Jeopardize Federation

With eight of the 24 games of
the world chess championship
played in Reykjavik Iceland, U.S.
challenger Bobby Fischer is lead-
ing defending World Champion,
Boris Spassky of the USSR, five
points to three.

In view of the interest arous-
ed by the tournament in Reyk-
javik, it is enlightening to look at
facts assembled by chess cor-
respondent Graham Taylor of
the London Morning Star. He
explains that FIDE, the interna-
tional chess federation, has con-
trolled the title only since 1947.

“Before, the title was con-
sidered the private property of
the holder, to be auctioned to
the best bidder.” An illustration
of that in a moment.

“It was a Soviet resolution
to FIDE in 1947 which ended
this pathetic state of affairs.

“The FIDE system of world
zonal tournaments, followed by
an-interzonal tournament, is too
cumbersome for Fischer.

“For years he has been chal-
lenging’ the world champions
directly, using the financial
backing attracted partly by his
anti-Communist remarks.”

Anti-Communist Mania

Patrons come easily to Fischer
as shown when a wealthy Eng-
lish admirer upped the stakes at
Reykjavik to induce Bobby to
play. Also, he Jives in a hotel
suite supplied free.

“If Fischer becomes world
champion,” Taylor reports,
“many fear he will wreak havoc
with world chess, either through
personal eccentricity or anti-
Communist mania.

“Fischer, a devoted anti-Com-
munist, refuses to play in East-
ern Europe (except Yugoslavia)
or the Soviet Union,” the latter
probably out of inability to ig-
nore the Soviet chess record.

Quite Good at Chess

But, “he sees the contest as
‘the free world against the lying,
cheating, hypocritical Russians,’
and is determined to break ‘the
Soviet grip on chess’.”

“As the following world cham-
pionship table shows, Fischer is
certainly right in supposing that
the USSR is quite good at chess:

1886-1894 Steinitz (Austria)

1894-1921 Lasker (Germany)

1921-1927 Capablanca (Cuba)

1927-1937 Alekhin (France)

1935-1937 Euwe (Netherlands)

1937-1946 Alekhin (France)

1948-1957 Botvinik (USSR)

is

+

1957-1958 Smyslov (USSR)
1958-1960 Botvinik (USSR)
1960-1961 Tal (USSR)
1961-1963 Botvinik (USSR)
1963-1969 Petrosian (USSR)
1969-19— Spassky (USSR)
“The Soviet champions raised
chess from a mere game to a
cultural contest.
“Botvinik, an electrical engin-

2 eer, saw chess as an exercise in

logic and scientific preparation.
Smyslov, an operatic singer in
his spare time, was fascinated
by the artistic side of the game.

“Tal, reckoned to have more
fans even now than either Fisch-

er or Spassky, was the psycholo- .

gist. He produced moves of in-
credible beauty at lightning

speed so that-his “‘scientific” op-’

ponents, pressured by the time-
limits’ (e.g. 40 moves in two
hours), fell intc human error.

“Petrosian was the greatest
master of defense since Stéinitz
and was almost unbeatable.

“However, in the ’60s the pro-
gress of Soviet chess was halted
by over-caution, spoiling tactics
and a welter of draws.

Rich Patron

“When Lasker was champion,
Rubinstein, a poor Polish Jew,
could not get the backing for a
match, while Ianowsky, without
the same ability but with a rich
patron, was able to meet Lasker
twice (and lose).

“Capablanca, a suave diplo-
mat, was able to refuse a chal-
lenge for six years merely be-
cause, in his opinion, nobody
was good enough to play him.

“When he did play in 1927 he
lost to Alekhin who, thinking
Capablanca too good to risk
again, refused a return match.

“But even Alekhin was _in-
secure. Legend has it that he
wrote to Stalin praising Com-
munism and to Hitler praising
nazism but, alas, posted the
letters in the wrong envelopes.
In the war he had to flee to
Portugal, there to die in poverty
in 1946.

