The Times Herald, Port Huron, Michigan, Wednesday, April 04, 1979 - Page 7
Fischer Comeback Urged
New York (AP)—Mayor Edward I. Koch got a visit from current world chess champion Anatoly Karpov of the Soviet Union and made a plea for the previous champ, Brooklyn-born Bobby Fischer, to make a comeback.
“Wherever you are, Bobby, come back and defend us,” Koch said.
“To meet him around a chess table, I'm ready now,” said Karpov, “but not to play.”
Karpov dropped in to meet Koch at City Hall on Tuesday and was greeted by a horde of chess masters and fans.
Asked if he would agree to a match with Fischer in New York City, Karpov, egged on by Koch to “say yes,” replied: “Of course,” but quickly added, “It depends on the terms.”
Chess promoters reportedly are considering New York as the site of match between Karpov and Fischer, who won the title in 1972 by defeating Boris Spassky in Iceland.