ANew York Times, New York, New York, Saturday, December 19, 1959
Fischer Yields and Re-Enters U.S. Title Chess
Champion Drops Pairings Dispute
Fischer Regains Place in Title Chess Tournament When Saidy Withdraws
Bobby Fischer, the tempestuous Brooklyn high school student, will defend his national chess title after all.
The 16-year-old Fischer had withdrawn from the tournament on Tuesday in a dispute over the way the pairings for the twelve-man round-robin were drawn.
On Thursday he had a change of heart and yesterday this was communicated to the sponsoring United States Chess Federation and the American Chess Foundation through an intermediary.
Last night, at the West Side Y.M.C.A. the blond, gangling youth who is rated by many as the best chess player in the Western Hemisphere was hunched over his board in his first-round match with Arthur Bisguier of Elmhurst, Queens.
Anthony F. Saidy of Douglaston, Queens, who had been named as Fischer's replacement, withdrew to make way for Bobby's return.
Saidy a Medical Student
Saidy, 22, is a student at Cornell Medical School and the son of Fred Saidy, co-author of the books for “Finian's Rainbow,” “Bloomer Girl,” and other Broadway successes.
The last-minute switch was engineered by Jerry Spann of Oklahoma City, president of the chess federation.
“I thought it was very important to make every effort to smooth out the difficulties since Bobby was the defending champion,” Spann said, “but he had to make the first move.”
The drawing for the tournament, which determines the order in which the players meet one another and the color they play, was conducted by a five-man committee here and the players were notified by mail.
Fischer, who earlier this year competed in the world challengers' tournament in Yugoslavia, protested. He demanded that the pairings be redrawn in public the day before the tournament, as is the custom in Europe.
Change Due Next Year
“We'll be very happy to hold the drawing in public next year,” Spann stated. “In fact we've never had any objections to doing it. The point simply never came up before.
“When Bobby brought it up the drawing already had been made and we didn't feel that it ought to be done again. Time was growing short, for one thing.”
Spann, a slow-talking former football-player at the University of Southern California in the early Nineteen Thirties, had high praise for Saidy.
“He had been looking forward to playing, I know,” Spann said. “But when I called and asked him, as a personal favor, to withdraw he did so immediately.”
Saidy, who was present as an onlooker, smiled ruefully. “I had been out of bed only about three minutes when Jerry called,” I guess I wasn't thinking too clearly when I said I'd drop out.”
The sprinkling of spectators in the Y's auditorium applauded when Maurice J. Kasper, treasurer of the chess foundation, announced Fischer would play.
Bobby lounged against a side wall, chatting with some of the other players, while waiting for the competition to begin. Asked why he had decided to play, all he would say was, “I just changed my mind, that's all.”
Fischer Adjourns
Fischer was held on fairly even terms by Bisguier and they adjourned after forty-one moves early this morning.
Raymond Weinstein of Brooklyn defeated Robin Ault of Cranford, N.J. in forty moves. Weinstein is a former national junior champion, the title now held by Ault.
Edmar Mednis of New York University and Pal Benko, a Hungarian refugee now living here, drew in thirty-seven moves. Benko played a Sicilian defense.
Herbert Seidman of Brooklyn, a former intercollegiate champion, defeated Arnold Denker of East Rockaway, Queens, in forty-four moves. James T. Sherwin of New York, a former state champion, and Robert Byrne of Valparaiso, Ind., adjourned after forty-four moves.
In a match played last Sunday, Samuel Reshevsky, like Fischer an international grandmaster, defeated Sidney Bernstein.
Having drawn the white pieces against Bisguier, Fischer was called upon to deal with the old-fashioned Petroff defense, so popular in the late Eighteen Nineties, when Pillsbury was its chief exponent. With 7, QxQch, simplification set in to some extent, both castling on the queen's side of the board.
Fischer retained the initiative, but Bisguier, at his nineteenth turn, capture a central pawn, challenging an exchange of bishops, which the champion accepted. The loss of the pawn was only momentary. Other pawn captures came in quick succession, but Fischer emerged advantageously with a passed pawn on the king knight's file. His three pawns on the other wing blocked a black quarter. In return Bisguier had a rook on the seventh rank and a knight opposed to a bishop.
Experts believed that the United States champion held a good edge.
