Russians versus Fischer:Part IX

Russians versus Fischer

by Dmitri Plisetsky and Sergey Voronkov

Hardcover, 462 pages

Everyman Chess.2005

http://www.everymanchess.com/

The Secret Meeting

 

Anatoly Karpov and Bobby Fischer met for the first time in the Fried Chicken Tournament at San Antonio, USA in 1972.There are two accounts of that meeting.The first appeared in Chess is my life, (Pergamon Press.1980) co-authored by Karpov and Roshal, the well- known Russian journalist.Roshal is typically Soviet, wry and hostile to Fischer.As for Karpov, his words speak for themselves.

 

Roshal:"World Champion Fischer flew in there for the last round.He had acquired a new habit-now he was late not only for his own games, but also for other peoples’. The start of the last round was deferred while the FIDE President,Dr.Max Euwe, despite the bad weather, awaited the “VIP” by the street entrance. It is significant that there occurred the first meeting of Anatoly Karpov and Robert Fischer…”

 

Karpov: “ That day we were due to play the last round, when suddenly the start was deferred for some 10-15 minutes. I didn’t understand what was happening,so I went over to Keres and asked him.He said that they were waiting for Fischer.I couldn’t understand why it was necessary to hold back the start of the tournament on Fischer’s account. We were supposed to start at 2 o’clock, we’d arrived, sat down,and it was now ten minutes past-why should we have to wait? He wasn’t one of the tournament competitors! And if he had been a competitor,his clock would have been started,and that would be all:the round would have begun. But it so happened that, as a mark of respect to the American Chess Federation,and to the tournament organizers, the players did not object.We sat and we waited Fischer appeared together with Euwe, came up on the stage and shook hands with each of the players.That is the sum total of my impressions…All I can say is that outwardly he made on me personally a favourable enough impression…”

 

The second account appears in Karpov on Karpov (Atheneum 1990).It is from glasnost days, and Anatoly's attitude is softer.

 

Karpov:“I first saw Fischer in 1972, soon after he became world champion  in the tournament at San Antonio, USA.Then I was nothing more than a promising young grandmaster.The organizers asked Fischer to commemorate the tournament with his presence.He showed up on the final day.Prior to the opening of the tournament, which the organizers delayed to coincide with his appearance, he graciously met with all the participants.He and I hadn’t been introduced before and he said a few polite words to me.I was struck by his gaze. I didn’t see any severity in him, but rather a sort of gentleness and patience.Incidentally, I never saw that again in him…."

 

 When Karpov met Fischer again, it was in 1976.Now he was world champion, having wrested it by default from Bobby.The meeting was organized by Florencio Campomanes, the Filipino chess organiser who rose to become the President of FIDE years later.Campomanes was keen that there should be a Fischer-Karpov Match. It was he who persuaded the two champions to have a secret rendezvous held in Japan.

 

  

Karpov:"In Tokyo Fischer and I met for real. we took a good look at each other and sized each other up.From the outset I sensed his respect for me, and I treated him the same way…I always held him in high regard.I am glad that our meetings took place, and that we became close.I wish we had been able to play a match,but it just wasn't meant to be.We didn’t have to struggle for a conversation, because there was only one:The match between us had to be played.I wanted it, Fischer wanted it...I was optimistic.There were no intermediaries between us, and I saw this as a guarantee of success.Negotiating with Fischer was not an easy thing to do.Once he got something in his head, he stood his ground and he wouldn't listen to his opponent's arguments. For our match, he wanted to play 10 victories in an unlimited number of games.In the event of a score of 9:9, he would keep his title.Steeling myself, I began methodically explaining to him why this plan would be almost impossible to realize.If one of the players begins to win all the games consecutively and each week three games are played, then even in that best-case scenario the match would last a month.But if he wins one game in three, then already the match would go for about 3 months.Since both Fischer and I rarely lose,even that scenario was unlikely.Back then I couldn’t imagine how it would be possible  to play even 3 months in a row.Fischer didn’t know how he he’d do it either,but still he wouldn’t back down….no matter how difficult the first steps were,we were both enthusiastic and wanted to play our match.After the first meeting I was still hopeful…”

 

Karpov had kept this meeting a secret from Sports Committee, the official body in charge of chess. When the news leaked out, there was a scandal. There was no precedent for an FIDE world champion to have an unofficial commercial match with the same predecessor who had lost the title to him for not complying with regulations.Karpov writes, he was accused of  entering into collusion with Fischer and selling the interests of Soviet chess.

