In "Bobby Fischer goes to War", it was indicated that Fischer loved to sleep in late, since he usually stayed-up late at nights. This could have been the reason why he did not want to agree to any early morning matches.
"To Stick or Not to Stick" - That is Bobby Fischer's Question
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To put it mildly, I have no love for Bobby Fischer. However, taking out the maturity level, Fischer is LEGALLY in the right. His contract was clear; they couldn't change the time randomly so that it interfered with his schedule. From a legal standpoint, there is really no question that Fischer is fine, for it was clearly spelled out in his contract. He may not have been a good man, but that contract is all that matters in the legal sense.
Now you have the maturity aspect. Rich lady changes time of tournament because she forgot a violin performance and forces everyone to suffer her mistake vs. guy who thinks it is "uncivil" to play chess at 11 and doesn't show up at the succeeding games as a result. They're both pretty immature. Fischer should have sued for a breach of contract and played the game in New York. The rich lady shouldn't force everyone to change their plans just because she was incompetent. As others have mentioned above, it would be like asking a sports team to play 2 hours early AN HOUR BEFORE THE NEW TIME. They need time to get ready. Had they sought the change in advance, it would be different. But they didn't.
Clearly, both the sponsor and Fischer were pretty immature. But that doesn't matter. What matters is the legal standpoint. I'm not saying that Fischer was usually good at following contracts; he wasn't. The point is, on this one case, individually, Fischer's contract says it all.
The above post having been said, I should add that it wasn't really immature for Fischer to say no to a one hour notice, but not going to the game in New York was immature.
Admiral - Fischer did sue. It was eventually dropped.
Sorry, that was not made clear in the story or the following posts. Did Fischer drop the case or did the court?
Fischer could go where no American had gone before, now they're livid!
Sorry, also - but I do not know the details of why the suit was dropped.
Chess...