“Fischer is a marvellous play-
er ‘typical’ of a Soviet Grand-
master, says Botvinik. Some of
his demands for improved con-
ditions are good for chess. Ac-
cording to Spassky, one of his
greatest admirers, he is likeable
personally.”

But a Fischer victory in this
tournament may return chess to
its Dark Ages when money
talked.

World chess champion, Boris Spassky, plans next move.
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1972—PAGE 6

‘THEATRE REVIEW

The Threepenny Opera, a
Stratford Festival triumph, is as
timely today as when it was
premiered in Berlin in 1928 —
perhaps more so—and Jean Gas-
con’s brilliant production, mag-
nificently staged, delivers Ber-
tolt Brecht’s book and _ lyrics
and Kurt Weill’s music with the
kind of fierce, on-target inten-
sity that compels audiences to
think and feel and respond more
acutely than they thought they
could. And this, after all, is a
chief purpose of the theatre art.

The Threepenny Opera is a
sort of vivid theatrical encyclo-
paedia of human emotions, so-
cial relationships and politics
and it boils down to the revela-
tion that crime, cupidity, de-
ceit, immorality and _ exploita-
tion are the life-blood of capi-
talism, that there is a deadly
parallel between the behavior of
the upper classes and that of
the lumpen, declassed groups.

A program note suggests that
Brecht was cynical of man’s
basic nature, but this miscon-
ception does not, fortunately,
intrude in , the  production’s
thrust. Brecht is not talking of

“human nature” but of human ,

nature perverted by a profit-
motivated class. His musical
play bristles with contempt for
“the rich of this earth’ who
“create poverty but can’t bear
to look at it.”

All is not thunder and light-
ning in this sophisticated Brecht-
Weill musical celebrated in the
down-to-earth marriage of Ger-
man music-hall impudence and
cool American jazz. A dozen
songs and ballads—in a dozen
moods, bitter or angry or gen-
tle—are addressed to us.

The orchestra under Alan
Laing — with’ soloists, duets,
choruses and a haunting whis-

STRATFORD

The Threepenny opera

tler—is vital to the action and
surges angrily in the climaxes
of the three finales. Marc Blitz-
stein wrote the acute English
adaptation. Robert Prevost de-
Signed the colorful Hogarthian
settings and costumes and Gil
Wechsler’s lighting transforms
each scene into a.rich oil paint-
ing. M. Gascon’s direction of

CHARLOTTETOWN

Squeeze

The Fathers of Confederation
who sat around the long table
in the old stone building in 1864
would probably be shocked by
the impudence of the trio per-
forming across the way on the
small cabaret stage in the
splendid Charlottetown Festival
complex.

Squeeze, a comedy revue pro-
duced, directed by and starring
Dave Broadfoot and Barry Bal-
daro, with France Castel, is fast,
bright, witty and crackling non-
stop with political quips, sat-
irical comments on Canadian
behavior, and songs melodiously
delivered by Miss Castel.

Especially funny are the
sketches on income evasion, the
faith healer, the guided tour in
Europe, the grab-bag of Cana-
dian regional museum _ pieces
and, of course, Mr. Broadfoot’s
new edition of political bom-
bast by the loud-mouth Member
for Kicking Horse Pass, this lat-
ter in the form of an Under At-
tack type TV confrontation be-
tween the M.P. and student
challengers. Questions are in-
vited from the audience and the
replies are quick and clever.

Squeeze is a cheerful show to
relax with—a neat blend of wit,
comedy and caricature.

—Martin Stone

Wedro addresses TLC

on Paris peace meet

By RICHARD ORLANDINI

Pearl Wedro, secretary of the
Labor Committee for Peace in
Indochina, addressed the Toron-
to Labor Council on July 20.
Miss Wedro spoke about the
Paris Peace Conference’ held in
February which she attended
with delegates from 84 coun-
tries.

Donald Montgomery, _presi-
dent of the council, introduced
Miss Wedro as a “long time
trade unionist, who has _ been
active in the struggle for peace.”

