AThe Gazette Montreal, Quebec, Quebec, Canada Tuesday, July 21, 1964 - Page 35
Soviet Ready For Challenge From Fischer
Moscow — (AP) — The Soviet Chess Federation said Monday it will consider any official challenge for U.S. chess star Robert Fischer to play a Russian grandmaster.
Fischer was quoted as being ready to prove in a match here or in New York that he ranks with world chess champion Tigran Petrosyan of the Soviet Union and is better than the other Soviet stars.
The Presidium of the Soviet Chess Federation received a letter from “the well-known patron of chess, A. Bisno,” of the United States, Tass news agency said.
Tass reported that the letter claims that Fischer should share first and second ranking in world chess with Petrosyan and that Fischer is superior to all other chess players.
“Fischer states that he is ready to prove this in a match with any Soviet grandmaster,” Tass said.
It said the Soviet federation “will study Fischer's proposal in detail if a corresponding official challenge comes from the U.S. Chess Federation.”
