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Scenario for a Stalemałe

Trying to keep trach o/ the pręga me maneuverings in the Fischer-Spassky match is as confounding as the gamę itself. The moves have beert fast, frantic and just plain farcical. A running account of the shenanigans resemhles the notation for a twelve-move grand-masler stalemate:

WHITE    BLACK

Spassky    Fischer

1. Boris arrives in Reykjavik two weeks before the match.

2. Boris sighs. "If he doesn't comc, we'11 all go home. It's as simple as that.”

3. Boris says he is “insulted” by Bob-by's delaying tactics and demands a written apology.

4. Mollified, Boris agrees to play the first gamę. He wins.

5. Boris appears for the second gamę.

6.    Boris paces backstage while organiz-ers frantically relay word to Bobby that they will unplug the cameras.

7.    Boris is declared the winner of the second gamę on a forfeit. “It is a great pity," hesays.

8.    Boris says, "Bobby seems to be think-ing about everything but chess."

9.    Boris says, ‘Tm tired of this circus," and he goes salmon fishing.

10.    Boris complains of hearing Street noises in the room and demands that the gamę be moved back to center stage.

11.    Boris says he does not care whether the cameras go or stay, explaining that “I’m a farm boy at heart."

1.    Bobby demands 30% of the gate rc-ceipts and goes into hiding in New York City.

2.    Bobby, enticed by an English mil-lionaire’s offer to double the $125.000 purse. flies to Reykjavik at the last minutę.

3.    Bobby eomplies, confessing that “I was carried away by my petty diśpute over money.”

4.    Bobby says he is distracted by the TV and ntovie cameras and refuses to play the second gamę unless they are removcd.

5.    Bobby, stripped to his underwear, sits playing chess in his hotel room, the door bolted, the telephone pulled from the wali.

6.    Bobby says that just knowing the cameras are around is enough to un-settle him and he refuses to budge.

7.    Bobby, ctaiming that "there is a con-spiracy againsl me.” files a formal protest against the forfeit.

8.    Bobbv threatens to flv back to the U.S.

9.    At the last moment, Bobby agrees to play the third gamę in a secluded, sec-ond-tloor room in the hall. He wins.

10.    Bobby goes along and again calls for the removai of the cameras. He sal-vages a draw in the fourth gamę.

11.    Bobby makes 14 new demands in-cludinga new hotel room, a new car, res-taurant expenses and exclusive use of a swimming pool and a tennis court.

12. Boris says, "I wonder what’s wrong 12. Bobby wins the fifth gamę. with Bobby?"