Miss Wedro opened her re-
marks by thanking the delegates
for the invitation to speak and
then briefly proceeded to point
out the importance of the con-
ference in Paris. She told the
delegates that “although Nix-
on’s orders to mine the harbors
of Vietnam and the bombing of
the dikes were barbaric, the ac-
tions came as no surprise to the
delegates of the conference who
had predicted such measures by
the Nixon administration well
before they happened.” She also
reminded the listeners that ‘“‘Nix-
On’s actions to withdraw combat
troops was only a shield to hide
the fact that he is conducting a
massive electronic war with the
aid of one million South Viet-
namese trained by the U.S.”

She then told the delegates of
the recent Labor for Peace con-
ference held in St. Louis, Mo.

which has attended by. about
1000 trade unionists from
throughout the U.S. “The Labor
Committee for Peace in Indo-
china would like to do some-
thing similar in Canada, but in
order to do so, participation of
trade. union bodies, local unions
and councils will be nesessary,”
she said. “The labor movement
has always been in the forefront
for the struggle for peace, and
now is the time for trade union-
ists to resume that role to in-
sure peace and independence for
Indochina.”

At the conclusion of the meet-
ing several trade unionists invit-
ed Miss Wedro to speak to their
locals on behalf of the Labor
Committee for Peace in Indo-

‘china.

Chile CP wins labor volt |

SANTIAGO — The Electoral
Tribunal of the Central Federa-
tion of Workers of Chile (CUT),
announced that the Communist
Party led in the recent election
to the federation’s executive.

According to the figures is-
sued by the tribunal’s president,
Lincoyan Berrios, 560,056 vot-
ers of 28 provincial councils
took part in the vote, with the
following result:

Communist . Party, .. 173,068;
Socialist Party, 148,140, and the

*Kedrova as Mrs. Peat

individuals and ensemble
ishes at every turn.

The large company sci £
lates in characterization
caricature. Outstanding a¥
ton Rodgers as Mack the ®
wencher, swindler, pandit,
ist, killer and a_ really sq
crook indignant becavs’
business has muscled in 2
Monique Leyrac as the © |
Polly, one of his wiv y
daughter of the bits
Peachum; Jack Creley, ne
ther, a disgruntled, Bibra
ing boss of a charity racke
scorns the underworl
snatchers; Henry Ramet 4 ;
police-chief buddy of Ma ?
Knife; Denise Fergusson
hate-filled Jenny, Mag
rejected floosie girl fri /
betrays him and denoune
world with venom anda

. (a es
and that amazing @ hum
feating the English lang
exploding in splendi
exhaling fire and mal
ing a single word the VT
in vice as she snarls
val” at Mack. ;

Memorable among many
scenes are the opening nel )
ing carousels, the brot rept
jail-break, the wedding P
tions in a barn festoore :
stolen goods, the wedge es
quet, the powerful final’*
each act, and espe
crowning finale when
neck in a noose and SU

alice ;
Iti

peg
by a motley mob © 4
whores, cops, creo
tans, ex-wives, hange™ |,

mostly enemies, is rep el
the last moment by
crowned queen, who ! n 8
knighthood plus pense
whole business ends trav

-opera
ene mock opr artis

He :
The 16th Joint SP? yi
Music Festival of the ion |
wide Finnish OrganiZ’s (il
Canada and the fa
dian Amateur Spor pe at
at Thunder Bay, wil ,
day event, beginniN® (900
with a reception an@ | oeht”

During the festivé
choirs, musical ens? af
sports groups from ii
and Ontario centres range
cipate. Events w! inns!
Isku Park and the FM gy
to Lakeview Highs¢ fi
rium, and for the ©" sake
festival dance, ;
Labor Centre. $

Participation from acy
ada and from $04 ur
border is being ene be
make this a mem0f pedi
during which tw®
tions of the newsP@P 2
will be published.

rly
Christian Democrat
Dal,
The remaining vale
by 10 minor polit!
tions with 25,9
MAPU (Christian
ment which suppo nd
Unity goernment) 4
the Radical Party: party)

The Communist
reelecting the
Luis Figueroa,
cil members an@-"
members. —

e ected Jy