World chess champion Gary Kasparov told UPI in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week that he would be willing to face America's "living legend" Bobby Fischer over a chess board, but only for "clean money not paid for by Serbian propa-ganda."
Kasparov, the 29-year-old Azerbaijani who captured the chess title in 1985, took the swipe at Fischer after enduring a barrage of criticism from the former champion, who has repeatedly disparaged Kasparov's play and insulted him by calling him "an outright crook," a "creep" and a "liar."The current champion's turn to reply came during a news conference in the Argentine capital after being quizzed about the possibility of a game with Fischer, who is currently involved in a Serbian-sponsored re-match of his 1972 title bout with former world champion Boris Spassky.
"If the public thinks there should be a match, and if there is clean money not paid for by Serbian propaganda and there is a country willing to host, I think it can be done," Kasparov told the news conference.
The reigning world champion admitted he was surprised by Fischer's recent return to the public eye after 20 years, saying: "I never thought he would come back. He was always the maximum world champion, like a living legend."
He described the prospects of a match with Fischer as a "hypothetical possibility" but said with the return of the erratic Fischer "any-thing is possible."
While downplaying the possibility of a match, Kasparov engaged in his own bit of psychological warfare, saying he was not very impressed by Fischer's play so far during the re-match, in which Fischer leads Spassky 7-3.
"The quality shown up to now is not very high. Really it is sad that it has to be that way," Kasparov said. "Maybe there is a miracle, and Fischer can return to strong play, but since he retired, chess has evolved quite a bit and it will be difficult for him to catch up."
Kasparov criticized Fischer for holding the match in the Yugoslav capital while that country is still backing a war with its neighboring republics. Fischer ignored U.S. warnings that the match would violate U.N. sanctions against Serbia and spat on a Treasury Department order barring him from play.
Kasparov denied Fischer's allegations that his world championship matches with Anatoly Karpov were rigged.
"In order to fix 144 matches, you would have to have graduated in Hollywood," Kasparov said smiling. "You can plan good moves, but not the errors, and with Karpov we committed a lot that time (in 1985). Fischer's words show his mental conditions are not very healthy."
Kasparov said that while he hoped to continue improving his game, he found little motivation.
"It is difficult to push yourself after having won all the tournaments over nearly 10 years."
He said his only slight motivation was a possible match against Fischer or a computer.
Next year, Kasparov will defend his title against the winner of a match between English grand-master Nigel Short and Dutch champion Jan Timman.
"I would bet on Timman to win," Kasparov said.
- REMINDER - Welcome Halloween (a week early that is) at the Utah Halloween Tournament next Saturday, Oct. 24.
The gala costume affair will be held at the University of Utah in the West Ballroom of the Union Building.
It will be a Swiss system, four-rounds, one-day tournament with the first round set at 10 a.m. (with or without a pumpkin). Registration will be at 9 a.m. The rate of play will be one game an hour for each player.
For additional details call the tournament sponsor: Philip Rodriguez, 1103 University Village, telephone: 582-8385.
- RECORDS - With a $4 million world title match set to begin next August in Los Angeles and scholastic events breaking attendance records, chess seems poised to explode in the United States.
Meanwhile the long-awaited goal of corporate sponsorship for master chess came a notch closer when a New York law firm held a 10-player tournament in its Wall Street offices.
Peruvian grandmaster Julio Ernesto Granda, 25, posted the best performance of his career with 7-2 comprising five straight wins plus four draws.
Hungarian whiz Judith Polgar, who just turned 16, trailed by half a point, followed by Joel Benjamin (former U.S. open champion) and Lev Psakhis, 5 points, and then Judith's older sister, Susan, 23, with 41/2 points.
- CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SOLVERS! - Connie Miller, Norm Marchant, Lincoln McClelland, Geofrey McIntyre, Gary Neumann, Roger Neumann, Elsa Oldroyd, Ted Pathakis, Knute Petersen, Jim Reed, Ed Richardson, Philip Rodriguez, Hans Rubner, Vern Smith, Edwin O. Smith (congratulations to him on his 92nd birthday, which attracted 55 members of his family to Rigby, Idaho), Edward Scherer, Al Schow, Jeff Thelin, Eugene Wagstaff, Ardean Watts, Werner Young, Steven Anderson, A.C. Ashton, Loile Bailey, Kim Barney, Steven L. Baker, Ramon E. Bassett, Daniel Barlow, Alan E. Brown, O. Kent Berg, Craig Bryson, Farrell L. Clark, Philip Clark, Alan Cobb, George Cavanaugh, Bobby Callery, Jack Crandall, Brian Chamberlain, Ken Frost, Ed Felt, Gordon Greene, Steven Ivie, Hal Harmon, Brian Harrow, Enos Howard, David Higley, Steven Jensen, Hal Knight, Frank Knight, David D. Kirk, Raeburn Kennard, Steven Kennard, Nathan Kennard, Richard B. Laney, Jim Low and Kay Lundstrom.