wed, Oct 23, 1974
Page 42
Full Page
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Los A.
CA, USA 13 Jan 2023
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