 

Karpov: “One month later I was playing in a tournament in Cordova, Spain.Campomanes brought Fischer over. Fischer sympathized with my problems and was glad I hadn’t backed away from our plan.Our talks progressed only a little, but I wasn’t worried about this. It’s best not to rush such matters, since after all, we were talking about the title for the best chess player in the world.

My final meeting took place in Washington after an entire year had passed.Everything was prepared, the terms entered, and the conditions named.All that remained was to agree on some trivial details concerning the official title of the match and then to sign the copies of the agreement.Fischer insisted on calling it, "The Match for the World Championship Among Professionals”. I’ll remind the readers that this was 1977.It would have been enough for our bureaucrats just to see the phrase Chess Professionals for them to come down on me. I would have been banned from playing such a match. I explained this to Fischer again and again; he replied that he understood my difficulties, but he couldn’t compromise. Finally Campomanes managed to talk him into signing the agreement as drawn up, and then the official title would be decided later. Fischer would be presented with at least three new titles to choose from. Reluctantly agreeing, Fischer took pen in hand.I was about to put my signature to the other copy, when I saw that Fischer had set his pen back down again.

“What is the matter, Bobby? asked Campomanes. “I can’t do it like this,” said Fischer."I can’t do it in parts.Either all at once, or nothing. Something in him had changed.It’s difficult for me to say what exactly, but something had snapped and right then and there I realized our match would not take place."

 

But this account does not tell you everything.How did Karpov manage to hold a meeting with the "Enemy" without the knowledge of his superiors and how did they come to know? In those days Alexander Nikitin was one of the players entrusted with organisational matters.

 When the news of the meeting was first reported by France-Presse, an international agency, he brought it to the notice of the Sports Committee.Sparks flew.Karpov had kept the Sports Committee in the dark and bypassed their authority to have this meeting.He had managed it, using higher political connections.In this book Alexander Nikitin says that  Karpov had powerful patrons in the party and the government and it was their tacit support that enabled him to ignore official channels o have this meeting.Karpov was furious that  "a petty official" like Nikitin had interfered with his secret operation and insisted that he should be punished.So he was duly sacked for "amoral behaviour with respect to the world champion".But the Sports Committee was not going to let Karpov get away with bypassing their authority.Chairman Sergei Pavlov appealed to his superiors to restrain Karpov from holding this match as it would have negative impact on the official system for determining the world champion.Apparently Karpov was asked to "satisfy" the Sports Committee bosses.So he addressed a confidential letter dated 1st October,1976 to the Chairman, Sports Committee seeking official permission for the match.In the letter he gives his reasons for having a match with Fischer:

 

a)"By involving the American grandmaster in negotiations now and reaching agreement with him about a match,we are sure to divert him from official competitions for the world title.

b)At present Fischer is out of training.His chess comebacks invariably begin... at a lower level...We should take advantage of the fact that Fischer is now prepared to plan an unofficial match and should impose this important match upon him right away.

c)By agreeing to play Fischer now, I would refute the claims of various foreign publications and win over world public opinion,which could see my refusal to play as a sign of cowardice."

 

In spite of all these arguments, the Sports Comittee vetoed the proposal and the decision bore the signature of Mikhail Suslov, the chief  ideologue of the party.

More than a year passed. After the meeting in Washington between Karpov and Fischer there was  not much to hope.In spite of this, Karpov made one last attempt to win over Pavlov and the Sports Committee to agree to his proposal.He assured them  that he would play the FIDE world championship in 1978 with the winner of the Candidates' Cycle as scheduled and next year, in 1979 he may be permitted to play a match with Fischer.This time Pavlov and the Sports Committee agreed and also secured Suslov's consent. It was all in vain.After the Washinton meeting Fischer showed no more interest.He and Karpov never met again.

 

Karpov: "It is hard to describe the feeling I experienced,when I realised that there would be no match with Fischer.I felt a sense of loss...some kind of vacuum opened up in my life...a great deal of time passed before I was able to overcome that feeling of regret.I realized that the most vivid thing that could have happened in my life would not take place."

 

I shall leave it to readers to draw their own conclusions from this account of the aborted match. During this peroid Karpov was reaching his peak.Here you can see how he dispaches the Hungarian veteran Portisch in a matter of 23 moves!

  

 

  

 

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